THE WILDERNESS OF Eastern HOKKAIDO

A Grand Tour with Michael Clark & George Nobechi

Dates: February 15 - 27, 2026

Optional Pre-Trip Extension: Winter Festivals and Snowy Calderas of Hokkaido (Feb 11 - 15, 2026)

OVERVIEW

Optional Pre-Trip Extension: Winter Festivals and Snowy Calderas of Hokkaido Feb 11~15, 2026

Nobechi Creative is proud to welcome back acclaimed outdoor and adventure photographer Michael Clark to Japan, this time in the stunning and stark wilderness of Eastern Hokkaido in the late winter, when the pack ice flows in from the Sea of Okhotsk and the landscapes are most stunning.

The trip will be conducted via a van with a dedicated driver so that Michael and George can dedicate their full attention to helping the six participants* who will be on this exclusive tour. The destinations are hand-picked by George, going back to his Japanese roots in Hokkaido. Careful consideration is given to winter driving conditions and driving distances between locations are kept to a minimum, ensuring the best opportunities to photograph.

Highlights include frozen lakes and ice fishing, guided snowshoeing, icebreaker cruises through the pack ice, early morning nature cruises to see Steller’s and White-Tailed eagles, lakes with swans and rivers with red-crowned cranes, and drives on the remote peninsulas of the far eastern reaches of Hokkaido, exploring fishing villages, and stopping for foxes, deer, and other wildlife along the way.

This is not a tour focused on the minimalist trees in fields that you see from many tours, or on the birds, but instead is a strategic and curated grand tour designed to take advantage of a variety of subjects to produce a well-rounded body of work that includes elements of landscapes, “new topographic” subjects, people, animals, trees, abstracts, mountains, ways of life and creativity. Any good photographic opportunity, with weather, light, and more, will be considered.

The activity level will be moderate+, with a couple of days of snowshoeing over mostly flat terrain, but a lot of time spent out in cold, winter conditions (with a warm van waiting).

Notes

• In December 2025, Michael will lead a special online seminar for participants only, focusing on useful information such as how to expose your photographs in winter conditions and how to post-process them.

• At the end of this trip, each participant should expect to have a strong portfolio of photographs from the silent wilderness of Eastern Hokkaido.

• The trip shares no locations with Winter in Central Hokkaido, led by Xuan-Hui Ng and Masumi Takahashi, February 2-9, 2026, which allows participants the possibility of joining both tours.

• An optional extension: Winter Festival and Snowy Calderas of Hokkaido will be offered February 11~15, 2026, to bridge the two expeditions. The extension will be led by George to visit the world famous Sapporo Snow Festival and the Otaru Yukiakari floating candle festival, followed by explorations of Lake Toya and Shikotsu, two beautiful caldera lakes with hot spring resorts. George’s mother still lives in Sapporo, his grandparents were from Otaru, and Toya and Shikotsu have been family retreat locations since his childhood.

Itinerary in brief

Feb 15 (Day 1): Group meets at Sapporo New Chitose Airport in the early afternoon and travels to Lake Shikaribetsu for photography of the frozen lake and to visit an ice bar (1 night). We stay in a basic, but ideally located hot spring hotel.

Feb 16 (Day 2): After a snowshoeing tour to see the dilapidated and beautiful Taushubetsu Railroad Bridge, the group continues to Daisetsuzan National Park (2 nights). We will stay in a nice hot spring resort.

Feb 17 (Day 3): A day spent exploring highlights of Daisetsuzan National Park, including volcanic peaks, gorges, and an ice festival.

Feb 18 (Day 4): We travel north to the Sea of Okhotsk, taking part in an icebreaker cruise before settling into our luxurious hotel (2 nights).

Feb 19 (Day 5): We visit the famed Abashiri Prison Museum, as well as visit Lake Kussharo’s famous swans on the hot spring sand bar that melts the ice and is a favorite spot for these beautiful birds.

Feb 20 (day 6): We travel east along the pack ice-lined shoreline to the dramatic Shiretoko Peninsula (UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site), stopping for many highlights along the way. (1 night) We stay in a luxurious harbor-front hotel with amazing access to the sea.

Feb 21 (Day 7): We travel across Shiretoko to the Pacific Ocean side and explore the wilderness. ( 2 nights). We stay in a recently renovated business hotel on the waterfront with great ocean and sunrise views.

Feb 22 (Day 8): We get up bright and early for a nature cruise to see Steller’s and White-tailed eagles and possibly other creatures such as seals and sometimes orcas. After the cruise, we will head out to explore a remote spit of land with water and ice on both sides, foxes, fishing boats, deer, marshland, trees and more.

Feb 23 (Day 9): We continue southeast toward even more far-out locations, visiting Lake Furen, and Nemuro as well as Cape Nosappu. (2 nights). We will be staying in the nicest hotel in the area, which is a pretty basic Japanese hotel, but the location gives us the access we need.

Feb 24 (Day 10): We will spend the day driving and exploring coves, rock formations, villages and more along Cape Nosappu and the Nemuro Peninsula.

Feb 25 (Day 11): We will cut back toward the west, visiting Lake Mashu and Lake Akan, two beautiful caldera lakes. We will settle in at a beautiful lakeside hot spring resort.

Feb 26 (Day 12): We will awake early to go and photograph the famous red-crowned cranes in several locations, returning to our hotel once for breakfast before heading back out to spend our final full day of exploration.

Feb 27 (Day 13): After one more morning out with the cranes, foxes, swans and more, we will head into Kushiro City, leaving participants with the option to fly back to Tokyo from Kushiro Airport or take the train from Kushiro to Sapporo (or other parts) to continue on for a skiing holiday or any other adventures.

A detailed itinerary will be provided once the trip is announced as a go and all deposits are collected.

Included

• 12 nights’ accommodations in the best available facilities in each location

• 12 dinners 

• 12 breakfasts

• Private van and driver

• Instruction from Michael and George

• Pre-tour online sessions led by Michael

• All activities, including cruises, admissions, and snowshoeing

• Classroom fees (where applicable)

• Fuel, highway tolls, parking fees, etc.

• Information package on travel to Japan

Not included

• Airfare - both international and domestic. **Please note that this trip begins and ends in Hokkaido. There are regular flights between Haneda (HND) and Sapporo-Chitose (CTS) on the front end (and less regular flights between Narita (NRT) and CTS), and regular flights between Kushiro (KUH) and Haneda on the back end, as well as train service from Kushiro to Sapporo.

• Lunches (cheapest meal of the day in Japan)

• Alcoholic beverages

• Travel Insurance - Eastern Hokkaido is a remote place - please ensure that your insurance is adequate in case of injury, to provide transportation to cities.

Class Size

*At present, 6 participants (maximum of 6 available hotel rooms). If multiple duos register, we will consider an expansion in the number. The absolute maximum in any scenario will be 8.

Tuition

Per Person Double Occupancy:

If paid by bank wire: $9,995 / if paying by credit card add: $350

Single Supplement: $1,500

Payment Schedule

• $2,500 deposit to register

• When the trip reaches minimum enrollment to proceed, 50% of the balance will become due.

• Remainder due December 15, 2026
  
  2025−2026 Cancellation Policy:

• Up to 120 days before the trip: 50% of the deposit (the deposit may be transferred to another workshop)

• 119~90 days prior to the trip: 100% of the deposit

• 89~60 days prior to the trip: 50% fee

• 59~0 days prior to the trip 100% fee

  Please do not book international airfare until we have notified you that the trip is a go.

meet your teacher

About Michael Clark