When my buddy Ben Cranke invited me to join him on his Japan trip, I did not doubt for a second! He knew where we needed to be since he’d already spent a month in Hokkaïdo. The plan was to start with the snow macaques in Jigokudani and then fly to the island north of Honshu, Hokkaïdo. That’s the place to be to photograph red-crowned cranes, whooper swans and white-tailed and Steller’s eagles.

February is the best time to go. The landscape is covered with deep snow, the cranes and swans are in display and the pack-ice from Kamchatka arrives in the Sea of Okhotsk, bringing with it hundreds of Steller’s sea eagles.

No wonder we had lots of fun and took thousands and thousands of pictures. I just loved the amount of snow, the spectacular bird action every day, the amusing South-African company, … A trip I will remember for a long time!

Thanks, Ben!

 

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