Hokkaido Winter Wildlife Safari

Kushiro · Japan

Easy10 daysAsia~£2,500 est.

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Overview

Hokkaido in winter is Japan's wild north at its best. At Tsurui and the Akan crane centre near Kushiro, red-crowned cranes dance in fresh snow like calligraphy come alive; at Rausu on the Shiretoko Peninsula, dawn boats push into the drift ice where Steller's sea eagles -- the world's heaviest -- squabble over fish; and at Lake Kussharo whooper swans drift in steaming volcanic shallows. Abashiri's icebreaker cruises crunch through the frozen Okhotsk Sea from late January, and Niseko's legendary powder is a domestic hop away if you want to ski too. Hire a car with studless winter tyres and drive gently: roads are ploughed but polished, and blizzards close them without much notice. February is peak season for ice, eagles and cranes, so book the Rausu boats and Tsurui hides well ahead. Expect minus-15 dawns -- camera batteries die fast, so keep spares inside your jacket. Ten days runs about 2,500 pounds with rental car, ryokan stays and boat charters; the rotenburo hot springs each evening fix everything.