Every year, more than ten thousand of them winter in the area. Over 13,000 cranes were observed on November 7. The crane migration ground was designated as Japan's natural monument in 1952. Officials have been making conservation efforts for the birds since then. Locals have counted more than ten thousand cranes in the plain for 24 seasons in a row. The largest group was hooded cranes, comprising almost 13,000.

The second largest was white-naped cranes numbering 490.