Guided by a herd of deer, Chieko Shiraishi enters the wilderness of Hokkaido. Shikawatari (deer crossing), released five years after Shimakage, is a series of poetic black-and-white images taken in wintry Doto, in eastern Hokkaido. The central theme is a herd of deer encountered while travelling: the shy animals wander the snowy landscapes, across frozen lakes and barren forests, always keeping a watchful eye on the photographer, who keeps her distance; other animals, large birds and foxes, appear too, and wide, clear landscape shots give a sense of the surroundings. The series creates a sense of wonder, as if at the doors to a world of magic realism. In the artist's statement Shiraishi describes seeing a herd of deer crossing the frozen lake in a row, silently, and finding in it a providential, beautiful law of nature, something sacred, and a feeling of oneness with the majestic natural world.