The woods surrounding Lake Akanko and everywhere our workshop leaders take participants on the annual JDS Hokkaido photography tours are a paradise for birders, but even in paradise, some birding opportunities are rarer than others.  The Blakiston's Fish Owl (Ketupa bubo blakistoni) is already an elusive hunter, primarily active at dusk or dawn, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) denotes them as ‘endangered’ with less than 2,500 adults in the wild.  Their distribution includes Russia and China, and approximately 200 of the remaining adults inhabit Hokkaido.  So unless you know where to spot the fish owl, you will have extreme difficulty spotting or photographing them.  Some of our workshop leaders are Hokkaido locals and have spent more than two decades in Hokkaido scouting and leading Hokkaido birding workshops; they know the wildlife and landscapes, and they are happy to help you find and photograph Blakiston’s Fish Owls among other birding photo ops while in Hokkaido.  The Blakiston’s Fish Owl is the largest owl species on our planet.  Males weigh from 2.95 to 3.6 kg (6.5 to 8 lb), while the female weighs up to 2.95 to 4.6 kg (6.5 to 10.1 lb) and is about 25% larger. The Blakiston's Fish Owl measures 60 to 72 cm (24 to 28 in) in total length. The Eurasian eagle-owl is sometimes thought to be the largest owl species and is a close match in size to the Blakiston’s fish owl, but to date, all recorded measurements of the two put the Blakiston's Fish Owl as the overall largest owl species.   Photographers join our international and Japan photography tours because they know they are going to have the very best opportunities to photograph dozens of species such as The Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), Ezo Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes schrencki), The Ezo Risu (Hokkaido squirrel) (Tamias sibiricus lineatus), which is a subspecies of red squirrels, and the largest herd of Ezo Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) on the planet.  While visiting the Akanko region, our team recommends staying at the Akan Tsuruga Bessou Hinanoza.  The hotel is breathtaking in every way and a must for those wishing to indulge in a Japanese splendor of accommodation experience.  For any traveler or visitor to the region, it is our first choice for those where sky has no limit, and our team often uses it during private Hokkaido Photography Tours.