Drift ice, a renowned winter attraction in Hokkaido, can be experienced on an icebreaker.

But aren't you wondering what kind of amazing experience you could have by going to Hokkaido in the very cold winter and riding on an icebreaker?

This time, I've written down my personal thoughts and experiences from when I actually rode the ice floe last year. I hope it will be helpful for those considering an ice floe experience and inspire you to want to go again!

Imagine drift ice...

What is drift ice? Drift ice is formed when freshwater from the distant Amur River flows into the highly saline Sea of ​​Okhotsk and grows. It drifts hundreds of kilometers southward, eventually reaching the coast of Hokkaido along the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Typically, it appears off the coast of Monbetsu and then heads towards Abashiri. Depending on the wind direction, it is tossed about north, east, and west, and finally passes eastward past the Shiretoko Peninsula before disappearing into the Pacific Ocean from the direction of Kunashir Island and Etorofu Island.

It might sound like something tangible, but nature freezes the sea, covering it completely in white. The sea freezes?

I'd like you to try and imagine what it feels like to have a sense of not being able to get your intuition right, whether it's in Tokyo or Osaka, where you live.

What if Tokyo Bay froze over? What if the sea beneath the Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba turned completely white? What if the waters off Kobe turned white, revealing a white horizon behind the night view?

What if the area beneath the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge turned into a pure white sea, allowing you to cross all the way to Awaji Island? Just like how Arendelle froze over in "Frozen"...
Doesn't this give you a better sense of just how amazing this is?

You can witness such awe-inspiring and majestic power of nature right here in Japan. Isn't that hard to believe?

The author standing on the drift ice.

Abashiri Icebreaker Aurora

Imagine cruising on that white sea! There are three locations along the Okhotsk Sea coast of eastern Hokkaido where drift ice rolls in, offering drift ice cruises.

One is the Monbetsu Garinko, which cuts through the ice with its drill as it moves forward. Next is the Abashiri Aurora, which chases the drift ice at high speed. In Rausu on the east coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula, you can enjoy a bird cruise. Each of the three offers a different way to enjoy the experience, and there are even tours that allow you to ride on all three drift ice cruise ships.

This time, we'll introduce you to the Aurora icebreaker from Abashiri.

This might be your only chance to see it.

The icebreaker Aurora offers a cruise that takes about an hour from Abashiri Port, where the Abashiri roadside station is located.

In the summer, it's a very ordinary large sightseeing boat that operates as a Shiretoko tour boat, but in winter, it doesn't so much break the ice as it rides on it and breaks it...it pushes through the icy sea without being deterred.

In recent years, drift ice only reaches Abashiri Bay about once a winter, and is usually found lingering several kilometers offshore.

Therefore, you have to go a little offshore to see them... which creates a situation where you need a boat to sail for a while and go to see them.

In the past (about 20 years ago), drift ice would reach the shore, transforming the sea into a vast snowfield, making it easily visible from the beach. However, due to the effects of global warming, it's becoming more difficult for the ice to reach the shore. This drift ice may only be visible at this time of year.

White horizon

After the ship started moving, the drift ice that had been floating around in the harbor gradually filled the sea, creating a white expanse. Then, with a loud bang, we entered the main body of the drift ice, and the ship suddenly stopped moving and reversed, then moved forward again, breaking through the ice and moving a little further, then reversed again and moved forward again, repeating the process just like a voyage in Antarctica.

Ice clung to the ship, moving towards it one after another. Soon, everything around us was covered in white, and before our eyes lay a vast horizon, the first I had ever seen.

It felt as if everything I had believed in up until then was being turned upside down, and at the same time, I felt a sense of awe and respect arising from the sheer magnificence of nature.

When a ship crashes into and breaks up chunks of ice, the flat pieces of ice flip over sideways like shields. It's then that you realize for the first time that ice isn't just a flat object you see from above, but a thick, solid mass.

Friends of the White Sea

Many of my friends will be appearing on this Abashiri drift ice cruise.

A faint black object appears in the pure white ocean. Soon it approaches, and when it spreads its wingspan, it turns out to be a white-tailed eagle or a Steller's sea eagle with wingspans of two meters. Seagulls always fly close to the ship, as if asking if something good is going to happen, bringing a smile to the faces of us passengers. When the drift ice is dense, it's not uncommon to see foxes and deer floating on the ice.

Furthermore, the Shiretoko Peninsula lies beyond the white horizon, and one can't help but be amazed by the sheer power of the ice that covers even that peninsula.

Let's do our best again tomorrow.

It's only an hour-long ice floe cruise, but the few minutes spent cruising through the icy sea make you wonder, "Is it really okay for such a sight to exist?"

In the midst of this fact that the sea was freezing, I was filled with a desire to seek something new. And I also fell into the illusion that what I was seeking would be easily achieved, and there was another part of me that was filled with the most positive feelings I had ever experienced in my life.

Well, this otherworldly experience ends tonight. My normal life starts again tomorrow, but I'll do my absolute best. That's what I was thinking as I got off the ship.

The Aurora and the Shiretoko Mountain Range

Access

To the boarding point for the icebreaker Aurora
・Approximately 10 minutes by bus from JR Abashiri Station
・Approximately 40 minutes by bus from Memanbetsu Airport
<To JR Abashiri Station>
Approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes from Sapporo Station
Approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes from Asahikawa Station
Approximately 3 hours from Kushiro Station

For more information about the Aurora, see

Abashiri Icebreaker Aurora Official Website
http://www.ms-aurora.com/abashiri/index.html
Operating period: January 20th to April 2nd
Admission fees: Adults 3,300 yen, Children 1,650 yen
*As of December 11, 2017

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【Related article】
You won't regret it! Tips for choosing the perfect drift ice viewing tour based on your interests!
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