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Latest in 2024] Experience the Sea of Okhotsk only on the Sea of Okhotsk! 15 Events and Spots to See, Touch and Enjoy Drift Ice
1. Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum
Cape Nodori
The 58th Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival
Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Orola
5. Enjoy with all your senses! Fat Bike Experience Tour
Ice Falls Snow Adventure
7. Drift Ice Kayak Experience
Enjoy drift ice in Monbetsu City
1. Drift Ice Sightseeing Boat Garinko
2. Ice Sea Observation Tower Okhotsk Tower
3. Hokkaido Okhotsk Drift Ice Science Center "GIZA
4. 60th Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival
Enjoying drift ice in Shari-cho
1. Cape Puyuni
2. Ikushina Wild Flower Garden
3. Godzilla Iwa sightseeing Drift Ice Walk
Shinra Drift Ice Walk
Enjoy drift ice in Abashiri City
1 Okhotsk Dr ift Ice Museum
In addition to exhibiting real drift ice, this facility allows visitors to experience a day in the life of Abashiri when the drift ice arrives in a fantastic space with light and sound. At the Drift Ice Undersea Live, you will feel as if you are diving into the sea of drift ice through the images shot by a 360-degree camera. In the powerful five-screen theater, you can view images of drift ice, creatures living under the drift ice, and nature filmed in 4K, and enjoy 360-degree panoramic views throughout the four seasons from the rooftop observation space.
Open: Winter: November - April 9:00 - 16:30 / Summer: May - October 8:30 - 18:00
Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29-January 5) 10:00-15:00
Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Fees: Adults 990 yen / High school students 880 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 770 yen
Location: 244-3 Tentoyama, Abashiri City
Click here for details and map information of the Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum.
2 Cape Nodori
A cape jutting out into the Sea of Okhotsk. The cape has only a lighthouse and an administrative office, but there are no obstructions around it, and the view from there is spectacular. You can see the Sea of Okhotsk, Lake Nodori, the coast of Tokoro-cho, and even the Shiretoko mountain range in the distance. In winter, you can see drift ice rushing into the Sea of Okhotsk right below you. Visitors can enjoy the vast nature of Hokkaido and the scenery that can only be seen on the Sea of Okhotsk.
Location: 3 Bimisaki, Abashiri City
Click here for details and map information of Cape Nodori.
1 The 58th Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival
This is a major winter event held in Abashiri, the city of drift ice. In addition to the popular annual ice slide, ice snow sculptures made by local citizens, and the ring toss of drift ice with prizes such as crabs and other delicacies, there are also various events such as stage events. In addition, Abashiri's unique gourmet foods such as Abashiri chanpon and shijimi clam soup from Lake Abashiri will be on sale to warm up your body.
Date and time: Saturday, February 10, 10:00 - 20:00 / Sunday, February 11, 10:00 - 16:00
Place: Special venue at Abashiri Commercial Port Wharf, 5 Minato-cho, Abashiri City
Click here for details and map information of the 58th Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival
2 Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Orola
The Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Boat "Oorora" is a popular winter drift ice sightseeing tour. The ship's powerful motion as it moves forward, vibrating as it hits the ice blocks spreading out over the Sea of Okhotsk, is breathtaking. The conditions of the drift ice change depending on the weather that day, so the best part of cruising is what kind of scenery you get to see. If you are lucky, you may see white-tailed eagles or seals relaxing on the ice floes.
Dates: January 20 (Sat) to March 31 (Sun), 3 to 5 cruises daily
Fare: Junior high school students and older: 4,000 yen / Elementary school students: 2,000 yen
Reception: Roadside Station Drift Ice Road Abashiri, Minami 3-jo Higashi 4-chome, Abashiri City
Click here for details and map information of the Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Orola.
3 Enjoy with all your senses! Fat Bike Experience Tour
Abashiri in the severe winter season can be enjoyed with all five senses by riding a fat bike with fat tires. Cycling along the Okhotsk coastline covered with drift ice in midwinter. What kind of sea conditions you will see depends on the day. A guide will accompany you, so fat bike beginners, adults and children alike, can enjoy this tour in peace.
Dates and times: January 20 (Saturday) to mid-March / Departure time: between 9:00 and 13:00
■Fare: Course A (Cape Nodori) 8,000 yen per person
Course B (tours are arranged according to customers' requests) is available for an additional fee depending on the contents.
Meeting point: Roadside Station Ryuhyo Kaido Abashiri, 4-5-1 Minami 3-jo Higashi, Abashiri City
Enjoy the tour with all your senses! Click here for details and map information of "Fat Bike Experience Tour".
4 Ice Falls Snow Adventure
Activity experience of walking to the spectacular view of drift ice and ice waterfalls. Aiming at drift ice drifting on the Sea of Okhotsk and dynamic ice waterfalls, you will take a leisurely stroll in snowshoes through a silent forest of glistening white. Walking along the coast of Okhotsk where drift ice is rushing by is a powerful experience.
Dates and times: January 20 (Sat) - March 10 (Sun), 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Fee: Adults 6,000 yen / Children 5,000 yen
Meeting place: Abashiri city *Pick-up service is available at your accommodation.
Click here for details and map information of "Ice Falls Snow Adventure
5 Drift Ice Kayaking Experience
A kayaking adventure on the Sea of Okhotsk in winter. Only Abashiri, which faces the Sea of Okhotsk, offers this special experience of kayaking through the fantastic sea of drift ice. You can experience the sea and drift ice, which changes its appearance every day, to your heart's content.
Dates and times: January 7 (Sun) - March 21 (Thu), 9:00 - 15:00
Fee: 20,000 yen per person
Meeting place: Connectrip, 812-2 Aza Yobito, Abashiri City
Click here for details and map information of the "drift ice kayaking experience.
Enjoy drift ice in Monbetsu City
1 Dr ift Ice Sightseeing Boat Garinko
The drift ice sightseeing ship "Garinko-go" with a big drill is the most popular drift ice sightseeing boat in Monbetsu. The sight of the ship moving forward while breaking up the drift ice and the crushed drift ice jostling and overlapping each other is very powerful. The beautiful colors of the crushed drift ice and seawater and the mysterious world that only passengers can experience are not to be missed. Currently, two vessels are in operation: the previous generation "Garinko-go II" and the newly built "Garinko-go III IMERU.
Open: Winter operation: January 16 (Tue) - March 31 (Sun) Departure time: 5:30 - 16:30
Sunrise service is available on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only.
Departure time varies depending on the season.
Fees
Garinko-go III IMERU: ¥4,000 for junior high school students and older / ¥2,000 for elementary school students / free for children under elementary school age
Garinko-go II: Junior high school students and older: 3,000 yen / Elementary school students: 1,500 yen / Free for elementary school students and younger
Location: Kaiyo Koryu Kaikan, 1 Kaiyo Koen, Monbetsu City
For details and map information of the drift ice sightseeing ship Garinko-go, click here.
2 Ice Sea Observation Tower Okhotsk Tower
The world's first underwater observation tower in the ice sea, which rises at the tip of a breakwater about 1 km off the coast. The observation deck offers a 360-degree view of Okhotsk, and the undersea floor has 11 underwater windows for observation, a photo spot with a model of a clione, and an exhibition of marine life in the Sea of Okhotsk. Visitors can observe a variety of marine life not only during the winter drift ice season, but also throughout the four seasons.
Open: 10:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:30)
Fee: High school students and older: 500 yen / Junior high school students and younger: 250 yen / Elementary school students and younger: free
Free admission to the ocean floor
Location: Ice Observation Tower Okhotsk Tower, 1 Kaiokoen, Monbetsu City
Click here for details and map information of the Ice Sea Observation Tower Okhotsk Tower
3 Hokkaido Okhotsk Drift Ice Science Center "GIZA
A science museum located near the Sea of Okhotsk where visitors can experience drift ice. It is a fun facility for both sightseeing and family outings with its attractive exhibition rooms where you can actually see, touch, and experience drift ice as a theme. The Severe Cold Experience Room is a popular corner that recreates the world of 20 degrees below zero in midwinter, and real drift ice is on display year-round for visitors to touch directly.
Open: 9:00-17:00, no holidays from January 4 to the end of March.
Admission: ¥450 for adults / ¥150 for high school and university students / Free for those aged 65 and over and junior high school students and younger
There is a set price for the exhibition room and video hall.
Location: 11 Motomombetsu, Mombetsu City
Click here for details and map information of the Hokkaido Okhotsk Drift Ice Science Center "GIZA
1 61st Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival
The Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival started in 1963 as Japan's first drift ice festival. Today, it has become one of Monbetsu's representative winter events. This year's theme is "Notre Dame Cathedral", a powerful main statue made of ice. In addition to various stage events held with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background, there will also be a snowmobile land and an Okhotsk taste market.
Date and time: Saturday, February 10 - Monday, February 12, 10:00 - 20:00
Location:Mombetsu City Ocean Park, Galilee Area Event Plaza
Click here for details and map information of the 61st Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival.
Enjoy the drift ice in Shari-cho
1 Cape Puyuni
Cape Puyuni is a scenic spot with a panoramic view of the beautiful Okhotsk coastline and Utoro Harbor. Located on the way uphill from Utoro to the Shiretoko Nature Center, this is the point where you can see the drift ice early in the winter in the Sea of Okhotsk. In the far distance, you can even see the mountains of Akan-Mashu National Park. The contrast between the drift ice and the setting sun makes the view even more beautiful.
Location: Cape Puyuni, Shari-cho, Shari-gun
For details and map information of Cape Puyuni, click here.
2 Ekushina Wild Flower Garden
Facing the Sea of Okhotsk and overlooking the Shiretoko mountain range, this is a spectacular spot where you can see the drift ice covering the entire area from February to March, and in early summer from the end of June to the end of July, the garden is in full bloom with honeysuckle and Ezo lily of the valley, creating an atmosphere unique to a wild flower garden. This is a spot where visitors can experience the natural charm of Okhotsk in each of the four seasons.
Location: Ikushina-kita, Shari-cho, Shari-gun
Click here for details and map information of Ikushina Primeval Flower Garden.
1 Gojira-iwa Sightseeing Drift Ice Walk
Play" is the keyword for this exciting experience between the sky and drift ice. Shiretoko is the end of the endless drift ice that came from faraway Siberia and traveled over 600 miles in the Sea of Okhotsk. Walking or floating on the stage above the quiet drift ice field with blue skies, you can enjoy various drift ice experiences.
Dates and times: Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, March 23
Departures: 1) 10:00 a.m., 2) 1:30 p.m., 3) 3:30 p.m.
Fees
Drift Ice Walk: 6,000 yen per person
Shiretoko in Winter Full Plan (Drift Ice Walk + Hlepe Falls Walk) Adult 10,000 yen / Elementary school student 8,500 yen
Meeting place: Gojira Iwa Kanko, East 51 Utoro, Shari-cho, Shari-gun
Click here for details and map information of "Gojira Iwa Kanko Drift Ice Walk".
2 Shinra Drift Ice Walk®.
An activity to experience the Okhotsk Sea covered with pure white ice. The drift ice field stretching far out into the Sea of Okhotsk is spectacular. You can enjoy the extraordinary experience of walking on and touching the mysterious drift ice. You can participate in this tour with a professional guide, so you can feel at ease.
■Dates and times: Thursday, February 1 through Sunday, March 31
Morning tours 6:30-8:00, 9:30-11:00 / Afternoon tours 13:00-14:30, 15:30-17:00
■Fare: Elementary school students and older: 6,000 yen
Meeting place: Roadside Station Utoro Shirietoku, 186-8 Utoro Nishi, Shari-cho, Shari-gun
For details and map information on the Shinra Drift Ice Walk®, click here.
All information is current as of January 2024.
All information is subject to change. Please check the official website for details.