Birding in Japan
Are you interesting in brding in Japan? So, do you have enough information?
This page gives you some information in Japan
together with some information of famous birding spots.
1. General Information
| Area/Location | Located in eastern end of Eurasian Contient on the north Pacific Ocean. (approx. 377,000km2) |
| Climate | a. Northern Japan: Mild or hot in summer
and very cold in winter. Generally
dry. b. Central Japan (Pacific Ocean side): Hot and humid in summer and cold and dry in winter. c. Central Japan (Japan Sea side): Hot and humid in summer and cold and snowing in winter. d. Southern Japan: sub-tropical. Generally hot & humid. |
| Access | Several international airports. Two major ones are Narita and Kansai. For eastern Japan, Narita is more convenient while Kansai should be an entrance for western Japan. |
| Currency | Japanse YEN: coins in 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 YEN. 1,000, 2,000 (rare), 5,000 and 10,000 YEN as paper money. |
| Currency Exchange | YEN is normally available in the banks, cash exchangers or airport in your country. It is also exchangable in the hotels, airports and banks in Japan. However, there are few cash exchangers in Japan. Banks are closed in the weekend. |
| Cash card | In most of the shops, cash card can be used. VISA, Master, JCB, UC, AMEX, Diners and other cards are applicable. However, in the railway station, JR East, it is not applicable. |
| Electricity | 50-60Hz/100V, two pins straight (same as one of the US's) |
| Subsistence | Living cost in Japan is very expensive!!
(This is what I feel) For spending
your time
in Japan, you may at least need the
following
money/day. - meal \5,000 (breakfast \1,000, lunch \1,000, dinner: \3,000) - accommodation \10,000 In Tokyo, you need to estimate 10% more from this. |
| Accommodation | There are many types of accmmodations in
Japan. a. Hotel/resort hotel: luxorous and comfortable but expensive. Generally, 10,000 YEN - for a sigle room. 20,000 YEN - for a twin room. No meals. Many discount service in week days or off season. b. City hotel/business hotel: budget hotels, normally located close to a station. The room size is more compact and the cost is cheaper. Generally, 6,000 YEN - for a single room. Not many twin rooms are available. Many discount service in the weekend. c. Ryokan: Japanese style accommodation with normally tatami room (Japanese room). Including two meals (breakfast and dinner). Room charge is variable depending on season but should be over 10,000/person. d. Minshuku: Japanese style B & B: casual & cheap. Often including breakfast and dinner. Normally, toilet and bathroom are not in the room. Over 5,000/person but variable. e. Kokumin-shukusha/Kokumin-kyukamura: Often run by local governments. Located in scenic place, for example in the natioal park. Cost is normally cheap (6,000 YEN -) including two meals. |
| Food | Again, there are many options. In general, Japanese restaurants provide discount service on lunch time. So, you are able to enjoy a good Japanese meals with very reasonable price. However, in the dinner time, the cost is often twice of the lunch time. Unless you do not mind going to the restaurants every day, you might be bette to try Japanese meals in the lunch time. Quality of food is generally high. You may not be disappointed wherever you go in. Their service is also normally good. There are also some buget options, such as McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Wendy's unless you do not mind the globally common taste. Convenience stores, such as Seven Eleven or Lawson are good to buy some casual foods likely a rice ball. |
| Transportation | Transportation system in Japan is well-established.
While you stay in Hoshu, Kyushu and
Shikoku,
you can access to most of birding locations
by train or bus services. Their timetable
is mostly accurate. You are not irritated
with delay of train or bus so much.
In Hokkaido
and Okinawa, you might be better to
drive
a car yourself. In Japan, driving lane
is
same with UK, Australia, NZ, Malaysia,
Thailand
and other countries (Yeah, left!).
Meanwhile, if you stay in Japan more than a week, I highly recommend you purchasing Japan Railway Pass. The pass is only available outside of Japan and is applicable for all JR train systems. |
| Language | This should be the most challenging for foreigners. In most of JR stations, you can find English signboards but they are normally with small letters. Except bullet train and other major train servicies, English announcement is not common. So, you probably need a well-guided map if you travel alone or with your friends who are not familar with the country. |
| Security | Generally, safe except downtown in Tokyo or Osaka. Unless you walk down in the downtown in the midnight, you rarely feel dangeorus in the country. |
2. Birding spots in Japan
2.1. Hokkaido
In Hokkaido, generally public transportation is limited and expensive. Renting a car is more recommendable from airport or a major station. In winter, road condition is harsh. Often icy or snowing.
| Site Name | Access | Season | Level | Comments |
| Lake Tofutsu | 1km from Hama-Koshimizu Station, J Line (25 minutes from Abashiri) | 6-7, 11, 3-4 | beginer-intermediate | Breeding ground for ducks, Latham's Snipe,
Siberian Rubythroat, Yellow-breasted Buting, Middendorff's & Gray's Grasshopper
Warbler and Long-tailed Rosefinch. In winter, Steller's & White-tailed Sea-Eagle, Whooper Swan, Goldeneye and sometimes, rare gulls. |
| Monbetsu area | Flight from Sapporo and Tokyo or bus service from Engaru | 12-3 | twitcher/advanced | Occational but nearly annual spot for rare gull species, such as Ross's and Ivory |
| Rausu | Bus service from Kushiro or Nakashibetsu | 1-3 | beginer-intermediate | A famous spot with numerous Steller's and White-tailed Sea-Eagle. |
| Notsuke Penisula | No public transportation | all year | beginer - advanced | spirng/autmn: shorebird migration 6-7: Red-crowned Crane, Common Redshank, Reed Bunting, Siberian Rubythroat, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Middedorff's Grasshopper Warbler 12-3: ducks, Slavonian Grebe, loons, Snow Bunting, Redpoll, Steller's and White-tailed Sea-Eagle |
| Shunkunitai | Bus service from Nemuro Station, Get off at Tobai | all year | beginer - advanced | spring/autmn: shorebirds & ducks 6-7: Middendorff's & Gray's Grasshopper Warbler, Siberian Rubythroat, Common Redshank, Brown Thrush, Narcissus Flycatcher, Chestnut-cheeked Starling. 12-3: Steller's Sea-Eagle, Rock Sandpiper (rare), Glaucous Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Rosy Finch, Snow Bunting all year: Black Woodpecker, Red-crowned Crane, White-tailed Sea-Eagle |
| Kiritappu | Bus service from Kushiro/Hamanaka Station, Get off at Kiritappu | 6-7, 12-3 | beginer - advanced | 6-7: Red-crowned Crane, Black-faced Bunting, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Middendorff's
Grasshopper Warbler, Latham's Snipe, Temminck's
Cormorant 12-3: loons, Long-tailed Duck, Harlequin Duck, Black Scoter, Rough-legged Buzzard, Hen Harrier, gullimots and auklets. |
| Cape Nosappu (Nosappu Misaki) |
Bus service from Nemuro Station | 12-3 | intermediate-advanced | Red-throated & Yellow-billed Loon, Pelagic Cormorant, Steller's Eider, Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, Velvet Scoter, guillemots, murrelets, auklets and puffins. In rocky coast, near the cape, Rock Sandpiper is sometimes recorded. |
| Lake Utonai | Bus service from Tomakomai/Sapporo. Get off at Utonai-ko Youth Hostel-iriguchi | all year | beginer-intermediate | all year: Marsh & Great Tit, Greater
Spotted Woodpecker 12-3: ducks, Whooper Swan, Steller's & White-tailed Sea-Eagle 6-7: Latham's Snipe, Stonechat, Siberian Rubythroat, Narcissus Flycatcher |
| Hokudai Tomakomai Enshu-rin | Bus service from Tomakomai Station | 6-7, 12-3 | beginer-intermediate | 6-7: Oriental Cuckoo, White-bellied Green-Pigeon,
Treecreeper, Narcissus Flycatcher, Siberian Blue Robin all year: Grey-headed, Greater Spotted, White-backed and Black Woodpeckers, Marsh Tit, Hazel Grouse |
| Hakodate Bay | Get off at Oshima-Tobetsu station (JR Esashi Line) and walk the coastal line towards Moheji Station or reverse. | 12-3 | intermediate-advanced | Yellow-billed Loon (probably, rare), Slavonian, Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes, Brent Goose, Black Scoter, guillemots, auklets and puffins. |
| Ferry to Hokkaido | Ferry from Oarai, Sendai, Hachinohe, Aomori to Hakodate, Tomakomai and Muroran | all year | advanced/twitcher | 12-3: Northern Fulmar, loons, scoters, Long-tailed
Duck, Harlequin Duck, Black-legged
Kittiwake,
Brünich's, Common, Sooty and Pigeon
Guillemots, Ancient and Marbled Murrelets,
Parakeet, Crested & Least Auklets,
Horned,
Rhinoceros & Tufted Puffins 6-9: Providence & Bonin Petrel, Streaked, Buller's, Red-footed, Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters, Madeiran, Swinhoe's and Leach's Storm-Petrels, Laysan(also winter), Black-footed & Short-tailed (probably rare) Albatrosses |
2.2 Honshu & Kyushu
| Lake Ogawara (Aomori pref.) | bus service from Noheji or Misawa station | 6-7, 12-3 | beginer-advanced | 6-7: Japanese Marsh Warbler, Japanese Reed
Bunting & Schrenk's Bittern 12-3: ducks & Snow Bunting |
| Izu-numa around (Miyagi pref.) | Get off at Nitta station, walk toward west about a few hundred meter | 11-2 | beginer - intermediate | White-fronted, Lesser White-fronted, Bean, Canada and Snow (rare) Goose,ducks, White-tailed & Steller's Sea-Eagle, Merlin |
| Tobi-shima (Yamagata pref.) | daily boat service from Sakata | 4-5, 10 | advanced/twitcher | Streaked Shearwater (boat), Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel (boat), loons (boat), guillemots (boat), paffins (boat), auklets (boat), cuckoos (mainly spring), Siberian Accentor (late autumn), Japanese, Rufous-tailed and Siberian Blue Robin, Siberian Rubythroat, Red-flanked Bluetail, Daurian Redstart, Siberian Ground, Eye-browed, Japanese Grey, Brown, Pale & Dusky Thrush, Yellow-browed, Eastern Crowned, Pale-legged, Arctic, Dusky and Raddes's Warbler, Japanese Paradise, Red-breasted, Blue-and-White, Yellow-rumped, Narcissus, Mugimaki, Asian Brown, Grey-spotted & Dark-sided Flycatcher, Tristram's, Grey-headed, Little, Rustic, Black-faced and Grey Bunting |
| Choshi (Chiba pref.) | Bus service from Choshi station. Get off at Kawaguchi Senninzuka | 12-3 | advanced/twitcher | loons, grebes, Harlequin Duck, Temminck's Cormorant, Glaucous, Glaucous-winged, Vegae, Heugulin, Slaty-backed, Thayer's, Mew, Black-tailed and Black-headed Gulls, Black-legged Kittiwake |
| Yatsu Tidal Flat (Yatsu Higata) (Chiba pref.) |
Bus service from Tsudanuma Station, Get off
at a bus stop, Tsudanuma Koukou-mae. Or walk from Minami-Funabashi station |
all year | beginer - intermediate | ducks (10-4), Black-winged Stilt (all year), Mongolian Plover (4-5, 8-10), Little Ringed Plover (4-10), Kentish Plover (all year), Long-billed Dowticher (rare: 10-4), Black-tailed & Bar-tailed Godwit (4-5, 8-10), Whimbrel (4-5, 8-10), Eastern Curlew (4-5, 8-10), Eurasian Curlew (10-5), Common Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler, Red-necked Stint, Little Stint (rare), Broad-billed Sandpiper & Great Knot (all here mentioned 4-5, 8-10), Dunlin (10-5) |
| Miyake Island (Miyake-jima) (Tokyo pref.) |
Flight from Haneda/Ferry from Takeshiba, Hamamatsu-cho, Tokyo | all year | beginer - twitcher | 5-6 is the best season. Black-footed & Laysan Albatross (ferry), Streaked, Sooty & Short-tailed Shearwater (ferry), Tristram's Storm-Petrel (ferry), Red-necked Phalarope (ferry), Japanese Murrelet (ferry), Japanese Wood Pigeon, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (endemic sub-s.p.), Japanese Robin, Seven Island Thrush, Styan's Grasshopper Warbler, Varied Tit (endemic sub-s.p.) |
| Ukishima Sogen (Ibaraki pref.) |
Bus service from Sawara station. About 2km from a bus stop, Oppori. | 4-6 | beginer - twitcher | shorebirds (by mid-May), Japanese Reed Bunting, Oriental & Black-browed Reed Warbler, Japanese Marsh Warbler, Yellow Bittern |
| Karuizawa (Nagano pref.) |
Taxi to Yacho-no-mori from Karuizawa station | 5-7, 12-3 | beginer- intermediate | 5-7: cuckoos, Olive-backed Pipit, Siberian
Blue Robin, Japanese Grey, Siberian
Ground
& Brown Thrush, Japanese Bush Warbler,
Eastern Crowned Warbler, Black-and-White
& Narcissus Flycatcher, Grey-headed
Bunting,
Black-faced Bunting, Chestnut-cheeked
Starling 12-3: Solitary Snipe, Great Grey Shrike (rare), waxwings (erractic), Pine Bunting (rare), Pale & Dusky Thrush, Long-tailed Rose, Pallas's Rose, & Rosy Finch (erratic), Red Crossbill (erratic), Bullfinch all year: Copper & Green Pheasant, Great Spotted, White-backed, Japanese Green and Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker |
| Kamikouchi (Nagano pref.) |
Bus service from Matsumoto station (approx. 1 hour) | 5-7 | beginer - intermediate | Mandarin Duck, cuckoos, Brown Dipper, Japanese Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian Ground Thrush, Brown Thrush, Arctic Warbler, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Narcissus Flycatcher, Treecreeper |
| Togakushi (Nagano pref.) |
Bus service from Nagano station (approx. 1 hour) to Togakushi-chusha. Walk approx. 2km to Forest Park. | 5-7 | beginer - intermediate | Oriental, Little, European & Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo, Jungle Nightjar, Japanese & Siberian Blue Robin, Japanese Grey & Brown Thrush, Eastern Crowned & Pale-legged Warbler, Narcissus, Dark-sided & Asian Brown Flycatcher, tits, Siberian Meadow, Black-faced, Japanese Yellow & Grey Bunting, Russet Sparrow, Chestnut-cheeked Starling |
| Hegura-jima (Ishikawa pref.) |
Daily boat service from Wajima | 4-5, 10-11 | advanced/twitcher | Streaked Shearwater, Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel, loons (spring), Japanese Murrelet (spring), Japanese Wood Pigeon, Oriental Scops Owl, Black-capped Kingfisher (spring), pipits, wagtails, shrikes, Japanese, Rufous-tailed & Siberian Blue Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, Daurian Redstart, Siberian Ground, Japanese Grey, Brown, Pale, Eye-browed, Grey-sided & Dusky Thrush, grasshopper warblers, Yellow-browed, Pallas's Leaf (rare), Arctic, Eastern Crowned, Dusky & Raddes's Warbler, Red-breasted, Blue-and-White, Yellow-rumped, Narcissus, Mugimaki, Dark-sided & Grey-spotted Flycatcher, Pine (autumn), Tristram's, Yellow-browed (spring), Little, Rustic, Yellow-throated, Yellow-breasted (spring), Chestnut & Snow (autumn), Japanese Yellow & Grey Bunting, Common & Pallas's Rosefinch, Red Crossbill, Black-naped Oriole |
| Katano-kamoike (Ishikawa pref.) |
Taxi from Daishoji station (approx. 10-15 minutes) | 10-3 | beginer - intermediate | Steller's & White-tailed Sea-Eagle (uncommon), Northern Goshawk, Bean Goose, White-fronted Goose, ducks including Mandarin Duck, Falcated & Baikal Teal, Crested Kingfisher |
| Cape Irago (Irago-misaki) (Aichi pref.) |
Bus service from Toyohashi station | 9-10 | beginer - intermediate | Oriental Honey Buzzard, Chinese Goshawk, Northern Goshawk, Japanese & European Sparrowhawk, Grey-faced Buzzard-Eagle, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Northern Hobby, Peregrine Falcon |
| Shiokawa Tidal Flat (Shiokawa Higata) (Aichi pref.) |
Bus or Train to Yakumadai from Toyohashi station. Approx. 15-20 minutes walk to the tidal flat | 4-5, 8-10 | beginer - intermediate | Osprey, ducks, Ruddy Crake, Grey-headed Lapwing, Ringed, Little Ringed, Mongolian, Greater Sand, Pacific Golden & Grey Plover, Oriental Pratincole, godwits, curlews, Marsh, Green, Wood, Broad-billed, Curlew, Sharp-tailed, Spoon-billed (rare) Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, Red-necked, Temminck's, Long-toed & Little (scarce) Stint, Red & Great Knot |
| northern parts of Lake Biwa (Shiga pref.) |
no public transportation, better to rent a car to Onoe or Kaizu Osaki | 11-3 | beginer - intermediate | Black-throated Loon, Bewick's Swan, Bean Goose, ducks including Mandarin Duck, Falcated & Baikal Teal, Goldeneye, Smew and Chinese Merganser (rare), Steller's Sea-Eagle (uncommon) |
| Hino-misaki (Wakayama pref.) |
Bus service from Gobo station | 9-10 | beginer - intermediate | Osprey, Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Grey-faced Buzzard-Eagle, Common Buzzard, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Northern & Chinese (rare) Goshawk, Northern Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, warblers, flycatchers. Less quantity but much closer distance to birds than Irago |
| Hakata Bay, Imazu (Fukuoka pref.) |
Bus service from Imajuku station. Get off at Genyo Koko-mae. Walk approx. 500m to rivermouth of Zuibaiji river. | 8-5 | beginer - intermediate | 12-3: Red-throated & Pacific Loons, grebes,
Black-faced & White Spoonbill,
Osprey,
ducks, gulls including Saunder's, Penduline
Tit, Palla's Reed Bunting (rare) 4-5, 8-10: shorebirds including Spoon-billed Sandpiper (rare) & Spotted Greenshank (rare) |
| Tsushima (Nagasaki pref.) |
Flight from Nagasaki/Fukuoka to Tsushima or Ferry from Hakata to Izuhara port | 4-5 | advanced/twitcher | Pied Harrier (rare), Little Curlew, wagtails, pipits, Japanese, Rufous-tailed & Siberian Blue Robin, Bluethroat, Siberian Rubythroat, thrushes, warblers, flycatchers, Tristram's, Yellow-browed, Little, Yellow-breasted, Chestnut and Japanese Yellow Bunting, Common Rosefinch, Black-naped Oriole, Black Drongo |
| Miike (Miyazaki pref.) |
Bus service to Miike from Takaharu station of Kitto Line | 6-7 | intermediate-twitcher | Ruddy Kingfisher, Fairy Pitta, Narcissus Flycatcher, Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Copper Pheasant, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Varied Tit |
| Izumi (Kagoshima pref.) |
From Izumi station, bus to go to crane park mae (every 2 hours). | 11-3 | beginer - twitcher | raptors, Ruddy Crake, Hooded, Common, White-naped, Sandhill, Siberian (rare) & Demoselle (rare) Crane, Little,Grey-headed, Black-faced, Common Reed, Pallas's Reed & Japanese Reed Bunting, Penduline Tit, Daurian Jackdaw |
2.3 Amami, Okinawa & Nansei islands
| Amami Island | Flight from Haneda, Osaka, Kagoshima & Naha | all year | intermediate - twitcher | Check the forest at Kinsakubaru, near Naze. Amami Woodcock, Formosan Green Pigeon, Japanese Wood Pigeon, White-backed Woodpecker (endemic sub species), Ruddy Kingfisher, Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, Lidth's Jay |
| Yambaru | Follow Route 58 toward Benoki. Turn right toward Kunigami-son Village. | all year | advanced/twitcher | Okinawa Rail, Pryer's Woodpecker, Japanese Wood Pigeon, Formosan Green Pigeon, Celebes Scops-Owl, Ryukyu Robin, Ruddy Kingfisher (summer), Japanese Paradise Flycatcher (summer) |
| Kijoka | Follow Route 58 toward north from Nago. | 3-4, 8-10 | advanced/twticher | freshwater shorebirds, such as Long-toed Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Swhinhoe's & Pintail Snipe |
| Ishigaki Island | Flight from Fukuoka, Kansai, Nagoya & Haneda | all year | intermediate - twitcher | Amparu: shorebirds (winter), herons, Ryukyu
Minivet & Formosan Green Pigeon Banna-dake: Celebes Scops-Owl, Brown Hawk-Owl, Slaty-legged Crake, Ruddy Kingfisher (summer) Isobe around: Malay Night-heron, Barred Button-quail, wagtails, pipits, starlings |
| Iriomote Island | Boat from Ishigaki Island to Funaura or Ohara of Iriomote Island | all year | intermediate - twitcher | check at paddyfield, forest edge & orchard
for Purple Heron, Malay Night Heron, Cinnamon
Bittern, Crested Serpent Eagle, Japanese
Sparrowhawk, Grey-faced Buzzard-Eagle (winter),
Pied Harrier (rare), Ruddy Kingfisher (summer), crakes, Formosan Green Pigeon, Emerald Dove, Ruddy Kingfisher (summer), Narcissus Flycatcher, Japanese Paradise Flycatche, starlings, drongos |
| Yonaguni Island | Flight/Ferry from Ishigaki Island + Fight from Naha | 11-4 | advanced/twticher | Check at the paddyfield, orchard, shrub & garbarge dump: Many oriental species such as Pintail & Swinhoe's Snipe, Oriental Plover, Blyth's, Red-throated & Richard's Pipit, Blackbird, Eye-browed Thrush, Manchurian Bush Warbler, Radde's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Little Bunting, Silky, Purple-backed (rare) & White-shouldered Starling, White-vented (Javan) Myna |
Do you need more or updated information?
Or Go to Birding Guide in Japan
| Spring Migration | Autumn Migration |
| Winter Migrants in Japan | Southern Japan |
| Ibaraki-Benten's Birds | Birding in Shinshu |
| Shorebirds in Japan | Birding in Japan |
| Birding Guide in Japan | Field Note in Japan |