Hokkaido (family) bird travel tips (2 Viewers)

[Jeff B]

Hi-- I'm planning to travel to Eastern Hokkaido in late December-January to see the main bird sights and do a family vacation, which is perhaps a rough combination I would really appreciate any leads on places to stay that would be good with a child (age 6). We need a good base or two that is convient to bird sites, kid-friendly, and offers good access to other tourims sites/activities. (Hot springs, XC ski, maybe downhill skiing, sights accessible in winter, etc.) We've learned not to try to stay at too many different places on these trips, so we have to pick and choose a few.

If you can suggest any particular locations or (economical) inns/cabins, we'd appreciate it. (My spouse speaks good Japanese, so that is not a major constraint. However, access to an English-speaking naturalist or similar would be a big plus.) We are also interested in an any particular hotsprings or other activities in the area.

(Btw, I do have Mark Brazil's book on Birding in Japan, which is old, in case you reference that.)

:loveme:
thanks, jeff b (Bellingham, WA/USA and Kyoto)

 

[HokkaidoStu]

Matsuo's lodge at Furen-ko (near Nemuro) would be a good base, the owner is a naturalist who speaks good English. Thus is in Mark Brazil's book.

Not much downhill ski-ing in east Hokkaido (the main birding areas are pretty flat) but plenty of chances for cross country.

If you like hot springs there is a nice hotel near Nakashibetsu that has visiting Blakistons Fish Owls, this is a bit expensive though.

Rausu in Shiretoko is another good place to stay, with a kid I'd recommend the Dai-ichi hotel here which also has a nice hot spring and is Mark Brazil's book too. Rausu is also where you'll find Washi-no Yado, another famous birding guesthouse.

For the Cranes near Kushiro the best place is at Akan, there are some nice hot springs near here too.

All the above places are well known, a quick search on google will get you phone numbers/homepages etc...........

If you check my blog (link below) and search through the archives there are accounts and photos from several trips I've made to east Hokkaido but only one in winter (March 2009).

 

[Jeff B]

Thanks! I will check these out.

(As for skiing, I think we will do a detour to what I guess is central Hokkaido.)

-jb

Matsuo's lodge at Furen-ko (near Nemuro) would be a good base, the owner is a naturalist who speaks good English. Thus is in Mark Brazil's book.

Not much downhill ski-ing in east Hokkaido (the main birding areas are pretty flat) but plenty of chances for cross country.

If you like hot springs there is a nice hotel near Nakashibetsu that has visiting Blakistons Fish Owls, this is a bit expensive though.

Rausu in Shiretoko is another good place to stay, with a kid I'd recommend the Dai-ichi hotel here which also has a nice hot spring and is Mark Brazil's book too. Rausu is also where you'll find Washi-no Yado, another famous birding guesthouse.

For the Cranes near Kushiro the best place is at Akan, there are some nice hot springs near here too.

All the above places are well known, a quick search on google will get you phone numbers/homepages etc...........

If you check my blog (link below) and search through the archives there are accounts and photos from several trips I've made to east Hokkaido but only one in winter (March 2009).

 

[HokkaidoStu]

Thanks! I will check these out.

(As for skiing, I think we will do a detour to what I guess is central Hokkaido.)

-jb

Niseko is a great ski resort and is very convenient for Sapporo and has lots of log cabins and the suchlike plus it is just about the only place in Hokkaido where English is fairly widely spoken.

 

[Jeff B]

Niseko is a great ski resort and is very convenient for Sapporo and has lots of log cabins and the suchlike plus it is just about the only place in Hokkaido where English is fairly widely spoken.

Niseko sounds interesting and accessible, but large and probably busy when we will be there. I heard of some interesting rustic onsen near Asahidake that sounds interesting, and we may try for that.

 

[RJM]

We did a 4 day birding tour of Eastern Hokkaido last Feb and stayed at Pension Poroto. It is a nice comfy lodge but only accommodates 4 persons. Hidaka-sans prices are negotiable as I sensed he is not that busy during the winter months.

FWIW, the driving times/distances between birding spots near Kushiro, Nemuro, and Rausu and are quite long though so if you lock yourself into one place you can spend a good part of the short winter days driving to your destination with not much to see but the depressing effects of a poor economy.

Also, Mark Brazil says the new Pelagic tours out of Ochiishi is perhaps the best he has ever seen.

 

[Jeff B]

Thanks for the input. As regards distances, my "problem" is that I'm traveling with a small kid, and it's hard to move too often. So, we have to pick a spot or three. (We are going to do a long stop at Furen-ko and short stays at Rausu and the Kushiro area.) I'll scope our the tour info, etc.


cheers,
-jeff b

We did a 4 day birding tour of Eastern Hokkaido last Feb and stayed at Pension Poroto. It is a nice comfy lodge but only accommodates 4 persons. Hidaka-sans prices are negotiable as I sensed he is not that busy during the winter months.

FWIW, the driving times/distances between birding spots near Kushiro, Nemuro, and Rausu and are quite long though so if you lock yourself into one place you can spend a good part of the short winter days driving to your destination with not much to see but the depressing effects of a poor economy.

Also, Mark Brazil says the new Pelagic tours out of Ochiishi is perhaps the best he has ever seen.