Stork Chicks Expected to Hatch Soon in Japan's Toyooka City

TOYOOKA, HYOGO PREFECTURE, JAPAN, February 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Oriental White Stork, one of Japan's national natural treasures, is preparing to welcome new chicks for the spring season ahead. From February to March, adult storks eagerly start preparations for nest-building, gathering twigs and branches from nearby forests and wetlands. After being laid from February to May, eggs hatch after approximately one month, attracting domestic and international tourists for a rare glimpse at Oriental White Stork chicks.

One of the best chick-watching experiences is located near Toyooka City's Kinosaki Onsen, a tattoo-friendly hot spring town near Kyoto and Osaka. On this Private Car Oriental White Stork Tour, learn about the ecology of the storks and local commitment to protect the population soaring Japan's skies. A local English-speaking guide will reveal the best spots for seeing storks in the wild, including nearby nesting towers with newborn baby chicks. Have lunch abundant in organic vegetables and locally grown rice. The meal is made with Stork Natural Rice, which uses an environmentally-friendly farming method that cultivates quality rice while nurturing various living creatures, and was originally created to support the Oriental White Storks’ revival.

The Oriental White Stork, commonly known as ‘kounotori’ in Japan, is a large stork that is at the apex of the wetland food chain. Due to excessive pesticide usage during and after World War II, many of the Oriental White Stork’s feeding grounds, the rice fields, became difficult places to find food. The stork’s numbers dwindled over the decades, and in 1971, the last stork disappeared from Japan’s skies in Toyooka City. To save the Oriental White Stork from complete extinction, Toyooka's locals started to raise them in captivity. They made a promise to the storks - “We will, one day, bring you back to the wild.” In 2005, after decades of hard work, the storks were successfully reintroduced into the wild from Toyooka City. Currently, about 350 Oriental White Storks fly grandly in the skies of Toyooka and beyond. Locals continue to preserve their habitat, through public funding and stork-watching tours available on visitkinosaki.com.

Danielle Leveille
Toyooka Tourism Innovation
+81 796-21-9002
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