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Tracking, Spotting, Photographing the Ruby Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda) in the Northern Japan Alps

June 11, 2026

For thirty years, I have called Japan home, my camera almost an extension of my body as I’ve traversed its landscapes and chased the light in pursuit of the perfect light and subjects. My name is Blain Harasymiw, and as a professional master photographer, I’ve learned that patience, preparation, and a bit of luck are the ingredients for capturing rare moments in nature. As for wildlife, a few birds have captured my heart and imagination more than the elusive Ruby Kingfisher (Halcyon ...

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Portrait of the Steller’s sea eagle - Hokkaido Photography Tour

June 1, 2026

For nearly thirty years, I have been leading Hokkaido photography tours across the wild, windswept beauty of Hokkaido. With every winter spent on its icy shores, my passion for the island’s extraordinary wildlife has only deepened. But nothing has captured my heart like the Steller’s sea eagle, an ice-age relic. Having survived multiple ice ages, these raptors are living legends. To me, each eagle is more than a photographic subject—each is a unique character, unforgettable in ...

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The Steller’s sea eagle they dont play nice at the dinner table - Hokkaido Photo Tour

May 21, 2026

The Steller’s Sea Eagle is the undisputed gladiator of the sky—a living, breathing legend with the attitude of a heavyweight prizefighter. Towering as one of the largest and most ferocious diurnal birds on the planet, these raptors are prehistoric predators, their lineage stretching back to the age of dinosaurs. For nearly three decades, I’ve spent over 40 hours each winter in the thick of their icy kingdom, capturing every electrifying moment while leading Hokkaido ...

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Artificial Intelligence Transforming the Art of Photography - Plus Hokkaido 2027

May 18, 2026

For those unfamiliar with me, a bit of background might help explain my perspective. I haven’t owned a TV in over 45 years, ever since my teenage days. I rarely watch movies or TV shows, read the news, or follow politics; instead, I prefer to spend my time travelling, planning and leading photography workshops across Japan, teaching at various visual arts schools, camping, swimming, cooking, and enjoying precious moments with family, friends, and the participants who join my workshops. ...

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Japan Cherry Blossom Photography Tours - Japan and overtourism

April 29, 2026

I’m back in Tokyo for a week’s break before heading out again to chase the light and capture the perfect cherry blossoms again and again. I would stay on the road, but I have been photographing nonstop this spring on a broken ankle; it’s only a hairline fracture, along with a tendon strain, and I have been taking care of it wearing compression socks and light strong hiking boots, but my sports therapists insist I take another week's break between workshops to check my ankle ...

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Cherry Blossom Photography Workshop 2026 - Mt. Fuji and Beyond

April 19, 2026

Leading a Mt. Fuji Cherry Blossom photography expedition never gets old — each year brings its own surprises, its own light, and its own story. On my 2026 group cherry blossom photo tour, we spent three immersive days exploring the iconic Mt. Fuji region, cameras in hand and eyes wide open for every fleeting petal.On our arrival, I gathered the group and delivered what might have sounded like disappointing news: the Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms had already passed their peak bloom and ...

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The Perfect Cherry Blossoms - Japan Chery Blososm Photo Tour

April 11, 2026

I am currently in the heart of my annual cherry blossom photography workshop tour — an eleven-day cross-country adventure through Japan, chasing golden light and the fleeting perfection of sakura in full bloom. In my last newsletter, I shared that our very first day delivered the perfect cherry blossoms, and that we were heading to Niigata to experience one of Japan's top three cherry blossom lighting-up events. I was confident we would not be disappointed — and we were not.At ...

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Japan Cherry Blossom Photography Workshop

April 7, 2026

I'm currently leading my annual cherry blossom photo tour through the heart of Japan with a small, passionate group of photographers. We met at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and set off on our eleven-day journey — chasing light, bloom, and the spirit of authentic Japan.Our first stop took us deep into the countryside of Nagano, well off the beaten path, where the cherry blossoms were in perfect mankai — full bloom. We photographed them at an ancient Shinto shrine founded over a thousand ...

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The Super Rare Hokkaido White Squirrel

March 29, 2026

This winter, a field report stopped me in my tracks: a rare leucisticHokkaido red squirrel had been spotted in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan. Having spent years photographing the Hokkaido red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris orientis) — known locally as the Ezo-risu, a subspecies of the Eurasian red squirrel endemic to Hokkaido island — I have encountered hundreds of these charismatic animals, but never a white one. Albino individuals are extraordinarily rare, set apart by their ghostly ...

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The Red Forehead of Winter: Leading Hokkaido’s Most Unforgettable Photo Workshops

March 23, 2026

There is a particular kind of silence that exists only in Hokkaido in winter. It is not the silence of absence — it is the silence of fullness, of a world so densely packed with cold and snow and held breath that sound itself seems to freeze before it can travel. I have stood in that silence more times than I can count now, my camera raised, my fingers numb inside their gloves, my eyes fixed on a tiny brown-grey speck trembling in the high branches of a silver birch. And every single ...

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