Snow Monkeys & Winter Wildlife
9 nights, 4 stops — snow monkeys, cranes and hokkaido.
Tokyo → Jigokudani → Kushiro → Shiretoko National Park.
Round trip · returns to Jigokudani
What you'll see
The journey, one day at a time
Arrive Tokyo
Arrive in Tokyo, met and transferred to your accommodation. Tokyo is the modern hub from which Japan's wildlife regions are quickly reached.
Tokyo
Explore Tokyo in transit to the wildlife regions.
To Jigokudani
Transfer to Jigokudani. Photograph the snow monkeys bathing in the hot springs. A full day with the macaques in the snowy valley.
Jigokudani
A full day with the macaques in the snowy valley. Jigokudani's macaques are the only monkeys on earth known to bathe in hot springs — a uniquely Japanese wildlife spectacle.
To Kushiro
Transfer to Kushiro. Photograph the dancing red-crowned cranes in the snow. Crane feeding stations and the winter wetland.
Kushiro
Crane feeding stations and the winter wetland. A full day of cranes, eagles and swans. The red-crowned crane, symbol of longevity in Japan, performs its courtship dance in the Kushiro snow — a photographer's dream.
To Shiretoko National Park
Transfer to Shiretoko National Park. A wilderness cruise for coastal brown bears. The UNESCO coast by boat, with bears and eagles.
Shiretoko National Park
The UNESCO coast by boat, with bears and eagles. A full day of Shiretoko's wild coast and wildlife. Shiretoko's roadless, UNESCO-listed coast is the wildest in Japan — brown bears on the shore, eagles overhead, whales offshore.
Shiretoko National Park
A full day of Shiretoko's wild coast and wildlife.
Departure
A final morning in Shiretoko National Park — a last outing or a slow start as time allows — before the transfer onward and the journey home.
The season changes what you see.
Peak season
Crisp winter days, the gateway to the winter wildlife season.
Good season
A year-round arrival hub.
Hand-picked camps & lodges
Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza
A refined hot-spring ryokan at Lake Akan, the area's most luxurious stay.
Kitakobushi Shiretoko Hotel & Resort
A seafront hot-spring resort at Utoro, the gateway to Shiretoko's cruises.
Aman Tokyo
A serene urban sanctuary high above the city, Tokyo's most refined hotel.
Kanbayashi Hotel Senjukaku
A grand traditional hot-spring hotel near the snow-monkey park.
Four Seasons Otemachi
A sleek modern Four Seasons with sweeping skyline views over the imperial gardens.
Shibu Hotel
A historic ryokan in the Shibu Onsen hot-spring village near the monkeys.
Make it yours.
Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.