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Research Progress in Akkeshi: Mostly a Success

7/28/2017

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Amazingly, I have been in Japan for just over 6 weeks at this point! There are only 3.5 weeks remaining, which means that my experiments are well underway and the end is just around the corner. Since I haven't yet shared my experimental set up, I thought I'd do a quick post here to show what my science here looks like. Photos from an experiment like this are just a little bit more exciting than those from my usual genetics lab and computer work!

I have two main experiments running, one on temperature and one on salinity. These are testing what range of conditions the fluffy sea anemone can survive in over an extended period of time. To test this, I have four different temperatures increasing at intervals from the outside ocean temperature, and five different salinities both increasing and decreasing from the outside ocean salinity. Each temperature and salinity level has multiple replicates within it, with anemones kept in cups to follow more closely each individual. These are kept in as stable of conditions as possible during the experiment and are fed, but nonetheless I measure and record any changes in temperature or salinity at least every other day, as well as check for any deceased individuals. 
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Mini-aquaria for the salinity experiments, all kept in running seawater to maintain the temperature of each aquarium consistent.
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Four anemones per replicate
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Some of them look quite happy - they're given live brine shrimp to keep them well fed.
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The alien-like temperature set up
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Each temperature has a tupperware where fresh seawater is brought in, warmed, then delivered through tubes to the individual anemones. Below is a heater that maintains the correct temperature surprisingly consistently.
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Modified pipette tip water delivery system
Not all experiments go according to plan though, as often happens! I had intentions to run an experiment on the dissolved oxygen tolerance of sea anemones, but through multiple trial and error of the experimental setup, it was time to give up on it. However, that's part of the reason I came with three experiments; 2 out of 3 is not so bad :). Sometimes it's better know when to move on to the next thing rather than spend your days trying to fix something that just isn't going to work. 
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Metridium senile isn't the only anemone that is in the area! I've collected a few others that are common in Hokkaido waters.
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Urticinia coriacea
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Epiactis japonica - a brooding anemone with lots of young attached on the column
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Anthopleura kurogane - very common hiding in the tide pools in rock crevices
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Oral disc fully visible
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Here you can see the verrucae, sticky little bumps that hold substrate for camouflage
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Ice Cream!

7/23/2017

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If you have ever traveled with me before, you know that I might measure my successfulness of sightseeing in the number of ice cream cones I have consumed. However, you might not know that there is a region of Japan known for their ice cream, and I assure you that it was purely unintentional that I am in the midst of it! In Hokkaido, there are many ice cream shops known for their soft [serve ice] cream, and understandably so. The many farms in the surrounding area allow their cows to graze in spacious fields shared only with cranes and Sika deer, creating landscapes with rolling green hills not unlike the British Isles. The town of Hamanaka next to Akkeshi specializes in producing milk; they are the sole supplier of raw milk for Haagen-Dazs Japan. 

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This locally sourced shop near Hamanaka was my first introduction to the delicious soft cream in the area.
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Small taste, but big flavor. It does taste different than Haagen-Dazs in the US.

I will admit, however, that I have been mildly disappointed in the selection of mochi ice cream flavors available at the grocery and convenience stores here. So far, I have fallen short of my high hopes and dreams of trying all the weird and wonderful flavors of mochi that were sure to be found. Altogether, I have found and tried three: 

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The inside of this has almost an orange jam - creates an orange creamsicle flavor!
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I'm not sure the exact name for this flavor, but it was almost a sweet teriyaki inside.
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The vanilla comes in a multipack!!!!

Of course, there is hard serve ice cream as well, with one of the best locations at a road station we have been fortunate to pass more than once. They have had different flavors available each time, some more appealing than others. Another benefit of this road station is the foot onsen (hot spring) that is available for weary travelers to rejuvenate their feet and ankles in. 

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Speaking of onsen, many of the onsen in the area have either milk or soft cream available to enjoy after your time in the steaming hot water. Definitely a welcome treat! I have yet to try the one that has nori flakes on it. 
I've also enjoyed things that are not ice cream as well, such as a pikachu mcflurry (chocolate covered banana) from McDonald's, delicious gelato (on the same day :|), and a strawberry crepe with whipped creme in it that looked like an ice cream cone. 
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To be sure, the ice cream in Hokkaido is very tasty. However, somebody else enjoyed some Japanese ice cream in 2010: matcha green tea ice cream in Kamakura (near Tokyo). This earned the name of "Obamatcha"  from local shops, so I know I'm not alone in enjoying the dairy-licious treats that Japan has to offer!   
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Not my photo.
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Going Terrestrial: Hiking the Volcano

7/20/2017

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Monday was a holiday in Japan, so several of us (Mizuho, Takaaki, and Franz) took advantage of the day off to go climb Mt Meakan. This is the highest mountain in Akan National Park and an active stratovolcano in the Kurile arc, though it has not had significant activity for ~10 years! Our hike began with us clambering over roots of trees as we headed up the steep incline in the boreal forest. I was thankful that it was not a hot day, as we had dense fog blanketing everything and cooling the air down. 
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Thick understory of dwarf bamboo
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We found a patch of blueberries! These were more similar to high bush blueberries than to Maine wild blueberries.
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Beautiful forest filled with red pine, as well as Sakhalin spruce and Sakhalin fir.
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Dogwood
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Monotropa sp. - I grew up calling this Indian pipe.
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The moist climate lends itself to plentiful moss covering rocks, roots, and felled trees.
As we continued climbing up through the forest, there was a sudden shift to nearly a monoculture of stunted pines. These were at a much higher elevation, thus no more boreal forest. Normally, we could see a beautiful view looking down, but, well... there was a little fog. So we were treated to an eerily beautiful and peaceful view instead.
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Watch your step on this trail
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Looking across - the trail is winding up through the pines.
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Penstemon frutescens? I'm no Penstemon expert though, unlike others in EEOB.
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Remnants of a landslide
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Beautiful views
Soon even the trees were nonexistent as we entered into the moonscape above the tree line. Here there was little protection from the wind and fog, and the going was much rockier. Having never done the climb before, it was interesting to be completely in the dark as to how much further we had to go. However, mountains in Japan are divided into 10 sections, with a marker after each section. Therefore, I always knew what percentage of the mountain we had left to go before reaching the highest peak.  
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Nourishment break. Please note that Takaaki did the entire climb in rubber boots.
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Into the mist
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Did it! 1499 meters (~4900 ft) altitude.
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Victory!
At the summit, we couldn't see very far. I thought I was hearing a highway with lots of cars (strange), but in fact it was the constant noise of steam escaping out of a small hole in the volcano. As we started climbing down the opposite side of the volcano, the fog began to lift and we could start to see the turquoise blue lake in the crater near the sulfuric steam clouds. At times, we covered our faces with towels as the foul-smelling steam would occasionally drift over us. 
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If you look closely, you can see the yellow surrounding the hole from the sulfur
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We were in between the clouds
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We left this mountain for another day.
On the way down, we saw the same zones in reverse. This time in the boreal forest I kept my eyes open looking for the Koro-pok-guru, the little people in native Ainu folklore who live under the giant leaves of the butterbur plant. Spoiler alert: I didn't find any. I did find some really neat glowing luminous moss (Schistostega pennata?) while peering into a hole in a pile of rocks though, which I had never seen before. I was amazed that it was clearly glowing in the daylight, and how it was near the trail though it's probably a rare find. At the end of our hike, there were several onsens (hot springs baths) to choose from, so we could ease our tired muscles before heading back to the station.
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Tight trail
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The way down was relatively steep in some areas
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Wetland area
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Coming back, we trekked past Lake Akan, which is normally a brilliant blue in the sun.
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Living and researching at the Akkeshi Marine Station

7/6/2017

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Two of the greatest things about doing my research at the Akkeshi Marine Station are the view and the nonexistent commute: the dorm and the research laboratory are located directly on the ocean. The dormitory houses mainly visiting researchers and students in field courses during the summer. Though incredibly inexpensive for me to stay in, it provides more than enough of the necessities with a full kitchen, dining room, shower room, and spacious bedroom with an ocean view at my disposal. It's like being a boat, without the seasickness. When there are students at the dormitory, I have to schedule meals a little bit differently to not get in the way of the housekeeper doing the cooking, but all the students are very respectful, and not very rowdy at all in comparison to typical American undergraduates.
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View of the dormitory from the laboratory - the drive up and to the main road is behind the dorm.
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Gravel drive coming down to the station - very lush vegetation and steep hill
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Room with a view! Though there are four beds, I don't think I will have a roommate while here. Not pictured: sink, cabinets, little sitting area.
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The dorm even has a little gym ;)
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Kitchen with full access to pots, pans, dishes, and basic cooking needs (oil, dish soap, etc)
Work for most generally begins between 8:30 and 9 and ends around 5 or 6, with an hour lunch break at noon. Most of the students take lunch at the dormitory where we can cook or eat leftovers. Several of the students here will keep most of their food in the dormitory and eat both lunch and dinner at the dorm during the week, staying later in the evening to work in the quiet dining area. 
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Various research projects are ongoing at the station, with a large majority of them focused around the biodiverse and productive sea grass beds plentiful outside of the station. Others deal with potential effects of climate change, water chemistry, or working with the oysters that Akkeshi is known for. The station has plenty of space, with an immaculate molecular/water chemistry lab, wet lab, environmental chambers, teaching/seminar room, offices, and of course, the aquarium room where I spend most of my time. This room used to be an aquarium but has since been converted to research space where there are ample running sea water and compressed air taps to feed into multiple aquaria large enough to fit several people in. 
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View of the laboratory from the dorm
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Helping Ahn-san collect some water level data in a river
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Aquarium room - running sea water and plenty of aquariums
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Experiments all set up and running - stay tuned!
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Shoes are taken off upon entering the laboratory building and slippers are put on instead. Same in the dorm - I immediately (and embarrassingly) bought a pair of croc-like shoes to wear throughout the dorm. Keeps the floors much cleaner though!
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Everyone has a nametag that you flip over upon arrival and flip when you leave - last one to leave locks the door and sets the alarm!
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Everyone knows where everyone is if they're not at the lab - no going out on your own for field work.
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Examples of some of the research conducted here
The only thing difficult in living at the station is the lack of independent access to, well, anywhere else. It would take about an hour to walk into the nearest side of the town, and longer still to get to the grocery store. Therefore, I depend fully on my labmates to provide rides into town for groceries, research supplies, medicine, recreation... anything. However, the Japanese are extremely gracious and generous people as a whole, and they usually offer before I get a chance to ask. Fortunately, another student is here from Germany for 6 months, and he is in the same position as I am. 
Wednesday's are cleaning in the lab! This is just an example of the level of teamwork that exists at the station - everyone pitches in to help each other out, and are happy to offer suggestions or their expertise in a certain area to each other. ​Another benefit of living at a field station that only has about 17 people total working there is that lab members instantly become friends! The town is very small, and their lives revolve around the lab, so you work, play, and eat with the same people. That means that weekends are the time to see some of the sights or visit the festival in town together. 
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The point a quick hike up from the lab
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Marimo lake balls - this species of algae forms a peculiar spherical shape only found in Lake Akan.
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One of many festival trucks
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They came over for a visit!
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Franz, Mizuho and I wearing traditional yukata
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Typical surrounding forest
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Heading out to see the marimo!
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BBQ time before the festival parade
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Teams with shishi head and a waggling tail
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Taking the new yukata for a spin at the festival... there were not as many people as we thought wearing yukata :D
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    Heather Glon

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