Eagles, Cranes & Monkeys – A Japanese Winter

When I was first asked if I wanted to lead a winter photography tour to Japan, my immediate response was absolutely. What’s not to like about the combination of wildlife and snow – it's a photographer’s dream. The one thing I kept quiet about was my aversion to Japanese cuisine, particularly sashimi and most other types of seafood. Now, let me say, if you are concerned about the food, don't let it put you off visiting this wonderful country.  

We started our Japanese adventure on the island of Hokkaido. Japan’s most northerly island is also surely one of its most beautiful, particularly in the winter months. It was here that we spent the majority of our time photographing the iconic wildlife, including red-crowned crane, Blakiston’s fish owl, Steller’s sea eagle and whooper swan.

Now photographing wildlife in Japan is a little different from wildlife photography in other parts of the world. Most of the wildlife is fed, to help conserve species and enable population growth, and therefore species such as red-crowned crane are photographed at specific times and specific sites. These majestic birds are remarkably beautiful in their snowy realm, standing tall and occasionally dancing to delight the photographers, however there is so much more on Hokkaido, with a beautiful pair of Ural owls regularly seen just a short drive away from the Tsurui Crane Sanctuary.

For me the highlight of any visit to Hokkaido must be the time with the Steller’s sea eagles. These huge birds are utterly breathtaking, alongside the white-tailed eagles which are found along the coastline. The town of Rausu is the perfect base for photographing the Steller’s sea eagle, with daily boat trips out to find these impressive birds. Their striking black and white plumage, with their vibrant, thick beaks makes these birds the perfect subject against the snow and ice along the coastline. As my group arrived in Rausu, so did the sea ice and we spent three days photographing the eagles with masses of ice all around the boat – it was spectacular.

Other highlights included the mightily impressive Blakiston’s fish owl, sable (a member of the marten family), Japanese pygmy woodpecker and whooper swans too.

After a week with these wild delights and stunning landscapes it was time to head south to Tokyo and inland to the Nagano prefecture to photograph the renowned Japanese macaques of Yamanouchi. As it was a particularly mild winter, there wasn’t much snow about, but seeing these charismatic mammals and their social structures was fascinating, there were still plenty of wildlife photography opportunities for all of the group, you just had to think a little outside the box.

If you dream of photographing cooperative, beautiful subjects in stunning snowy conditions then be sure to join me on one of our future tours to Japan. For more information, contact a member of our wildlife team.