We got back this week from a two week long birding trip in Japan. We were on three islands: Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido. We flew from island to island, rode the subway, the Bullet Train, two boats and spent many hours on buses. It was the dead of winter and even though we were warned of cold temperatures, especially on the boat trips, it was still surprisingly cold. Hokkaido, in the north, had had four feet of snow the week before we were there, and there were still huge piles of snow everywhere.

What I took: REI 30 inch wheelie bag, Patagonia 40L Black Hole, and Patagonia Refugio 26L pack. Going, the Black Hole was my carryon, but after that, I checked it and the smaller backpack held my valuables: camera, binoculars, ipad, passport, wallet, etc. I also had a Pacsafe crossbody bag for my small things. I got the Black Hole for our Bullet Train ride. There was only space for carryon sized bags, so we would be without our luggage for a day and a half, and I couldn’t make my small pack work. Winter clothes are just so bulky!

My winter clothes: Patagonia Frozen Range 3 in 1 Parka, Patagonia Down Hooded Sweater, Patagonia Nanopuff Hoodie, Marmot Goretex jacket, Arcteryx Goretex pants, long underwear in light and heavy weight, fleece quarter zip tops, fleece neck gaiter, fleece lined ear flap hat, cashmere beanie, various gloves, Merrell insulated hiking boots, and Salomon Goretex hiking boots. With this I wore my usual daily uniform of Columbia Anytime Bootcut hiking pants or Kuhl Freeflex Dash pants and an Eddie Bauer long sleeve tee. For those wondering about my feet, I wore metatarsal pads everyday. I also put light insoles in the Merrell boots. I already had insulated hiking boots, but with the pads they were too small, so I gave them away. While I have a couple pairs of Sorel snow boots, they aren’t really good for hiking, plus they’re really bulky and heavy.

I always say the thing about birding is it’s like hiking except for the walking part. We tend to stand around in the cold for long periods, slowly freezing. Yet I was only cold a couple of times. My fingers were almost always cold. My husband gave me rechargeable hand warmers for Christmas. On the pelagic (open ocean) trip, the boat was rolling and pitching so much that I needed to hang on, sometimes with both hands. So the glove warmers weren’t that useful.

What I bought for the trip: the Merrell insulated boots and heavy duty Dakine mittens with glove liners. The mittens were too cumbersome to use with a camera or binoculars. I bought the Patagonia parka on sale several years ago when our son lived in Minnesota, but had never worn it. Patagonia called it the warmest coat they made. It was very warm, but still, I layered my Nanopuff hoodie under it. All of my Goretex things kept me dry. On the pelagic boat trip, I was splashed and sprayed for a couple hours. Yet I was dry underneath my many, many layers. We also wore crampons on our boots a couple times. Ours were nearly impossible to get on, but once on were very secure.

What we saw:

What we ate: The food was wonderful. I tried and loved just about everything.