DRIFT ICE WATCHING BY THE SHIP “AURORA”
THE “AURORA” IS THE SPECIAL SIGHTSEEING & ICE BREAKER SHIP FOR WATCHING THE FAMOUS ICE DRIFTING AROUND IN ABASHIRI, HOKKAIDO.
What is Ice Drifting?
The Ices coming from the coastal estuary of the Amur River in Russia, drifting into the sea of Okhotsk, and reach around Monbetsu, Shiretoko, and Abashiri area in Japan.
Features (Tour by the Aurora)
☆ Season: Limited time. More chances in February & March.
☆ Schedule: Departing 4-5 times a day.
☆ Ship: Triple-Decker, 45-meter long.
☆ Maximum 450 people can be on-boarded.
☆ About one hour ride.
💡 Toilet and Coffee shop is available.
☆ Greatly affected by the weather condition of the day.
☆ Reservation is recommended.
Fare
Adult: JPY 3300
Child: JPY 1650
-up to elementary school students.
Infant: Free of charge.
*as of 2018
Recommend View Areas on the Ship
💡 The 1st deck on the front side
The 3rd deck
💡 Both areas are opened to the air and very popular.
But freezing cold so please dress warm!!
How to make the reservation
Through the “Aurora” website
💡 Available in Japanese/English/Chinese
https://www.ms-aurora.com/abashiri/
➡ Accepting the reservations from every November.
➡ The ride starts from the end of Jan ~ the end of March.
How to get there
1. To/From Abashiri
💡 Abashiri is located in the Northeast of Hokaiddo.
By Air
💡 Memanbetsu Airport
Duration:
2 hours from Tokyo/Osaka/Nagoya
45 min. from Sapporo
By JR Trains
💡 Abashiri Station
Duration:
5~6 hours from Sapporo
2. How to access the “Aurora” Boarding Terminal
Direct Bus
Memanbetsu Airport ⇔ “Aurora” Boarding Terminal
Duration: 40 min.
JR Abashiri Station ⇔ “Aurora” Boarding Terminal
Duration 10 min.
Taxi
Available.
Rental Car
Reservation is recommended.
The Parking is available at the Terminal.
➡ Crowded on season. Depends on the availability.
Recommended Hotel
“HOKUTEN NO OKA” Lake Abashiri Tsuruga Resort Hotel
<View from the room>
Features:
Hot Springs
Various seafood from the Sea of Okhotsk
The Okhotsk Cultural Experience
💡 Free Shuttle Bus
to/from Airport/JR Station/”Aurora” Boarding Termianl
Available on scheduled/reservation basis.
<website>
http://www.hokutennooka.com/en/
References
The “Aurora” website:
https://www.ms-aurora.com/abashiri/en/
Ryuhyo-Kan in Abashiri
All pictures are taken by mie.
All are as of 2018.
From my point of view 🙂
It is possible to see the ice drifting in Japan if you go the Northeast of the Hokkaido in the winter time. There are 3 cities, Monbetsu, Shiretoko, and Abashiri. This time I visited Abashiri. I was told that the ice drifting is really up to the weather conditions. So I decided to stay two nights, just in case.
Fortunately, I was able to see the ice drifting on my first reserved day. It was the very fantastic ride. As the ship moving into the area of the ice drifting area, the ices are scattering into pieces. It was beautiful! I cannot stop taking the pictures because the figures are never the same in the every moment. I still remember the word the Japanese old lady next me said, “I have been living in Japan for long long time, but I regret that why I did not come and see this place more before in my life.” I agreed.
Thank you for reading my report. 🙂
