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Description
After many years of exploring and photographing Japan, Francis Ansing is launching a brand new trip "Japan Winter Wildlife Photography Tour". This tour provides a great opportunity to professional and hobbyist photographers to capture unique birds and other wildlife in Japan. This is also a great opportunity to capture beautiful landscapes in the Northern Alps and Hokkaido. We will start the tour in Tokyo and head to the Northern Alps to photograph the Snow Monkeys. We will visit also Togakushi to see the tall cedar trees and Shirakawa-Go to photograph this very beautiful village in winter. We will fly to Hokkaido to spend the rest of the days photographing and chasing wildlife like the elegant Red-Crowned Cranes, Whopper Swans, majestic Stellar Sea Eagles, White-Tailed Sea Eagles, Ezo Sika Deer, Red Foxes and the rare Blakiston's Fish Owls. |
Date/s
11th - 20th January 2024 Duration 10 days & 9 nights Starting Place Shinjuku, Tokyo Ending Place Haneda Airport, Tokyo Airport Arrival and Departure Narita or Haneda Airport Season Winter Group Size 7 - 10 including the tour leader and driver Accommodation Type Hotels or apartments Difficulty Easy Tour Leader / Driver Francis Ansing Additional Driver Michael Atienza or James Oda |
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Itinerary Highlights
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January 10: Arrive in Tokyo
Travelers are requested to arrive a day prior to the tour. Book our own hotel around Shinjuku, Tokyo. We will meet and greet each other at a restaurant near Shinjuku Station. This will be our first dinner together. January 11: Tokyo to Snow Monkey Park (Official Start) Be ready around 9:00 AM. We will pick you up at your hotel and we will head straight to Snow Monkey Park in Yamanouchi, Nagano. Travel time will be around 4 hours. We will have an afternoon shoot with snow monkeys. There will be a 15-minute trek from the parking to reach the area where the monkeys are at. We can stay at the park until the closing of the park that is around 5:00 PM. We will head back to the parking and drive to our hotel in Yadanaka. January 12: Snow Monkey Park to Togakushi to Shirakawa-Go Check out after breakfast. We will go back to the Snow Monkey Park for another opportunity to shoot the snow monkeys in the morning. After we will drive to Togakushi to shoot the cedar trees. Then, we will go to Takayama to check in at our hotel. We will just drop our bags inside our rooms and will head immediately to Shirakawa-Go for sunset and dusk photography. January 13: Shirakawa-go to Haneda Another dawn and sunrise shoot in Shirakawa-Go. We will head back to Takayama to check out and drive straight to Haneda Airport. We will check in at our hotel close to the airport and prepare for tomorrow’s flight to Hokkaido. January 14: Haneda to Kushiro After check out we will head Haneda Airport for our flight to Kushiro. Travel time to Kushiro is around 1 hour. We will check in at our hotel in Kushiro and will drive 40 minutes to Tsurui Village for our first photography with Red-Crowned Cranes. |
January 15: Kushiro
We will driver early to Otowa Bridge to photograph Red-Crowned Cranes along Setsuri River. It is possible to see deer and foxes around this area. In the afternoon, we will head to Lake Kussharo to photograph Whopper Swans. January 16: Kushiro to Nemuro Another morning shoot of cranes in Tsurui. After we’ve checked out, we will head to Nemuro for more wildlife shoot. We can encounter Ezo Sika Deer, Steller’s Sea Eagles and White-Tailed Sea Eagles on our way to our hotel in Nemuro. January 17: Nemuro to Rausu In the morning, we will be photographing Steller Sea Eagles and other birds in the frozen Lake Furen. After, we will head north to Rausu. We will stop along the way if there are wildlife encounters. It is possible to see Ezo Sika Deer and Red Foxes on the way to our hotel in Rausu. In the evening, will hunt for the endangered Blakiston’s Fish Owls. January 18: Rausu We will take a Drift Ice Cruise to become closer to Steller Sea Eagles and White-Tailed Sea Eagles. In the afternoon, we will drive and walk around Rausu for more photographic opportunities. January 19: Rausu to Kushiro Another Drift Ice Cruise in the morning for more chances of photographing the sea eagles. After check out, we will head back to Kushiro and spend our last night in Hokkaido there. January 20: Kushiro to Haneda After check out, we will head to Kushiro Airport for our flight to Haneda. End of tour. |
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Price
USD 2450 or the equivalent in PHP ***Monthly Installment Plan is available. Please message us if you are availing this plan.*** Included ✓ Twin accommodations for 9 nights (2 or 3-star accommodation) ✓ Transportation service for 10 days (van) ✓ Breakfasts at some hotels ✓ Parking fees, petrol, toll fees ✓ 1 tour leader ✓ 1 extra driver ✓ Two-way domestic flights (Haneda - Hokkaido) ✓ Entrance fees to Snow Monkey Park ✓ 2 Drift Ice Cruise in Rausu Solo Room Supplement Please contact us if you would like to have a solo room |
Not Included
X Accommodation outside the tour date X International flights X Bottled water, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and the likes X Personal and incidental expenses X Meals not stated in the inclusions X Visa fees X Travel insurance X Laundry X Taxi or bus transportation to your hotel from Haneda Airport on the last day (January 20th) |
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Requirements
✓ Japan Tourist Visa (if applicable)
✓ International travel insurance
Payment Options (50% Downpayment or Monthly Installment Payment Plan)
1. 50% downpayment upon registration and 50% balance payment completion 3 months before trip departure OR
2. First payment of the Monthly Installment Plan. Please message us if you want to avail the Monthly Installment Plan.
Registration
1. 50% down payment or the first payment of the Monthly Installment Plan is required upon registration.
2. Balance requires to be settled 30-60 days before the first day of the tour (for 50% down payment). For Monthly Installment Plan, the final payment is made 30 days before the first day of the tour.
3. Registration shall be done by filling up the registration form below. Click on the yellow "REGISTER" button.
4. Please send the following as your register: Identification/passport and proof of down payment.
5. Download the waiver form sent to your email, fill out and send it back to [email protected].
✓ Japan Tourist Visa (if applicable)
✓ International travel insurance
Payment Options (50% Downpayment or Monthly Installment Payment Plan)
1. 50% downpayment upon registration and 50% balance payment completion 3 months before trip departure OR
2. First payment of the Monthly Installment Plan. Please message us if you want to avail the Monthly Installment Plan.
Registration
1. 50% down payment or the first payment of the Monthly Installment Plan is required upon registration.
2. Balance requires to be settled 30-60 days before the first day of the tour (for 50% down payment). For Monthly Installment Plan, the final payment is made 30 days before the first day of the tour.
3. Registration shall be done by filling up the registration form below. Click on the yellow "REGISTER" button.
4. Please send the following as your register: Identification/passport and proof of down payment.
5. Download the waiver form sent to your email, fill out and send it back to [email protected].
Payment Channels (any of the following)
Bank: UnionBank of the Philippines (PESO ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Shutter Adventures Co
Account Number: 0005-8002-0812
BIC/Swift Code: UBPHPHMM
Bank Code: 010419995
Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands (US DOLLAR ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Francis Eneria Ansing
Account: 3254-0482-07
BIC/Swift Code: BOPIPHMM
Bank Code: 010040018
Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands (PESO ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Francis Eneria Ansing
Account: 9809-2077-33
BIC/Swift Code: BOPIPHMM
Bank Code: 010040018
Bank: BDO, Unibank, Inc. (PESO ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Francis Eneria Ansing
Account Number: 008180116757
BIC/Swift Code: BNORPHMM
Bank Code: 010530667
G-Cash
Francis Ansing
09177302505
Paymaya
Francis Ansing
09201233942
Paypal
[email protected]
Registration, Cancellation and Refund Conditions
1. A deposit and completed Registration Form are required to reserve a place for you on a Shutter Adventures Co. tour.
2. All prices are quoted in Philippine Peso or USD.
3. We accept payments via remittance, wire, bank, G-Cash, Paymaya, PayPay or using your credit cards via PayPal Checkout.
4. A deposit / down payment of at least 50% of the total fee is required to sign up for a tour.
5. Trip deposits / down payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.
6. Full payment / balance is due at least 30 days (for local tours) and 90 days (for international tours) prior to departure date.
7. No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a trip for any reason whatsoever.
8. Cancellation fees are not transferable.
9. We must receive written notice of your cancellation, at which time cancellation fees in the following amounts apply:
Bank: UnionBank of the Philippines (PESO ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Shutter Adventures Co
Account Number: 0005-8002-0812
BIC/Swift Code: UBPHPHMM
Bank Code: 010419995
Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands (US DOLLAR ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Francis Eneria Ansing
Account: 3254-0482-07
BIC/Swift Code: BOPIPHMM
Bank Code: 010040018
Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands (PESO ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Francis Eneria Ansing
Account: 9809-2077-33
BIC/Swift Code: BOPIPHMM
Bank Code: 010040018
Bank: BDO, Unibank, Inc. (PESO ACCOUNT)
Account Name: Francis Eneria Ansing
Account Number: 008180116757
BIC/Swift Code: BNORPHMM
Bank Code: 010530667
G-Cash
Francis Ansing
09177302505
Paymaya
Francis Ansing
09201233942
Paypal
[email protected]
Registration, Cancellation and Refund Conditions
1. A deposit and completed Registration Form are required to reserve a place for you on a Shutter Adventures Co. tour.
2. All prices are quoted in Philippine Peso or USD.
3. We accept payments via remittance, wire, bank, G-Cash, Paymaya, PayPay or using your credit cards via PayPal Checkout.
4. A deposit / down payment of at least 50% of the total fee is required to sign up for a tour.
5. Trip deposits / down payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.
6. Full payment / balance is due at least 30 days (for local tours) and 90 days (for international tours) prior to departure date.
7. No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a trip for any reason whatsoever.
8. Cancellation fees are not transferable.
9. We must receive written notice of your cancellation, at which time cancellation fees in the following amounts apply:
Local Tours
If written cancellation is received: |
Cancellation fee: |
60 days or prior |
100% of down payment |
59 to 31 days prior |
50% of entire tour fee |
30 days or fewer |
100% of entire tour fee |
International Tours
If written cancellation is received: |
Cancellation fee: |
150 days or prior |
100% of down payment |
149 to 91 days prior |
50% of entire tour fee |
90 or fewer days |
100% of entire tour fee |
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Personal Things to Bring
- Travel document (passport) - Covid-19 vaccination card - Warm clothing for 11 days - Winter jacket (down, waterproof, windproof) - Warm pants - Winter shoes - Warm bonnet - Winter gloves - Warm socks - Balaclava - Moisturizer - Lip moisturizer - Flashlight or headlamp - Personal medicines - Pocket money - Cellular phone - Wifi - Pocket money or credit card - Snow spikes for shoes |
Camera Equipment to Bring
- Camera body (mirrorless or DSLR) - Lenses (ultra-wide, standard zoom, telephoto with extender or supertelephoto) - Sturdy tripod/monopod - Filters (CPL, NDs and GND) - Extra batteries - Extra memory cards |