Photo Tour Japan Winter 2024: HOKKAIDO “Minimal Winter Landscapes & Wildlife”

DATES

from February 18 to 27, 2024

TOUR’S HIGHLIGHTS

• Picturesque minimalist snow landscapes
• Amazing landscape of the frozen ocean covered with drift ice in Shiretoko Peninsula
• Pleasant walks in the snow forest to photograph winter landscapes and water fall
• Steller’s sea eagles from a boat (two times)
• Japanese red-crowned cranes in the winter landscapes
• Owls in the winter forest
• Whooper swans in the frozen lake
• Fox and Deer
• Surreal landscape of the sulfur smoking volcano
• Stunning frozen lakes

ITINERARIES

Day 1 // February 18: Kushiro, Hokkaido

Official meeting point is Kushiro Airport in Hokkaido. Participants should book a flight with the destination to Kushiro Airport from your city via Haneda (Tokyo). We will pick you up at Kushiro Airport and we will stay in a hotel in Kushiro. At night all participants meet to know each other and have a dinner together.

Day 2 // February 19: Japanese red-crowned cranes

Our photo tour starts with the Japanese red-crowned cranes in the wildness, one of the greatest attractions of Hokkaido for wildlife photographers. We will dedicate the whole day to photograph the majestic Japanese red-crowned cranes, visiting two different places.

Japanese red-crowned cranes in Kushiro, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Japanese red-crowned cranes dance in Kushiro, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Day 3 // February 20:  Red-crowned cranes at dawn, and owls in the winter forest

We will wake up before dawn to photograph picturesque landscape with red-crowned cranes in the river covered with the reddish mist just before sunrise. It all depends on the weather condition, but we will try to capture this amazing romantic moments. After this rising sun hour shots, we will go back to our hotel to have breakfast. After breakfast, we will go back to photograph red-crowned cranes arriving on a field from the river where we have just photographed this morning. We could photograph them flying or dancing after their landing. After lunch, we will head to a winter forest to look for owls. After photographing owls, we will have a lunch and go back to our hotel to take a hot spring bath and rest since we have woken up very early today.

Red-crowned cranes in the river at dawn in Kushiro, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Red-crowned cranes flying to land on a field, Kushiro, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Owls in a winter forest in Kushiro, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Day 4 // February 21: Winter landscapes, volcanic mountain and whooper swans

If we were not happy with the yesterday’s photos of the cranes at dawn due to the weather condition, we could go back to the river at dawn. Otherwise, after breakfast, we will check out our hotel and head to the frozen lake famous for whooper swans. On the way, we will stop to photograph wonderful winter landscapes and visit the most sulfurous mountain in Japan. Columns of smoke rise from the rocky snowy mountain, and the smell of sulfur permeates everything. It is a surreal and mystical place. In the late afternoon we will arrive at the frozen lake to meet with whooper swans. After photographing the whooper swans, we will retreat to our today’s hotel, a traditional Japanese inn with rustic but authentic hot springs.

Winter landscape of Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Volcanic mountain in Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Whooper swans on a frozen lake, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Day 5 // February 22: Whooper swans, winter landscapes and stunning frozen lakes

After breakfast, we will go back to the frozen lake to photograph whooper swans landing on the frozen lake. If you want, you will be able to bathe in an outdoor hot spring bath just in front of the shore with the swans! After swans, we will photograph the winter landscapes around the frozen lake shore, then we will head to one of the most beautiful lakes of Japan. The lake is half frozen and its water has deep blue color, reflecting the winter sky. Tonight, we will sleep at one of our most favorites hotels in Japan with great outdoor bath along the river and great food.

Whooper swans, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Fly fishermen on the frozen lake, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Winter snowy landscape on the lake. ©Akashi Photos

Stunning winter landscape with a lake in Japan. ©Akashi Photos

Day 6 // February 23: Shiretoko Peninsula and frozen landscapes

In the morning, we will head to Shiretoko Peninsula, UNESCO world heritage site for its intact nature. We will stop at a frozen fishing port to photograph the harsh winter nature of Shiretoko Peninsula. The ocean is packed with floating ice that drift from Russia. After the fishing port, we will stop at dramatic icy waterfalls, then we will proceed to a winter forest. We will take a pleasant walk in the winter forest. There are many photo opportunities of winter landscapes, birds, waterfalls, and if we were lucky, we will encounter with deer. After this pleasant walk in the winter forest, we will go back to our hotel.

Frozen fishing port filled with drift ice in Shiretoko ©Akashi Photos

A rocky island and the ocean covered with drift ice in Shiretoko Peninsula. ©Akashi Photos

Japanese people walk on the frozen sea of Okhotsk completely covered by drift ice during the winter months in Shiretoko Peninsula. ©Akashi Photos

Day 7 // February 24: Boat trip for Steller’s sea eagles and wildlife 

Early in the morning, we will leave our hotel to another side of Shiretoko Peninsula to catch a boat. We will enjoy two-hour cruise to photograph white-tailed eagles and steller’s sea eagles on the drift ice. In the ocean, if we were very lucky, we will come across with orca. After the cruise, we will move to another peninsula to look for lonely minimal winter landscapes and wildlife such as fox and deer. We will also take a walk in the wilderness of the frozen landscape.

Steller’s sea eagles on the drift ice, Shiretoko. ©Akashi Photos

White-tailed eagle in Shiretoko. ©Akashi Photos

Orca in the ocean of Shiretoko. ©Akashi Photos

Fox ©Akashi Photos

Deer ©Akashi Photos

Deer moving together in the evening. ©Akashi Photos

Flower in the snow landscape. ©Akashi Photos

Bridge in the snow landscape. ©Akashi Photos

A family of deer at dusk. ©Akashi Photos

Day 8 // February 25: Eagles in Shiretoko Peninsula and moving to Asahikawa

Today we will wake up very early before dawn, and we will go back to photograph white-tailed eagles and Steller’s sea eagles on a boat. This time we will photograph them with early morning warm light. After the two-hour cruise, we will go back to our hotel for breakfast, then we will head to a local airport to catch a flight to Sapporo. After our arrival at Sapporo airport, we will move to Asahikawa by our private bus and check in our hotel in Asahikawa.

Dawn off the coast of Shiretoko Peninsula. ©Akashi Photos

Stellar’s Eagle in Shiretoko Peninsula. © Akashi Photos

Steller’s sea eagles in Shiretoko. ©Akashi Photos

Shiretoko Peninsula. ©Akashi Photos

Day 9 // February 26: Minimal Snow Landscape  of Biei 

In the morning, we will drive through the amazing snow-covered hills of Biei and photograph very beautiful and artistic minimalist winter landscapes. We might encounter with foxes on the hills. Biei is full of minimal landscapes and every corner is picturesque. After sunset, we will arrive at an illuminated frozen lake, Blue Pond. Artificial lights illuminate the trees sticking out of the surface of the frozen lake. After we are happy with our photos, or when we can not stand anymore the freezing temperatures, we will go back to our hotel to have dinner and bathe in a hot spring to warm up our bodies and prepare for the next day.

Trees in Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Trees in the snow field in Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Iron structures for farming covered with snow in Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Fox in Biei. ©Akashi Photos

Lonesome tree in the snow landscape of hills in Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Evening at Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Illuminated frozen lake in Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Day 10 // February 26: Snow Landscape of Biei

After breakfast, we will visit a stunning Blue Waterfall. It is a good place to shoot motion pictures or drone as well.  Then, we will return to the hills of Biei to make more good pictures of the beautiful minimal landscapes with different weather and light. After lunch, we will go to Asahikawa Airport, and the tour ends here. For participants who will go back to their country without stopover in Tokyo or any other cities of Japan should get a return flight ticket from Asahikawa Airport to your airport in your country via Haneda Airport (Tokyo). If you want to stopover in Tokyo or other cities of Japan, and want us to look for hotel, please let us know.

Blue River in Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Blue River in Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

A small house on a hill of Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Hill of Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

Fox in the hill of Biei, Hokkaido. ©Akashi Photos

SUMMARY OF THE TOUR

Toru Morimoto and Tina Bagué, both professional photographers, have organized a dream trip to Hokkaido to explore the northernmost island of Japan, capturing the amazing winter wildlife, including Snow Monkey in Nagano.

Hokkaido is the second largest island of the four main islands that make up Japan. Located to the north of Honshu, the northernmost point of Hokkaido is just about 40 kilometers south of the southernmost point of Sakhalin Island, Russian territory. Despite of occupying a fifth of the entire country, Hokkaido barely has 5% of the population of Japan. Its population multiplies exponentially in summer when Japanese tourists look for cooler weather to enjoy summer. However, from our point of view, and after traveling to the area both in summer and winter, we believe that there is no better time to enjoy nature and wildlife of Hokkaido than in winter. Hokkaido is absolutely magical place during this season. Akashi Photo Tours will take you to places with difficult access in Hokkaido to discover all the wonders of Hokkaido.

Hokkaido is synonymous to nature, pure wildlife and breathtaking landscapes. Traveling through its snow-covered minimal plains with trees, walking on frozen lakes or photographing Japanese cranes dancing in the snow are priceless experiences. The silence, the crunching of the drift ice or the whistle of the wind is Hokkaido’s daily soundtrack. For the all attractions that offer to people who love nature and photography, Hokkaido is often described as “the magic island”. Hokkaido keeps attracting travelers and photographers from all over the world.

We will travel in our private van, so we can stop anywhere we like . To compensate for the icy temperatures that usually occur in the winter months, Hokkaido offers many accommodations with hot springs that will be a real balm for the body at the end of a day to have a good sleep. Bathing in indoor and outdoor baths with its hot springs at 40ºC, with an outdoor temperature of -15ºC is an unique experience that you have to live at least once in your life! We will stay in some ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) with hot springs as well as in western hotels. We will also enjoy kaiseki dishes, artistic Japanese cuisine, as well as authentic local food.

This photo tour is recommended for participants with adequate photo equipment for wildlife photography. We recommend to take at least 300mm lens with you. If you have 500mm it would be better.

ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS

During our photo tour to Japan we will combine nights in ryokan and western hotels. Whether they are traditional Japanese inns or western hotels, all of them are mid class with good reputation or selected by tour leaders from their experiences.

The rooms will be basically single rooms but a few nights will be twin room (with two beds) or tatami room to share with another participant if you were a single  participant. Participants who come with his or her partner will have a twin room for them through the tour.  If you were a single participant and wish to stay in a single room during the whole trip, you must pay a supplement.

In this tour, all breakfasts and dinners are included. Any lunch is not included. Since we normally go to a restaurant together for lunch, you just choose what you would like to eat and you pay for it. Normally each lunch costs less than 2,000 yen.

If anybody has allergy or food intolerance problems, or is a vegetarian, we will try to make the necessary changes in the menus when it is possible.

PRICE

The tour price will depend on the number of participants.

• • • • Price for 12 persons: ￥410,000 per person
      • Price for 11 persons: ￥456,000 per person
      • Price for 10 persons: ￥456,000 per person
      • Price for 9 persons: ￥520,000 per person
      • Price for 8 persons: ￥520,000 per person
      • Price for 7 persons: ￥5200,000 per person
      • Price for 6 persons: ￥520,000 per person

      *If you would like to have your own single room, additional single room fees are 30,000 yens.

  *The tour price is fixed in Japanese yen (￥). When you make a payment, depending on the exchange rate with your currency,  tour price in your currency will change.

   

  RESERVATION

  • • • To make the reservation it is necessary to make a payment of the deposit of ￥100,000. Payment can be made by credit card.
      • Payment of the total cost of the trip must be made 2 months before the starting date of the tour.
      • All transaction fees that occur for reservation are paid by the payer of the reservation.

   

   

  The MIN. and MAX. NUMBER of PARTICIPANTS
  

  For the trip to be carried out, there must be at least 6 participants (maximum of 12 participants). For this reason it is recommended to consult the occupancy of the trip before buying the international flight if the flight ticket requires cancellation fees.

   

  TRAVEL INSURANCE
  

  It is mandatory to have comprehensive insurance cover for cancellation, medical expenses, personal accident, emergency evacuation, repatriation of remains, dismemberment, and accidental death. You have to give us a copy of travel insurance before the trip.

   

  CANCELLATION
  

  If the cancellation is made more than 61 days before the start of the tour, deposit will be refunded in full only if the place(s) is/are filled with another/other participant(s). Deposit will not be refunded if the cancellation is made within 60 days before the start of the tour. For more details of cancellation and conditions of refund of the balance due after 60 days, please read our terms & conditions.

   

  DRIFTING ICE & WILDLIFE
  

  The drifting ice and wildlife can not be guaranteed in any case. Drift ice comes and goes each year depending on the currents, the temperature, and many other factors that cause this natural spectacle. Sometimes we find wild animals very easily, but other times it is difficult to find them. It is important to keep it in mind that the organizers will not have any responsibility if there is no drifting ice or wildlife during the specific dates of the tour.
  

   

  MORE QUESTIONS
  

  If you have more doubts about any topic related to the photo tour to Japan, send us an email to: info@akashitravel.com