Explore Authentic Japan and Unearth Untold Stories with Blain & His Team in Japan!

Ainu The First Nations People of Japan

Oct 28, 2020

The Ainu once struggled to preserve their dignity and cultural identity, but in 2006, under international pressure, some invariably linked to the Olympics being scheduled for 2020, the government finally recognized the Ainu as an Indigenous population. This is an important step in protecting their cultural identity and preserving their historical traditions. But even more than that, their human spirit, human dignity, to be treated like human beings is now acknowledged. Moreover, their dance has ...

Yezo Sika Deer of Hokkaido Japan - The largest Herd on our Planet

Oct 20, 2020

I have mapped nearly every road, path, and trail in the regions where I lead Hokkaido Photo Tours. Part of the reason is that I love adventuring into Hokkaido’s wild frontier, and the second is that I’m a Hokkaido local. Knowing a region and feeling comfortable with it from top to bottom are two contributing reasons why I offer Japan Photo Workshops on Japan's most northern island Hokkaido. Some years ago, as I was half traveling/half scouting locations in my Prado ...

Hokkaido Birding Photo Ops - Blakiston's Fish Owl

Oct 15, 2020

Some photographers stay away from cold landscapes such as winter in Hokkaido and remain in warmer locations for birding photography or landscape photography, but not me. I feel that if you limit the amount of landscapes and birding photo ops by leaving out the picturesque, snowy winter scenery, you’re leaving too much out of the picture. Hokkaido birding tours and minimalists landscape photo tours are filled with beauty and spectacular wildlife photography and landscapes all year-round, ...

Hokkaido's Canny Avian Inhabitants - Glaucous Gulls

Oct 11, 2020

On my annual Hokkaido Birding Tour, I photograph at least a dozen or two different species of birds, such as The Steller’s Sea Eagle, The White-tailed Eagles, The Red-Crowned Cranes, The Shima Enaga, The Pygmy Woodpecker. For the First Nations Peoples of Japan, the Ainu, the most revered bird and or Kamuy spiritual being, is the Blakiston's Fish Owl, which they say is the protector of their village and homes. I respect their beliefs as they are similar to mine, in which I was raised side ...

Steller's Sea Eagle Hokkaido Birding and Food for Thought

Oct 07, 2020

While organizing and cataloging the photos from my last Hokkaido Photo Tour from February 2020, I happily shot some near-perfect minimalist landscapes. I counted about 30 beautiful, minimalist landscapes shots that were all laid out for me with minimal editing required, and I thought I will leave them for the moment while I began examining some of the birding and wildlife photography, the Steller’s Sea Eagles, the White-tailed Eagles, Hokkaido’s snow ballerinas the ...

Heartfelt Sunrise in the Shape of a heart on a Hokkaido Photo Tour

Oct 04, 2020

I love photography and videography, and that means always chasing the light. Chasing the light has taken me all over the world and mainly Japan in the last 20+ years, and I’ve been exploring and scouting new locations all over the country since I arrived. My Hokkaido photo tour represents some of my favorite adventures. However, I find that, at times, small changes or updates to my usual itinerary can yield spectacular results. Last year, on February 24, 2020, on my annual Hokkaido Photo ...

An Authentic Hokkaido Photo Tour

Sep 29, 2020

Birding in Hokkaido is a fantastic experience with such a diversity of birds and other species. Across Japan, over 600 species of birds have been recorded. The majority are migratory, more than 60%. Approximately 60 species are endemic or sub-regional endemic. The reason Japan is so rich in wildlife, especially for the birding photographer and Japan bird watcher, is Japan’s flora and fauna are divided by two ecological lines, the Blakiston’s Line, which is between Hokkaido and ...

Mt. Fuji to Hokkaido Photo tour and our Active Volcanic Complexes

Sep 21, 2020

When thinking of Japan’s volcanoes, international photographers think Mt. Fuji, and not of Hokkaido. Of course, Fujisan is Japan's most holy mountain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which I am associated with, and Mt. Fuji is the most famous of Japan’s volcanoes. In my opinion, it is a must-see region. Mt. Fuji also happens to be an hour's drive from my first home and photo studio in Japan, and I know the region like the back of my hand. Almost every one of my Japan photo tours ...

Largest herd of Ezo Sika Deer Ever Photographed on Our Planet!

Sep 15, 2020

Imagine standing almost to face to face with the largest herd of Ezo Sika Deer on our planet, with camera in hand, on a Hokkaido photo tour. It’s pretty amazing, and the great part about this unique photo op is that the locations where the deer appear are only known by us Hokkaido locals, and fewer know the exact timing when the herd gathers. And I know the perfect timing when they are gathered and position, so the Ezo Deer will have no choice but to come straight at us. Behind the Ezo ...

The Shima Enaga a Bonny Bird

Sep 11, 2020

I love my second home in Hokkaido, Japan, And I love my Hokkaido Photo tour time, especially in winter. This is the best time to photograph the Shima Engage, they are so sweet they look like bouncing miniature snowballs, and their face is as white as a cotton ball. The Shima Enaga is a subspecies of the long-tailed bushtit. They are also known as the silver-throated tit or silver-throated dasher. They are a tiny bird (at 12-16 cm in length, including their tail at 7-9 cm. Males and females are ...