Square, white with crane head

In Japan, cranes represent longevity and good fortune. They are closely associated with Japanese New Year and wedding ceremonies (crane motifs are often found on wedding kimonos).

Cranes are found on a lot of works of art and are one of the most traditional origami figure. Japanese fold a thousand crane origamis when they want to make a special wish. Giant colourful necklaces of origami cranes are a common sight outside Japanese shrines and temples or at the Hiroshima atomic bomb memorial.

Japan has also a special type of black an white crane living especially in Hokaido (north of Japan), the red-crowned crane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crowned_Crane

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=2798

http://www.arkive.org/japanese-crane/grus-japonensis/video-00.html