Many thanks for your kind words, Ted. Glad you liked the geology references. Fortunately we got the last 2 seats on the bus back. Much easier than walking there!

Thanks for your comments, Malcolm. Yes, that walk is unique. Really. There was an outbreak of cholera in 1938 and people were ordered to paint their buildings white due to the antibacterial properties of lime wash. Also, summers are scorching hot, so the white helps the passive cooling of the buildings. I should have put that in the script! Ha ha!! Have you heard of the legendary English photographer Martin Parr? He almost built an entire career out of taking pictures of people reacting and interacting on holiday.

What a practical reason for painting the buildings white! And only relatively recently in history terms. I will definitely have to look up Martin Parr - would be interesting to see. Thanks for all the effort you put into these productions Nick.

No. Its when your camera is very cold from being outside for a while, then go into a warm space, that your lens fogs up. If your camera is in a camera bag when you come inside, leave it in the bag for a couple of hours so that it warms up gradually.

This is the company I used. www.e-shiretoko.com/en/

No. You just need to make sure that the car is fitted with winter tyres. Every car rental I've had in Japan in winter has had them.

Yes, that's right. Most of the Shiretoko Peninsula is not accessible by road during winter, including February.

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you, Terry. I really appreciate your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

Yes. I'm pretty sure they are required for driving in Hokkaido in winter.

Many thanks, Ted. Always fun going back to Biei. I never tire of it. And even Susan is keen to go back - for furher purchases from Super Fuji Mart!!

Thanks, John. Really appreciate your comments. Yes, for better or worse, Biei seems to have been 'discovered' since I first went there in 2015.

Thank you, John! Next one is a return to Biei and its coming soon. I feel that's my calling - to get cold so you don't have to!

Sounds like a plan!@@nickpitsasphoto

Thanks, Ted. I could not have wished for a better reaction to the video. Cheers!

Thanks for your feedback, Malcolm! The bears were sculpted with ice, not snow like most of the sculptures. Ice sculpting is less forgiving. Much harder to put a chunk of ice back compared to grabbing a handful of snow to add to your work.

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!

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.

Thanks, Robin. So have you seen my other videos on Hokkaido bird photography? February is the only month where you can photograph eagles on sea ice in Rausu, Hokkaido. Amazing. Highly recommended. I hope you have a great time. Cheers.

@@nickpitsasphoto Yes I know about Rausu we did 3x 530am morning cruises, but this year they extended into March due to drift ice. You should visit Notsuke Peninsular.

It was about -15 deg celsius, which felt cold enough, but in the exposed areas, the wind chill factor made it feel like -25 or -30!

Great to hear! Thanks for the feedback. Yes, Wakkanai is a really interesting place. Cheers!

Thanks, David. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks, John! If by 'smooth' you mean not wobbly, then the GoPro has to take a lot of the credit with its inbuilt image stabilisation.

Maybe. But your expertise roo! @@nickpitsasphoto

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!