Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Ship "Aurora"
From late January to late March, the Sea of Okhotsk is covered in drift ice and Abashiri turns into a silver world. You can experience this magical scene up close with a cruise aboard the drift ice sightseeing icebreaker ship "Aurora."
If you want to see a northern landscape of ice and snow but don’t want to travel all the way to Russia, Abashiri in Hokkaido is the place to go. The Sea of Okhotsk, near the Arctic, offers polar ocean scenery much like neighboring Russia. Icebreakers are an essential means of transportation, but while Russian icebreakers are usually important military vessels in the Arctic Circle, in Abashiri you can see icebreakers used for sightseeing. It’s not easy to see such a unique form of transportation amid a landscape of ice and snow. If you’re interested in ships and want to take a boat ride in the north, consider visiting Abashiri, Hokkaido.

