Daytime Tour of a Winter Bird Paradise

【OUTLINE】

Admire tens of thousands of waterfowls in Izunuma Marsh with an experienced guide. You will also gain some insight into how humans and nature have come to coexist peacefully in this region.

【HIGHLIGHTS】

• This is a guided bird-watching tour in Izunuma Marsh, a wetland registered under the Ramsar Convention. 
• Learn about the lifestyle of local Japanese farmers.
• Participate in a bottling activity of home-brewed sake called "doburoku".
• Enjoy a lunch made with locally-grown vegetables and branded pork.
• This plan is recommended for those who are interested in Japan's real agriculture!

【SCHEDULE】

12:00 Meet up at Izunumanousan （baggage storage and introductiong）
12:15 - 13:00 Lunch
13:10 - 15:10 Food Footpath （If it rains, guided info will be offered in a car）
15:20 - 15:50 'Doburoku' bottling activity
16:00 - 16:30 Wild bird watching
16:40 End

【DETAILS】

The culture and natural environments of Japan have been deeply influenced by rice farming for thousands of years. Izunuma and nearby lakes and marshes in Miyagi Prefecture of the Tohoku Region have become one of the main wintering spots in Japan due to the ears of rice that have fallen all over the vast rice fields.

The tour starts with walking around the rural area, harvesting vegetables, and learning how the farmers raise crops. We will have lunch made with the vegetables you harvest and locally-grown pork. Next, you will taste and bottle "doburoku", an unfiltered sake traditionally handmade with rice by farmers. Last but not least, attraction of the country tour is the bird watching. During all of this, you will be able to observe tens of thousands of geese and swans coming back to the lake to sleep in the twilight. The scenery is thoroughly impressive with flocks of geese flying and arriving all together. We hope this tour become an unforgettable memory of your time in Japan!

★Click here for the current number of migratory birds! Check it out!

https://www.kurihara-kb.net/en/publics/index/285/

【THINGS TO NOTE】

• Time：5 hours
• Meeting point：Izunumanousan
  149-7, Nitta Maenuma, Hasamacho, Tome-shi, Miyagi-ken 989-4601
• Access：
  ・A 5-minute walk from Nitta Station on JR Tohoku Line
  ・A 15-minute drive from Kurikoma-Kogen Station by JR Tohoku Shinkansen
  ・A 15-minute drive from Tsukidate IC or Wakayanagi-Kannari IC on Tohoku Expressway
  
• Language support：Japanese, English (at an everyday conversation level)
• Included：Guide fee, translation fee, lunch, souvenir doburoku, experience fee, insurance
• Excluded：Expenses such as transportation not included in the course, personal expenses
• Items to bring：
  Bird watching in the early morning and evening can be very cold. There could be strong wind on some days and temperatures can go below zero. Please prepare warm clothes and protection against cold.
  Examples: hats and ear covers that hide your ears, mufflers and neck warmers, thick coats, inner layering, thick tights, socks, heat pack, rain coat, etc.
  ※Please note that there is no rental for cold protection wear.
  
• Participation requirements：
  ・Those who can walk for a distance of 4 to 5 kilometers
  ・Those who can enjoy bird watching in the cold weather
  ・Aged 20 and over
  
• Free Wi-Fi：〇
• Toilet：（Western-style）〇
• Other things to note：
  ・For lunch, you can pick 1 from 3 menus: A set meal with genuine Akabuta pork from Date and local vegetables, A set meal with fillet cutlet of Izunuma pork and hatto (flour dumplings boiled in soup), and a vegetarian meal. Please select your desired menu at the time of booking.
  ・If you have any restrictions or food allergies, please fill out the details in the designated column on the booking page.
  ・The waterfowls may not be seen due to weather conditions on the day of the tour. Please understand.
  ・If the tour is canceled due to bad weather, you will be notified via email by 3 p.m. on the previous day.
  

【CANCELLATION POLICY】

7 to 4 days before the tour date 40% of the tour price
3 to 2 days before the tour date 60% of the tour price
The day before the tour date, on the day of the tour 100% of the tour price

※Right after the online settlement is made, a cancellation fee of 10% will be incurred in case of cancellation.
※The cancellation fee includes handling charges.