Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Tokyo
Our tour starts with arrival in Tokyo (Narita Airport) by mid-afternoon. Night near Narita.

Days 2 & 3 - Karuizawa
This morning, we take a train into central Tokyo, to catch the bullet train to the Japanese Alps and Karuizawa situated in the centre of Honshu. .We have two days of exploration of this area of rugged mountains and snow and ice-covered forests. We should find many interesting species during our searches here. Target birds include the striking Copper Pheasant, the very attractive Japanese Grosbeaks, the endemic Japanese Green Woodpecker and Japanese Wagtail, the near-endemic Japanese Accenter and Japanese Waxwing, and a host of other highly sought-after species such as Long-tailed Rosefinch, Baikal Teal, Long-billed Plover, Azure-winged Magpie, Daurian Redstart and Varied Tit. Nights in Karuizawa minshuku.

Day 4 – Nagano and Komatsu
Today we travel northwest from Karuizawa to Nagano and then into the mountains to view the famous “Snow Monkeys”; the Japanese Macaques here have adopted the behaviour of bathing in the thermally-heated hotsprings – quite an amazing show! We then travel on to the west coast of Honshu, to the Komatsu area, for a one night stay at Kaga.

Day 5 - Komatsu and transfer to Kyushu
This morning we explore the wetlands on the Sea of Japan where there are large wintering flocks of waterfowl, including Bewick’s Swans, Bean Geese and Falcated Ducks. At Katano Kamoike we look for the exquisite Baikal Teal, and in fields we search the flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese for vagrant Lesser White-fronted Geese. Later in the day we fly to Kyushu. Upon arrival at Kagoshima airport, we drive through lowland woods and cultivation to our next lodgings at Arasaki and Izumi. On the way we may find Green Pheasant, Brown Dipper and Crested Kingfisher. Night at guesthouse near Izumi.

Day 6 - Arasaki Crane Reserve
We visit the splendid crane reserve at Arasaki. There should be thousands of Hooded and White-naped Cranes bugling and feeding. We will search the flocks for Siberian White Cranes, also Common, Sandhill and possibly Demoiselle Cranes. In this same area, we will look for Greater Painted-Snipe, Daurian Jackdaw amongst flocks of Rooks, Chinese Penduline Tits amongst reeds, and several specis of buntings – Chestnut-eared, Black-faced, Rustic, Meadow and maybe Gray. Night at guesthouse near Izumi.

Day 7 - Coastal and Estuarine Birding
Today we head north to coastal estuaries which support large concentrations of waterbirds. We look especially for the little-known Saunders’ Gull amongst the numerous Black-tailed, Slaty-backed, Heuglin’s, Vega and other gulls. Shorebirds are plentiful, and we have a good chance of finding Black-faced and Eurasian Spoonbills and possibly the splendid Falcated Duck. Cultivated fields hold wintering flocks of pipits including Olive-backed, and coastal areas have Temminck’s Cormorants. Night at guesthouse near Izumi.

Day 8 - Transfer to Mi-Ike
Our destination today is the impressive and scenic Crater Lake at Mi-ike in the Miyazaki prefecture. Our targets today are forest birds and wintering waterfowl. White-backed and Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers are here as well as Red-flanked Bluetails, Scaly Thrush, Varied Tit and Ryukyu Minivet. Special ducks may include Mandarin Ducks and sometimes Baikal Teal. Night at Yunomoto hot spring resort.

Day 9 - Transfer to Hokkaido
Our morning will be planned around finding species we may not have seen up to now. We then spend the rest of the day traveling to our next destination, Lake Furen on the island of Hokkaido. We travel from Mi-ike to Kagoshima, fly to Haneda airport in Tokyo, then fly from Haneda to Kushiro airport on Hokkaido. Night at Tsuruimura.

Day 10 – Red-crowned Cranes and transfer to Lake Furen
We visit the famous crane feeding areas at Tancho no Sato, where Red-crowned (Japanese) Cranes concentrate, and where there is much courtship dancing and bugling in the snow, presenting a wonderful spectacle and a photographer’s delight. After watching these splendid birds, we head to Lake Furen. Night at Minshuku Furen.

Days 11 and 12 - Hokkaido
We visit Capes Nosappu and Kiritappu for a winter wonderland setting on snow-covered forested landscapes. The winter gathering of Steller’s Sea Eagles is one of wildlife’s greatest spectacles. These huge magnificent raptors gather on the frozen lakes of Furen and Chobushi, where they rest on the ice in their hundreds. Often they come very close, a photographer’s dream. With them will be White-tailed Eagles, a huge bird in its own right but dwarfed by the Steller’s. Offshore will be many waterfowl including scoters and Harlequin Duck, cormorants including possible Red-faced, and alcids including Spectacled Guillemots, Crested and Least Auklets and maybe Ancient Murrelets. Whooper Swans gather in shallow marshes here. We then transfer to Rasau where one of our main quarries is the magnificent Blakiston’s Fish Owl, a very rare and highly sought-after species. We should have superb views of these huge birds close to where we stay.

On Day 12, we travel northeast today to the Shiretoku and Notsuke Peninsulas, where we will enjoy more sightings of eagles and seabirds, and we look for Asian Rosy Finch among the few passerines present and Smew among waterbirds in the harbours. Two nights at Rausu.

Day 13 - Transfer to Tokyo
Final morning in east Hokkaido during which we visit sites to find any missed species. We then transfer to Kushiro airport for our flight back to Tokyo, and an overnight stay near Narita. Night near Narita Airport.

Day 14 - Departure
Depending upon the time of departure, we have an optional morning’s birding near to Narita, to look for Eastern Marsh-Harrier and Japanese Reed Bunting. We then catch our flights home.

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Be prepared for temperate climate on the southern islands and cold temperatures on Hokkaido. It should be mainly sunny, but there is a possibility of rain on Kyushu and snow on Hokkaido. It is best to dress in layers, and to have warm and waterproof footwear throughout, although running shoes should be fine on Honshu and Kyushu if the weather is dry. We usually have early breakfasts and some before-breakfast birding since it is best to begin birding at daybreak. Some lunches will be picnic style to maximize our time in the field.

We will be staying at guesthouses, which require a little adapting on our parts. We will be sleeping on futons, eating Japanese foods, and sharing bathrooms. A spirit of adventure and willingness to fit into a very different culture will make the tour very much more enjoyable.

Walking conditions will be generally easy to moderate. Trails should be firm underfoot, but anywhere may be muddy depending on how recently it has rained. Insects should not be a problem at this time of year. We take a boat ride out of Rausu, conditions permitting, to the pack ice to view eagles sitting out on the ice floes. In the evenings we usually eat at the hotel or lodge where we are staying and review the list of birds and other wildlife that we have encountered, as well as discuss the following day’s activities.