Highlights include: Mt. Fuji, Snow Monkeys, Matsumoto Castle, Zen Buddhist Gardens, The Red-Crowned Cranes, The Steller's Sea Eagles, Hokkaido Sika deer, Whooper swans, White-Tailed Eagles, Shima Enaga, Minimalist Hokkaido landscapes. This Japan photo tour workshop is all about photography and the journey, and Blain, your workshop leader, enjoys the maximum amount of time in the field.  Day one is not spent getting over jet lag, snoozing, or in seminars like many other groups.  Right after our meet and greet on day one, we hit the road and start our photography adventure. Blain always recommends participants arrive in Japan one or two days prior to the meet and greet time, check into an airport hotel,  and rest before beginning the photography adventure of a lifetime. 

Japan is over 3,000 kilometers long with 6,852 Islands and is over 75% unpopulated wilderness.  Japan's wildlife is incredibly diverse, some wildlife have flourished through not one but three ice ages.  Countless animal species thrive in Japan, such as the Japanese Macaque or Snow Monkey and the largest herd of Sika Deer on our planet, plus over 600 bird species have been recorded to date. Winter in Japan is a wildlife photographers dream come true, and let us not forget the breathtaking landscapes and samurai, Buddhists, and Shinto architectural, cultural photo opportunities. Japan in winter is absolutely the Exotic Winter photography adventure of a lifetime.

All our workshops are highly customized for photographers, my group support team is highly trained, and I have been leading photography workshops throughout Japan for over 25 years, plus we know the best spots only locals and native Japanese have access to, and when we travel, we only do so in the newest SUVs with business class seating.

After meeting at Tokyo Haneda Airport, we waste no time in Tokyo. We drive directly for Mt. Fuji, a must see UNESCO world heritage site for anyone visiting Japan. At Mt. Fuji, we will photograph the snow-capped world heritage site FujiSan, at the most stunning golden hour spots.  We will tour around the Fuji five lakes stopping to film in the Sea of Trees Jukai the forest on the northwestern flank of Mount Fuji. The forest is 30 square kilometers of hardened lava laid down by the last major eruption of Fujisan in 864.  In this volcanic forest there is no soil, so the trees and plants grow in natural volcanic planting pots and peat moss. The forest is extremely photogenic, especially in winter with few visitors and school trips. The forest is very dense and the porous lava absorbs sound, adding to the solitude.

After photographing sunset at Mt. Fuji, we drive to our lodging, for a toast and dinner to our successful twelve day photography expedition.  After photographing sunrise on Mt. Fuji and breakfast, we depart for Suwa Taisha Grand Shinto Buddhist Shrine Complex; it is said to be the oldest shrine complex in existence in all of Japan. There are over 10,000 Suwa shrines across Japan, and we will visit the head shrine in Suwako and photograph its precious national treasures, plus we will surely film Shinto miko (巫女), or shrine maidens and priests in their traditional wear.  Then we will drive less than an hour and enter the world of the Samurai at Matsumoto Castle, locally known as Crow castle or Karasu-Jo, due to its grand poised black exterior.  Built in 1504, its unique architectural design does not exist elsewhere in Japan, having both a secondary donjon and turret adjoined to its central keep.

A little over an hour drive from Matsumoto, we enter Snow Monkeys territory in Jigokudani Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park, where you will have up-close and personal encounters with wild Japanese macaques as they relax in the hot springs to fight the cool winter temperatures, and some young monkeys are always horsing around. The Japanese Macaque is the most northern-living nonhuman primate; they survive the snowy winter climate by soaking in the warmth of the healing hot springs, also in the region are volcanic steam vents that keep the snow monkeys warm on those freezing cold nights slumbering in the trees.

After visiting with the snow monkeys, we drive to Tokyo Haneda Airport and fly to Japan's most northern island, Hokkaido. Wow, get ready!  Look Up? Red-Crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) also, known as snow ballerinas. Their courtship mating dance is legendary and as graceful as ballerinas. These masterful dancing birds bow to one another, and raise their heads towards the sky and call in unison, the pair or the entire flock will leap into the air at the same time commencing in their courtship dance.  And they are extremely exciting to spot and photographing during takeoffs and landings and are especially breathtaking in flight. In total, we spend two days spotting and photographing the Red-Crowned cranes, plus we will keep our eyes our for Ezo red foxes (Vulpes vulpes schrencki), various owl species and the Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus.  On a side note, from December of 2024 we had a special guest crane mingling and roosting with the Red-crowned crane, the White-naped crane (Antigone vipio); this is a rare event, and one that may occur again in 2025 or 2026.  

Sunsets in the Kushiro region are brilliant, and are rated in the top three in Japan.  After our two days in the Kushiro region, we make our way inland to the high alpine lakes of Hokkaido’s northwest. Comprised of Akanko, Kushiroko, and Mashuko Lakes, which are among the clearest and cleanest on our planet, and lake Mashuko which is said to be the cleanest on our planet, the mountainous landscape is breathtaking, and home to the first nations people of Japan, the Ainu.  The Ainu are world-class wood carvers and storytellers; we will visit my long time friends who are Ainu and photograph their museum-quality arts and crafts.  You may experience the Ikor theatre, the Ainu performance of spiritual, cultural awakening, during the evening’s lomante fire performance where we will have tickets available for their show; some may choose fireworks by the lakeside. In the am golden hour, we will photograph Mt. Oakan, a sacred peak for the Ainu. 

After breakfast at our huge leisure lodgings in Akano and check out, we drive through Hokkaido's eastern alpine route and check into a foot hills 4 star mountain lodge, where we will photograph the Blakiston's fish owl from the comforts of an indoor observatory while sipping your favorite drink.  During mornings at our mountain lodgings, we will photograph the Shima Enaga, the Hokkaido red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris orientis), the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), the black capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), the Japanese weasel (Mustela itatsi), the Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), the pygmy woodpecker (Dendrocopos canicapillus), among other species. Around lunchtime, we will venture out to photograph Whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus), and foxes plus landscapes and return to our lodging  just before sunset to be ready for spotting and photographing the Blakiston’s fish owl. 

After two days at this mountain lodge, we have breakfast then checkout and head for the Pacific Coast for 3 nights and four days of birding and other wildlife encounters.  The Steller’s Sea Eagles are a huge and amazing raptor, they are one of the most fierce birds of prey on our planet.  And 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 endemic 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 there 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 film some eagles in strife.  (We book three mornings to venture out on a chartered boat to photograph the raptors on pack-ice, most years we make two chartered boat cruises.  On great years we make all three cruises; there has only been one year in the past twenty five that we only made one cruise and that was due to rough weather.)  This region is also home area to the largest herd of Sika deer on our planet, and we will also photograph the Ezo Red Fox, white-tailed eagle, black kite, golden eagle, and many other subarctic species. Sunrises and sunsets are extraordinarily beautiful on this stretch of coastline. 

Itinerary

We advise participants to arrive a day or two earlier in Japan (JST time and date) before our meet and greet. Also, please plan on departing a day or two after our Hokkaido photo workshop concludes. For these days, we will advise participants on hotel recommendations on request.

Day 1, February 14: Arrival and pick up Tokyo, Haneda Airport International Terminal 10 a.m. place to be announced to participants. After meeting, we drive to Mt. Fuji we will spot the mute swan (Cygnus olor) which is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae, you will have an up close and personal encounter with them, due to local conservationists like me who feed these swans and other birds during winters, and they know us well.  We will also visit the Dragon’s cave and the Sea of Trees.  We will pick a spot for our sunset photo op. If time permits, we will visit all the Fuji five lakes, Yamanakako, Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Shojiko, and Motosuko lakes. Lake Motosuko is showcased on the back of the one thousand yen banknote with Fujisan in the backdrop. We will also visit ice caves and the sea of trees. Overnight at Mt. Fuji Hotel TBA (1 night) – Our lodgings have private and communal hot springs/male and female baths separately.  Western-style Rooms with bath and shower.  Dinner and breakfast at our hotel, lunch at a local establishment.

Day 2-4 February 15-16: After breakfast at our lodgings at Mt. Fuji, we depart for Suwa Taisha Shinto Shrines then travel to Matsumoto Castle, an original Samurai Castle completed in the sixteenth century, which maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan. It is one of the twelve remaining original tenshu (castles with keeps) in Japan. After a day experiencing ancient Japan and the world of the Samurai, Shinto priests, and power spots, we make our way to our accommodations at Shibu Onsen village, home to the snow monkeys. Here we will visit and photograph the wild Japanese macaque in their natural habitat and photograph them bathing in hot springs and around the mountain region of Shibu onsen village and Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. There are approximately 300 monkeys in the area in 3 different troops. We will also visit a local Buddhist shrine that houses national treasures over 1,000 years old. Hotel at Snow Monkey Village TBA (2 nights) Rooms will have a shower bath, western or Japanese style room; plus, our lodgings will have communal hot springs/male and female bath separately. Breakfast and dinner at our hotel, lunch at a local restaurant.

Day 4, 5, February 17 - 18:  Transfer to Tokyo, Haneda Airport (HND) and fly to Kushiro, Hokkaido Airport (KUH) in the evening. The next day we will photograph The Red-Crowned Cranes, also known as the snow ballerinas, plus there are owls in the region. Hotel Two Nights Kushiro (TBA).  Our lodgings have communal hot springs/male and female bath separately. Rooms have a shower and are western style. Breakfast will be in our hotel; lunch will be at a local establishment, dinner will be outside at one of Hokkaido's and Japan's most famous Izakaya restaurants.

 Day 6, February 19: After breakfast and check-out of our lodgings in Kushiro we will photograph The Red-Crowned Cranes. Then after lunch we will make our way to Lake Akan.  We will experience winter alpine Landscape photography, along with Giant Whooper Swans at Lake Kushiro. We will visit the Ainu first nations people of Japan and experience their culture and history. One night at Tsuruga Wings, the same lodgings expedition leaders and I have used when on assignment with National Geographic and other prestigious photographic agencies. Our lodgings are huge, and they have not one but two The North Face shops and a variety of other shops, including Ainu hand-carved wood crafts. Our hotel is known across Japan for its healing onsen. There are several communal hot springs/male and female bath separately; there are also paid private hot springs. Rooms have showers and western baths — breakfast and dinner in hotel Japanese, Italian and Chinese foods, lunch at a local restaurant.

Day 7, 8, February 20 - 21:  After breakfast and check-out in  Akanko, we will make our way to the foothills of Hokkaido's eastern alpine route and check into a 4 star mountain lodge, where we will photograph the Blakiston's fish owl from the comforts of an indoor observatory.  During mornings at our mountain lodgings, we will photograph the Shima Enaga, the Hokkaido red squirrel, the Eurasian jay, the black capped chickadee, the Japanese weasel, the Great spotted woodpecker, and the pygmy woodpecker among other species.  During the daytime we will venture out to photograph minimalist landscape and the Ezo red foxes.   Hotel 2 Nights 4 star mountain lodge. Our lodgings have communal hot springs/male and female bath separately. Rooms have a shower bath and are western style. Breakfast will be in our hotel; lunch will be at a local establishment.

Day 9, 10, 11 , February 22 - 24:  After breakfast at our mountain lodge, we will travel to the Pacific coastline. Hokkaido Steller’s sea eagle photography time plus other wildlife such as the White-Tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Ezo Sika Deer, Ezo Red Fox, Shima Enaga, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, and many other bird species found in Japan.  In Rausu, we will board our (chartered boat) Shiretoko Nature Cruise Hokkaido for our trip into pack ice to photograph the Steller’s Sea Eagle. Sunsets are breathtaking in the Notsuke Peninsula region. (We have three mornings booked for private chartered boat to photograph the Steller’s sea eagle and white-tailed eagle feeding on pack-ice.) Hotel TBA. Rooms will be western or Japanese, and will have a shower bath. Our lodgings will also have hot springs, male and female bath separately—breakfast and dinner in the hotel lunch at a local restaurant.

Day 12, AM February 25: Before breakfast, we will have one last chance photographing the Steller’s Sea Eagles and other wildlife, either on boats or on land. After breakfast and a late morning checkout, we will make our way to Nakashibetsu, inland from the Pacific Coastline. It's about an hour drive, so we will have plenty of time to enjoy photographing minimalist landscapes or local wildlife along the way, lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon flight to Tokyo Haneda Domestic Terminal.  My team and I will be remaining in Hokkaido as our next group of photographers will be arriving as you depart.

Thank you, and we look forward to our next adventure together. 

Why Choose this Photography Tour/Workshop?

•This Tour/workshop is fully inclusive.
•Activity level leisurely - moderate.
•Small group size of 8 participants and 4 staff equals quality time with participants questions are always welcome and encouraged.
•Each evening and morning we discuss our best shooting options with our weather conditions so that you will be well prepared.
•2026 will be Blain's 28th year leading photography workshops tours and wildlife adventures in Japan.
•Photographers of all levels are welcome.
•All Camera formats are welcome, digital, handy camera, scoping with iPhone large format, film, etc.
•Photograph Mt. Fuji, Samurai Architecture, Snow Monkeys, Steller's Sea Eagle, Red-Crowned Crane and Sika Deer up close and personal.
•Film the largest herd of Sika Deer on our planet.
•Transportation Private Sports Utility Vehicles with Business Class Seating.
•Min participants one Max Participants Six. 

Tour Cost: $10,500 Includes all lodgings based on double room occupancy, all meals, all ground transportation, domestic group flights in Japan during the workshop, all entrance fees, professional photography guide instruction

Single Supplement: $1200

Not Included
∙Flights to and from Japan, Travel Insurance, Health Insurance, Hotel Amenities, Alcohol Beverages

Registering For The Photography Tour/Workshop
This is going to be another magnificent winter wonderland adventure in Japan. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Blain Harasymiw or call +81 90-6923-3427. This is an all-inclusive workshop. We will pick you up at the airport and return you to the airport. Everything from the time we pick you up and drop you off is included except as noted above. To reserve your spot on this workshop a deposit of $1000 USD is required on registration. The balance is due 120 days prior to the date of the workshop/photo tour. For cancellation and refunds, please see Terms and Conditions.

 Workshop/Tour Policies 

General Enrollment Information for photo tours & workshops
by pro Photographer & Instructor Blain Harasymiw.

A deposit of USD$1000 per persons, will reserve a place for you on one of our tours/workshops.By Making a Deposit or Full Payment, you agree to all Terms and Conditions for Participants/clients on any Japan Photography Workshop by Blain Harasymiw Photography.