Box just arrived from Amazon.com with a couple of books, a couple of cd’s and a movie I’d ordered.

One of the books was A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia by Tadao Shimba.

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia

I’m most impressed by the book. Colour photography throughout , over 600 species, a little bit of a description on each bird, and its geographic range. The photographs range in quality but still give you a good idea of what the birds look like.

One problem I have already noticed is that the book has the English name and the scientific name of the bird but not the common Japanese name. If you  buy this book and plan to use it while in Japan (which would be most people I imagine)  having the Japanese name would allow you to ask locals what a bird was or confirm your guess.

Until the photographic guide came out the standard book (in English) of Japanese birds was A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan by the Wild Bird Society of Japan. I managed to find a copy in a box of junk, which was fantastic as they were last printed in 1985 and they usually sell for upwards of 100 dollars.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan

The field guide is excellent with great drawings of adults and immature birds along with summer and winter plumage. There are the English, scientific and Japanese names for each species also. (Impress you Japanese friends with your knowledge of obscure Japanese bird names.)

In summary, I would recommend either book. If you can find a copy of the field guide at a reasonable price, having both books will provide you with a great resource.

As I mentioned learning the Japanese names of birds before…

Suzuki Hayabusa

This is the Suzuki Hayabusa, one of the fastest production bikes in the world.  The name makes a lot more sense when translated from Japanese to English – Suzuki Peregrine Falcon.

If you are wondering how fast that is….