{"id":11777,"date":"2016-08-19T18:13:25","date_gmt":"2016-08-19T17:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.insidejapantours.com\/?p=11777"},"modified":"2016-09-09T09:11:52","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T08:11:52","slug":"karuizawa-japans-next-nature-hotspot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/19\/karuizawa-japans-next-nature-hotspot\/","title":{"rendered":"Karuizawa: Japan&#8217;s next nature hotspot"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Emma is one of our travel consultants who travelled to Japan last month. She is a keen nature lover and eager to share her experiences from her new favourite wildlife hotspot in Japan \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/karuizawa\/\">Karuizawa<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Karuizawa is resort area hidden deep in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture. Popular with the Japanese since the late 1800s, it is well-known for its golf courses, outdoor sports and historic shopping street, known as \u201cGinza-dori\u201d &#8211; and it&#8217;s particularly associated with Japan\u2019s wealthier residents, with many rich Japanese urbanites also owning holiday homes in the area. The Japanese Imperial family have holiday homes here, and the region was favoured by John Lennon and Yoko Ono during their visits to Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Little-known to Japanese and Western tourists, Karuizawa is not just a summer playground for the rich &#8211; it is also a fantastic place for nature lovers. In 1974, a 100 hectare area of forestland was established as the Karuizawa Wild Bird Sancutuary. Over eighty species of bird live here as well as numerous other animals including bears, Japanese serow and the world\u2019s largest species of flying squirrel.<\/p>\n<p>Within the bird sanctuary is the Picchio Visitor Center, which offers a variety of nature-watching tours to educate visitors about the local flora and fauna. One of the most popular tours is the Giant Flying Squirrel Tour, which I had the good luck to join on my recent trip. The experience lasted for 90 minutes and began within the visitor centre itself, where we learnt about the morphology, diet and behaviour of the animal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11784\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11784\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11784 size-medium-plus-size\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/squirrel-510x263.jpg\" alt=\"A flying squirrel peeps out of his hole (Photo: Picchio Wildlife Centre)\" width=\"510\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/squirrel-510x263.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/squirrel-300x154.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/squirrel-564x290.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/squirrel-390x201.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/squirrel.jpg 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11784\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A flying squirrel peeps out of his hole (Photo: Picchio Wildlife Centre)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From here, we were provided with binoculars and moved outside &#8211; where the guide took us to a nearby nest box. All nest boxes are equipped with cameras so that the Picchio Center staff can monitor the squirrels for conservation projects. The guide links the nest box up to a monitor so that you can see inside the nest to give a better idea of when the squirrels will emerge to feed.<\/p>\n<p>The Japanese Giant Squirrel is nocturnal, so tours are always conducted in the evening. Having monitored the squirrels for several years the guides are able to accurately estimate when the squirrel will emerge. When they did exit the nest, we had to react quickly to see the giant flying squirrel scamper up to the highest branch in the tree, from where is assesses which tree it will then glide to. This is where our guide\u2019s expertise really stood out! From watching the squirrel\u2019s behaviour, our guide was able to judge which tree the squirrel would glide to and move us into the best position so that the squirrel glided almost directly above our heads. It is a truly magical experience. Depending on the squirrel\u2019s movements, visitors are usually able to see a further three or four glides before the squirrel disappears from sight into the dense woodland, and visibility becomes difficult as dusk becomes night.<\/p>\n<p>As well as the Flying Squirrel Tour, the center also offers a popular Nature Watching Tour, which takes you on a two-hour walk through the bird sanctuary. The best times to visit are in fall, winter or spring as there is less foliage, making the birds easier to spot. However, wildlife can be seen all year round and the tour incorporates opportunities to learn about many different species of animal, not just birds. We were equipped with binoculars, a bird-watching guidebook and checklist before setting off into the forest with our guide.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11783\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11783\" style=\"width: 720px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-half-width wp-image-11783\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-720x405.jpg\" alt=\"Spot Siberian blue robins - and many other species\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-564x317.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-900x506.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-390x219.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-780x439.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin-510x287.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/siberian-blue-robin.jpg 944w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11783\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spot Siberian blue robins &#8211; and many other species<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Throughout the tour there were numerous opportunities to learn about the local fauna, with the guide stopping at several points to talk about native reptiles, amphibians, mammals &#8211; and of course birds. This tour also incorporates opportunities to see into various nest boxes with cameras, in the same manner as the Flying Squirrel Tour does, with chances to see birds feeding their young, as well as sleeping giant flying squirrels. With so much to see and learn about, the two-hour tour is over before you know it, but fear not as you&#8217;re welcome to hike and explore the wildlife sanctuary trails once the tour is over.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos: Picchio Wildlife Center<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>So, if you\u2019re keen to see some nature and wildlife during your visit to Japan, why not consider making a trip to Karuizawa? The town can be reached by bullet train in less than 90 minutes from Tokyo and the journey is even covered by the Japan Rail Pass! The &#8216;Squirrel Watching&#8217; experience and a stay in Karuizawa is included in the ever popular, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japan-small-group-tours\/i-je\/japan-enchantment\/\">&#8216;Japan Enchantment&#8217;<\/a> tour.\u00a0 Drop us a line.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11777\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Emma is one of our travel consultants who travelled to Japan last month. She is a keen nature lover and eager to share her experiences from her new favourite wildlife hotspot in Japan \u2013 Karuizawa. Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2357],"tags":[2316,2712,2785,2786,2787],"class_list":["post-11777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-wildlife-and-environment","tag-wildlife","tag-emma-price","tag-flying-squirrel","tag-nature-tour","tag-karuizawa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}