Have a close and deep look to the wildlife at Nemuro region, the most diverse ecosystem in Japan

After arriving at Nakashibetsu Airport, you will meet your guide immediately. We will then move to Betsukai town and now you are entering to an area of wildlife paradise! The trip will start with a wildlife watching private cruise driven by a local fisherman. It is the best way to view the dynamic natural landscape of Notsuke Peninsula from the sea. Also, instead of the usual large sightseeing boats, you will take a local fisherman’s small rocky boat into the shallow waters of the inland sea to get a stunning view of the backside of the Onnikuru Forest where you will walk on the next day. Sometimes you may even see wild seals. During the cruise, you will learn from the captain, who has lived in Notsuke for a long time, about what make his lifestyle so unique due to the terrain and the way to interact with the wildlife.

After checking out, we will visit the Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center, located 30 minutes away from the hotel. You will going to know more about the biodiversity of Notsuke by using the diorama exhibit on the second floor of the facility to introduce the ecosystem created from the topographical formations, soil and drift ice within the Notsuke Peninsula. Then, you will learn about the wildlife you can encounter during the tour you will participate in later. Specialist guides will lead you on different routes according to your requests for wildlife you would like to observe. And today, we will go inside and walk through the deep forest of Onnikuru Forest as seen from the cruise yesterday. Along the way, there will be spots where you can see the unique topography of Notsuke Peninsula and observe this dynamic landscape and wildlife, reminding you the introductions in this morning. In the afternoon, we will go a little further south to Lake Furen, where we can see many wild birds. Lake Furen is the third largest lake in Hokkaido and a treasure trove of wild birds. Let’s go around the lake and observe wild birds. From fall to winter, many migratory birds come here for rest. If you are lucky, you may see red-crowned cranes, Japan’s largest bird species, raising their young right in front of you! In winter season, white swans, white-tailed sea eagles, and Steller’s sea eagles can be seen at the same time, which is one of the attractions of Lake Furen. After the observation time at Lake Furen, we will move to the nearby Nemuro Peninsula for a stay.

The Nemuro Peninsula is a miraculous natural wonder created by strong winds ,cold weather, arctic vegetation which you can enjoy the similar scenerary as the Ice Age. Thanks to this, we can see numerous bird species. In the morning, we will spend time for bird watchinging with a wildlife lover guide who lives in this area. He will ake us to a secret place and enjoy the private space and focus on your bird watching! The first observation spot is Cape Nosappu, which is the easternmost point in Japan that people can reach freely. At Cape Nosappu in winter, you can observe many seabirds, sea otters and whales. You may also see white-tailed and Steller’s sea eagles are searching for sea prey on the cliffs. The Nemuro Peninsula in winter is the best season for seabird watching, and there are tons of little house for bird watching allow you to observe wildlife without worrying about the freezing weather.
After a delicious sushi lunch, we will move on to Cape Kiritappu. The Kiritappu area is a town on a steep cliff and home to endangered sea otters. A few sea otters started to live on the coast here about 10 years ago and have continued to live here. Luckily he number has now increased to about 10, making Kiritappu the “first breeding ground in Japan” for sea otters. Visit here with a local guide, we will observe sea otters and seals from the cliffs.

It is the last day of our trip! Today, let’s start the morning with our accompanying guide, who knows a lot about birds, and explore why wild birds love the live in the east Hokkaido! To learn about the background and story, we will go to the Akkeshi Waterfowl Observation Center, which has an area on the second floor for observation and a telescope, so we can look for a few animal tracks before joining the canoe tour.
In the past few days, we have seen wildlife by walking and cruising, but today we will take a canoe to search for them in the further deep forest and river. The distance between the canoe and the river bank is very close, so there are many photo opportunities, which you can also hear the animals breath. Sometime birds flap their wings and fly just above you! Enjoy a canoe in Bekkanbeushi Marsh will truly be an unforgettable moment.
The last content of this tour will be an introduction to the natural environment and animal conservation efforts in east Hokkaido. The beautiful natural environment and rare wildlife we have seen over the past few days would not be possible without the cooperation of local residents and governments. You will visit the Medical Research Institute for Raptors in Kushiro to understand the role of the Wildlife Conservation Center and how animals are housed in the facility. We hope you can know more how this area cares about the great nature and ecosystem as much as possible. We will send you to Kushiro airport to end your trip.