Japan in Summer: Birds & Culture
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JAPAN IN SUMMER: BIRDS & CULTURE MAY 28-JUNE 10, 2021 ©2020 Mount Fuji © Kaz Shinoda VENT’S Japan in Summer tour boasts a singularly marvelous combination of birding and cultural experiences. Japan is a land steeped in rich cultural heritages, and with a long, complex history and intricate rituals that survive—and thrive—to this day. On this tour we will travel from the capital, Tokyo, to three of Japan’s staggering 22 UNESCO World Heritage sites. These will include Nikko, Mount Fuji, and Shiretoko Peninsula on the northern island of Hokkaido, where the local people still live in close relationship with nature. The main cultural attraction of Nikko is the Toshogu Shrine, whose founding preceded the establishment of the United States by more than a century-and-a-half. Toshogu includes no less than five “National Treasures of Japan” and a further three “Important Cultural Properties.” Toshogu is a sprawling shrine complex surrounded by ancient trees and set in a lush, beautiful mountain forest. Mount Fuji is Japan’s tallest and, by far, most famous mountain. An almost perfectly symmetrical stratovolcano, its recognizable silhouette is an ubiquitous image in Japan, denoting its long-standing reverence as a sacred mountain. Japan in Summer, Page 2 Around Nikko and Mount Fuji, the tour will cross the habitats of some of Japan’s endemics, such as the Japanese Green Pheasant, Japanese Woodpecker, Japanese Accentor, and Japanese Wagtail. In addition, we will look for several more Asian specialty birds including the Eastern Crowned, Sakhalin Leaf, and Japanese Leaf warblers; Narcissus and Blue-and-white flycatchers; Brown-headed and Japanese thrushes; and Masked, Meadow, Chestnut-eared, and Yellow buntings, to name but a few. Shiretoko National Park in Hokkaido is one of Japan’s most pristine. It is home to a variety of wildlife including the Ussuri Brown Bear, Yezo Sika Deer, and Sakhalin Fox. In Hokkaido, we will visit the Ainu village at Lake Akan where tour participants will be able to experience first-hand the precious cultural heritage of an ethnically distinct people. Hokkaido is rightly renowned for its birding with such gorgeous local specialties as Red-crowned crane, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, and Black Woodpecker. Among more prevalent birds are Latham’s Snipe, Oriental Cuckoo, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Siberian Rubythroat, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Long-tailed Rosefinch, and myriad others. Marine wildlife is also a highlight of the tour, and a few boat excursions will provide us with an opportunity to spot auks, shearwaters, and cetaceans such as Orcas (Killer Whale). We will travel in style throughout the tour, making use of comfortable but conveniently compact buses with expert drivers. The food is without equal, and will feature many seasonal delicacies. May 28-29, Days 1-2: Travel to Tokyo. Participants may take any of several non-stop flights from various United States airports which will depart on May 28 and arrive at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on May 29. Upon arrival and after clearing customs and immigration, participants may take the courtesy shuttle to our airport-area hotel, where a room will be reserved in your name. Those arriving early enough on May 29 are welcome to join our leaders for dinner. Participants wanting to avoid the risk of misconnecting with the group or missing dinner should consider arriving in Tokyo on or before May 28 and spending the night. Upon request, VENT will be happy to assist with any additional lodging arrangements. NIGHT (May 29): Narita View Hotel, Narita May 30, Day 3: The Greater Tokyo Area. After breakfast, we will visit Naritasan Shinshoji Temple near our hotel. This time-honored temple has a history of over 1,000 years, during which it has drawn many believers. The Japan in Summer, Page 3 tour begins with a chance to experience firsthand a touch of Japanese history. Next we will be on the quest of two global rarities, Marsh Grassbird and Japanese Reed Bunting, in the reed beds along the Tone River. Oriental and Black-browed reed warblers, Zitting Cisticola, Skylark, and Japanese Green Pheasant also reside in the reed beds. Leaving the Tone River, we will drive to a mudflat in Tokyo Bay. Although it may be a bit late for most migrant shorebirds, when tidal conditions are favorable, the mudflat may attract such Asian specialty shorebirds as Great Knot, Gray-tailed Tattler, and Terek Sandpiper. NIGHT: Hotel Seaside Edogawa, Kasai in Tokyo May 31, Day 4: Tokyo to Nikko (World Heritage Site). Before breakfast, we will search out various birds in the woods around our hotel, located in Kasai Seaside Park, which provides an excellent introduction to common Japanese birds such as Oriental Turtle-Dove, Brown-eared Bulbul, Japanese Bush-Warbler, Japanese White-eye, White- cheeked Starling, Oriental Greenfinch, Large- billed Crow, and some lingering shorebirds. The park is also our best chance during the tour to see beautiful Azure-winged Magpies. Next, we head for Oku-Nikko at an elevation of over 1,200 meters in the Nikko Mountains. On the way, we will drop in at Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, which was designated as a Nikko Toshogu Shrine © Kaz Shinoda World Heritage site in 1999. While looking around in the precincts surrounded by a lush mountain forest, we may turn up some flycatchers and warblers. Upon arriving at our hotel by Lake Yunoko in Oku-Nikko, we may bird until dusk in the lakeside forest. NIGHT: Kyuka-mura Nikko-Yumoto, Oku-Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture June 1, Day 5: Nikko to Mount Fuji. This morning, we will go on a four to five-hour boardwalk hike through Senjogahara, the marsh in Oku-Nikko, registered under the Ramsar Convention. We will be on the quest today for such songbird beauties as Siberian Blue and Japanese robins; Narcissus, Asian Brown and Blue-and-White flycatchers; Eastern Crowned and Sakhalin Leaf warblers; Common and Lesser cuckoos; Siberian Stonechat; Russet Sparrow; and Masked and Chestnut-eared buntings; to mention but a few. Latham’s Snipe often turns up here as well. In the afternoon, we will visit some wonderfully scenic spots in Nikko National Park, such as Chuzenji Lake and Kegon Falls. After leaving Nikko, a long, relaxing bus ride will deliver us to Lake Yamanakako at the base of famed Mount Chestnut-eared Bunting, Mount Fuji © Kaz Shinoda Fuji. NIGHT: Hotel Mount Fuji, Yamanashi Prefecture Japan in Summer, Page 4 June 2, Day 6: Mount Fuji (World Heritage Site). This morning, we will be on the lookout for high altitude birds. Likely possibilities are Spotted Nutcracker, Japanese Leaf Warbler, Goldcrest, Red-flanked Bluetail, Eurasian Bullfinch, and the endemic Japanese Accentor at Okuniwa (at 2,000 meters or higher). After lunch, we will return to Lake Yamanakako (at 1,000 meters elevation) to look for such cool birds as Japanese Green Pheasant, Chestnut- eared Bunting, Bull-headed Shrike, Narcissus and Blue-and-White flycatchers, Brown-headed and Japanese thrushes, Japanese Grosbeak, and the endemic Japanese Woodpecker in varied habitats near the lake. Today we will enjoy not Japanese Thrush, Mount Fuji © Tatsu Takeuchi only such birds, but also lots of spectacular views of the sacred mountain, which was designated as a World Heritage site in 2013. NIGHT: Hotel Mount Fuji, Yamanashi Prefecture June 3, Day 7: Mount Fuji to Oiso. This morning we will bird in a lakeside forest park where woodland birds will be very vocal and active in early June. Then we will drive to Oiso Beach, where our hotel is located. On the way, we will drop in at various habitats such as a reservoir, farmlands, and a riverside to look for such Asian specialty birds as Crested Kingfisher, Brown Dipper, Gray-headed Lapwing, Long-billed Plover, and the endemic Japanese Wagtail. NIGHT: Oiso Prince Hotel, Oiso in Kanagawa Prefecture June 4, Day 8: Kamakura to Tokyo. At Oiso Beach this morning, we will watch Japanese (or White-bellied) Green Pigeons fly out across the seaside rocks to, remarkably, satisfy their thirst with seawater. Then it’s onward as far as Kamakura, which was the seat of the samurai government from the end of the 12th Century through the early 14th Century. We will visit Kamakura Daibutsu, the great statue of Buddha; the beautiful Japanese garden in Hasedera Temple; and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, one of the most famous shrines in Japan. We may take some time to shop along Komachi Street, where many fancy stores and gift shops are found. After leaving this historic city, we will head for our hotel at Haneda Airport in preparation for a flight to Nemuro, Hokkaido the next day. Kamakura Daibutsu (Great Buddha) © Kaz Shinoda NIGHT: Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu at Haneda Airport, Tokyo June 5, Day 9: Tokyo to Nemuro, Hokkaido. After a leisurely breakfast, a midday flight takes us to Nemuro- Nakashibetsu Airport on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. We should be seeing our first birds on the Notsuke Peninsula in late afternoon. We will be on the lookout for such species as Siberian Rubythroat, Japan in Summer, Page 5 Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Common Reed Bunting, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Masked Bunting, and others. With a bit of good fortune, we might find Red-crowned Crane and White-tailed Eagle in the marshlands. Then we will drive to our hotel in Nemuro City, in preparation for a morning boat trip. NIGHT: Nemuro Kaiyou-tei, Nemuro June 6, Day 10: Ochiishi Nature Cruise and Rausu. On a two to three-hour boat cruise among islands just offshore, we’ll have an excellent chance to see Spectacled Guillemot (a regional specialty) among several auks including Tufted Puffin, Rhinoceros Auklet, and Ancient Murrelet.