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

Niigata Private Photo Tours - Sado Island /The Jewel in Niigata's Crown

Oct 30, 2019

Opening a satellite office in Niigata also meant becoming very familiar with the prefecture, from top to bottom. Niigata Private Photo Tours allow me to show clients the authentic elements of Niigata.One element of Niigata prefecture that I always try to include in Private Photography Workshops is Sado Island. It is only a short ferry or jetfoil ride away from the body of Niigata prefecture, but its local culture and customs set it apart.The first element is for birders. Any birding ...

Typhoon Hagibis Aftermath

Oct 16, 2019

Thank you all again for your kindness, your emails, telephone calls, and well wishes were all taken to heart. I am relieved my family, friends, and co-workers are safe and sound. I wish I were able to say the same for the entire population of Japan.I and several of my colleagues have been warning for years that technological advances and propaganda heavily promoting certain industries have led to a false sense of security when dealing with climate change and the added intensity of ...

Super Typhoon Hagibis Ready to Strike Tokyo, Japan

Oct 10, 2019

Super Typhoon Hagibis, the largest of 2019, and is currently a huge Category 5 storm making waves in the Pacific, ready to strike and make landfall in Japan this Saturday or Sunday. A month ago, many may recall I was in a predicament when Typhoon Faxai slammed ashore in the City of Chiba, just east of Tokyo, the strongest ever recorded in the Kanto region. Brace yourself, everyone.Super Typhoon Hagibis is going to make landfall this weekend on the Kanto Region Coastline, but we won’t ...

Hokkaido Winter Photography - Preservation and Conservation

Oct 04, 2019

Leading a Hokkaido Winter Photography Wildlife Workshop represents a huge amount of responsibility, and Priority No. 1 is keeping the client safe and happy. For over 20 years, I have created life-changing photography expeditions in the winter wonderland snowy Hokkaido, Japan. The untold stories of photography adventures you never hear of. I can tell you, in my 20 plus years leading photography adventures; all my photography workshop clients have returned home without incident. Precautions such ...

Earth Day Visions - Vibrations & Celebrations - Niigata Private Photography Tour

Sep 29, 2019

Many people ask, “Why should I join a Japan Photo Workshop to see Japan?” The answer is simple, To experience the true beauty of a country, if you are a photographer or not, having a pro photographer and is the way to do it, because the pro adventure photographer knows the most spectacular views and times of day when to visit. As your Photography Workshop Leader, I will deliver a perspective of Japan like no other.One location in Japan that offers to visit photographers a different ...

Hokkaido Wildlife Tours - Protecting the Endangered Steller's Sea Eagle and Others

Sep 26, 2019

Creating unforgettable and unique photography workshops experiences during a Hokkaido Photo Workshop is always my primary concern, but just as the First Nation’s People of Japan the Ainu strive to live in harmony with their natural surroundings, my team and I act and build our understanding regarding the sustainability and conservation efforts that are being made to protect all species that inhabit Japan. The Steller’s Sea Eagle is one such species. The International Union for the ...

Hokkaido Birding Photo Tours

Sep 21, 2019

Black Kites are a Hokkaido resident, and they inhabit the same land and air space with the Steller’s Sea Eagle and the White-tailed Eagles that frequent the pack ice in Hokkaido during Winter Photo Tours. They are opportunist hunters, some say scavengers, and to survive, they take birds, bats, insects, rodents, and roadkill. They become more aggressive and honed hunters during January and February because food is scarce in Hokkaido's sub-arctic weather conditions. Even though ...

All-Inclusive Photo Tour Japan - Myoko & Refreshing Milky-White Hot Springs

Sep 14, 2019

Mt. Myoko and its surrounding area create the foundation for an all-inclusive Niigata, Japan Photo Tour. Niigata prefecture, one of the largest in Japan is home to Mt. Myoko. The mountain is an active strato-volcano, but during the winter, most hints of the magma roiling underneath the surface disappear as the snow coats and caps it, transforming into its winter incarnation. However, care must always be given when dealing with forces of nature. Winter is an amazing season ...

Spring Photo Tour - Photographing Unpredictable Snow Monkeys

Aug 27, 2019

When people imagine snow monkeys, they think of them on Winter Photo Tours more than Spring Photo Tours, but snow monkeys are active at the hot spring during the springtime, they are just not drawn to soak for a long time in the replenishing baths of the hot spring. The snow monkeys are by nature social animals, so they tend to take quick swims in the warm waters or play around the pools with other young snow monkeys.At their core, the snow monkeys are wild animals, and when photographing them, ...

Hokkaido Photo Tours - Wildlife Photography, More Than Birding

Aug 23, 2019

Many photographers and enthusiasts join Hokkaido Photo Tour are birders and join for the birding photo ops that exist all over Japan’s northern island. And when considering birds such as the snow ballerina the Red-crowned crane or The Steller’s Sea Eagle, it is clear that you could spend days even months taking photos of our winged friends. However, my experience as the lead Japan Photography Workshop Leader means that I know there is much more to the island than avian ...