[Abashiri] The city of drift ice located at the 44th parallel

If you go north of Kushiro along the Sea of Okhotsk coast for about 165km, you will finally come to Abashiri. Abashiri is the city of drift ice. Ice starts appearing in the sea around January 20th, and by February the Sea of Okhotsk turns solid white with ice. Until the floes start to recede in the Umiake "Sea-break" of March, Abashiri is embraced by ice.

This ice is born in the far off sea north east of Sakhalin, 1000km away. Fresh water from Russia's great Amur Rive flows into the Sea of Okhotsk and freezes over, and the low-salt water moves south as it freezes until it reaches Hokkaido's Okhotsk coast. That journey is very slow, about the speed of a baby's crawl. The ice along the coast is 40-60cm thick, and the surface is translucent blue. Since it contains lots of algae and plankton from the Amur river, when this ice melts at Umiake, it releases food for local sea life.

And so the Amur's fresh water, Siberia's cold winds, and the Sea of Okhotsk take shape. Japan's ice floes are born of those three things joining by pure accident.

One weekend in mid-February has the Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival, too.

How do you enjoy ice? By taking an ice floe walk from an ice sightseeing boat!

It's not enough to just see the ice! I want to get closer! This ice activity is the perfect response to that feeling. The Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing & Icebreaker Ship Aurora cruises around the ice sea to Abashiri, and is a tourist standard there. During the cruise, you can listen to the cracking of ice or the banging on the hull, take a break on a floe, and maybe see a seal or Steller's sea eagle.

And for those who want more than seeing, you can go and touch the ice itself on a Drift Ice Walk Tour! There are lots of options! You can don snowshoes and a dry suit to walk around on the coastal ice, play among the bobbing floes in the sea, or go for a dive in the frigid ice filled waters! Tour companies all have their own activities so please enquire at the Tourist Association.


◆How to get from Kushiro to Abashiri
Train: Take JR Senmohonsen toward Abashiri from Kushiro Station to Abashiri Station (Limited Express about 2 hours 55 min. ride, Local train 3 hours 16 min.).
Rental Car: Take Route 391 from Kushiro to Route 243 through Teshikaga until you get to Abashiri via Bihoro. It's about 165km.　　　　　　

◆The Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing & Icebreaker Ship Aurora (runs roughly end of January - beginning of April) 5-1 Minami 3-Jo higashi 4-Chome, Abashiri, Michi no Eki Ryuho Kaido Abashiri, Tel: +81-152-43-6000 https://www.ms-aurora.com/abashiri/en/

◆For information about Abashiri Sightseeing:
Abashiri Tourist Association Minami 3-Jo higashi 4-Chome, Abashiri　Tel: +81-152-44-5849
Abashiri City Office Tourism Department　Tel: +81-152-44-6111　http://abashiri.jp/tabinavi/en/index.html

Abashiri Drift Ice Observation Spots - Top 3:

In February, the drift ice covers the coast so you can see it from anywhere on Abashiri's seaside, but some spots offer better views and prettier scenery.
The first is Cape Notoro, about 10km north of Abashiri City. At dusk, you can see the setting sun turn the ice field brilliant red.

The second is the Kitahama Station Observation Platform. Known as the closest station to the Sea of Okhotsk, Kitahama Station on JR Senmohonsen has a large wooden deck from which you can look out over the Sea of Okhotsk to see the mountains of Shiretoko and Shari.

And last is the Masuura Coast. If you take National Route 244 from Abashiri toward Shari, watch for a huge Nipopo statue just past Masuura Station. If you go down the beach you can get close to the ice, but be sure to be equipped with rubber boots and the like. Also, it's very dangerous to go out on the ice without a guide, so please be sure to just look!

◆How to get from Kushiro to Abashiri
Train: Take JR Senmohonsen toward Abashiri from Kushiro Station to Abashiri Station (Limited Express about 2 hours 55 min. ride, Local train 3 hours 16 min.).
Rental Car: Take Route 391 from Kushiro to Route 243 through Teshikaga until you get to Abashiri via Bihoro. It's about 165km.

◆Cape Notoro Misaki, Abashiri
◆ JR Senmohonsen Kitahama Station　Kitahama, Abashiri Tel: +81-152-46-2410

◆For information about Abashiri Sightseeing:
Abashiri Tourist Association Minami 3-Jo higashi 4-Chome, Abashiri　Tel: +81-152-44-5849
Abashiri City Office Tourism Department　Tel: +81-152-44-6111　http://abashiri.jp/tabinavi/en/index.html

You can touch drift ice at Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum, where they preserve some year-round

Located on beautiful Mt. Tento, the Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum offers information and on-hand encounters with drift ice. While the drift ice contact area is a huge attraction, the basement level Drift Ice Illusion Gallery is a true must-see. The centerpiece is Hokkaido's largest projection mapping facility, with a 3D show of drift ice. Surrounded by seals and white tailed eagles, you'll feel like you're actually on the ice yourself!
The Drift Ice Experience Terrace features a 100 ton piece of real ice preserved at -15℃, for a true polar feeling! You can even try spinning a wet towel until it freezes solid! And watching ocean scenes in the 5-screened Drift Ice Illusion Theater is simply amazing. You truly feel the sound of ice floes crashing into each other.

And on the roof, there is an outlook offering views of the sea of ice and Shiretoko mountains. Be sure to stop by!

◆How to get from Kushiro to Abashiri
Train: Take JR Senmohonsen toward Abashiri from Kushiro Station to Abashiri Station (Limited Express about 2 hours 55 min. ride, Local train 3 hours 16 min.).
Rental Car: Take Route 391 from Kushiro to Route 243 through Teshikaga until you get to Abashiri via Bihoro. It's about 165km.

◆Okhotsk Ryuhyokan 244-3 Tentozan, Abashiri Tel: +81-152-43-5951
https://www.ryuhyokan.com/guide/en/index.html　About 10 minutes by bus or taxi from JR Abashiri Station.

◆For information about Abashiri Sightseeing:
Abashiri Tourist Association Minami 3-Jo higashi 4-Chome, Abashiri　Tel: +81-152-44-5849
Abashiri City Office Tourism Department　Tel: +81-152-44-6111　http://abashiri.jp/tabinavi/en/index.html

More than just drift ice! The Mt. Tento area is fun all year at these sightseeing spots!

Mt. Tento, or Tentozan, is about 10 minutes south of Abashiri city by car, and the area is packed with lots to see.

The Tentozan observation deck offers views of Lake Abashiri, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the mountains of Shiretoko, and has beautiful cherry blossoms in spring. It also has facilities like the Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum, or the former Abashiri Prison, founded in 1890, now preserved as the Abashiri Prison Museum, and the Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples, showing over 900 articles of daily life used by people in the harsh northern climes.

Outdoors, from early August to late September you can see the lovely flower garden Hana Tento. And there's also the Hokkaido Prefectural Okhotsk Park caravan site, with gorgeous views and a fully equipped playground, not to mention fruit-picking areas. Sightseeing in Abashiri is always in season!


◆How to get from Kushiro to Abashiri
Train: Take JR Senmohonsen toward Abashiri from Kushiro Station to Abashiri Station (Limited Express about 2 hours 55 min. ride, Local train 3 hours 16 min.).
Rental Car: Take Route 391 from Kushiro to Route 243 through Teshikaga until you get to Abashiri via Bihoro. It's about 165km.

◆Tentozan Observation Platform・Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum　244-3 Tentozan, Abashiri Tel: +81-152-43-5951
◆Abashiri Prison Museum, 1-1 Yobito, Abashiri Tel: +81-152-45-2411
◆Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples　309-1 Shiomi, Abashiri　Tel: +81-152-45-3888
◆Flower Garden Hana Tento　15-2 Yobito, Abashiri
◆Hokkaido Prefectural Okhotsk Park 297-2 Shiomi, Abashiri Tel: +81-152-45-2277

◆For information about Abashiri Sightseeing:
Abashiri Tourist Association Minami 3-Jo higashi 4-Chome, Abashiri　Tel: +81-152-44-5849
Abashiri City Office Tourism Department　Tel: +81-152-44-6111　http://abashiri.jp/tabinavi/en/index.html