Hokkaido island has a great combination of abundant wildlife, pristine landscapes, rich culture and delicious cuisine. On this trip you will have opportunity to learn landscape photography and wildlife photography as well as immerse yourself in Japanese culture. The tour is led by Daniel Kordan. See the itinerary below and join us on this adventure!
Day 1, 20 January
Meeting at the Tokyo Haneda airport 2 hours before our flight to Kushiro, Hokkaido. I recommend to arrive to Tokyo a day or two earlier and settle down in one of Haneda airport hotels just inside the terminal (At Terminal 2 there is Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu; and at Terminal 3 there is The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda). Arrival to Kushiro airport on recommended flight (will be sent to the group). You can arrive via Osaka or other cities, but arrival time to Kushiro airport should be no later than 13:00. Upon arrival to Kushiro your guides and drivers will meet you and transfer to our first afternoon photoshoot with Tancho – red crowned cranes until sunset. Just after sunset transfer to our hotel at Tsurui area. Discuss upcoming adventure with your tour leaders at delicious Japanese dinner and soak in traditional and world famous Hokkaido onsen bath.
Day 2
Today we devote for bird photography. We catch in our compositions the graceful dance of cranes in different locations around Tsurui starting sunrise at the bridge with the views of the steaming river. We continue to Crane Sanctuary to photograph a graceful Tancho Tango around their feeding time. Images your will take are like traditional Japanese ink paintings! There is also a chance we will spot Shima Enaga – cute long tailed tit which recently became a symbol of Hokkaido. And Ural owls hiding in the woods.
Just after the quick lunch we proceed to Kusharo lake to photograph whooper swans.
We continue into Akan National Park on the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Around lake Kussharo we will find lots of minimalistic scenes of single trees. Besides that you can photograph graceful whooper swans at sunset with golden light behind. They spend winter here at hot springs bathing in warm waters of Kussharo lake.
Day 3, 22 January
We drive to Rausu. From here you can see Kuril islands already! Our main goal in Rausu will be to photograph Steller sea eagle. We take a sea excursion with local bird specialists. Get ready your telephoto lenses to catch magnificent eagle in action! For sunset we plan to visit Notsuke peninsula where you can spot Sika deer and foxes. Another activity is to spot the largest owl in the world in the night – Blakiston’s fish owl. There is one particular lodge that specialise on it’s spotting. Settle in Rausu for one night
Day 4
Today we have a wonderful sunrise sea cruise into the open ice of Hokkaido! Many Steller’s sea eagles come to sit on the ice and fish, as well as white tailed eagles. You will have at least 2h + opportunity to photograph these beautiful birds very close as they so get used to the fishing boats! Just after the cruise return to hotel for breakfast and packing. Departure towards Biei though magical Hokkaido landscapes.
Arriving to Biei in the evening. Settle down in our hotel in Biei for next 2 nights
Day 5
These are the days we spent most of the time with classical minimal style Hokkaido compositions. We visit iconic “Christmas tree”, Seven stars trees and several other less known spots. Images of Japanese single trees in the snow always remind me of an oriental writing, and they are perfect when printed and framed on the wall.
Day 6
Sunrise at the famous Christmas tree! We continue exploring Hokkaido by driving further south from Biei towards Sapporo. At sunset we photograph torii gates on top of the rock in the water. Get ready your ND filters to make long exposures, timeless images.
Day 7, 26 January
Transfer from Sapporo city to Chitose airport for the flight departing 10 a.m. from Chitose to Haneda by ANA. Just upon arrival to Chitose we take the train ride to Yudanaka (shinkansen + local train), which will allow us to reach “snow monkeys town” in just 3 hours from Tokyo. Settle down for 2 nights in Yudanaka in traditional Japanese inn with beautiful onsen hot springs.
Day 8
Imagine a troop of Japanese macaques leisurely soaking in natural hot springs while snowflakes gently descend from the winter sky. This idyllic scene is a reality at the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, where these remarkable primates exhibit a behavior found nowhere else on Earth. For the snow monkeys, hot spring bathing isn’t just about leisure; it’s a matter of survival. The harsh winters of the Jigokudani area can plunge temperatures far below freezing. Seeking warmth, the snow monkeys discovered the therapeutic embrace of these steaming hot springs, creating a unique blend of nature and adaptation.
Today we walk 1 mile towards hot spring where Snow Monkeys enjoy the bath and spend quite a time there with them, at least 2-3 hours. We will come just for the opening and leave once main flow of tourists start to come around 11 am -12 pm.
After the lunch break in town we will return back to monkey onsen and stay until closure at 4 p.m. Optionally you can skip the afternoon walk + session with monkeys and instead enjoy hot springs at the hotel!
Day 9, 28 January
Traditional breakfast in our Japanese inn. And following breakfast – one more session with Snow Monkeys in the morning, when they are mostly active! Return back to hotel around 11 am to collect your luggage and depart altogether by train + Shinkansen train back to Tokyo. We expect to arrive to Tokyo station around 5 p.m. You can take the flight departing after 9 pm today or the next day. The tour will be finished at 4-5 p.m. on this day at the Tokyo station.
Price: 7900 USD
Included in the price:
– All transfers ( including our Private Bus, drivers’ and local guide services, gasoline fees etc) except air tickets
– Lodging in hotels – twin rooms, shared with another participant (1200 USD supplement for single room)
– Shinkansen and local train tickets while visiting Snow Monkeys
– All entrance tickets
– Sea cruise in Rausu
– Instructions by professional English-speaking guides
Cancellation and Refund Policy
We strongly recommend you to get a Trip Cancellation & Travel Insurance after booking your trip. If you cancel and the Workshop is otherwise filled, we will refund you the full amount you have paid towards the tuition, minus a $300 service charge. If you cancel and the Workshop does not fill, then you will be refunded according to the following schedule, based on the full fee of the Workshop:
Greater than 90 days from the start date of the Workshop:
full refund minus $300 service fee.
75 days or more :75% refund 60 days or more: 50% refund
Less than 60 days: no refund Refunds will be paid by the same method that the original payment was made.
Not included in the price:
– Airfare to and from Hokkaido (local and international air tickets not included!)
– Meals (some hotels breakfast will be included but we most likely skip it aiming for winter sunrise photography and taking snacks instead).
– Visas (if applicable)
– Single supplement (1200 USD)
What to bring
Gear:
– camera with tripod. its better to use spikes for your tripod
– A wide angle lens. For example, Nikkor 14-24 or Canon 17-40. Best lens for use in wide-angle scenes
– A middle-zoom lens such as a 24-70 mm
– A telephoto zoom lens, such as a 100-400 mm for birds (600 mm is also useful if you have it)
Wear:
– Waterproof and windproof winter warm jacket (average is -10 C for January)
– Waterproof pants
– Warm down-jacket and thermal pants
– Casual clothes for dinners and lunches and photography workshops
– Knee protection (skateboard equipment, for example)
– winter boots, hat, gloves, hand warmers
