Hokkaido Japan in Winter - Lake Toya Snowy Drive

Welcome to Japan Photo Explore, where we travel to and photograph extraordinary places. Today Ted and I are on the island of Hokkaido, on a winter drive around stunning Lake Toya. We’ll be stopping wherever we can in search of scenic, winter landscapes to photograph. In my five winter trips to Japan, this would have to rate as one of the best winter drives I’ve ever done.
Whether you are planning to go to Japan or just enjoy some armchair travel, you have come to the right place. Lake Toya is reasonable easy to get to by train, bus or car, and it is a great scenic location in Hokkaido, especially in winter.
Japan Photo Explore is a series of travel and photography vlogs and videos that show you some amazing places, some you’ve probably never heard of.
My name is Nick Pitsas and I am a video producer and photographer. 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.
www.nickpitsas.com
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ello.co/tedhamilton

[@johnmanger8602]

Great mix of video, drone and stills photography. Definitely sells the place to me, and is reminiscent for me of snowy landscapes in N. America and Scotland. Gorgeous stuff. Japan's seeming love of remote sculptures and structures beautifully captured here and in other videos from this author. Thanks.

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thanks for your kind comments, John. Lake Toya is a beautiful place, and not too hard to sell! Cheers.

[@noowunnoowun8573]

Thoroughly enjoying your series on Hokkaido. Filming is crisp and clear and complements the often austere environments you travel through. Your audio delivery would be a finalist in the Joanna Lumley Travel Commentary Awards (if they existed). Looking forward to more....

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you for your comments and I'm pleased you enjoyed the videos. You are too kind.

[@terryandvalda]

Beautiful and inspiring. Oh to be 30 years younger.

[@japanphotoexplore]

Thank you, Terry. Glad you enjoyed it. I know what you mean!

[@kianlim2290]

Do you need snow chain on the car tyres to drive safely?

[@caffeinalized5575]

Is it easy to drive around lake toya if you have never driven in the winter snow before? I did not plan to drive across towns as I have no experience with winter road conditions. However, after watching your video, I am convinced that it would be a good idea to take a train down to Toya, and rent a car from there to drive locally around lake Toya for the day.

[@japanphotoexplore]

I don't know what your general driving experience is and confidence level, but I would say that driving around Lake Toya is not as difficult as driving on snow in other locations. It is not steep, there's not much traffic, and the speed limit is quite slow. I would recommend that you get a car with all wheel drive and winter tyres. We had relatively good weather for that drive. If the forecast is for snowstorms or heavy fog on the day you choose, be prepared to change or cancel your booking. In general taking a train to a location and using a car locally is far preferable to relying on a car to drive between cities in the snow, due to road closures that can occur during storms. Hope you have a great trip!

[@caffeinalized5575]

@@japanphotoexplore Thank you for your reply! In generally I have been driving for about 9 years and have driven in heavy rain conditions where visibility is limited and you have to drive at 50km/h on the highway. I think I will give this a shot! I still have many places on my bucket list to visit and so little time so would be nice to cover as much as I can in Hokkaido when I visit.

[@spunnderman2898]

Did car rental give winter tyres ?

[@japanphotoexplore]

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

[@simon5665]

Is this the same guide as MK?

[@japanphotoexplore]

Hi Simon. I don't know what MK is, so I guess the answer is no.

[@simon5665]

@@japanphotoexplore Michael Kenna

[@japanphotoexplore]

@@simon5665 Oh, that MK. You've probably seen my tribute to the man in my Biei video. As far as Lake Toya goes, I've only seen one of his photos in Lake Toya, of a jetty under snow. Haven't seen any guide that he's done. Cheers.

[@simon5665]

@@japanphotoexplore ahhh ok I'll be sure to check that out! He has a guide that takes him around I forgot the name off the top of my head. I thought maybe you guys hired the same guide! Great work.