General Information
Join Andy Mumford and Terra Expeditions in the snowy, minimalist photographic paradise of Hokkaido, Japan. A stark and almost monochromatic landscape, Hokkaido in winter is a place of abstracts and simplicity.
From lone trees atop snow covered hills to Torri gates standing next to the ocean, Hokkaido offers winter landscape photography distilled to its absolutely essential elements.
Our journey there goes deep into the winter. We will learn how to work with austere winter landscapes to create simple minimal images as well as the big wide scenes, and with Andy Mumford and Terra’s Jonas Paurell, you will have plenty of guidance in the field to work on everything from composition to exposure and capturing mood. We will push your creativity and ensure you come home with a unique portfolio of images, as well as some fantastic memories from this incredible place.
This adventure will take you far away from neon-light cities to a realm of pristine landscapes, vibrant cultural pockets, natural wonders, and tranquility.
Guides
Andy Mumford
Creative Guide
Andy is a Lisbon based professional landscape and travel photographer. He is also a passionate teacher of photography and has been leading groups and one-to-one workshops for over five years, while his images and photography writing have featured in magazines and publications worldwide. As well as workshops and travelling he also produce regular videos about photography and film-making on his Youtube channel.
Andy's YouTube & Website
Jonas Paurell
Creative Guide & Expedition Leader
Jonas is the founder of Terra Photography Expeditions. He has been a photographer for well over 20 years. He is a certified International Mountain Leader (UIMLA) that has spent a lifetime exploring the world's wild areas. Jonas will be leading the expedition.
Jonas loves working with developing photographers to strengthen their technical foundation and support them to unleach their inner creativity. Jonas achieves this through engaging lectures, educative assignments and hands-on teaching in the field.
More info here.
Itinerary
Day 1 | Arrival Day | Jan 21, 2026
Our adventure will begin in Lake Kussharo, a beautiful crater lake in Eastern Hokkaido. We will collect you from Memanbetsu Airport at 3 PM and after transferring you to our hotel in Lake Kushiro, we will gather for an introductory meeting and get to know each other. Our day is concluded with a welcome dinner.
Day 2 | Lake Kussharo
For our first full day, we will be immersed in the surreal beauty of Lake Kussharo, and the surroundings. This will be our first taste of the deep winter of Hokkaido. The landscapes here combine both minimalism and grand scenics with a large lake framed by snow-capped mountains. Vibrant shades of blue contrast against the surrounding snow alongside the smaller, more intimate landscape scenes of snow-covered trees, and clean, austere landscapes. We will also look for the famous swans that inhabit the area.
We may also have time while we are here to visit Saroma in the north, famous for its fishing ports where the boats are pulled up out of the water for winter.
Days 3 - 6 | Biei
We will head to Biei, deep in the heart of Hokkaido. A minimalist landscape heaven, Biei offers snow-covered hills, lines of birch trees, frozen streams, and a backdrop of dark peaks. It’s the kind of place where you can lose yourself in composition—creating intimate portraits of the land, focusing on lines and shapes within this pristine winter scenery.
We will spend our time exploring this fascinating agricultural region, hunting for minimal compositions and, if we’re lucky, capturing alpenglow on the mountains at day’s end. We will also visit waterfalls where vivid blue water cuts through snow-covered rocks. And of course, we will make time for theory discussions and critique sessions to deepen your understanding and elevate your work.
Day 7 | Shosanbetsu
Our private bus will take us to the coastal village of Shosanbetsu. We will spend some time capturing this small fishing village before heading to the iconic Red Torii gate for sunset. We will explore different compositions and long exposures to try to capture this iconic symbol of Japanese culture.
Day 8 | Departure Day | Jan 28, 2026
After a final morning shoot of the Torii gates at sunrise, we will transfer to Asahikawa Airport, where our tour concludes, and we say our goodbyes. Drop-off at the airport is approx. 2 PM.
Curriculum
All Terra Photography Expeditions follow a proven curriculum that aims to teach the theory behind photography in a dynamic way that directly translates into easily actionable processes in the field. As we move through nature we also go through an introduction to the skills and knowledge required to be safe in the great outdoors.
Photography Techniques Covered on the Expedition
Storytelling - Telling stories and evoking emotions within the context of landscape photography
Composition - A comprehensive introduction to the theory of composition, including the elements of art and principles of design
Process - Learning and implementing a process to achieve consistent quality in landscape photography
Focusing - A science-based method for focusing to make your images sharp
Long exposure and filters - Long exposure and the use of Neutral Density (ND) filters, especially related to moving water and clouds
Panorama photography - exposing and merging multiple images
Multiple exposures - Achieving correctly exposed images in challenging conditions using multiple exposures (exposure bracketing)
Finding locations - Using maps, weather services, and other tools to identify potential photography locations and times.
Processing Techniques:
Using Lightroom to apply contrast
Using local adjustments to shape and sculpt the light
Using luminosity masks in Lightroom
Different techniques for blending multiple exposures of the same image
Stitching multiple panoramas together
Sharpening images
Accommodation
Private Rooms Throughout the Entire Trip
We'll be staying in a mix of charming Japanese and comfortable Western-style hotels. Some of them offer access to private or communal hot springs (Onsens) for your relaxation. Everyone will be automatically booked into a single occupancy room unless you request to share with your partner.
Additional Information
The Agenda and the Weather
The winter weather on the Hokkaido island is snowy and unpredictable. Just the way we like it! Some areas of Hokkaido get 600cm (19 feet 8 inches) of snowfall annually. While there's a chance we might need to adjust our plans if we get snowed in at the hotel, we will see it as an opportunity for unexpected adventures. After all, those same weather fronts are what make Hokkaido unique. Each day we will study the charts and the local weather conditions to plan our day. So, pack your gear, and get ready for an unforgettable expedition!
Food
Our hotels feature delicious meals tailored to diverse palates based on Japanese Cuisine. Please let us know if you have any food preferences, allergies, or dietary restrictions, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. All breakfasts and dinners are included.
Getting There and Back Out Again
The tour begins at Memanbetsu Airport, which is commonly accessed via connecting flights through Tokyo or Osaka. It concludes at Asahikawa Airport, with return connections typically available through Tokyo and Osaka.
Leave No Trace Policy
Terra Photography Expeditions has a strict leave no trace policy. This policy is also applied to how we share information about places that we gently and respectfully visit. This means that we have withheld exact locations from the itinerary. This is because we do not want to contribute to large scale tourism. You are welcome to get in touch if you'd like to discuss the itinerary before applying to join. Thank you for your understanding.
How Challenging?
This expedition has a Lowland Workshop effort level.
Our Lowland Workshops are designed to be accessible and enjoyable for a wide range of participants. Most of our locations are situated along roadsides or can be reached by walking a few kilometers on well-maintained trails. For winter workshops the conditions can sometimes be snowy and on not maintaned paths.
Price & Details
Included:
Guided photography sessions in the field with two creative guides
Theoretical sessions
All accommodation during the expedition: 7 nights in a private room (unless you request to share with your partner)
Breakfasts and Dinners on all days (except the first day where we start with dinner and the last day where we say our good bye after breakfast)
All transport during the tour
Excluded:
Photo equipment
Outdoor clothing
Transport to the starting point (i.e. flights to the pick-up airport)
Insurance. All participants are required to have their insurance appropriate for this expedition, such as health, accident, repatriation, cancellation, personal liability, etc.
Lunches, trail snacks to eat on the go, and alcoholic beverages
Price: 9495 US$ - 300 US$ discount per person if sharing with a friend or partner, Including VAT.
To secure your reservation, full payment is required at the time of booking. Due to the Japanese Yen rapidly appreciating against the US Dollar, we’ve adopted a full-payment model for this tour. This protects you from potential price increases between our traditional deposit and final payment schedule. By locking in the foreign exchange rate now, we avoid any currency risk and can maintain a fair price.
This means that for this tour our Terms and Conditions are altered in regards to cancellations:
Your payment is fully refundable until the tour is officially confirmed.
After confirmation, 50% of the payment is refundable up to 180 days before the tour start date.
From 180 to 90 days before the start, 30% is refundable.
No refunds can be given within 90 days of the tour start date.
We strongly recommend that all travelers purchase comprehensive travel insurance that includes coverage for cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances.
Participants: Minimum 7 - Maximum 10
Start: Memanbetsu Airport, Jan 21, 2026, 3 PM pick-up at the airport
End: Asahikawa Airport, Jan 28, 2026, 2 PM drop-off at the airport
Status: Pending!
Tour Operator: Terra Expeditions LLC
We reserve the right to change the itinerary without previous notice due to weather conditions, and unforeseeable circumstances.
This tour is governed by the Terms and Conditions