Hokkaido has many winter time appeals and well known locations for winter photo tours, but with Japan Dreamscapes (JDS), you’ll be introduced to areas a few strides away from common tourism, the hidden away Hokkaido photography opportunities.

Otaru, Hokkaido is just one such photo op.  In Otaru, the main photo attraction is the sparkling canal that runs through the city center.  The canal itself makes for an amazing shutter chance for visiting photographers, but the beauty of the canal is enhanced even more by the Victorian Style lighting adjacent to the canal.  The combination of the sapphire water and the golden tinted lights give the Otaru Canal a distinctly European affect.  Moreover, the delicately preserved winter scene also harkens visitors on photography tours to the vibrance of Otaru’s port at its peak of productivity as herring town before the 1950s.  This city provides you on a winter photo tour to snap pictures of a frozen in time, showing Japan during the Showa Period.

Another photogenic element of Otaru are the mansions as testament to the city’s port history, the herring mansions as they were called.  The mansions were constructed by wealthy local merchants to house workers and their family, and, of course, to process the astonishing amounts of herring that flooded the port.  Some of these historical herring mansions are still preserved for you to photograph and enjoy a piece of Japan’s rich cultural history.  The mansions also have several other brick companions in close proximity to as well as warehouses that showcase an almost art deco feel.  You can enjoy a tour of the city and take several photos to remember the hidden away Hokkaido with JDS.