8 Day Hokkaido Photography Tour in Japan

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.

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.

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

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.

 

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.

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.

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!