Tour highlights Mt. Fuji, Snow Monkeys, Matsumoto Castle, Zen Buddhist Gardens, The Red-Crowned Cranes, The Steller's Sea Eagles, Sika deer, Whopper Swans, White Tailed Eagles, winter wonderland Hokkaido landscapes . This Japan photo tour workshop is all about our journey and photography, Blain your workshop leader 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!

Japan is 3000 kilometers long with 6,852 Islands; however, only 30% of Japan is populated.  Japans wildlife is incredibly diverse and has flourished for millenniums. Thousands of animal species thrive in Japan, such as the Japanese Macaque or Snow Monkey and the largest herds of Sika Deer on our planet and 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 positively is the Exotic Winter photography adventure of a lifetime.

All our Japan photo tours and workshops are highly customized; we have been leading photo tours throughout Japan for over 20 years, and we know the right spots. All our staff is highly trained, and we drive only the newest suvs with business class seating for your comfort and safety.

The Adventure Begins

After meeting at Tokyo Haneda Airport, we waste no time in Tokyo. We drive directly for Mt. Fuji ( a must see and photograph for anyone visiting Japan). We will photograph the snow-capped world heritage site FujiSan, at the best 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. The trees and plants grow in natural volcanic planting pots and peat moss, in a volcanic forest there is no soil. 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 solitudes.

After shooting 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 across Japan. There are over 10,000 Suwa shrines across Japan, and we will visit the head shrine and photograph its precious national treasures, plus we will surely film Shinto maidens and priest in their traditional wear. Then we will drive under an hour and enter the world of the Samurai at Matsumoto Castle, locally known as Crow castle or Kurasu-Jo, due to its grandeur poised black exterior. Built in 1504, it’s unique architectural design does not exist elsewhere in Japan, having both a secondary donjon and turret adjoined to its central keep. While photographing the interior of this original samurai castle, we will practice our low lighting techniques, which Blain will explain.

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 active 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 keeping them warm on those cold nights in the trees.

After Visiting with the snow monkeys, we drive to Tokyo Haneda Airport and fly to Japan's most northern Hokkaido. Wow, get ready Look Up? Red-Crowned Cranes, also known as snow ballerinas. Their courtship dance is as graceful as ballerinas. They bow to one another, then 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 the courtship dance.

Our next location takes us inland at Akan-Mashu National Park in the Hokkaido highlands. Comprising of Akanko, Kushiroko, and Mashuko Lakes, which are among the clearest and cleanest on our planet, and lake Mashuko is the 2nd 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 with them photographing their museum-quality arts and crafts. We will experience the Ikor theatre, the Ainu performance of spiritual, cultural awakening, during the evening’s lomante fire performance where we will have press box seats, followed by a show on lakeside. In the am, if cold enough we will photograph ice crystals on Akanko and create ice bubbles, so don't forget your macro lens.

After breakfast at our huge leisure lodgings in Akano and check out, we drive through Hokkaido's eastern alpine route to the Pacific Coast for birding and other wildlife encounters plus winter wonderland landscapes, and you will have a chance to meet locals that is reminiscent to Alaska's yesteryears.   The Steller’s Sea Eagles are huge and beautiful and one of the most fierce 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 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.  The area is home to the largest herds of Sika deer on our planet, and we will also photograph the Ezo Red Fox, white-tailed eagle, black kite, golden eagle, Shima Enaga-Bushtit and many other subarctic species. Sunrises and sunsets are extraordinarily beautiful on this stretch of coastline.