Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the busiest metropolises in the world. With 12 million inhabitants and a structure jammed full of high-rises and high-tech transport systems, you wouldn’t expect there would be much space for birds. Yet Tokyo and its environs hold several sites that are important for wintering, migrant and breeding species. All the sites listed below are within easy reach of central Tokyo, and afford opportunities for birding as soon as you get off the plane.

1. Shinobazu-no-ike (Lotus Pond), Ueno, central Tokyo
This collection of ponds are filled with the large leaves and stalks of the Lotus plant, but among the leaves are thousands of genuinely wild waterfowl that winter here between October and March. Great Cormorant breed in the nearby zoo and can be easily seen flying into the area over skyscrapers from feeding sites in Tokyo Bay. Northern Pintail, Tufted Duck and Common Pochard are abundant here, along with many Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, Mallard, Asian Spot-billed Duck (which also breeds), Common Moorhen and Little Grebe. This is one of the best sites to see the critically endangered Baer’s Pochard (one or two individuals are recorded annually), and there are also occasional records of Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup and American Wigeon. Mandarin Duck are scarce, being more often found in the grounds of the Meiji Shrine. Asian Azure-winged Magpie can be found in the trees here and in other parks in central Tokyo (including the Meiji Shrine). An early morning visit is recommended so that you beat the crowds.

2. Yatsuhigata and Kasai Rinkai
Situated in Chiba prefecture at the northeast edge of Tokyo bay, this mudflat is almost completely surrounded by conurbation. It is a famous site for viewing waders, so visits in spring and autumn are most productive, but a winter visit seems to reward visitors with views of interesting birds, Rarities are regularly recorded.
In the migration seasons, Black-winged Stilt, Little-ringed, Kentish, Mongolian, Greater Sand, Pacific Golden and Grey Plover; Great Knot, Red-necked and Long-toed Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black and Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian and Far Eastern Curlew, Marsh, Green, Wood, Common and Terek Sandpipers, Greenshank, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Grey-tailed Tattler and Black-tailed Gull can be seen. Winter visits produce views of Far Eastern Curlew, waterfowl and Eastern Marsh Harrier. Rarer birds have been recorded, including Saunder’s Gull, Black-faced Spoonbill, Red Knot, Nordmann’s Greenshank (best in August and early September), Asian Dowitcher (spring and autumn), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (September and October).

Nearby there is a similar bird reserve at Kasai Rinkai, which abuts Tokyo Bay and is next to Tokyo Disneyland. If there are rarities occurring here at your time of visit, this should be visited as an alternative.


3. Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park
This site is managed by the Wild Bird Society of Japan and has several hides overlooking pools and Tokyo Bay. It is close to Tokyo’s domestic airport, Haneda. There is a long and impressive bird list including some rarer waders like Pied Avocet, Pectoral Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher. The vegetation around the ponds holds Daurian Redstart, Bull-headed Shrike and Reed Bunting in winter. There are many herons and waterfowl, and most of the wader species recorded at Yatsuhigata have been recorded here. Tokyo Bay holds large flocks of Greater Scaup in winter.

4. Gyotoku / Shinhama Duck Refuge
Situated on the north shore of Tokyo Bay, this site holds large numbers of Greater Scaup and other waterfowl in winter. Baikal Teal have become something of a rarity in recent decades in Japan (the bulk of the world population winters in dense flocks at a few sites in South Korea) but recently this situation seems to be changing, and Baikal Teal records seem to be on the increase in Japan once again. Baikal Teal are recorded regularly here but can be difficult to pick out. Eastern Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl are possible.

5. Akigase Park, Saitama
This is a narrow wooded park near Saitama city, which takes 1 hour to reach from central Tokyo. It holds both waterfowl and woodland birds, including possible White’s Thrush, Red-flanked Bluetail, Long-tailed Rosefinch and Japanese Waxwing in winter.

6. Watarase Water Park, Saitama
This is a large area of man-made pools and reed beds, located 1.5 hours northeast of Tokyo centre. Watarase’s reeds hold a wintering population of Long-tailed Rosefinch. Asian Azure-winged Magpie occurs. Collared Dove (a scarce introduced species) is found by nearby cattle pens (south of the road running parallel to the southern fence) and this place is great for viewing a selection of buntings and finches in winter. Green Pheasant are commonly seen at the edge of the reed bed. Great Bittern are annual in winter. Wildfowl-viewing opportunities are numerous.

7. Ukishima Marsh
It takes about 1 hour or so to reach this site, situated on the edge of the large Kasumigaura lake in southern Chiba prefecture, but the trip is worth while in spring, autumn and winter. The site is most famous for its reed bed birds, and there are hides and raised grassy knolls where you can sit and watch them. Marsh Grassbird and Ochre-rumped Bunting both breed here, and these scarce birds are best viewed when performing display flights (the former) or singing on the reed tops (the latter). Numbers drop in the autumn but a patient wait by the reeds in the winter months can reveal the presence of wintering individuals of either species.

Small numbers of Long-tailed Rosefinch may occur in the reeds in cold winters. Yellow Bittern breed and are seen in migration periods, whereas Schrenck’s Bittern, which used to breed here, is now rarely sighted. Great Bittern are present year round, but seen only by the lucky view. There is a sizeable roost of Eastern Marsh Harrier and Hen Harrier, usually with a few Merlin and Short-eared Owl.

In spring and summer, Oriental and Black-browed Reed Warbler are active singers, and Zitting Cisticola are present year round and could be confused with the larger Marsh Grassbird by the unwary. Many waders use this site during migration periods. There are some woods nearby where Asian Azure-winged Magpie are regularly seen, and Collared Dove are established escapees with a very limited distribution in Japan that centres on Chiba prefecture. Long-billed Dowitcher and a small flock of Canvasback currently winter on nearby Kasumigaura Lake at Kitaura 20 minutes by road to the north of this site.

8. Choshi Port
It is a good idea to follow on from Ukishima along the Tanegawa River to its mouth at Choshi Port. This is an excellent site for gulls and Temminck’s Cormorant (in their thousands!) in winter. There are large flocks of Slaty-backed and Vega Gull, and also groups of Black-headed and Mew Gull, and individuals or small groups of Black-legged Kittiwake and Glaucous, Glaucous-winged, Mongolian and Thayer’s Gull. Ivory Gull, Ross’s Gull and Red-legged Kittiwake have occurred as vagrants.
Sea watching from the port mouth, or from nearby Inubo Cape, may provide views of Pelagic Cormorant, offshore Streaked Shearwater (scarce but present in winter), Northern Fulmar, Black-throated and possible Pacific Diver, and Ancient Murrelet and with a good telescope, possible Laysan Albatross. Peregrine are resident and easily seen. Eastern Reef Egret, here mostly dark morph birds, are possible along the rocky coast, but often crouch out of sight when feeding at rock pools. Rock Sandpiper winter (less regularly in recent years) on offshore rocks but are often hidden from view, and can be difficult to see. Harlequin Duck winter in small numbers and are best seen around the small group of rocks offshore to the south of the river mouth, which is also the best place for viewing the sandpipers. Wandering Tattler have also been recorded on these rocks in winter and spring.

We can arrange a local guide to take you around some or all of these sites, and we can arrange reservations and transport. Our local guides know exactly what rare birds are about, so you could tick off something like Oriental White Stork as a bonus! Please see our suggested itinerary for a short bird tour around the Tokyo area, and note that all our tours can be pieced together to make a longer, Japan-wide tour if desired. Please contact us with your requests.

Tokyo and surrounding area: Winter Suggested Tour Itinerary, 3 days, 2 nights, November- March

While visiting Tokyo on business, or as the arrival and departure location of a longer bird watching holiday, this tour provides a useful way of optimising your bird watching within easy reach of the city centre. While some sites are accessible by public transport, this can be rather complicated and time-consuming. Hiring a car and a guide would be the best option. Each night is spent in Tokyo, but there is an option of staying near Choshi in Chiba-ken should you wish to bird an extra morning there, or catch the Oarai ferry to Hokkaido. The daily schedules could be done singly, and the order could be changed to suit your travel schedule.

Note that visitors from Europe and the Eastern United States may experience some degree of jet lag on arrival to Tokyo, and for this reason a night and day spent in the centre in a good hotel is recommended to get plenty of rest before embarking on a tour. An easy site to visit after you arrive in Tokyo, particularly if you are restless in the early morning, is the Meiji Shrine. The lake here holds a wintering flock of Mandarin Duck that are best seen early. Asian Azure-winged Magpie and a variety of common woodland birds also occur.

Day 1
Leave early from Central Tokyo and head out to Yatsuhigata on the eastern side of Tokyo Bay. This is a good site for wintering waders and waterfowl, as well as Eastern Marsh Harrier. Vagrants like Black-faced Spoonbill are often recorded here.

From there, drive out along the Tama River to Ukishima Marsh, where you can stop to look for Marsh Grassbird and Ochre-rumped Bunting, although these species are rather furtive in the reed bed in winter. From there, visit Choshi Port and do some sea watching, looking out for Black-throated Diver, Harlequin Duck, Temminck’s and Pelagic Cormorant, and using a telescope to try to pick up offshore specialities like Streaked Shearwater (scarce in winter, but regular), Northern Fulmar, and, if you are really lucky, Laysan Albatross. The coast here may hold Rock Sandpiper and Eastern Reef Egret in winter. Nearby Choshi port has large numbers of gulls, and these should be scanned for rarer species like Glaucous, Glaucous-winged and Thayer’s Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. Red-legged Kittiwake, Ross’s and Ivory Gull have been recorded here in the last decade.

Return inland to Kamigasaura Lake, to the Kitaura area to scan the wildfowl flocks on the lake. Black-necked, Great Crested and Little Grebe may be joined by Horned Grebe, and Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup and Common Goldeneye rafts could reveal the presence of Smew or even Canvasback. Long-billed Dowitcher are regular winterers here, albeit in small numbers.

In the late afternoon, return to Ukishima Marsh to view the gathering of raptors: the harrier roost here holds 10-20 Eastern Marsh and one or two Hen Harrier, as well as some Merlin that put on dramatic displays as they harry the marsh residents before nightfall. Return to Central Tokyo, or stay in the Choshi area for another morning’s birding the next day, and on to catch the Oarai ferry to Hokkaido (see “Birds from the Ferry”)

Day 2
Visit the Shinobazu Pond at Ueno in central Tokyo, if there is a chance of seeing vagrant Baer’s Pochard in the winter that you are there. This duck is now so endangered that this pond is the only site where they are regularly recorded in Japan in winter, so the presence of a bird more than justifies a visit. A range of common waterfowl (including Asian Spot-billed Duck) also occurs, and Asian Azure-winged Magpie can be seen, especially in the morning.

From there, a visit to a narrow strip of parkland and pools near a river, Akigase park near Saitama City just outside Tokyo, is recommended. This site can attract interesting birds like White’s Thrush, Red-flanked Bluetail, Grey Bunting and Japanese Waxwing in winter, and waterfowl visit the pools.

From there, it is a short drive to the large network of reed beds and man-made pools at Watarase Water Park in Saitama. The reeds attract some numbers of Long-tailed Rosefinch, and it is quite easy to see these dapper finches well here in winter. Green Pheasant are common in the reed beds, and may be seen crossing the corridors of cut reeds you walk through. Great Bittern and Water Rail are annual winter visitors, but they are less often seen. Asian Azure-winged Magpie occur in more wooded areas. Eastern Marsh and Hen Harrier can be seen quartering the marsh, as well as Short-eared Owl and Merlin. Waterfowl include possible Smew and rarer species. A cattle pen near the southern boundary fence is worth visiting as it attracts finches and a number of Collared Dove, a rare introduced species in Japan.

In the evening, return to Tokyo.

Day 3
Visit the Tokyo Port Wild Bird park near Haneda Airport. Bird the trails and hides around the specially constructed pools. It is great to see so many flocks of wintering wader and waterfowl so close to the metropolis, and be assured that birds of interest normally join the throng. From there, catch your morning flight to other destinations in Japan. Alternatively, you could move around the bay for a few km to visit the similar Kasai Rinkai Bird reserve near Tokyo Disneyland, which might hold more surprises for the keen birder.

Our tailor-made tours in the Tokyo area are very flexible, and can be adjusted to fit in with your schedule. Hiring a car and one of our local guides is highly recommended. Our guides know the area well, and what birds are currently about, so maximise your chances of finding Baikal Teal or even Baer’s Pochard in the shadow of skyscrapers! Please contact us with your requests.