Biei, Hokkaido - Minimalist Winter Photography and Travel Guide. Japan Photo Explore

This is a photography and travel guide to the beautiful snow-covered rolling hills of Biei, on Japan's most northerly main island, Hokkaido. Inspired by the Hokkaido minimalist photography of Michael Kenna, Ted and I have come to Biei in search of minimalist landscape photography.
Whether you are planning to travel to Japan when it re-opens, or just enjoy some virtual travel, you have come to the right place. Japan Photo Explore is a series of travel and photography videos that show you some amazing places, some you’ve probably never heard of.
Hi, my name's Nick Pitsas. I am a photographer and video producer and I've been traveling to Japan since 2009, including five trips in winter, so if you have any questions about travel and photography in Japan, I'm happy to try to answer them. I look forward to your comments and questions. More videos are coming so if you’d like to see them, please click the notifications button so that you’ll know when new videos are uploaded.
For all the photography in this video my photography buddy Ted and I both used Fujifilm X-T2 camera bodies. Because part of this itinerary included bird photography, we had Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lenses with us. This is a lens not typically used for landscape photography, but it proved to be very useful in this location.
Please note that none of the content of this video, nor the equipment we used, was sponsored.
www.nickpitsas.com
Instagram @nickpitsas
ello.co/nickpitsas
ello.co/tedhamilton

[@bluestoneimages359]

This video is just amazing. Love the music, the story, the scenery. Wish it would never end！
Thanks for the video it brings back my memories…

[@jessking9147]

Thank you for this great video. I live in Hokkaido and visit Biei and Furano often throughout the year. It's a beautiful location and always a pleasure to visit, as well as always providing a multitude of locations for photography.

[@saveferris166]

Great video, well shot and extremely informative.

[@adventurecoalition3690]

Great video, thx for sharing. Now for those photos, OH MY 🙌🙌Phenomenal, thank you for this amazing work

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

[@ajhertel]

Thanks for the information, I'm heading there in a month.

[@danielattias1525]

I to agree Michael Kenna is one hell of a photographer.

[@Dr.GeoDave]

So nice

[@terryandvalda]

Ethereal. The best yet.

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you, Terry. Really appreciate your comments.

[@johnmanger8602]

Beautiful new version. Excellent, but gentle, coaching throughout. And just wonderful camera work. And who is that other rather witty bloke who keeps joining in? He's good too!

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you, John! Appreciate your comments. You're referring to Ted? Yes, witty and good humoured!

[@johnmanger8602]

@@japanphotoexplore Absolutely!

[@theartofgoldenlily]

Wow

[@q-doctor6564]

Wow !
Thank you for wonderful video and useful information about Hokkaido.
Happy New Year 2023 !

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you for your comment. I'm really pleased you enjoyed the video! A Happy New Year to you too!

[@kiIIingxspree]

oooh! I love the blueness of the light in biei. Oooh 4:09 is something else!

[@jacksotiriou9992]

Well done Nick. Fantastic photography

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thanks, Jack! Really pleased you liked it.

[@caloy4573]

I want to visit this place😊

[@japanphotoexplore]

I hope you manage to get there!

[@khalidhamid7448]

Great trip, pictures and narration. 👏👏👏👏

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thanks, Khalid! Really appreciate the feedback. Hokkaido in winter is other worldly.

[@A.J_inJapan]

I love binge watching your videos. it so relaxing.... Thank you. iTS HELPING ME WITH MY DEPRESSION.

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you for your comment! That's amazing!! I haven't been back to Japan since it re-opened in October, but will be going early 2023, so more videos to come. All the best.

[@markgoostree6334]

Your photos are awesome! The area is awesome! Thank you for allowing us to ride along.

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you, Mark. You're welcome!

[@CruisingwithChooChoo]

Thank you so much for posting this video. I’ve never been to Japan but you’ve showcased some incredible scenery! Thank you for the helpful tips on winter photography.

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you for your comment. Its comments like yours that make the effort to create these videos worthwhile. I will be back in Japan early in the new year to shoot more stories.

[@darrenleigh201]

Fantastic imagery - love it! Have only been to Japan once but need to go back for some serious photography. Hokkaido looks like a wonderful place to visit. Thanks for sharing!

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thanks for your feedback, Darren. Really pleased you enjoyed the video! Yes, Hokkaido is amazing. I'll be back there next month to shoot more stories.

[@kiaphua7703]

Thanks for the video, really enjoyed it. I'm planning a trip to Biei this coming Jan and stumbled upon your video in my research. Would you mind sharing where to obtain the map of those scenic spots as shown in your video. Many thanks!

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. You can get the map at the Biei Tourist information Center, just near the train station, or you can download it if you Google "Biei sightseeing map pdf". I hope you have a great trip!

[@luciengrillet]

Hi, there! Thank you for this great video. Do you think that visiting Biei and Hokkaido at the end of February is a good time of the year? Are the chances of still having snow high?

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thanks, Lucien. Glad you enjoyed the video. I have been there in the third week of February and there's been plenty of snow. So I think there's a good chance there will still be snow there at the end of February. On average, the daily maximum temperature would still be below freezing, so whatever snow is on the ground is unlikely to start melting yet.

[@rajeshkrishnan2651]

I am planning to be in Japan this fall 3rd week of Nov - a week long trip on my way back from Alaska. My passion was the autumn colours but now after stumbling upon Biei I am fascinated and would love to go. Would this be the right time and any tips on how should I go about it. Any chance wherein I can get a partner are there local support available there. Tks and appreciate your assistance.

[@japanphotoexplore]

Autumn comes early to Hokkaido. By the third week in November you're more likely to get snow around Biei than autumn foliage. But you'll probably be there at the best time to photograph the nearby Blue Pond. For Autumn colors at that time of the year, you need to be much further south around, say, Kyoto. You can probably tell from the video that my favorite time to visit Biei is winter. Sorry, I've not used any local support so can't comment on that. Hope you have a great trip!

[@bettywing52]

There's a little minimalist quality in the Japanese landscape itself, the way they lay out the trees and landscapes.