The Japanese giant salamander, one of the largest amphibians in the world, is endemic to Japan’s cold, fast-flowing streams. When disturbed, it oozes a milky, pungent mucus whose scent resembles sanshō (Japanese pepper), giving rise to its Japanese name ōsanshōuo, or “giant pepper fish.”

Sika deer are Japan’s most ubiquitous large animals, with populations rocketing due to a scarcity of natural predators. In Shinto, the deer are considered sacred messengers of the gods and are protected and revered; most famously in Nara Park, where well over 1,000 deer bow, beg, and bite to be fed “deer crackers.”