Brad Warden / Japan / Plants & Animals

Plants and Animals in Japan

This pages shows some of the plants and animals I've seen in Japan.

Sort by: Taxonomy | Latin Name Desc | Common Name Desc | Japanese Name Desc | Place Desc | Date Desc


Blue Triangle Butterfly
アオスジアゲハチョウ、青条揚羽蝶
Graphium sarpedon

16 Jul 2012
Japan, Kanagawa, Ashigarakami, Yamakita

 

Koi (Common carp)
ゴイ、鯉
Cyprinus carpio

6 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Ota, Kamiikedai

 

Trout
マス、鱒
Salmo

Alternate name: Sea trout.

15 Jul 2012
Japan, Yamanashi, Minamitsuru, Saiko

 

Japanese Tree Frog
ニホンアマガエル、日本雨蛙
Hyla japonica

16 Jul 2012
Japan, Kanagawa, Ashigarakami, Yamakita

 

Spot-billed Duck
カルガモ、軽鴨
Anas poecilorhyncha

Subspecies seen is most likely: Eastern Spot-billed Duck (A. p. zonorhyncha).

6 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Asagaya

 

Swan
ハクチョウ、白鳥
Cygnus

15 Jul 2012
Japan, Yamanashi, Minamitsuru, Kawaguchi

 

Rock Pigeon
カワラバト、河原鳩
Columba livia

Alternate names: Rock Dove, ドバト.

28 Jun 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Ota, Kamiikedai

 

Oriental Turtle Dove
キジバト、雉鳩
Streptopelia orientalis

4 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Ota, Denenchofu

 

Common kingfisher
カワセミ, 川蟬
Alcedo atthis

Saw with Mum and Dad on Greenery Day

4 May 2023
Japan, Tokyo, Kokubunji, Nishikoigakubo, Sugatami-no-ike

 

Japanese Bush Warbler
ウグイス、鶯、鴬
Horornis diphone

Alternate Latin name: Horornis diphone.
Notes: Along with the return of the barn swallow the bush warbler's call is viewed by Japanese as a herald of springtime.
Some other Japanese names given to the bird are haru-dori (

16 Jul 2012
Japan, Yamanashi, Minamitsuru, Saiko

 

Crow
カラス、烏
Corvus

This is the genus. There are many species. The species must be one of the species found in Japan.

28 Jun 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Ota, Kamiikedai

 

Barn Swallow
ツバメ、燕
Hirundo rustica

16 Jul 2012
Japan, Kanagawa, Ashigarakami, Yamakita

 

Japanese Wagtail
セグロセキレイ、背黒鶺鴒
Motacilla grandis

Very similar to: White Wagtail.

18 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Asagaya

 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow
スズメ、雀
Passer montanus

28 Jun 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Ota, Kamiikedai

 

White-cheeked Starling
ムクドリ、椋鳥
Sturnus cineraceus

Alternate name: Grey Starling

12 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Naritahigashi

 

Great Egret
ダイサギ、大鷺
Ardea alba

Alternate names: Great White Egret, Common Egret, Great White Heron.
Subspecies: Ardea alba modesta.

10 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Asagaya

 

Little egret
Egretta garzetta

See with Mum and Dad

5 May 2023
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Nishiogikita, Zenpukuji River

 

Red-eared Slider Turtle
アカミミガメ、ミシシッピ赤耳亀
Trachemys scripta elegans

4 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Ota, Denenchofu

 

Sunflower
ヒマワリ、向日葵
Helianthus annuus

24 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Matsunoki

 

Bigleaf Hydrangea
アジサイ、紫陽花
Hydrangea macrophylla

Alternate common names: French Hydrangea, Lacecap Hydrangea, Mophead Hydrangea, Penny Mac and Hortensia. Native to Japan.

6 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Ota, Kamiikedai

 

Japanese wisteria
フジ、藤
Wisteria floribunda

12 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Naritahigashi

 

Plum Blossom
ウメ、梅
Prunus mume

Notes: One of the first flowers to appear in Japan before Spring. Different species to the western plum.

15 Feb 2013
Japan, Tokyo, Minato, Shibakoen

 

Japanese Cherry
ヤマザクラ、山桜
Prunus serrulata

Alternate names: Hill Cherry, Oriental Cherry or East Asian Cherry.
Notes: It is a species of cherry native to Japan, Korea and China. It is known for its spring cherry blossom displays and festivals.

23 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Asagaya

 

Japanese Maple (Momiji)
イロハモミジ、いろは紅葉
Acer palmatum

16 Jul 2012
Japan, Kanagawa, Ashigarakami, Yamakita

 

Camphor laurel
クスノキ、樟、楠
Cinnamomum camphora

Notes: native to Taiwan, southern Japan, southeast China and Indochina; introduced to Australia in 1822 as an ornamental tree for use in gardens and public parks.

28 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Higashikoenji

 

Japanese rice
ジャポニカ
Oryza sativa japonica

Alternate names: japonica, uruchimai or sushi rice.

16 Jul 2012
Japan, Kanagawa, Ashigarakami, Yamakita

 

Bamboo
タケ、竹
Bambuseae

Notes: More than 70 genera are divided into about 1,450 species. Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth with reported growth rates of 100 cm (39 in) in 24 hours.

19 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Omiya

 

Ginkgo
イチョウ、銀杏
Ginkgo biloba

Alternate names: Gingko, Maidenhair Tree, 鴨脚樹、公孫樹、コウソンジュ.
Ginkgo tree <2km from Hiroshima atomic bomb survived.
Tokyo Prefecture symbol is a Ginkgo tree leaf.

6 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Asagaya

 

Japanese cypress
ヒノキ、檜
Chamaecyparis obtusa

Alternate name: 桧.
Note: Native to central Japan. It is grown for its very high quality timber in Japan, where it is used as a material for building palaces, temples, shrines, traditional noh theatres, baths, table tennis blades and masu. The wood is lemon-scented, light pinkish-brown, with a rich, straight grain, and is highly rot-resistant. Hinoki pollen is a major cause of hay fever in Japan.

15 Jul 2012
Japan, Yamanashi, Minamitsuru, Narusawa

 

Japanese White Pine
ゴヨウマツ、五葉松
Pinus parviflora

Alternate name: Japanese five-needle pine.
Notes: Popular tree for bonsai, and is also grown as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens.

15 Jul 2012
Japan, Yamanashi, Minamitsuru, Narusawa

 

Japanese Red Pine
アカマツ、赤松
Pinus densiflora

Alternate name: Korean Red Pine.
Notes: This pine has become a popular ornamental and has several cultivars, but in the winter it becomes yellowish. The height of this tree is 20–35 m. The Japanese red pine prefers full sun on well-drained, slightly acidic soil.

19 Jul 2012
Japan, Tokyo, Suginami, Matsunoki