NaturesLens invites you to spend 11 night/12 day travelling throughout the wonderfully diverse landscapes of Japan, specifically Central Honshu & Northern Hokkaido, getting up close to a wide range of native species which thrive in harsh winter conditions. The NaturesLens Japanese Winter Wildlife photography holiday, which we have been leading for the last 7 years, covers a variety of areas, providing you with unrivalled opportunities to undertake wildlife photography of the highest quality.

Accompanied by David & Ian, you will visit Central Honshu & Northern Hokkaido & gain an insight into the variety of landscapes & wildlife which exists throughout the country, made even more photogenic by dramatic winter conditions. The photographic opportunities on our Japanese Winter Wildlife Photography Holiday are always without parallel – with opportunities to photograph a variety of species including the red-crowned crane, snow monkey, Steller’s sea eagle, white-tailed sea eagle, whooper swan, plus more.

Join David & Ian of NaturesLens to travel deep into stunning snow-covered landscapes, capturing beautiful images of wildlife which thrives during harsher seasons in Japan. You will travel throughout several different regions, including the mountainous area around Yudanaka in central Japan, & north of the mainland to the island of Hokkaido, giving you an insight into the variety of landscapes & wildlife which exists throughout the country, made even more photogenic by dramatic winter conditions.

This 11 night/12 day trip offers enthusiastic wildlife photographers the opportunity to rise early for 2 dawn visits to the famous red-crowned crane roosting site; spend 2 days at the Akan red-crowned crane feeding centre; & spend 2 days observing the beautiful whooper swans which inhabit Lake Kussharo.

Not only this, but our trip is unique in offering 6 boat trips on the drift ice of the Nemuro Strait to photograph the Steller’s sea & white-tailed eagle populations as they fly, feed, dive for fish & fight over scraps. These excursions will give you unrivalled access to the native wildlife at each location, providing ample opportunity to obtain incredible images.

Our tour begins in Tokyo; from there we transfer to Hokkaido, the most northerly island of Japan, which holds the most remote & only true wilderness in Japan. Hokkaido is undoubtedly the star location during our Japanese winter wildlife photography holidays, the North of the island, the Shiretoko Peninsula is recognised for its world heritage site status, as the landscapes of dramatic coastline & soaring mountains are stunning, giving you the perfect backdrop to achieve editorial quality images of the wildlife inhabitants. As we travel across the island, you will have the opportunity to photograph red-crowned cranes, black-eared kites, whooper swans as well as white-tailed & Steller’s sea eagles as we cruise through drift ice environments which surround the island & across additional feeding sites on the Nemuro Peninsula to the east of the island.

We will then move onward to Yudanaka & spend 2 days at the Jigokudani snow monkey site with the Japanese Macaque, also known as the Snow Monkey, in the mountains, at their thermal spa, as they bathe & feed in the area. Our itinerary is designed to give you the second day here so that you have the chance to fine-tune your photography having become more familiar with the environment & the behaviour of this species.

Japan is an extraordinary country, providing wildlife photographers with unrivalled opportunities to capture uniquely beautiful photographs.

Group size for the Japanese Winter Wildlife photography holiday is limited to 4 participants, this is due to the nature of the photography excursions & the type of hotel that we prefer to make use of, so booking early is essential.