Photo Tour Japan Winter 2020: TOHOKU “Snow Monsters, Snow Festivals & Hot Springs”

DATES

From February 14 to 17, 2020

TOUR’S HIGHLIGHTS

• Snow monsters, incredible snow landscapes in a winter mountain.
• Retro and photogenic hot spring village.
• Traditional Japanese igloo festival in north Japan
• Local traditional winter festival in a Shinto shrine

ITINERARY

Day 1 // February 14: Snow Monsters & Mysterious Hot Sping Village

We will take a Shinkansen to head to Tohoku region. Once we are in Tohoku, we will get on our private van and head to a snow mountain. We will take a ropeway to the top of the mountain where (if weather conditions permit) we will be able to photograph an amazing natural phenomenon similar to hard rime on trees, called “Snow Monsters” in Japan. The thick hard rime covers the trees completely creating “snow monsters” and a very peculiar landscape. This phenomenon takes place only in a couple of places in Japan and almost nowhere else in the world! After freezing ourselves on the top of the mountain with snow monsters, we will go down to the hot spring village to stroll around and enjoy the tinny wooden baths spread around the village. Just put a coin in the box, enter the little wooden house, bathe, relax and go to the next one.

Day 2 // February 15: Snow Monsters & Retro Photogenic Hot Spring Village

In the morning, we will go back to the mountain to take pictures of the snow monsters again, just in case the weather was not good enough the day before or to enjoy different weather conditions and light. After lunch we will head to a retro photogenic hot spring village hidden in a deep valley. We will stroll around the tinny village and will take pictures during the blue hour. In the evening we will rest in our ryokan and relax in a hot spring bath.

©Akashi Photos

Day 3 //February 16: Kokeshi & Igloo Festival

In the morning, we will visit a workshop of Kokeshi, traditional wooden doll from Tohoku region. After enjoying the local artisan, we will head to a nothern town where there will be a traditional igloo festival. Kamakura, Japanese Igloos, are lighted up with candles at night all over the town and local children invite visitors to come inside the igloos.

©Akashi Photos

Day 4 // February 17: Traditional Festival & Deep Snow Hot Spring Village

In the morning we will attend to a traditional winter festival in a shrine, where locals offer 4-meter-long sacred wooden rod with decorations to pray for a good harvest and good health. After witness the tradtional winter festival, we head to a town to take a bullet train to go back to Tokyo.

SUMMARY OF THE TOUR

Toru Morimoto and Tina Bagué, both professional photographers, have organized a dream trip to Tohoku in winter to enjoy the Snow monkeys, winter landscapes and traditional winter festivals as well as relaxing hot springs. Winter is off-season for foreign tourists to Japan, but it is definitely the best season for inspired travelers with cameras.

Tohoku is one of the best areas in Japan to enjoy winter, silent snow-covered white landscapes, breathtaking hot springs, wild life and winter local festivals. Moreover, Tohoku, a region far from the big cities and located in the northern part of the country, also gives us a chance to get to know rural and authentic Japan that we cannot find in big cities. Tohoku is surely deep Japan that welcomes us with the unique and impressive nature, hidden hot springs in the magical enclaves, and traditional handicrafts that keep alive quietly in the valleys.

Although you can easily reach some of the towns of Tohoku by bullet train from Tokyo, it is quite difficult to explore deep inside Tohoku especially because of the numerous mountains, rivers and volcanoes. But these are the very places where you can find real treasure of Tohoku and Japan. We will take you there.

Sleeping in handpicked hotels and ryokan, enjoying Japanese authentic dinner, kaiseki, as well as delicious local food, travelling by a private bus/van, and visiting places off the beaten tracks are some of the elements that make this tour a very special one.

This is not just a trip for photographers, but also for everyone who wants to have unique and unforgettable experiences.

ACCOMODATIONS & 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 twin room (with two beds), so participants who come alone will share a room with another single participant. If you wish to stay in a single room for the whole trip, you must pay a supplement. But single room might not be available in some of the accommodations, and you have to share a twin room with another participant.

In this tour, all breakfasts, luches and dinners are included.

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 & RESERVATION

• The total price of this tour is ￥289,000 (Approx. €2,400 or US$2,700) * per person in accommodations of twin rooms to share. If you want to stay in a single room for the whole trip, single room fees will be ￥20,000 (Approx. €165 or US$185) *.
• To make the reservation it is necessary to make a payment of the deposit of ￥100,000. Payment can be made by bank transfer.
• 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 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. The approximate price in Euro and US Dollars above are calculated based on the exchange rate of the publishing day of this tour, June 7, 2019, 1 euro = 122.32 yen, 1 US dollar = 108.045

The MÍN. and MÁX. NUMBER of PARTICIPANTS

For the trip to be carried out, there must be at least 4 participants and maximum of 6 participants.

TRAVEL INSURNCE

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 & conditiones.

SNOW MONSTERS

“Snow Monsters” can not be guaranteed in any case. Although we will visit to photograph the Snow Monsters on the best time during the year, it depends on the various clime conditions. It is important to keep it in mind that the organizers will not have any responsibility if there is no Snow Monsters 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