[Tweeters] Northern Japan

[Timothy Barksdale via Tweeters]

Hello Tweets!

I just spent some time in Northern Honshu Japan in September on my own.

While I did not see a ton of birds, I did fine, and more than that, I had
one of the best experiences of my life. Migration was in full swing but I
hit one of those periods where the global warming combined with the
migration timing to produce a quiet period between "waves". On top of that,
I was unable to simply stop the train to get a bird.

Because I did not use a birding guide, I began preparation well ahead of
time. I am in production on another PBS special- this one 2 hours- so My
goal was to film several of the Tsunami stones, especially one very remote
one.

My first concern was to have a translator at the ready in my iPhone, Google
translate with Japanese installed made it relatively painless. I did not
speak any Japanese when I left.  I think as Blair and others have noted,
using a Japanese birding guide, like Koji Tagi, will ease any problems and
probably get you very good results.

As soon as one clears customs at the Tokyo Haneda airport one can
easily obtain Japanese currency and with preparation- pocket wifi and sim
cards. Pasmo or Suica cards are right on the way to the high speed trains
and monorails. I was in Tokyo Station making new friends in under 2 hours
after landing. Within one more hour- I was on a bullet train to
Aomori which is just south of Hokkaido. I arrived before 8:30 pm !!!

One thing to keep in mind if you do go on your own like I did, - Japan is
the same size as Montana, but longer and more narrow. Oh yeah-😂 there is a
whole lot more ocean. Effectively, even though it looks so small on the
globe - it takes much longer to get places than it looks, because it is
actually much further away.

Birding books- I found the Birds of Japan by Otani Chikara to be
outstanding, but if one prefers a photoguide then Birds of Japan and
North-east Asia by Tadao Shimba was very nicely illustrated. I chose the
Chikara book to be my traveling companion.

Bird-finding guides are old and seem to be a little bit out of date. I
headed for an ideal looking river outlet, only to find it was "locked
inside" of a military zone with fighter jets in active scramble due to
North Korean provocations earlier in the day. I effectively lost an entire
day due to this range not having been clearly identified.

My path was along the Tohoku coast including Hachinohe, Fudai, Miyako,
Yamada and Kesennuma. This is a spectacular, scenic area. In nearly all the
low-lying areas, rice is cultivated. Most hillsides are covered with trees
and forests. Villages and cities are mostly well planned and very, very
clean.

Birds are everywhere, and sadly I could not stop at some of the best
locations. I came away with a modest 53 life birds of which Eastern Blue
Rock Thrush was my favorite.

I used taxis, buses, trains ( JR east) Bullet trains and walked a bunch.
Everywhere- people are friendly and helpful. In my experience, when
compared to American companies, like Delta or any other, JAL, British Air,
Turkish Air and several others are far superior in service, meals and that
means a great deal on a 20 hour flight.
I will never fly internationally on American airlines if at all possible to
avoid them.

The hotels and small family run traditional ryokans are outstanding. I was
consistently astonished by the modest prices and the service I received.
The food preparation was brilliant. Everything runs as if on a very
efficient schedule. No delays.

Important note: Japan is NOT a tipping society and thus offering a tip is
almost a sign of disrespect. Do learn to say " Arigato Gozaimasu" properly
and bow at least a little out of thanks and you will go far.

After this trip I consider Japan to be the most courteous society in the
 world if not the most civilized and thus the most advanced. It is
certainly the safest and most respectful. I was impressed by the young
people, especially outside of Tokyo. School uniforms identified young
students ( 6 yrs old on up) who moved seamlessly - without adults, on
public transportation.

I was thrilled to meet a half dozen of our service men in the US Air Force
going on leave and had a delightful conversation with these fine people
while riding the train. So my impressions are not only my own.

I achieved my goal of filming 6 Tsunami stones, discovered wonderful
accommodations and found a society I loved. I will go back to Japan ( i
hope) many times before I die. If I had not already booked three more
trips, I would be doing exactly what Blair is.
Very best,

Tim Barksdale
Birdman Adventures &
Birdman Productions
Mokane, MO
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