Summer in Hokkaido is unbelievably spectacular. Imagine colourful fields of flowers against mountainous backdrops contoured by rocky blue rivers and lakes. There are iridescent green forests full of stunning trees, vines, wildflowers and animals. This is further complemented by the summer festivals, culture and delicious summer produce all locally grown in Hokkaido. It makes for a photographer’s dream, and we can take you searching for your own unique perspective in private transport.
This is a premium tour with a maximum of four people in the group and your own personal professional photographer for the duration of the trip. He will take you to the best locations, provide photography tuition and tips as well as capturing awesome images of you in action.
¥410,000 per person. There is a maximum of 4 people for this tour to ensure enough one on one tuition and space.
From the 1st July – 10th July 2023. A total of 9 nights and 10 days.
Includes twin share accommodation, daily buffet breakfast and dinner, transport, boat trips, entry fees and your own personal guide and professional photographer for the entire trip.
We have put together an itinerary however occasionally this may vary slightly based on weather conditions and other factors beyond our control. Please click here for our full terms and conditions.
The accommodation throughout the tour will be a mix of hotels and Japanese ryokans. The rooms are very comfortable and most places have their own onsens and include a delicious buffet breakfast and dinner. The rooms are typically a twin share or double configuration but can easily be changed at an additional cost if requested.
We'll pick you up from the airport, and drop you back to wherever is convenient for you. Our photographer/guide will do all the driving, so you can sit back, relax and even enjoy a drink after our safaris. The cost also includes 1 boat trip and a guided tour at Shiretoko and all other entry fees associated with the tour.
You will be supplied breakfast and dinner daily. Most breakfasts will be buffet style with a range of Japanese and western options and dinners will be a mix of buffet and restaurant dining. Drinks are not included unless part of a buffet. If you have dietary requirements please let us know in advance and we can discuss all the options.
Your guide is a professional photographer with over 15 years experience and will be on hand throughout your tour. They will not only be there to offer shooting tips but also to capture some amazing shots of you in action. These images will be supplied to you in high-resolution via our digital archive within 2 weeks of the trip.
Adults will enjoy the scenery, food and, of course, photographers will be in their element photographing the stunning landscapes and animals. There is a lot of driving and early mornings, and this is a shared tour with other adults so please take this into consideration if you plan to bring your children. In this instance it may be better to book a private tour just for your family, but please contact us and we can discuss options.
We will pick you up from Chitose airport in the morning and then drive to Biei stopping to get stunning landscape photos. The farmland, mountains and rivers along the way provide the perfect canvas for unique, colourful or even minimalistic landscape photography. Once we arrive we will take you to the stunning Shirahige Falls, visit the Biei Blue Ponds and then watch (and of course photograph) sunset over the colourful farmland. You can then head back to your Japanese style room at Yumoto Shirogane Onsen Hotel. Here you can kick back and review your images from the day with your professional photographer guide, take an onsen and join the team for a delicious buffet dinner.
On day two, after an early buffet breakfast, your guide will take you around the Biei and Furano area to visit striking flower farms. You will also have an opportunity to try delicious local produce and a local restaurant for lunch. Where possible your guide will be opportunistic in assisting you to photograph any local wildlife seen along the way. Spend another night in your Japanese style room at Yumoto Shirogane Onsen Hotel.
A beautiful drive (with many photography stops along the way) will take us to a ropeway which accesses the fumaroles of Hokkaido’s largest mountain: Mt Asahidake. The top of the ropeway is called ‘Sugatami-no-ike’. There are many walking trails and here you will be able to spend some time photographing the mountain, as well as the many indigenous wildflowers and animals. After a picnic on the mountain, you will descend back down the ropeway to a secret location to photograph the mountain range on sunset before spending another night in your Japanese style room at Yumoto Shirogane Onsen Hotel.
On day 4 your photographer guide will drive you around the Daisetsuzan mountain range towards the Lake Akan area. This will be a long day with lots of stops as the trip is absolutely mind blowing. The forest in this mountain range is incredibly beautiful and you will stop to photograph waterfalls, gorges, lakes, rivers and if lucky some sika deer, foxes, squirrels and birdlife. This will be a big day of driving but very worth it with a picnic lunch by the river (we will stop for you to get items for your lunch along the way). You will arrive at the lake district quite late, so you can go straight for an onsen and another buffet dinner before retiring to your Japanese style room at Akan No Mori Tsuruga Resort Hanayuuka.
Day 5 will commence with a delicious breakfast followed by a walk through the forest, along Lake Akan to the bubbling mud pools known as bokke. Along the way you will see whopper swans and other wildlife. You will then jump in the car to explore the Lake Kussaro and Lake Mashu area, stopping for photo opportunities along the way. This will be a full jam packed day of landscape and wildlife photography. You can retire in the evening to your Japanese style room at Akan No Mori Tsuruga Resort Hanayuuka.
After some more exploration around the lake area in the morning, we will drive towards Shiretoko, again stopping to photograph deer and waterfalls as you drive into the magnificent world heritage park. In the evening we will photograph the sunset over a glass of wine and cheese platter (provided by us). Check in to Hotel Shiretoko, have an onsen, buffet dinner and spend the night in your own western style room.
The 7th day will be spent exploring Shiretoko. After breakfast we will head out from Rausu on a whale watching boat for 2.5 hours to look for orcas, sperm whales, dolphins and sea birds. Your guide will then take you to a local restaurant for lunch where you can compare and discuss your photographs from the special morning trip. In the afternoon you will be taken for a 3 hour Goko Lakes walking tour through Shiretoko National Park. This will be an opportunity to photograph the stunning flora and fauna along the way, and maybe even see a bear. You can then relax after another onsen, buffet dinner and finish the night in your western style room at Hotel Shiretoko.
This day will start with an early morning sunset shoot, and then back to the hotel for breakfast. We will then take settle back into the car for the pretty drive down south to visit the Akan International Crane Centre and observatory in Kushiro where you will spend the day photographing these magnificent birds and other local wildlife. Your photographer guide will then drive you to Obihiro in the afternoon where you can once again relax for an onsen and buffet dinner Kangetsuen Hotel where you will have a western style room, or you can even head out for a bit of culture and night time street photography with your personal photographer/guide.
On day 9 your photographer guide will slowly drive towards Sapporo, stopping along the way to photograph flower fields, mountains, forests and wildlife. Once in Sapporo you will spend the evening exploring the northern city focusing on your street photography. You will also go out for a delicious traditional Sapporo Ramen or Soup Curry (depending on the groups preference). In Sapporo you will spend the night in a western style room at the Sapporo Park Hotel overlooking Nakajima Park.
On this morning you will be able to gorge yourself on your final Japanese buffet breakfast before heading out to walk it off and explore Nakajima Park. Your photographer/guide will then take you to Chitose airport ready to board your departing flight.