Japan Winter Wonderland Birding
Tour Date:
Departures:
February 14-20 and February 28-March 6, 2027
Tour Price (Per Person):
US$ 3100 (minimum 5 people). Includes domestic flights, and bullet train to Karuizawa and car rental for the Snow Monkeys, all boat rides, transport, guiding, and hotels.
Single supplement: $450
Tour Type:
Easy birding and culture
Japan: Birding, Steller’s Eagles, Sushi and Sake
Winter birding is an often overlooked part of the bird-watching experience, and contrary to popular belief, not all birds head south to take a vacation in southern climes. Birding in Japan in the winter gives you one of the most rewarding birding experiences there is. Japan surely is the world’s premier destination for winter birding.
The 7WB short Japan trip has been perfected after running the tour for 7 seasons since 2017. 2027 will be the 8th season for Gunnar in Japan.
We travel in fully insured rental cars (volunteer second car driver gets a $500 discount). Each van can take max 6 passengers. Luggage space is limited, but there are good storage facilities in Tokyo if you are on a longer tour and need to bring a suitacase.
Hotels are generally very good, but the rooms are often quite small. They vary from western-style rooms with regular beds to onsens or ryokans (Japanese style rooms with futon beds on tatami floor), which mostly have private toilets, but frequently only communal showers, hot baths, and saunas instead of a private shower – even at top-end hotels. This is a very Japanese thing and is part of the experience. Needless to say, they are spotless and super clean.
Booking early is very important since the top places in Hokkaido fill up very early. Also, our tours are becoming more and more well-known. Both main tours were practically full, having had 8 and 7 participants in 2026. It was complicated to get hotel rooms for late bookings.
Itinerary Overview:
- Easy winter birding
- Steller’s Eagles, Japanese Cranes, Blakiston’s Fish-Owl, and many more
- A variety of mammals
- Great birding in the Hokkaido winter wonderland
- Glimpses of the beautiful landscape, architecture, and traditional lifestyle of Hokkaido, including the use of an Onsen – Japanese hot spring resort hotel.
Tour Description:
Hokkaido – the Jewel of Winter Birding
Day 1. Arrival in Tokyo and flight to Kushiro
We fly from Haneda to Kushiro in the afternoon and check in at our comfortable hotel in town.
Day 2. Otowabashi bridge-Tsurui-Ural Owl-Yoroushi.
After a great breakfast at the hotel we will leave for Tsurui to watch Red-crowned We shall start early for the photography hotspot Otowabashi bridge to see Red-crowned Cranes and Whooper Swans in mystic mist and soft light of the sunrise. This is part of Kushiro Shitsugen National Park which was designated as a national park in 1987. Covering 270 sq. kilometers, it is recognised as the most important wetland (shitsugen) in Japan
Afterwards, we continue to the Tsurui feeding area for the cranes. We can usually get some dancing birds here.
We stop at a stake-out for Ural Owl, hoping the the owl is still sitting exposed in the hole of a dead tree.
Continuing to Joroushi Onsen (hotspring) we often see Sika Deers and Red Fox at the roadside. The area next to the lodge is good for Crested Kingfisher, Brown Dipper, Solitary Snipe, Hawfinch and Bullfinch.
The feeder outside the dining room attracts Japanese Tit, Coal Tit, March Tit, Eurasian Jay, Brown-eared Bulbul, Great Spotted and White-backed Woodpeckers.
As dusk falls and while having an excellent Japanese Dinner we shall be watching the fish pond feeder for Blakiston’s Fish-Owl – the largest extant owl species weighing 4.5kg. The population in Japan is estimated at only 200 individuals. Night at the Joroushi Onsen Hotel. Take the opportunity to have a relaxing Japanese hot spring bath at the onsen.
Day 3. Yoroushi-Rausu.
We leave Yoroushi in the midmorning to transfer to Rausu. After lunch, we will do a boat trip to the pack ice for Steller’s and White-tailed Eagles. Other potential birds include: Greater Scaup, Black Scoter, Harlequin Ducks, Red-breasted Merganser, Pelagic Cormorant and various gulls including Slaty-backed, Glaucous, Glaucous-winged, Mew and Vega. Occasionally rare gulls such as Thayer’s Gull show up too. Larophiles will have a good time.
We continue photographing birds in the harbour and check into our hotel. Later we shall once again try for Blakiston’s Fish-Owl at Washinoyadu hides where the photography distance is more than Yoroushi, but there is no glass between us the owl if it shows up. Sometimes there is a long wait before the owl appears.
Day 4. Rauso-Nemuro-Teshikaga.
We continue south to Nemuro. Checking out sites on the way for migrants present.
From the port of Ochiishi we will do another 2 hour boat trip which is good for alcids. Here we can find Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks, Greater Scaup, Black and White-winged Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Common and Thick-billed Murre, Pigeon & Spectacled Guillemots, Ancient Murrelet, Least and Crested Auklet and Pelagic Cormorant.
After checking for Asian Rosy-Finch we continue to Teshikaga to stay at a small Onsen in order to be in range for Lake Kussharo the following morning.
Day 5. Kussharo Lake – Akan Crane Center – Fly to Tokyo.
The last morning we travel to Kussharo Lake. This is a famous spot to photograph Whooper Swans at very close range. The immediate area is also good for Gray-headed, Black and White-backed Woodpecker, as well as Bullfinch and Hazel Hen.
On the way to the airport, we pass the Akan International Crane Centre to see the truly remarkable conservation success story of the Red-crowned Crane (aka Japanese Crane). One hundred years ago, the species was believed to be extinct in Japan. From a rediscovered population of 20 individuals and by careful management, the population has now reached over 1000 individuals.
This afternoon we return to Tokyo. We shall transfer to Karuizawa with the bullet train to better use our time.
Day 6. Karuizawa – Jigokudani (Snow Monkey Park) – Tokyo
We shall bird Karuizawa in the morning for a couple of hours with species such as Japanese Green Woodpecker and Japanese Grosbeak possible – and with lots of luck Copper Pheasant. .
Then we continue with a rental car (and this way, avoid the tedious bus ride from Nagano) to Jigokudani Spa.
The name Jigokundani, translated to “Hell’s Valley”, comes from the eerie atmosphere of steam and boiling water that bubbles from the frozen ground. The ominous steep cliffs and wild forest add to the mystery and magic of the area that these Snow Monkeys call home during the winter months.
Birding will be sparse, but we shall still look out for some Japanese specialties such as Pygmy Woodpecker, Varied and Japanese Tit, Alpine and Japanese Accentor and Asian Rosefinch.
The area is very good for Japanese Serrow
We return later that afternoon to Tokyo, via the bullet train, taking in the countryside
Day 7. Tokyo.
The following day we do some exploration of Tokyo in the morning, especially Hibiya Park and the moats next to the Imperial Palace. Here you may see Azure-winged Magpie, Pygmy Woodpecker, Dusky Thrush, White-cheeked Starling, Brown-eared Bulbul and Varied Tit, and a number of waterbirds such as Falcated Duck, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Great Cormorant and Little Grebe. By midday end of service.
Pre and Post-tour EXTENSIONS 2027.
Before and after the set departure, we offer four programs as pre-tours, which can be taken back-to-back or as individual shorter trips.
Pretrip. Izumi area for 4-6 species of Cranes.
Thursday to Sunday. Feb 11-14 and Feb 25-28.
Thursday
Afternoon flight to Kagoshima. Pick up the rental car and drive 30 minutes to an Onsen in the Kirishima National Park region, where we will stay overnight.
Friday.
We shall birding the Miike Crater Lake first thing in the morning. There is good forest around and it is very scenic. We’ll check the lake for ducks. The birds of the forest have a high degree of overlap with Okinawa, so we won’t spend too much time here. The main target is the endemic Ryukyu Minivet, which is easier here than on Okinawa. Other birds in this area include Japanese Wood Pigeon, Pale Thrush, Olive-backed Pipit, and Daurian Redstart, as well as the introduced Red-billed Leiothrix.
We continue to Kadogawa, where we shall do a short boat trip to see Japanese Murrelet in breeding plumage. We shall also look out for Saunders’s Gull and Japanese Cormorant.
In the afternoon we have a long 3h drive to Izumi, but just before we arrive, we will check out the Kogawa Dam, which is particularly good for Baikal Teal, Mandarin Duck, and Japanese Woodpecker. With luck, we may spot White-bellied Green-Pigeon.
Saturday
At sunrise, we will be stationed looking out over a field when several thousand cranes fly in to feed. Hooded and White-naped Cranes are most numerous, and there are usually a few Sandhill and Common Cranes as well.
Rare visitors are Siberian Crane and Demoiselle Crane – both seen in 2026. We may also check nearby sites for Black-faced Spoonbill, Long-billed Plover, Japanese Wagtail, Daurian Jackdaw, Swan Goose, and others.
We will visit the Crane observatory in Izumi for further crane watching,
Around lunch, we will return to the Kogawa dam for additional birding or look for recently found vagrants in the Izumi area.
Sunday.
After checking the fly-in of cranes again if we like, we head back towards Kagoshima. But on the way we shall stop at Kagoshima Prefectural Forest to look for Brown Dipper and, with some luck, Copper Pheasant.
Cost: $1640.
Includes flights, car hire, hotels, boat trip, and the entrance fees. Meals are not included.
Single supplement: $140
Post extensions Feb 20-24 and Mar 6-10
Myiake-Jima Pelagic Feb 20 and Mar 6
Feb 20-21 and Mar 6-7
Saturday . Departure 10:30 pm. We can leave luggage we don’t need in lockers at our nearby hotel. Note that we shall walk around on the island, so we want to carry as little as possible.
Sunday. Arrive in Myiakejima at 5.AM. Breakfast/coffee in the port and then a bus to start birding the island at sunrise. Targets include Japanese Wood Pigeon, Owston’s Tit, Japanese Bush Warbler, and the toughest bird of all Izu Thrush.
We have to be on the other side of the island for the return to Tokyo at 12.30 pm.
It will take a few hours to reach The Oshima triangle – an area off Oshima island is the area where the seabirds congregate. Good to have something to eat or some rest onboard before we get there.
Seabirds include Short-tailed, Laysan, and Black-footed albatrosses, Streaked Shearwater, and with some luck, Providence Petrel, Northern Fulmar, Tristram’s Storm-Petrel and Japanese Murrelet.
We are back at port at 7:50 pm.
Hotel nearby for those who continue to Okinawa.
Price: $595
Includes only basic futon sleeping arrangements on the boat in dorm style.
You could upgrade in the port if you like more comfort, but you will likely find it unnecessary for just a few hours of sleep.
There is a restaurant on board and vending machines for Ramen and similar. Meals are cheap, but not included. Note only cash onboard and on the island,
Also note that the hotel included in Tokyo when we come back to shore has very small rooms. Single or double. A single room is $55 extra.
Okinawa
Feb 22-24 and Mar 8-10
Monday. Early flight to Naha, Okinawa.
For the first night, we shall use a very cool hotel that we have used previously in the Kunigami village. Comfortable Japanese-style rooms with shared bath.
Tuesday. The second night in Okinawa, we use the Ada Garden Hotel, where most birding groups stay. It makes it much closer to look for Okinawa Rail on a second attempt if still needed.
We also look for Okinawa Woodpecker, Okinawa Robin, Black Wood-Pigeon, Ryukyu Green Pigeon, and Ryukyu Scops Owl
Wednesday. We have plenty of time to get back to Naha for our flights to Tokyo and Kyoto. Half way to the airport, we will bird the rice paddies for various shorebirds to pad our list. On our way to the airport, there are reliable sites for Black-faced Spoonbill.
Cost: $1400 including flights.
Birding in Tokyo
On Thursday, February 26, there is an optional day of birding in Tokyo, using public transport to chase down some local rarities that may have shown up in the vicinity. Birds we have chased in Tokyo in the past include Japanese Waxwing, Japanese Grosbeak, Greater Painted-Snipe, Azure-winged Magpie, Baird’s Pochard, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, and many more.
The price of this excursion is $240. Hotel and food is additional.