Japan in Spring

Modern Japan, now one of the world’s largest economies, appears to many to be an overdeveloped, urbanized, and industrialized land clothed from north to south in factories, housing, and concrete. However, Japan is a very mountainous country with many inaccessible regions. The Japanese have a strong traditional affinity with nature that has figured prominently in their system of beliefs and culture. It’s true that in the last few decades the Japanese have promoted economic growth over preservation of the environment, but in the mountains and more remote areas of the archipelago many pristine forests, wetlands, and grasslands remain undisturbed. A growing enthusiasm among the Japanese for nature, and for bird watching in particular, has seen more and more efforts to conserve these valuable assets. Scratch the surface and the real Japan can still be found. Traditional values and practices survive in rural Japan, where the way of life remains one of tranquility and serenity. It is into this world that we’ll venture on this tour.

The isolation of the islands of Japan has enabled several endemic and near endemic species to evolve, and we’ll endeavor to see many of them. We’ll begin in central Japan, then travel south through the subtropical islands of the Nansei Shoto, otherwise known as the Ryukyu Islands, before heading north again to Japan’s wild west, the northern island of Hokkaido. Along the way we’ll meet some very special birds, including Marsh Grassbird, Green Pheasant, Okinawa Rail, Amami Woodcock, and Red-crowned Crane to name but a few. We’ll also experience first-hand Japan’s unique culture and history, which is inextricably intertwined with its exceptional natural history. A spring journey in Japan is a fascinating and memorable experience.