Hokkaido winter wonderland
Ok so here is all the info you need for the trip. As with all of our trips we will never be the cheapest that you will find as we never cut corners with anything so you get the best guiding and the best experience. Having two leading multi award winning professional wildlife photographers, who are real professionals and whose names you have actually heard of, with you on this tour separates us from the rest. We offer a quality experience with a fun atmosphere throughout, backed with our TTA bonding. So read on and see the wonders of Japan that await you……
Snow Monkeys
Japanese Macaques, known more commonly as snow monkeys, have become world famous. Rightly so as they have some unique and very appealing behaviour. Every winter, troops of them inhabit the mountain sides around Nagano and have become famous for chilling out in the geothermal pools in the area. It’s a wonderful thing to see and experience and of course the pools are not the only attraction, the surroundings if they are snow covered make a wonderful setting for the feeding and chilling monkeys as you will see below.
In the interests of fairness we will tell you that the monkey pools can very popular with locals and tourists and you may have to wait your turn to get close. We are always honest with everyone and sugar coat nothing, the monkeys are worth the effort don’t worry!
Cranes
There aren't many birds more elegant than the Japanese Crane. These amazing birds bond for life and are featured on every Japanese wedding Kimono as they show fidelity. Their mating dances and rituals are spectacular, and they look so beautiful in the winter habitat of Hokkaido. If it’s really cold the frozen breath can be magic. 30 years ago they were close to extinction, local people got together and established feeding sites which are now the best place to see them. We will spend each day at one of the crane centres - you can see an images below of the situation, we all sit behind a wooden barrier and the cranes flaunt themselves on the other side. It’s popular but you can always find a space!
It's a wonderfully relaxing and peaceful experience and can yield amazing pictures. Note we will not be visiting the usual haunt of the river roost at sunrise as it’s packed with photographers and the pictures are simply not worth the effort, as always we know what will give you the best images and that is why you come with us.
Whooper Swans
The world famous Lake Kusharo is a spectacular place to photograph the beautiful Whooper Swan. The lake is surrounded by thermal hot springs and as such provides a winter wonderland for the creative photographer. Imagine steam rising from a thermal pool with swans in the middle of it and stunning scenery behind. Yep that's Lake Kusharo.
Eagles, eagles and more eagles
The town of Rausu has become famous for the wintering Stellar Sea Eagles and White Tailed Eagles that inhabit the ice floes off the coast. And that's why we are going there! It’s Jari and Andy’s favourite location in Hokkaido as they are simply magnificent birds! Since it is so spectacular, yet so variable, we have scheduled multiple mornings with them.
For 2 mornings we will head out on a fishing trawler at sunrise to the ice floes, complete with crates of fish. We will chuck the fish out on the ice floes and the eagles will come flying in. It's a spectacular affair as they are truly stunning birds. If we are lucky the light can be magic, that's why we are doing 2 days to give us the best chances. We may also use other locations from the boat, it all depends on the season and how it goes. On the second day we will turn around after the first trip and go out again for a second trip. This will be optional for you but in cloudy conditions it could be a good gamble!
It's an awesome thing to do, provided you don't mind being on boats and it being a bit smelly!!!
The eagles are the main show in town. After the we sleep, process your images (with our help) or maybe look for Sika Deer or Foxes in the afternoon. We always think sleep and chill is good but we will make decisions at the time locally in your best interests. There are other places to see eagles but in recent years they have been hit and miss, if there is no snow or ice there then there will be no eagles. In our view it’s too much chance to take so we are just going to stick with two great days at the eagles.
Other wildlife
Of course there will be other wildlife along the way that we will see and take full advantage of. There is little point in making a definitive list so simply we will show you some additional images that we have shot along the way on previous trips, as always you will know that we will do our absolute best to maximise everything for you…
Accommodation and food
For us the culture of Japan is vital to experience during this tour. If you expect western standard hotels and western food then please do not look at this tour any further!!! We are fully immersing ourselves in the local culture and we don’t just mean the hot tubs!
Standard hotel and lodge accommodations throughout, don't expect 5 star but very comfortable although variable. Most of the hotels will have private facilities. Some hotels might have just public onsen (hot bath) and private toilets. Some hotels are typical Japanese style with Tatami – meaning sleeping on a floor with fairly hard mattresses and pillows – however, you can pile several of these mattresses which will make them feel softer. Most accommodations have a public hot bath (Onsen) available – a great way to relax after a photography day outside! So do not expect 5 star luxury, we will be in remote areas and you must be ready to deal with the unexpected! The exception is the final day where we will stay at a traditional onsen with beautiful gardens and a lovely thermal pool to relax in.
Now Japanese hotels are small and have fixed room allocations. We have 8 client rooms per trip, hence we are offering a twin share price as well. Obviously the more couples we have the better it is but we apologise in advance if your chosen room is not available.
Food is awesome...if you love Japanese food. Here is where we must be honest as we always are. If you are vegan we know for a fact that we will not be able to cater for you in any of the hotels, we are sorry. If you are vegetarian then for most of the hotels there will be rice and some vegetarian suitable options it is fair to say. The issue is the hotel at Rausu, it’s the only show in town and refuses to cater for special diets, what you get is what you get. So for two nights you will have to be tolerant and eat what is given and supplement it from the local grocery store. Many have been here before you and done just that. For those that are gluten free, the japanese diet is not gluten based and most hotels will be able to help, but again in Rausi we cannot guarantee it. It’s only for two nights anyway. If you have food preferences then you will have to just deal with them each meal. Please understand that this is not our choice or our doing but we will do our best to help if and when we can.
We are including half board on this trip, meaning usually quite light Japanese style breakfast and a plentiful dinner. This starts with dinner on arrival at Nagano on Day 1 and concluding with breakfast on the final day. Food is Japanese style with lots of fish, seafood, vegetables and rice. Normally there won’t be too much meat to offer. Some of the hotels on this trip, for example at Rausu, cannot deal with complex dietary needs as I just said. There are local shops there were groceries can be bought. Some hotels have buffets, rice of course will be freely available. They cannot cater for vegan diets we are sorry to tell you, vegetarian should be ok but you will have to be adaptable.
In Akan Crane Center, lunch is available at our photography spot, and in Nemuro, we will visit a sushi restaurant during lunch time. Otherwise lunches during the tour mainly from roadside shops and superstores - which do awesome food and sushi!!! If you are very fussy though and want a purely western diet this is not the tour for you, the food is wonderful and reflective of the culture.
The Weather
Cold!!!!! Weather in Hokkaido in late February can be fairly cold. Temperatures may vary between -20 and 0 degrees Celsius between night and day, and especially mornings can be cold. Strong winds and heavy snowfall are possible as well. There will be lots of snow on the ground and some water areas are frozen. We won’t be far from warm indoors at any time during the tour – it is always possible to go inside to warm up, also on boats. Photography sessions will be from 3 to 6 hours. But you will need to sit in cold conditions for this time so please be advised that you will need very very good winter clothing. Full kit lists will be provided before the trip. Of course we now need to add a proviso that with the current changing weather conditions we cannot predict anything. There might be no snow, it might be warmer, there might be no ice! Of course we are going at what we think is the best time but nothing is guaranteed and you must understand that.
Fitness and Health
There will be a moderate amount of walking during this tour, the most is 1KM from snow monkey hotel to their park. There will be lots of snow on the ground, and warm winter boots, preferably with some waterproofing are ideal. We also recommend to get ice spikes to put on your shoes as many places are going to be icy or snowy. Bring also comfortable walking boots for traveling. Whilst the wildlife is relaxing the tour is quite fast moving. You need to travel light, with the minimum of photographic and outdoor kit, otherwise it will be an unpleasant experience for you. You will need to able to be able to stand around at the crane centres for aa few hours at a time. In short you must be patient and be willing to wait for something to happen, this is not a tour where you will be spending a lot of time indoors!
If the weather conditions at Rausu are too rough then we will not go out but the ice offshore generally keeps any swell down. You must be prepared though for a very cold time on the trawler as there is little shelter, so extra warm winter clothing is a must. You will be sent full details but please be prepared, and do bring sea sickness medication.
Smoking is strictly prohibited in vehicles, inside accommodation and when watching wildlife. We are sorry but out of respect for 99.9% of our clients (who are non smokers) if you are a smoker please do not book on this tour.
Transportation
We are going to use 2 modern minibuses for this tour with drivers that are very used to the conditions there. Using two smaller minibuses rather than one big one allows us to be much more flexible as times are strictly controlled for larger minibuses in Japan.
The Guide Team
Lots of people run safaris, what separates our expeditions is the experienced photo and naturalist guide team that we have. Your photo guides for this trip will be multi award winning professional wildlife photographers Andy Rouse and Jari Peltomaki.
Andy has known and worked with Jari for many years as they already run many joint tours successfully together in Finland. He is one of Andy’s most trusted friends, is jovial, fun and is superb with clients. We work really well as a team, which is why this tour will be a special one.
Andy Rouse
Andy Rouse is one of the most successful wildlife photographers out there. Andy has won well over 30 major international awards (click here to see some), been a pro for over 25 years and has led photographic expeditions all over the world.
He prides himself in only offering the very best destinations, and has built a reputation as one of the best photographic safari guides in the world. Andy’s safari’s are always packed with fantastic opportunities, expert guidance and a drive to get the very best for his clients, as well as being a lot of fun - you are on holiday after all!
Andy shoots with the Sony A1 Mark II, and away from work he is a proud husband, Dad and West Ham fan!
Jari Peltomaki
Jari is a Finnish professional nature photographer and Olympus Visionary. He is founder & chairman of the board of Finnature Ltd, Finland’s leading wildlife tour operator who are partnering with us on this tour. He has been taking photographs for over 40 years and turned professional about 20 years ago. Bird photography is his passion, particularly owls, for which he is justifiably famous.
His pictures have won many awards in international competitions, he has been a judge many times and was chairman of the Professional Nature Photographers of Finland 2007- 2013.
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Since you will be carrying your own kit in wintry conditions this makes a difference to fitness. We will not be hiking for miles and miles. At the snow moneys it is a 1KM walk from the hotel to the monkeys, crames we park at the centres and same for Lake Kussharo. In Rausu you will be walking through the town to the harbour. So nothing too strenuous for any of this.
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Please. see all the info in the accommodation and food section above
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Yes of course, all kit will be your responsbility
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Very cold but how cold we cannot say as it depends on the season. If it is snowing and cloudy maybe -5C and if bright and clear anywhere down to -15C. Out on the boat in the mornings it will feel really cold! We will provide you with full details on what to take before the trip.
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Of course, the only difference between our trip and a non photo tour is that we spend a lot longer on the ground watching wildlife. As with all our tours any is welcome.
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Rest assured that this safari is backed by the Travel Trust Association (TTA). The TTA is an independent trade organisation of tour operators that we are proud members of. The TTA provides guarantees for your booking with us in two forms.
The first is that all monies are deposited to a trustee managed trust bank account and any payments to / from them have to be authorised at several levels.
Secondly your booking is protected by the TTA Safe Seat Plan and Supplier Failure Cover, both of which are insurance policies to protect your money from fraud and supplier failure.
We include the costs of these policies automatically in your booking fee, so that you can have total financial confidence in us, and your booking with us, as a trusted and reputable tour operator.
Further details of our TTA membership can be found by clicking here
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The whole range from a 500mm reach to a wide angle. Don’t worry we will send you full details closer to the time
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It’s important that you understand that whilst we guarantee that everyone will do their very best to get you the very best in photographic opportunities we cannot guarantee photographable sightings. As stated this tour has a very high success rate, but nature and wildlife can be unpredictable.
Please come with a positive attitude and this in mind.
Travel Trust Association
Now we know that there are a lot of people out there offering photographic tours, however rest assured that this safari is backed by the Travel Trust Association (TTA). The TTA is an independent trade organisation of tour operators that we are proud members of. The TTA provides guarantees for your booking with us in two forms.
The first is that all monies are deposited to a trustee managed trust bank account and any payments to / from them have to be authorised at several levels.
Secondly your booking is protected by the TTA Safe Seat Plan and Supplier Failure
Cover, both of which are insurance policies to protect your money from fraud and
supplier failure.
We include the costs of these policies automatically in your booking fee,
so that you can have total financial confidence in us, and your booking with
us, as a trusted and reputable tour operator.
Further details of our TTA membership can be found by clicking here.
