Hot springs - Snow Monkeys - Winter Birds

Thinking about Japan conjures up diverse and contrasting mental images. It is easy to imagine fast paced, high tech modern Japanese cities and yet envision mystical shrines set within landscapes softly colored with spring cherry blossoms or autumn maple leaves. All of these things are Japan today. But winter in Japans reveals a different type of mystical beauty. It is the best season to visit Japan. Besides having fewer tourists and less crowds, rural Japan, which is almost seventy percent mountainous, is covered beneath a glistening blanket of snow during the winter. It is during this time that we will visit the island of Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands. It is known for its volcanoes and natural hot springs (onsen). On Hokkaido, with a snow-covered backdrop, we will witness and photograph the intricate and choreographed mating dance of the endangered red-crowned cranes. Set in a beautiful winter landscape, we will photograph the Steller’s sea eagle - a magnificent and dramatic raptor. We will also be able to experience the beauty of hundreds of whooper swans floating in a wintry mist-fringed lake providing us with opportunities for dramatic winter photography or just a time of quiet to absorb Japan’s ethereal beauty. A visit to rural Japan is a unique adventure. We will leave our Western expectations back in Tokyo and embrace the traditions of Japan. We will try different Japanese foods, drink warmed saki, bathe in natural hot springs called Onsens and sleep on Japanese futons behind shoji screens. This trip needs participants who have a spirit of adventure! When we leave Hokkaido, we will embark upon one of the wild highlights of Japanese winter - a visit to the Japanese Alps. We will journey into the forests of the Jigokudani valley in Yamanouchi. It is here where we will see and photograph Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys. We will find these charismatic and highly approachable macaques relaxing in one of the natural hot springs. We will spend ample time photographing them, and we may even have one or two join us in our open-air onsen belonging to the ryokan where we will be staying. We hope you will join us on this special adventure.            Travel Different!

  • Duration
    15 Days
  • Group Size
    4 people
  • Price

    $10,550.00

In stock

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Per Person Sharing

Hilton Tokyo


Hickory Wind Lodge


Korakukan Jigokudani Guest House


Kanbayashi Hotel Senjukaku


Letters correspond to points on the map in the map tab.


  • Day 1 (January 23)

     

    Arrival in Tokyo

    Arrival at Tokyo Airport Airport (either Narita or Haneda Airport). Please inform us in time at which airport you will arrive at.
    Transfer from airport to Hilton Tokyo;
    Dinner included

  • Day 2 (January 24)

    Tokyo

    We will spend the day sightseeing in Tokyo
    B,L,D included, overnight in Hilton

     

    Day 2 (January 24)

  • Day 3 (January 25)

     

    Hokkaido

    Transfer to Airport
    Flight to Kushiro on Hokkaido
    Transfer from Airport to Hickory Winds Lodge where you will stay 8 nights.
    Lunch is on your own
    Afternoon drive to Tsurui Crane Reserve where you might get great opportunities to photograph courting red-crowned cranes
    Dinner and overnight in lodge

  • Day 4 - 10 (January 26 - February 01)

    Hokkaido

    We will spend the next 7 days photographing  red-crowned cranes, whooper swans, and Steller sea-eagles at various locations,. The weather will decide on which day we will visit which area. During heavy snow storms the drive to Rausu to see the eagles is not possible. The best day to see the swans at Lake Mashu is on a very cold morning for the moody, foggy atmosphere caused by geothermal activity. We will enjoy ample opportunities to photograph the cranes as our lodge is adjacent to one of the fields where the cranes like to feed. Being flexible with our program will present us with the best sightings and photographic opportunities.

    We will have breakfast and dinner at the lodge (perpared by a learned and excellent chef) while we will take our lunch in the areas where we are going to photograph.

    B,L,D included; overnight in Hickory Winds Lodge

     

    Day 4 - 10 (January 26 - February 01)

  • Day 11 (February 02)

     

    Hokkaido - Tokyo - Jigokudani Yaen National Park

    We will leave the lodge early morning. Transfer to Kushiro Airport and then flight to Tokyo. A privately chartered van will pick us up at the airport and drive us to the snow monkey reserve in the Jigokudani Yaen National Park. The drive takes 4-5 hours.
    We will spend the night in the Korakukan, a traditional Japanese-style guesthouse which is located a short distance from the snow monkey hotsprings
    This rustic mountain Minshuku (family operated, Japanese-style bed and breakfast) is the nearest ryokan (only 100 meters) to the beautiful Jigokudani Yaen National Park in the mountains of the Yudanaka Onsen in Nagano. There are indoor and outdoor hot spring baths for both women and men at Korakukan Jigokudani (and Japanese snow monkeys frequently visit the outdoor hot spring baths from late October as well!). From the outdoor hot spring baths at Korakukan Jigokudani, the nearby hot spring geyser can be seen. Fresh local vegetables and river fish are served to guests. Travel warning: It is a 2 kilometer (1.24 mile) walk to Korakukan Jigokudani lodge from the nearest road. So please wear good winter hiking boots.
    Because the lodge is such a short distance to the snow monkey hot springs we can spend all day at the pools to photograph and also be able to walk to the lodge for lunch.
    (B,L,D) Overnight at Korakukan Guest House

  • Day 12-13 (February 03-04)

    Snow monkeys

    We will enjoy 2 full days with the snow monkeys. During midday we will take a break and walk back to the guest house for lunch.

    The only place in the world where monkeys bathe in hot springs.

    The Jigokudani Yaen-koen (altitude 850 meters) is located in the Valley of Yokoyu River sourced from Shiga-Kogen of the
    Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park in northern part of Nagano prefecture.
    Because of the very steep cliffs and the steam coming off the springs in everywhere, ancient people called this valley ‘Jigokudani (Hell valley)’ .
    Also it is buried in snow almost one third of the year. Even that kind of severe environment here is a paradise on earth for monkeys to live in.
    The troops of wild Japanese macaque (they are popularly known as snow monkeys) inhabit here naturally through the ages.
    Since the establishment of Jigokudani Yaen-koen in 1964, it has been a worldwide popular place for watching the bathing
    monkeys in a hot spring and for ecological observation of researchers or photographers,
    and some of them who visited here have accomplished certain results in the area.

    (B,L,D) Overnight at Korakukan Guest House

     

    Day 12-13 (February 03-04)

  • Day 14 (February 05)

     

    Snow monkeys

    In the afternoon we will change the lodge and walk back to the nearest road to a modern and very comfortable 4 star Japanese-style hotel.
    (B,L,D) Overnight in Kanbayashi Hotel Senjukaku

  • Day 15 (February 06)

    Tokyo and international flight home

    Drive to Tokyo airport in private bus and flight back home the same day.
    End of tour

     

    Day 15 (February 06)

Included

  • Accommodations for 14 nights
  • All land and air transfers in Japan
  • All drives to the various wildlife sites
  • National park fees
  • All meals
  • Local English-speaking drivers/guides as well as two Wild Focus Expedition trip leaders

Not Included

  • International airfare to and from Tokyo
  • Change of itinerary
  • Any items of personal nature such as beverages, laundry, telephone calls
  • Travel/medical insurance
  • Any extras not mentioned in the included list such as extra meals and activities

For most activities, a moderate level of exertion is required. Participants should be in good general health, able to hike one to two miles over uneven and rough terrain and in the snow and ice.

Please be aware that some of our overnight stays will be in traditional Japanese Guesthouses and may involve sleeping in tatami mat rooms on traditional Japanese futons. Unlike North American futons, Japanese futons are a stack of thin mattresses that are sometimes stored during the day and brought out at night for sleeping. Most inns that use this style of futon are very traditional and rustic with sliding paper doors (Shoji doors) that can offer beautiful views of elegant Japanese gardens.

Japanese cuisine is world-renowned and is one of the many highlights of this expedition. Meals will be “omakase” (the chef’s decision). In smaller villages and in traditional Guest Houses, it may be difficult for our hosts to cater to individual food preferences. Please note that neither vegan nor Kosher food is available. If you have food allergies, it is essential that you notify us at the time of booking on your Trip Registration Form so that we can verify if we can meet your food requirements.

One of the delights of this trip is the varied cultural experiences that you will have. Sleeping behind shojis on futons and wrestling new delicious foods with chop sticks are all apart of a Japanese wildlife adventure with Wild Focus Expeditions. This experience will be great fun and extremely memorable if you are an outgoing personal and are tolerant of unique and new cultural differences.

Expedition Leaders

Jami_theo_portrait

Jami Tarris & Theo Allofs

Japan, is a magic country that keeps pulling us back. Imagine sitting in a steaming hot spring being joined by a group of snow monkeys; or watching the graceful courting dance of Japanese cranes, whooper swans approaching  through geothermal steam on a partly frozen lake, or Steller's sea eagles catching fish right next to our boat. And last we are always looking forward to the delicious Japanese cuisine! If you love winter, wildlife and exploring different cultures then join us on this adventure.

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