Lodge
Wilderness Lodge HickoryWind
Run by HickoryWind (Makoto and Shinobu Ando) · all year
About
Small self-built forest lodge in Tsurui village beside the Tsurui-Ito crane sanctuary, run by award-winning wildlife photographer and certified guide Makoto Ando (Nature's Best Photography Asia winner). Guests can add guided winter crane and owl outings, canoe trips in Kushiro Marsh, Shiretoko guiding and permit-only trekking in restricted wetland areas.
What you can photograph
From this listing
| Subject | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Fox | Peak | Peak | Outside the window | Outside the window | Outside the window | In season | In season | In season | Outside the window | Outside the window | Outside the window | Outside the window |
Open months
| Month | Presence |
|---|---|
| Jan | Peak |
| Feb | Peak |
| Mar | In season |
| Apr | In season |
| May | In season |
| Jun | In season |
| Jul | In season |
| Aug | In season |
| Sep | In season |
| Oct | In season |
| Nov | In season |
| Dec | In season |
Light on 15 November
Clear sky
| From | To | Light |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 05:56 | Night |
| 05:56 | 06:20 | Blue hour |
| 06:20 | 06:58 | Golden hour |
| 06:58 | 08:43 | Soft |
| 08:43 | 13:31 | Medium |
| 13:31 | 15:16 | Soft |
| 15:16 | 15:54 | Golden hour |
| 15:54 | 16:18 | Blue hour |
| 16:18 | 24:00 | Night |
4.8 hours of golden and soft light.
Light by month
Hours a day
| Month | Golden hour | Soft | Medium | Harsh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan (window) | 1.3 h | 3.8 h | 4.1 h | 0.0 h |
| Feb (window) | 1.2 h | 3.1 h | 6.1 h | 0.0 h |
| Mar (window) | 1.1 h | 2.7 h | 6.9 h | 1.1 h |
| Apr (window) | 1.1 h | 2.6 h | 5.0 h | 4.6 h |
| May (window) | 1.2 h | 2.6 h | 4.6 h | 6.0 h |
| Jun (window) | 1.3 h | 2.7 h | 4.6 h | 6.5 h |
| Jul (window) | 1.2 h | 2.7 h | 4.6 h | 6.3 h |
| Aug (window) | 1.1 h | 2.6 h | 4.8 h | 5.3 h |
| Sep (window) | 1.1 h | 2.6 h | 6.0 h | 2.7 h |
| Oct (window) | 1.1 h | 2.9 h | 6.9 h | 0.0 h |
| Nov (window) | 1.3 h | 3.5 h | 4.8 h | 0.0 h |
| Dec (window) | 1.4 h | 4.2 h | 3.3 h | 0.0 h |
The lodge
- Distance
- Unknown
- Lens
- Unknown
- Language
- English
- Species nearby
- Red-crowned crane, Ural owl, Steller's sea eagle, Ezo sika deer and Red fox
For photographers
- Hides on site: No
- Photo vehicles: Unknown
- Power and charging: Unknown
- Internet: Unknown
Red Fox — Eastern Hokkaido — Deep Winter
Shoot window
Red Fox: you will probably see it (Jan–Feb)
| Month | Presence |
|---|---|
| Jan | Peak |
| Feb | Peak |
| Mar | Outside the window |
| Apr | Outside the window |
| May | Outside the window |
| Jun | Outside the window |
| Jul | Outside the window |
| Aug | Outside the window |
| Sep | Outside the window |
| Oct | Outside the window |
| Nov | Outside the window |
| Dec | Outside the window |
- Peak
- Mid-February — coincides with mating activity, and coat is at maximum density. Needs verification: whether late January is comparable.
- Days needed
- 8 days
- Behaviour
- Courtship / display, Hunting / predation, Territorial fighting
- Coat
- Full winter coat
- Habitat
- Fresh snow, Pack ice / icebergs
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Also here
- Steller's sea eagle and white-tailed eagle at Rausu (drift ice boat trips), red-crowned crane at Tsurui/Kushiro, whooper swan at Lake Kussharo, Ezo sika deer on Notsuke.
- Light
- SOFT-LIGHT ASSESSMENT: very strong. At 44°N in deep winter the sun arcs low all day and never reaches a harsh angle. Eastern Hokkaido in February is frequently overcast with heavy snowfall, and snow-filtered light plus reflection off the ground gives a soft, almost shadowless quality that suits the near-monochrome intent exactly. Sea smoke off the Nemuro Strait adds further. Effectively the whole short day is shootable and there is no access-timing constraint since this is largely self-driven. Snow requires positive exposure compensation.
- Weather risk
- Snow / blizzard (asset), High wind and Fog / mist (asset)
- Tides and moon
- Not critical, though drift-ice extent off Rausu varies through Feb and affects the sea-ice backdrop.
- Atmosphere
- Blizzard conditions, sea smoke off the Nemuro Strait, breath vapour at -15°C, and drifting spindrift. In this location the weather is the differentiator — a clear-day fox is a snapshot, a fox in falling snow is the picture.
- Permits
- Notsuke Peninsula is a protected habitat with visitor conduct requirements — photography permitted but access rules apply. Feeding wildlife is discouraged and in places prohibited. Verify current drone rules for Shiretoko.
- Getting there
- Fly to Kushiro or Memanbetsu via Tokyo/Sapporo. Self-drive is standard and roads are ploughed but icy — winter tyres essential. Base around Rausu, Nakashibetsu or Teshikaga. Local lodges (e.g. Masuya, Teshikaga) are used by Japanese wildlife photographers. Combine with drift-ice eagle boats from Rausu.
Who runs trips here: Saiyu Travel run Japanese-language wildlife operations in the Teshikaga area and hold a guesthouse in Rausu. Several Western photo tours run here annually. Self-driving independently is entirely viable and cheaper. Needs verification: whether anyone offers ground-level hide work rather than roadside shooting.
Confidence: medium · Last verified 24 Aug 2026
Red Fox — Eastern Hokkaido — Summer
Shoot window
Red Fox: you will almost certainly see it (Jun–Aug)
| Month | Presence |
|---|---|
| Jan | Outside the window |
| Feb | Outside the window |
| Mar | Outside the window |
| Apr | Outside the window |
| May | Outside the window |
| Jun | In season |
| Jul | In season |
| Aug | In season |
| Sep | Outside the window |
| Oct | Outside the window |
| Nov | Outside the window |
| Dec | Outside the window |
- Behaviour
- Moult
- Coat
- Moulting / patchy
- Habitat
- Green season / lush
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Light
- Long days, high sun, harsh midday. Golden hour exists but the background gains clutter that winter removes.
- Permits
- Den-site photography raises disturbance issues; several codes of practice discourage it outright.
Confidence: high · Last verified 24 Aug 2026
What the price covers
- Taxes: Yes
From 15,000 JPY (16,500 incl. tax) per person per night with dinner and breakfast
Prices are in the operator's currency. Conversions on the site are approximate and marked ≈. Enquiry form coming soon.
Ethics
- Feeding Unverified
- Baiting Unverified
- Captive Animals Unverified
Green means ShutterAtlas has checked it. Yellow means it has not been checked yet. Red means it happens here.
Light and conditions
Loading today’s light and weather…
Light through the year
Golden hour is when the sun is low, between the horizon and 6° above it: soft, warm light. Times are for the 15th of each month, in Tokyo time (with summer time where it applies).
| Month | Golden hour | Daylight | Sun at noon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning golden hour | Evening golden hour | |||
| Jan | 06:57– | 15:28– | 9h 20m9 h 20 min | 26° |
| Feb | 06:26– | 16:13– | 10h 32m10 h 32 min | 34° |
| Mar | 05:40– | 16:51– | 11h 53m11 h 53 min | 45° |
| Apr | 04:46– | 17:27– | 13h 23m13 h 23 min | 57° |
| May | 04:05– | 17:58– | 14h 40m14 h 40 min | 66° |
| Jun | 03:48– | 18:21– | 15h 22m15 h 22 min | 70° |
| Jul | 04:01– | 18:19– | 15h 5m15 h 5 min | 68° |
| Aug | 04:32– | 17:47– | 13h 59m13 h 59 min | 61° |
| Sep | 05:06– | 16:56– | 12h 32m12 h 32 min | 50° |
| Oct | 05:40– | 16:02– | 11h 5m11 h 5 min | 38° |
| Nov | 06:20– | 15:16– | 9h 44m9 h 44 min | 28° |
| Dec | 06:53– | 15:01– | 9h9 h | 24° |
Getting there
- Nearest airport
- Unknown
Sources
Imported listing, not yet claimed by the owner · last checked 28 Oct 2026