Japan in Winter

Day 1: We’ll begin this evening at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Night at Narita.

Day 2: We’ll start our birding this morning with a side trip to some nearby birding destinations, our precise itinerary depending on what's been recently reported. We may try for the gorgeous Mandarin Duck which is sometimes found along the edges of the small lakes, and other birds could include Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Varied, Japanese, and Long-tailed Tits, Brown-eared Bulbul, Oriental Turtle Dove, and White Wagtail. After lunch, we’ll continue our journey to Karuizawa, Japan’s playground of the rich and famous. It’s about a two hour drive and if it looks like we'll arrive before dark, we might be able to fit in some birding. Night in Karuizawa.

Day 3: Karuizawa has long been famous for its beautiful, temperate woodlands, and the area supports a rich selection of species in a relatively small space. As we explore the tracks and trails along the fast-flowing streams, we may encounter such species as Japanese Green Woodpecker, Brambling, the gorgeous but scarce Japanese Waxwing, Azure-winged Jay, Japanese Grosbeak, and, if we're really lucky, the scarce endemic Copper Pheasant. Later we’ll visit a small reservoir that often hosts a nice range of wildfowl, including the elegant Falcated Duck. Night in Karuizawa.

Day 4: We’ll depart early for the Japan Alps to see the fabled snow monkeys at Jigokudani— “Hell’s Valley” in English. Here we’ll see a troop of Japanese Macaques that have learned to use the natural hot springs during the harsh winter. After a walk of about an hour through snowy woods, we’ll be able to see the monkeys at very close range bathing in the springs or playing nearby, and the photographic opportunities will be superb. We may happen upon a few birds, perhaps a Brown Dipper or a Goldcrest, although birds aren't our focus this morning. Later we’ll continue to Matsumoto, a city renowned for its magnificent castle and excellent nearby birding opportunities. We should have time in the afternoon to visit a birding site to the south of the city that’s a great place to find the scarce Pallas’s Rosefinch. Night in Matsumoto. 

Day 5: This morning we’ll visit the Matsumoto Castle. Considered to be one of three great Japanese castles (along with Kumamoto and Himeji), Matsumoto-jo dates from the 1500s when it was built in the Sengoku Period, otherwise known as the “warring states period” a time of great conflict and social upheaval. It is fascinating to explore the various levels and the grounds, and we have another chance for Japanese Waxwing, among others, in the gardens. In the afternoon, we’ll fly south to Kyushu, the southernmost of the main Japanese islands and drive south from Fukuoka to Yatsushiro.

Day 6: We'll visit the nearby Yatsushiro mud flats (dependent on tide times), an area famous for its wintering Black-headed Gull and the sought-after regional endemic Saunder’s Gull. Waders, gulls, ducks, spoonbills, and herons abound here so we’ll spend ample time searching for the likes of Ruddy-breasted Crake, Common Shelduck, and Great Crested Grebe. Driving a bit further south, we should by afternoon be marveling at the spectacle of tens of thousands of cranes, representing up to five different species. The most common are White-naped and Hooded, but small numbers of Common and Sandhill can usually be found among them There is even a slim possibility of crane rarities such as Siberian or Demoiselle! Searching nearby fields, estuaries and reed beds we may also find Black-faced Spoonbill, Long-billed Plover, Crested Kingfisher or Chinese Penduline Tit. Night in Izumi.

Day 7: We’ll leave at dawn to watch the sun rise over the Arasaki Crane Center and the spectacle of thousands of cranes flying overhead and feeding in the fields. Around the Crane Center birds such as Northern Lapwing, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush and Oriental Greenfinch are often present, and there are usually large flocks of Rook, Carrion, and Large-billed Crows and Eurasian Tree Sparrow, the latter often containing a few Russet Sparrow. The area around Arasaki abounds with bird life: the farmlands and reedbeds can attract Oriental and Eurasian Skylarks, Chinese Penduline Tit, and Common Reed Bunting; the estuaries may contain flocks of "Eurasian" Green-winged Teal and Common Pochard; the coastal scrub is favored by Pale Thrush, Japanese Bush Warbler, and Masked and Meadow Buntings; and every residential area is likely to harbor Eastern Buzzard and Warbling White-eye. 

Day 8: We’ll drive over the coastal mountains, or via the coast (depending on weather), to Kirishima-Yaku National Park, a fascinating region of active volcanoes and hot springs. 

We’ll spend some time around Lake Mi-ike, a circular lake about half a mile in diameter surrounded by lush broadleaf forest, fast-flowing streams, and mountains. Many of Japan’s more common woodland birds occur here plus scarcer specialties such as White-bellied Green-Pigeon and White-backed Woodpecker although these are all long shots. The lake may have a number of waterbirds, possibly including large numbers of Eurasian Wigeon. We’ll visit a small shrine on a hilltop overlooking the lake where we’ll explore the grounds in search of various woodland species and experience the beauty of traditional Shinto architecture. In the late afternoon, we’ll drive east to the coastal town of Hyuga, and if time permits stop en route at a seemingly insignificant lake that is a backup location for Baikal Teal and Falcated Duck, and usually the astonishingly beautiful Mandarin Duck. With luck we may also find the stunning Yellow-throated Bunting or Olive-backed Pipit in the surrounding forest. Night in Hyuga.

Day 9: We’ll drive north to the port town of Kadogawa where we’ll take a boat to look for Japanese Murrelets. They will have just regained their breeding plumage and with luck we may see several twittering pairs. We’ll also look for onshore birds such as Japanese Cormorant, Eastern Reef and Little Egrets, and Black-tailed and Slaty-backed Gulls. Later we’ll visit local woodlands and meadows in search of Japanese Wood Pigeon, Blue Rock Thrush and possibly scarce wintering species such as Brown Shrike. In the late afternoon we’ll drive south to the city of Miyazaki for our flight to Haneda in the evening. Night in Haneda.

Day 10: We’ll catch an early morning flight to Kushiro in Hokkaido. Once there we’ll drive two hours to Nemuro on the east coast of Hokkaido, stopping at Kiritappu for some en route birding. Night in Nemuro.

Day 11: Weather permitting, we'll take a boat trip off the Nemuro Peninsula looking for alcids such as Spectacled Guillemot and Ancient Murrelet. We’ll see our first White-tailed and Steller’s Sea-Eagles and there will be a few Pelagic Cormorant and hundreds of Black Scoter and Harlequin Duck in the waters. Gulls will be numerous and now include Glaucous, Glaucous-winged and Common (Kamchatka) among the many Slaty-backed and Black-tailed. If the weather is bad we can achieve almost the same results from the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula where an enclosed viewing station gives protected views of the surrounding waters. 

After a warming lunch at a restaurant overlooking eagles and kites resting on a frozen lake, we’ll visit various other birding sites scattered around the peninsula where we might find Rock Sandpiper or Asian Rosy Finch. If we can gain access, we might try the birdfeeders at a small sanctuary in town which could attract Great Spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Tit and perhaps Hawfinch. Night in Nemuro.

Day 12: After a final morning in the Nemuro area we’ll drive north to the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido’s northeast. En route we’ll detour onto the remarkable Notsuke Peninsula, a 17 mile-long narrow sandbar that has been designated a wildlife preserve and is a haven for seabirds. At nearby Odaito we’ll stop to see the congregations of Whooper Swan and other wildfowl. Many of the birds will be the same as yesterday but we may find something new, such as Stejneger’s Scoter. Night in Rausu.

Days 13-14: Steller’s Sea-Eagle is numerous on the Shiretoko Peninsula, and our time with these splendid birds will be one of the highlights of the tour. If the pack ice has descended as far south as Hokkaido, we’ll take a boat out of  Rausu harbor along the length of the southern edge of the peninsula to see large concentrations of eagles close up.

Hokkaido is also renowned as the breeding area for one of Japan’s most impressive residents, Blakiston’s Fish-Owl. However, finding one is no easy proposition—there may be as few as 20 breeding pairs on the entire island—but this afternoon we’ll drive to a small village where we’ll have a chance of seeing one. We’ll stay at a traditional Japanese Inn where a pair is known to visit the stream behind the lodging. After what has in the past been the most wonderful Japanese meal of the tour we’ll retire to await the owls. There is a possibility of other great birds here, too – notably the usually elusive Solitary Snipe that has been seen foraging in the stream.

Our inn also has delightful natural hot springs with both indoor and outdoor pools, including our favorite, a little rocky pool by a stream where immersed in 104 degree water and surrounded by snow one can watch for Eurasian (Brandt’s) Jay, Marsh Tit, Northern Long-tailed Tit, Brown Dipper, and the aforementioned snipe. Night at Yoroushi.

On the morning of Day 14, we’ll drive to Tsurui, or “the Red-crowned Crane place,” and in the afternoon have our first looks at the impressive and rare species, which at more than five feet tall are the most magnificent of the world’s cranes. The same area hosts a number of other special birds—we might see Eurasian Nuthatch and just possibly Eurasian Bullfinch. We’ll return to the inn tonight for another chance at Blakiston’s Fish Owl. Night in Yoroushi.

Day 15: This morning we’ll return to Kushiro (with the chance to say goodbye to the cranes en route) for our flight back to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport where the tour concludes late this afternoon.

2024 Narrative

In Brief: Our winter tour in Japan this year featured the usual array of fantastic birds – the incredible numbers of cranes, wildfowl and eagles never fail to impress. And then there are some special rarities such as Japanese Murrelet and Blakiston’s Fish Owl, that can only realistically be seen in this country that counts so many of their birds as National Treasures, an official title. We were also lucky this year to have encounters with a number of species that we hope for but can’t count on, of note the Japanese Waxwings, Baikal Teal, Stejneger’s Scoter, Green Pheasant, and Siberian Crane.

In Detail: We started our winter birding in Japan with a visit to two wetland sites. At Kasumigaura we were hoping for a somewhat out of season sighting of the restricted range Marsh Grassbird. Sadly, it was only heard but we still had a good start to our birding with good numbers of wildfowl, grebes, and other waterbirds, as well as our first Dusky Thrushes, Oriental Greenfinches and Meadow Buntings. At the heart shaped Watarase Reservoir we were delighted to find good numbers of smart Smew, and best of all, our hoped for Long-tailed Rosefinches feeding in seeding trees in the car park, the males looking lovely in their snappy pink plumage.  

Our explorations of various sites in the Karuizawa area kicked off at a small, but always rewarding, neighbourhood shrine. Two highlights here were our hoped for Japanese Green Woodpecker, and a little group of Japanese Waxwings feeding in the fruiting mistletoes overhead. Saku Reservoir was also great, albeit a little cold! Falcated Teal, Smew and Japanese Wagtail were welcome additions to our list of sightings, but the Long-billed Plovers were an even better surprise. Explorations of the Wild Bird Forest yielded Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Coat and Varied Tits, and of course the ubiquitous Brown-eared Bulbuls. In the Hotchi Fields south of the town we added some more great birds, including Bull-headed Shrike, big numbers of Oriental Greenfinches, some very nice Rustic Buntings, and best of all – a fabulously showy male Green Pheasant! The Green Pheasant is the national bird of Japan, the kokucho. The Green Pheasant was mentioned in Japan’s oldest history books, in both the Nihonshoki and the Kojiki, which were published in the 8th century. It is said that it was the messenger of Amaterasu, the ancient sun goddess, the highest deity in Japanese mythology.

Due to the earthquake that occurred just prior to our arrival in Japan, we were forced to change our plans somewhat. So, after our visit with the so-called Snow Monkeys (really Japanese Macaques), we proceeded southwards to the city of Matsumoto, famous for its beautiful castle. Considered to be one of three great Japanese castles (along with Kumamoto and Himeji), Matsumoto-jo dates from the 1500s when it was built in the Sengoku Period, otherwise known as the “warring states period” a time of great conflict and social upheaval. It was fascinating to explore the various levels and the keep, and as a bonus we found more Japanese Waxwings in the gardens.

From Matsumoto we flew out of Honshu, Japan’s main island, to the more sedate but economically important island of Kyushu. After touching down in Fukuoka, the largest city on the island, we beat a hasty retreat and headed south to the quieter city of Yatsushiro. Explorations of the Kuma River Estuary turned up some great birds, notably tern-like Saunder’s Gull, an impressive Eurasian Goshawk, a smart little Chestnut-eared Bunting, and best of all, a little active group of Chinese Penduline-tits feeding in the reed heads.  

Leaving Yatsushiro, we again headed south to one of the most anticipated destinations of our tour – the home of Japan’s cranes, Izumi. Here we marvelled at the sight of thousands and thousands of Hooded and White-naped Cranes, with a few Common, Sandhill and Siberian Cranes thrown in for good measure. On top of this the incredible numbers of Rooks, waterfowl, shorebirds and others make this mostly rural area a truly remarkable birding heaven. A side visit to a superb forest reserve, the Kogawa Dam, was fun and fruitful. The highlight here was, of course, the incredible Mandarin Duck, found in good numbers here. What a bird! A surprise, and very welcome, find was a small group of shy Baikal Teal, not to mention a pair of rare Grey Buntings. Leaving Izumi, we made a quick stop at the small town of Satsuma where a little riverside park is always great for the scarce Long-billed Plover.  

On our way to Kyushu’s east coast, we stopped in at a spectacular crater lake where we were rewarded with Ryukyu Minivets, Long-tailed Tits, Eurasian Nuthatches, Daurian Redstarts, and a Pale Thrush.

In the relatively balmy climes of Miyazaki Prefecture, we enjoyed a picturesque and adventure filled couple of hours on the water in search of the tiny and cute Japanese Murrelet, the world’s rarest alcid. And just as we were about to give up hope, up they popped! We were able to spend a bit of time with them, from a respectful distance, as they repeatedly dived and resurfaced. Another of many trip highlights!

Next, we braced ourselves as we headed northwards to Hokkaido, the Siberia you go to when you’re not going to Siberia. And yes, it certainly was cold, but to our surprise (or mine at least) not nearly as cold and deep in snow as usual. We hit the ground running, heading straight to Cape Kiritappu and Hamanaka Port. This proved to be a brilliant start to our Hokkaido sojourn with our first sightings of White-tailed Eagles, Harlequin Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Slaty-backed Gulls, and Pelagic Cormorants. At the cape, we almost got beaten back by the cold and wind, but Red-necked Grebes, Spectacled Guillemots, and Asian Rosy-Finches proved irresistible.

Thanks to a serendipitous chance meeting with an acquaintance, I was able to arrange a visit to his new feeding station hidden away in a remote part of the Nemuro Peninsula. This proved to be an absolute bonanza! Three hours was well spent here with visits to the feeders from all sorts of neat birds – Japanese Pygmy and Great Spotted Woodpeckers; Coal, Marsh, Willow, Varied and Japanese Tits; super cute Long-tailed Tits; and Eurasian Nuthatches.

A morning at the Swan44 Roadside Station in hopes of sighting of the incredible Steller’s Sea Eagle started slowly but thanks to the fisherman, who dump their bycatch on the ice, we thrilled to the sight of these magnificent birds squabbling with the crows and the White-tailed Eagles over the scraps. The only way to describe Steller’s Sea Eagle is incredible!

Our last adventure on the Nemuro Peninsula was our nature cruise out of Habomai Port. As we tracked along the southern coast of the point, we encountered good numbers of Common Murre and Spectacled Guillemots, and one Pigeon Guillemot. As expected, Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks were in good numbers, and a small group of Stejneger’s Scoters was a very sight.

Sadly, our nature cruise out of Rausu was cancelled but this wasn’t a huge disaster – we still enjoyed some memorable birding as we explored the fishing ports that dot the coast and kindly allow unlimited public access. A side trip out on the unusual Notsuke Peninsula turned up more great wildlife sightings in the form of huge numbers of Sika Deer, the endearing Hokkaido Red Fox, many, many wildfowl and gulls, and best of all a simply huge flock of flighty Common Redpoll, not at all common in Japan.

We finished off our tour of Japan and its birds with a big finale in the form of the world’s largest owl and the world’s most (arguably) beautiful and heaviest crane. The added bonus was the superb accommodation at Yuyado Daiichi, a Japanese inn which features a stunning lobby area dominated by an outdoor feeder, incredible cuisine and stunning artwork throughout the building. After an afternoon watching the Hokkaido Jays, Eurasian Nuthatches, woodpeckers and tits working the feeder, we settled in a dusk to await the hoped for arrival of the resident Blakiston’s Fish Owl. She proved to be a little reticent this time, but some lucky and persistent folk were able to see this magnificent bird in all its glory from the warmth of the inn’s lobby.

Next, we headed to Tsurui, the characters of this name literally mean “the crane place”, and an appropriate name it is. We spent time with the hundred or more stately Red-crowned Cranes as they danced, squabbled and fed in the snow covered fields. What a sight! A breathtakingly beautiful end to a very memorable tour. Many thanks to a great group for a most enjoyable birding, cultural and gourmet tour of this amazing country, my second home!

- Susan Myers

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