This is the second of three posts detailing a trip to Japan with Nick Preston, we had started in Hokkaido and were now heading south ...
30 June. We were up at 03:30 in anticipation of a good
seawatch to discover visibility was less than 50m as we were sailing south
through thick fog. We went on deck at 06:00 when the sun appeared to be
attempting to break through but it was still impossible to see anything. At
06:45 it suddenly cleared and immediately we saw Black-footed and Laysan
Albatrosses and Short-tailed Shearwater amongst the many Streaked
Shearwaters. That so many birds were
around the ship made us bitterly regret more the earlier lost hours. Just as
quickly as it cleared, ten minutes later we hit fog again although thankfully
it only lasted for another 20 minutes. The rest of the voyage was clear, although fog still hung over the coast, and the sea was calm making it easier to see birds on the water. Birding was
excellent to mid morning, variety but not numbers reduced to early afternoon
when it became just Streaked Shearwaters and the occasional Black-footed
Albatross, picking up an hour or so before we approached Oarai at dusk. We saw
nearly 4000 Streaked and 18 Short-tailed Shearwaters, 32 Black-footed and 9
Laysan Albatrosses, Band-rumped and Tristran’s Petrels, 9 Ancient Murrelets, a
Pacific Diver and 3 South Polar Skuas. We were sure numbers and variety would
have been increased if we’d not lost what were potentially the best 3.5 hours due to
fog. The ferry had been excellent with a comfortable bed and ready supply of
hot water. The deck offered reasonable viewing but there were very few seats.
We disembarked at 19:45 and caught a ‘connecting’ bus to Mitu station half an
hour later where we found our adjacent hotel. We had a meal in a nearby McDonalds
and had a good night’s sleep.
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not the weather we'd hoped to wake up to |
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Honshu coast and calm sea |
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still rather murky |
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our sister ferry heading north |
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Black-footed Albatross |
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and Streaked Shearwater |
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dolphins |
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low cloud over the Honshu coast |
01 July. A lie in to 07:00 as the car hire office didn’t open
until 08:00. We arrived at 07:45 to find it staffed and after completing
formalities and having Sasagawa station, or somewhere nearby, programmed into
the Sat-Nav we were on our way at 08:05. We reached Sasagawa at 10:00 and soon
recognised the lock gates where we wanted to be. We quickly located Japanese Reed Bunting and
Marsh Grassbird obtaining good views of both, the easiest birding so far in Japan, and left at 10:30 for the
long drive through Tokyo to Mt Fuji, clocking up over £40 in road tolls. The
Sav-Nav didn’t recognise the telephone number of the hotel we were staying in
but came up with a generic destination which seemed to be about right. As it
turned out it was in the next town and took us 10km too far. Once found we checked into the Hatago Ichiya, a very pleasant pension, dumped our bags and drove up the
eastern road (150) onto Mt Fuji. We were soon in cloud although it thinned at
times. We continued to the end of the road and parked. After 10 minutes we were about to head
lower down when it cleared somewhat so we walked along a trail to a hidden
river (it only flows in May, presumably from melted snow). We saw Olive-backed
Pipits, a male Red-flanked Bluetail and had poor views of Brown-headed Thrushes
(again) but generally there were few birds. Back in town we ate in Denny’s.
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Japanese Reed Bunting |
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rather flighty |
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toll road through Tokyo |
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Mt Fuji |
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cloudy |
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it finally cleared |
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Olive-backed Pipit on Mt Fuji |
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lower slopes of Mt Fuji |
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Tokyo ring roads |
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our 8 berth 'cabin',fortunately we had it to ourselves |
03 July. We were up at 04:00 to find it still dark but the
sky starting to lighten. As the light improved dark shapes over the sea
revealed themselves to be Streaked Shearwaters but views were not great.
Miyakejima was coming into view, the higher slopes of the volcano hidden by low
clouds. We docked at Miike Port at 05:00, disembarked, realised we had not come into the port where our hotel was and were getting onto a local bus when we were
intercepted by someone from the hotel who had come to meet us. It was 20 minutes
ride to the Kairaku Hotel, passing Tairo-ike, the main site, on the way. Tempting as it
was to ask to be let out while our bags were taken to the hotel we thought it
best to see where we were staying first. We were at the hotel at 05:45, left
our bags in a storage room as check-in time was not until 15:00 and passed on the offer
of breakfast (a very wise move as it turned out). It was about 7km to Tairo-ike
and although served by 5 round island buses a day the first was not until
08:00. We decided to walk leaving at 06:00. On the way, approaching a roadside
shrine about half-way there, we heard then saw well a Pleske’s Grasshopper Warbler, the one endemic not present around
the lake. We also saw our first Izu Thrushes along the road and Ijima’s Leaf
Warbler, Owston’s Tit and Japanese Robin on the track to the visitor centre.
Those, Japanese Wood Pigeon and the endemic race of Wren meant we had seen all
the key species before 08:30, the time the bus would have arrived. We spent
much of the day waking around the lake and sitting out on the two jetties into it –
if only to escape attentions of the ferocious mosquitoes in the forest. We
caught the 15:30 bus back to Ako and were the only passengers on it. After
checking in and sorting a few things out we walked to a nearby headland hoping
there might be some passage offshore. There wasn’t and the light was awful but another Pleske’s
Grasshopper Warbler was nice compensation. Back at the hotel dinner was
probably our worst meal to date – Japanese style with lots of courses, several
uncooked and not to our taste at all. We’d been given no choice and assumed it
was a set menu so were decidedly unimpressed to see a pizza being delivered to
one table and chips to another. A room only arrangement would have been far
preferable to what we had.
04 July. The ferry back to Tokyo was at 13:35 and we decided
against returning to the lake as that would involve walking at least one way. We
decided instead to try Toga headland which was half the distance. We were up at
05:30 but it was very foggy so we decided to have breakfast in the hotel. Big
mistake, raw egg, dried fish ad a few grated vegetables and a cold tea/coffee
concoction which left an unpleasant after-taste. We retired to the room where I
added boiling water to a sachet of instant couscous. Not great but edible. At
07:00 we walked to Toga headland, visibility had improved but remained less
than 1km. We saw five Pleske’s Grasshopper Warblers, four of which were singing
males. We returned to the hotel, packed and checked out at 10:00 and waited for
news of which port the ferry would be arriving at. Unfortunately it was the one
we had come into, reducing our chance of seeing Japanese Murrelet which bred on
a small islet a couple of kms off Ako.
At 12:45 we were mini-bused to Miike Port. It had been foggy still at
Ako when we left but was completely clear at Miike although the volcano was
still mostly obscured by low clouds. The ferry arrived out of the fog at 13:20
and docked and was turned around in 10 minutes – very impressive. Streaked
Shearwaters appeared soon after we departed but the ferry was travelling quite
fast making it hard to obtain decent views. Otherwise a dark-morph Wedge-tailed
Shearwater was our only sighting on what was ultimately a disappointing
crossing – no storm-petrels at all. We approached Oshima and docked there for another brief stop. It was then a long
slog back to Tokyo where we arrived at 20:40, almost an hour later than
anticipated - we had not appreciated that the timetable had just changed to add the stop at Oshima so we were actually on time. We quickly walked to Hamamatsucho Station, pleased that we had
reconnoitred where the ticket machines were when passing through earlier. We
bought tickets to Karuizawa via Ueno and soon boarded a rather crowded JR local
train. The Shinkansen express station at
Ueno was clearly signed and we soon found the right platform and where the
unreserved carriages would stop. The train was on time (we expected no less)
and we readily found seats, although not together. The luggage racks were ample
for our bags too. Stations were announced ahead of arrival and just over an
hour later, at 22:47, we were at Karuizawa. We were being met by Dice who
helped run his family pension but had forgotten to ask him if we should eave by
north or south exit. Just as we had to choose between the two he came up to us
and we were soon on our way to Edohara Pension. Fifteen minutes later we
arrived and were shown our room. Dice made us a cup of tea and gave us
information and a helpful trail guide for the best forest areas around. We negotiated
to have breakfast at 10:00, after being assured it was western style (and so
worth having – it was). The only disadvantage of being at Edohara without
transport was that it was a 2km walk to the main forest trails.
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Izu Thrush |
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Pleske's Grasshopper Warbler, impressive feet |
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Japanese Weasel |
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introduced onto Miyakejima in 1982 to control rats |
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unfortunately Japanese Bush Warblers and Izu Thrushes are to its liking too |
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our ferry appearing out of the fog |
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once on board we made straight for the deck |
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last views of Miyakejima |
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Oshima |
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Tokyo lights |
05 July. We were up at 04:00. It was still dark as we walked
down the road to the start of the forest trails but was light when we arrived
at 04:40. We birded there until just after 09:30. The forest was generally
quiet although we did see a male Yellow Bunting, my target species for the
site, and Blue & White and Narcissus Flycatchers. It was then a 25 minute
walk back for an excellent western-style breakfast – the best of the trip. We
relaxed to noon and then returned to the forest trails spending until 18:20
there. We walked up the main river track seeing another Yellow Bunting and a
Giant Flying Squirrel looking out of a nest box but otherwise it was very quiet
until a small burst of activity from 17:00. It included a superb Asian
Stubtail, 2 more Yellow Buntings, Japanese Thrush and Varied Tit. Nick saw a
female Siberian Blue Robin by the trail as we were leaving but I was late onto
it and only saw a shape drop off a log which was disappointing. We were back at
Edohara at 18:50 and had a very nice meal, again our best in Japan.
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Narcissus Flycatcher |
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female Meadow Bunting |
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male Meadow Bunting |
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Giant Flying Squirrel |
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poorly focused Blue and White Flycatcher |
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Yellow Bunting, not that yellow but still quite nice |
06 July. We were up at 03:30 and on the main forest trail at
dawn. Nick found the Siberian Blue Robin a little further up the trail than it
had been the previous evening but I was at the original spot and it had gone
into the vegetation before I reached him. Fortunately it reappeared five
minutes later and I had good views. We walked several trails but again it was
very quiet, bird densities appeared to be very low. As we were returning we
heard a Japanese Robin singing but it failed to come in to tape. I went in
disturbing a male Siberian Blue Robin which perched up before disappearing but
that was it, time to leave for 10:00 breakfast, not something we were keen to
miss. We didn’t feel a fourth visit to the forest would add much and decided to
try a trail behind the lodge that headed into another area of woods. Feeling
wasted we left it to 12:30 before going out. The trail led to a waterfall but
was again very quiet for birds. We had another excellent dinner and an early
night.
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Giant Flying Squirrel still looking out of its nestbox |
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waterfall above the Edohara |
07 July. We were up at 06:00 and had a short unproductive
walk around Edohora Pension before breakfast at 07:00. We said a sad goodbye to
Mitsuo and Hiroka, they had looked after us very well. Dice drove us down to
the station and helped us with tickets to Hamamatsucho. Dice and I queued in
the ticket office while Nick headed for a ticket machine and it was soon
apparent that he would be quicker. The train was on time, the 08:14 Shinkansen
to Tokyo. We easily found seats and changed at Ueno, as before - it was cheaper avoiding Tokyo or spending less time of the Shinkansen.
The local Yamanote line train was very busy and at Hamamatsucho we changed,
following signs to the monorail and buying tickets from a machine at the
entrance. All very easy with signs and announcements in English. We alighted at
Haneda Terminal 1 an hour or so earlier than perhaps was necessary but the
later train would have been rather tight. Our flight was listed but with the
warning it might divert due to strong winds on Amami, not encouraging and our
first inkling that all might not be well weather-wise.
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Pension Edohara |
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me and Nick with Hiroka and Mitsuo (photo taken by Dice) |
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Shinkansen arriving at Karuizawa |
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heading for the monorail at Hamamatsucho |
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