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DATE                     21.02 - 29.02.2024 (9 days)

GENRE                  Wildlife and landscapes                  

TOUR LEADER      Michael Westerbjerg Andersen. The language we                                     speak on our tours is either/and English, German                                     and one of the Scandinavian languages.

FEE                       From 4,450 USD pr. person in shared DBL room                                       from Haneda, Tokyo: 2 pax: 7.250 USD pr. person in                                 shared DBL room, 3 pax: 5.395 USD pr. person in                                     shared DBL room, and 4 pax (max.): 4.450 USD                                         pr. person in shared DBL room 

SINGLE SUPPL.   750 USD for a single room           

DEPOSIT             1,000 USD pr. person

VISA                    depending on country of origin. Information when                                   booking the tour

VACCINATION     (pr.03.03.2024; can change): Yes, against COVID-19                                 (If no vaccination PCR-test might be needed).                                          Miksture will keep updating

GROUP SIZE      min. 2, max. 4 participants ​

LEVEL               all experience levels, non-photographing partners will                             also love this tour!

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DESCRIPTION

This tour offers you unique opportunities to photograph Steller's Sea eagles, White-tailed eagles, Red-crowned Crane, Blakiston's Fish Owl, Whooper Swan, Ezo Red Fox, Sika Deer, etc in the best photographic conditions possible. We travel in a very small group and use private comfortable vehicles.  

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Hokkaido is a 'must-visit' destination for the keen photographer. Our 'Winter Photographing' tour explores Hokkaido where more of the world’s most amazing and sought-after birds can be found, whilst enjoying the wonderful winter landscapes, diverse scenery, and splendid local cuisine. The favourite time of the year is winter when the Steller's Sea Eagle migrates to Japan from the Sea of Okhotsk where they breed. In winter, then it’s freezing-cold they ride the pack-ice and feed fish off it which is their natural habitat during the winter months. When the pack-ice reach Hokkaido in late winter, it is possible to get close-up encounters with the magnificent eagle. The Steller’s sea eagles are huge and one of the fiercest birds of prey on our planet. Natively they feed on pack-ice in the rich fishing waters of Japan's north. We will board our chartered vessel to photograph the Steller’s Sea Eagle in their natural feeding ground on pack ice. The White-tailed Eagle which is smaller and native to Japan also feeds on pack ice next to the Steller's Sea-eagle; tensions are high when fishing and the White-tailed eagle hold their own with the much larger and legendary sea eagles. You will have hundreds of spectacular images of eagles clutching fish in their talons in flight and while feasting, and eagles in strife. 

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Hokkaido is also home to the Red-crowned Cranes. Although its official binomial name is Grus japonensis, or “Japanese crane,” it has also captured the imaginations of people in China, Mongolia, Russia, and the Korean peninsula. The Red-crowned Crane gets its name for the disc of bare red skin atop its head. Aside from their red crowns, these cranes are often snow white, with black secondary feathers. Their youngs are also white, mixed with shades of brown or gray. Red-crowned cranes are long and tall - some of the world’s largest cranes. The fully-grown adult stands at five feet, with a wingspan that grows to eight feet. Males are slightly larger than females. They often find one partner and mate for life. This may be why they symbolize loyalty in Asian cultures. When a couple is together, they use their long windpipes to vocalize with a unison call, which strengthens their bond. They also mate by dancing, gracefully leaping into the air or even bouncing like a ball. the Red-crowned Cranes also, known as the 'Snow Ballerinas'. Of course, interesting behaviour and fantastic photo opportunities, often seen at close range.

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​The Blakiston’s Fish Owl is another of those treasures, and it is so sacred that the First Nation’s People of Japan, the Ainu, consider it a Kamuy or divine being.  The Ainu believe that the Blakiston’s fish owl protects villages and keeps away malevolent spirits. The Blakiston's Fish Owl is an elusive and endangered species, but we have years of experiences and encounters with the elusive owl, so the opportunity you must photograph this amazing avian resident of Hokkaido is excellent. 

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The region also is home to large herds of Sika Deer, and we will also photograph the Ezo Red Fox, and many other subarctic species. Perhaps the Steller's Sea Lions and Sea Otters will even make an appearance.

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Joining one of our photo tours, you are going to have the very best opportunities to photograph the wildlife and pristine winter landscapes. Sunrises and sunsets are extraordinarily beautiful along with Hokkaido's coastline and glistening snow. Here, you can photograph what is commonly called ‘diamond dust,’ when the light catches the shimmer of the crystalline snow, you will have pictures that shine with the magic that only a Japanese winter can provide, but the natural phenomena do not end there. ‘Sun pillars’ and ‘light pillars' can also be seen when the ice crystals are drifting in the atmosphere above the frozen plains of Hokkaido. A final treat is the ‘snow rollers’ when chunks of snow are blown along the ground by the wind, etching a message into the pristine snow for you to commemorate with your camera.

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In Miksture, we enjoy comfortable accommodation and cuisine, but most important: We enjoys the maximum amount of time in the field, while other tour groups are slumbering or in seminars, we will be in the field positioning ourselves for the photo opportunities of a lifetime!

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TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• ​Red Crowned Cranes roosting spot at sunrise

• cold winter mornings with the ice crystals sparking on the trees

• up-close encounters with species such as the Red-Crowned Cranes, Sika Deer, Steller's sea eagles and White-tailed eagles

• Whopper Swans in winter wonderland Hokkaido landscapes

• maximum amount of time in the field, positioning ourselves for the photo opportunities of a lifetime!

•  breathtaking landscapes and Shinto architectural, cultural photo opportunities

• breathtaking mountainous landscapes of Hokkaido’s northwest. Comprising of Akanko, Kushiroko, and Mashuko Lakes, which are among the clearest and cleanest on our planet

• winter wonderland landscape Hokkaido, Japan.

• excellent cuisine

• onsen - hot-springs

• hundreds of spectacular images of eagles clutching fish in their talons in flight and while feasting - eagles in strife. 

• extraordinarily beautiful sunrises and sunsets

• small group - flexible, with plenty of time and respect for your photographing

• 3 x boat trips in Rausu for photographing the eagles

• expert tour leader with 25+ years expedition experience  

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KEY BIRDS Whooper Swan Cygnus Cygnus, Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus, Black-eared Kite Milvus lineatus, White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, Steller's sea eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus, Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis, Blakiston's Fish Owl Ketupa blakistoni, Ural Owl Strix uralensis, Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii, etc

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HABITATS COVERED coniferous forest, mountainous with volcanic plateaux, frozen freshwater lakes, volcanic caldera lakes, Pacific Ocean coastline and agricultural plains

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EXPECTED CLIMATE Humid continental climate zone i.e. icy/snowy winters. Average January temperature ranges from -12 to -4 degrees Celsius (10,4 to 24,8 degrees F). 

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MAX GROUP SIZE 4  

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TOUR PACE & WALKING moderate to easy

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ACCOMMODATION comfortable minshukus (guesthouses) and hotels

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OTHER ATTRACTIONS spectacular scenery, hot baths in onsens at various accommodations, fabulous cuisine and fantastic wildlife

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PHOTOGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITIES World-class!