Izumi Crane Tour

You set out from your accommodations or from the train station around 9am and come back around 5pm. It is a 35km tour, leaving you ample opportunity for bird watching. Lunch, morning and afternoon snacks are included in the tour price. Optional English speaking bird guide. In case you want to bring your photo and spotting equipment, you can borrow sturdy Ortlieb bike bags.

We visit the Crane Park Museum to understand everything about the cranes. Then we guide you along the crane’s protected roosts in rice fields, see them feeding in nearby onion and vegetable plots throughout the day and visit the reedbeds west of Tsurumitei, the Minshuku of Matano-san were it all started.  Lunch is ramen or udon with Tsurumitei’s home made miso. In the evening we experience the unforgettable sight of thousands of cranes returning to roost, while enjoying a cup of tea and a roasted, locally grown sweet potato.