
Meet Tiny, Fluffy And Cutest Japanese Snow Fairy Bird
Ritika Handoo
Jun 09, 2025
Shima Enaga, nicknamed as the Japanese snow fairy because of its tiny size and fluffy white feathers is super cutesy.
Snow fairy bird belongs to the long-tailed bushtit family and is one of the smallest birds in Japan, measuring only about 14 cm or 5.5 inches long.
It has round eyes, fluffy body and cutesy looks. Shima Enaga has become popular among bird lovers and locals in Hokkaido island.
According to Discover Animal Instagram page: This tiny bird is a subspecies of the long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) with a unique charm that made it go viral on social media.
With its snow-white feathers, round shape, and innocent expression, it's considered one of the most adorable creatures in the world.
People are flocking the Bird-Watching Cafe in Hokkaido to watch the most adorable Shima Enaga. Read Next Story

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
Viral Video: This Jelly-Like 'Water Mochi' From Japan Is A Visual Delight
Mochi is a traditional Japanese dessert that has been a staple in the country's culinary heritage for centuries. Made from glutinous rice flour, the snack is known for its chewy and soft texture, often filled with sweet fillings or served with various toppings. While most people would be familiar with more traditional flavours like red bean paste, pickled cherry leaf, and warabi mochi, Japan has now introduced a new iteration of the dessert - water mochi. In a video shared on Instagram, a food vlogger gave a glimpse of the clear and jelly-like rice cake with a super bouncy texture. Shaped like a big water droplet, the mochi is typically served with roasted soybean flour and brown sugar syrup. Its unique texture and presentation have made water mochi a popular treat in Japan and beyond. The side note read, "A traditional sweets shop in Kyoto known for its jiggly water mochi - a clear, jelly-like rice cake with a super bouncy texture. Shaped like a big water droplet, it's served with roasted soybean flour and brown sugar syrup. The way it wiggles is just too cute - not to mention, super popular! It also makes a lovely gift or souvenir. Located near the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine, it's a great stop during your Kyoto sightseeing." View this post on Instagram A post shared by 포토그래퍼의 【공간 탐닉】 (@space_tamnik) The video went viral on Instagram, and reactions were quick to pour in. One user wrote, "It's so cute and bouncy that I want to keep slapping it." Another added, "Oh! I really want to eat the rice cake here." Someone commented, "This dessert is already fun even before you eat it!" "I would like to try it; so cute," remarked a user. A viewer said, "Wow, it's really bouncy." "Wow, what a unique visual! It's so chewy. I am so curious about the texture!" read a comment.


NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Forget Dogs And Cats, Why Japan Loves Bugs As Pets
Tokyo: The pet of choice in Japan, as much as cuddly kitties and playful puppies, is the humble bug. The bug has been a key part of Japanese culture from the Heian era classic The Tale of Genji to popular modern-day manga and animation like Mushishi, featuring insect-like supernatural creatures. The Bug As A Companion Japanese people appreciate the glitter of fireflies let loose in the garden or the gentle chirping of crickets kept in a little cage. You can feed the bug pets watermelon, but special jelly pet food for bugs is also available at stores. Naturally, bugs are on sale as well, with the more esoteric ones selling for 20,000 yen ($133 or Rs 11,650). Here, crawly and buzzing critters are not just relegated to the scientific realm of the entomologist working on a taxidermy of pinned butterflies. Celebrities boast about their fascination with bug-hunting as their hobbies just like a Western movie star might talk about his yacht or golf score. The bug as companion is an essential part of what's observed, enjoyed and cared for in everyday life, reflecting a deeply rooted celebration of humankind's oneness with nature. Tiny, Beautiful Creatures "They are so tiny. If you catch and study them, you're sure to discover something new," says Munetoshi Maruyama, professor of bioenvironmental sciences at Kyushu University, whose fascination with bugs began as a child, like many Japanese. "They are so beautiful in shape and form." One thrill that comes from studying insects is discovering a new species, simply because there are more than 1.2 million known kinds of insects, far more than mammals, which translates to a lot of undiscovered ones, said Maruyama, who has discovered 250 new insect species himself and shrugs that off as a relatively small number. In Japan, Kids Love Bugs Japan differs from much of the West in encouraging interaction with bugs from childhood, with lots of books written for children, as well as classes and tours. "In Japan, kids love bugs. You can even buy a net at a convenience store," he said. "It's fantastic that bugs can serve as a doorway to science." The fact some insects go through metamorphoses, transforming from a larva to a butterfly, for instance, adds to the excitement, allowing kids to observe the stages of a life span, Maruyama said. A Way To Study Global Warming Tracing the movement of bugs can be a way to study global warming, too, while so-called "social insects," like bees and ants show intelligence in how they communicate, remember routes to find their way back to their nests or burrow elaborate underground paths as colonies. Because bugs carry out important functions in the ecosystem, such as pollinating crops and becoming food for birds and other wildlife, human life isn't ultimately sustainable if all bugs were to disappear from earth. The Great Insect Exhibition In Tokyo The love affair with bugs was clear at an exhibit in Tokyo, aptly called "The Great Insect Exhibition", running through the end of this month at the Sky Tree Tower, where crowds of children gathered around trees inside indoor cages so they could observe and touch the various beetles. One kind of rhinoceros beetle known as Hercules, which originated in the Caribbean but is now also found in Japan, is reputed to be the biggest beetle on record, although it's just several inches in length. Its back coat is a shiny khaki color, though such shades change depending on the season. The other parts, like its horn and delicate but spiky legs, are dark. "We want the kids to feel the emotions and joy of actually touching the insects here. That's really positive for the workings of a child's brain," said Toyoji Suzuki, one of the event's organisers, who insisted everyone, including adults, touch the bottom of the beetles' horns and wings to feel how surprisingly soft and fluffy they are. Four-year-old Asahi Yamauchi, who was at the exhibit with his grandmother and getting his photo taken inside a special installation that made it look like he was inside a beetle, loves bugs as much as he loves dinosaurs and has what he called a cute beetle as a pet at home. "My friend had one so I wanted one," he said.


Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Honda Drive To Discover 13: Monsoon adventures in scenic Kerala & Tamil Nadu
The Honda Drive to Discover has been the Japanese brand's initiative, bringing its cars and our fascinating country closer together. In its 13th year, Honda D2D has traversed through different parts of India, exploring our vast culture, food, and, of course, the roads. This year's theme was the 'Monsoon Trails', and where better to experience the rains than Kerala and Tamil Nadu? So that's where we headed, exploring the scenic roads from Kochi to Coimbatore with Honda's lineup of cars in tow. In its 13th year, Honda D2D has traversed through different parts of India, exploring our vast culture, food, and, of course, the roads. We headed from Kochi to Coimbatore this year with the complete Honda car lineup in tow. The Honda City kicked off Drive To Discover 13 for us on the first day, impressing with its potent performance Day 1 - Kochi To Athirapally We landed in Kochi to grey skies and rain-soaked roads. The monsoon not only arrived before we did, but was thriving. The Honda cars were lined up with the City, Elevate, City Hybrid, and the new-generation Amaze, waiting for us. The Honda team gave us a proper Malayali welcome, and we wrapped ourselves in the 'kaili mundu' (lungi-style garment) before loading our cars with luggage. The drive for the first day was a rather short but scenic one from Kochi to Athirapally at just over 60 km. While not much in terms of driving distance, it promised great views along the way. We were handed the keys to the City petrol automatic, and nothing says Honda like this sedan in India. 'A perfect way to start the drive," I thought to myself. The Ezhattumugham forest offered plenty of scenic spots coupled with several elephant sightings The 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine remains one of the most refined engines out there, and it just felt right with the City. It didn't take long for us to leave the city roads for the winding route across the Ezhattumugham forest. Surrounded by a dense forest on one side and the Chalakudy River on the other, the City soldiered on without a fuss, with the sedan body style hardly being an issue. The underbody remained intact through the broken roads, and the CVT made our lives easier, telling us why it commands a strong goodwill as a comfortable sedan. The stormy weather, coupled with the dense green cover, made for some great photo-ops along the way. The Ezhattumugham forest is home to wildlife, including elephants, and we tried to spot some on the way. As luck would have it, the elephant came to us, as we saw a relatively young one, grabbing a snack on the highway. This was a sight to behold, seeing this majestic creature in its element, clueless of the traffic it caused on both sides of the highway. But nature's magnificence was waiting for us at the Athirapally Falls, more popularly known as the 'Baahubali Falls', since the movie was shot here. Our hotel for the night overlooked the Athirapally Falls, and just as we grabbed our seats in the restaurant area, some lovely tea and pakoras (fritters) made their way right in time to enjoy the view. We took the road less travelled, and while it was scenic, we did get lost Day 2 - Athirapally To Munnar via Pariyaram The plan for the second day was simple - drive from Athirapally to Munnar, a distance of 130 km that takes about 3.5 hours to cover. Our drive for the day was the new Amaze manual. But before we headed towards Munnar, we took a small detour towards the Charpa Waterfalls further down the road. A quick photo-op later, we were supposed to set our navigation for Munnar. However, there is no network beyond the Athirapally Waterfalls. Being the last car in the convoy with no one to reach out to, we decided to trust our navigation skills, or rather lack of, and drove in the direction that looked more scenic. I mean, what could go wrong? To be fair, we did ask the local forest guards if they had seen other Honda cars with the 'D2D' going in the same direction. The guard just nodded towards us, and we took that as an affirmation. We even asked him if this route would take us to Munnar, to which he responded yes, but did not disclose that this route takes 250 km to get there. We may not know where we were but at least the view was great We decided to pursue the forest road, and boy, oh boy, was this scenic. Freshly laid tarmac, no traffic, and the morning sun shining bright with the occasional clouds. Everything seemed perfect for some time. But we sensed something wasn't right as the phone network, ergo navigation, was still inactive. We couldn't see another Honda vehicle in sight either. About 40 km into the forest, we decided to stop at the Thottapura View Point overlooking the Sholayar Dam. A bunch of local motorcyclists also stopped here, and we decided to ask for help with our whereabouts. One of them was receiving a phone signal and told us we were travelling in the opposite direction. It was at this moment I learnt that what's the point of having a compass if you don't have a map. It was now time to decide - should we drive back or continue on this route and drive for another 200 km to Munnar? As tempting as the second option sounded, we decided to scoot back in the same direction we came, trailing nearly two hours behind everyone else. The 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol is a refined unit and the free-revving motor keeps you entertained The Honda Amaze came into its element with its tight chassis and a responsive engine, allowing us to catch up with the gang in a reasonable time. Making our way back to Athirapally, the roads went through the forest again, not as smooth this time, but the Amaze's ride quality ensured we remained comfortable throughout the journey. Rubber plantations, narrow roads, and grey skies made up the next few hours as we climbed up to Munnar. The manual transmission did a great job when I wanted to be in control, complemented by the free-revving 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. We made it to Munnar before sundown, giving us enough time to enjoy some tea and explore the local market for spices and chocolates. The Gap Road in Munnar is a driver's paradise with its wide lanes, winding roads, and a green cover making for stunning views Day 3 - Munnar To Kodaikanal This was the third day of the drive, and this time it was the new Amaze Automatic that came our way. We needed to cover a distance of 180 km to Kodaikanal with plenty of twisties. First things first, we decided to stick to the convoy and downloaded maps to be safer. We then proceeded towards the famous Gap Road, a perfect location to see where your tea comes from. It is home to vast tea plantations and stunning panoramic views that will leave you speechless. The luscious green cover is complemented by the clouds as you appear to drive into some. The wide road and fast corners here make it a driver's paradise, and the Amaze continued to impress as a well-packaged all-rounder - be it in terms of space, comfort, refinement or quality. The CVT may not be the wisest choice for the steep ascents, but it certainly made our drive stress-free. Make sure to check out the tea plantations and take back some local produce, especially if you're a chai lover The Gap Road should be on your bucket list as one of the most enjoyable driving destinations, more so in the monsoon season. Time slows down here, and we found ourselves frequently parking on the shoulder to click pictures of the cars and ourselves. Sip on some chai, eat some corn, and see the tea pluckers harvesting leaves. Don't forget to take some local produce home. Being the longest leg of the drive, we rolled down into Tamil Nadu, and a quick lunch break later, it was time to climb towards Kodaikanal. The ascent to the 'Queen of the hills' was filled with local buses, tourist vehicles, and more on some narrow roads, and the Amaze did a good job of keeping up with everything the hills threw at it. We reached the hotel just in time for a quick snack, saving the big appetite for dinner. It was also our last night on the drive, and what better way than games to bring this motley crew together. What followed was a round of dumb charades, which turned into many by the end of the night. From obscure movie titles to some weird enactments, the night was filled with hearty laughs. The Honda Elevate was a capable highway muncher from Kodaikanal to Coimbatore Day 4 - Kodaikanal To Coimbatore Time for the last day of the drive, and I finally got my chance behind the Honda Elevate. We need to make it to the airport in time, a distance of 170 km from Kodaikanal to Coimbatore. It took us two hours to climb down to the plains. While the early morning temperatures were soothing, the plains of Tamil Nadu reminded us that summer wasn't over yet. Nevertheless, we had some 90 km to go, and the flat and fast highways ensured a higher average speed. The Elevate's 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine came in handy with its strong mid-range, allowing us to maintain highway speeds with ease. The manual gearbox offered slick shifts, and the SUV remained impressive with its high-speed stability. A chink in the armour was the poor NVH levels at high speeds. The Honda Drive To Discover 13 allowed us to not only experience the brand's range but also discover new places in the country This was my first time in Kerala, and it lived up to the reputation. The scenic roads, green forests, stunning wildlife, and amazing cuisine came together effortlessly with Honda's cars, reminding me why I love to drive. The Honda Drive To Discover 13 presented itself as the perfect opportunity to not only experience the brand's wide range but also explore a new part of the country. Where do I sign up for the next one? Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2025, Best SUVs in India. First Published Date: