2024 is said to be the year when drift ice is commonplace. I took a picture of drift ice at dusk near the Utoro fishing port on the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido. The sky is orange but blue ice floes. This color was very beautiful. * I am not riding on an ice floe.

The wide-area collaboration "Flower Tour" in Engaru Town, Takigami Town, Yubetsu Town, and Monbetsu City is holding a popular "Let's leave it in the photo, Okhotsk Flower Walking ×HO Photo Campaign" in tie-up with the Hokkaido information magazine "HO"! Even in the winter season, there is a lot of charm in Okhotsk! Please post photos of the drift ice in Monbetsu City and the icefall in the valley "Kinsenkyo" in Takigami Town! The judge is travel writer Tsukiyano. There will also be wonderful gifts for the winners. We look forward to receiving your application!! For campaign details and follow-up, see "@HANAKAIYU. Check "HO"

Nice to meet you! Monbetsu Tourist Information Center. Monbetsu City, located in the middle of Okhotsk in Hokkaido, is a wonderful area surrounded by the rich sea and lush nature. Access to Monbetsu City, Hokkaido is easily accessible by direct flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport (one round trip per day, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes). From Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport to Monbetsu City, it takes about 17 minutes by free airport shuttle bus. You can also use intercity buses from Sapporo and Asahikawa, and route buses from JR Engaru and JR Nayoro. The bus ride takes about 5 hours from Sapporo, about 3 hours from Asahikawa, about 2 hours from Nayoro, and about 1 hour from Engaru. You can also rent a car from the airport or train station and enjoy free travel. The weather and climate of Monbetsu City, Hokkaido, are cold in winter and even more cold in the latter half of winter, when drift ice arrives. In summer, the average temperature is around 25 degrees Celsius, making it a comfortable climate. Monbetsu City, Hokkaido is full of attractions! In this post, we will bring you some of the recommended sightseeing spots. Monbetsu City, Hokkaido is a great spot where you can enjoy drift ice (sea ice) up close! The popular Garinko cruise offers a tour of the Sea of Okhotsk. The sight of an icebreaker crushing drift ice is impressive! We offer attractive plans depending on the time of year, such as fishing cruises in "Garinko II", summer vacation cruises at "Garinko III IMERU", and scallop fishing watching cruises. For fishing on the Garinko, fishing equipment can be rented. Since there is little shaking and the handrail is high, even children can use it with confidence. On the undersea floor of the "Ice Sea Observatory Okhotsk Tower", which is the northernmost underwater observatory in Japan, you can see the magnificent scenery of the Sea of Okhotsk. On the third floor of the tower, you can spend an elegant time at Cafe Campanio on the Sea, a café overlooking the Sea of Okhotsk in 360 degrees. "Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido GIZA" is a facility where you can experience drift ice throughout the year. There are plenty of exhibits where you can learn about the wonders of drift ice (sea ice) in an easy-to-understand manner, and you can also see Clione, which is called the sea fairy. In the extremely cold experience room of minus 20 degrees Celsius, you can touch the actual drift ice. Next, the "Okhotsk Sky Tower" at the top of Mt. Oyama is an observation tower that stands at an altitude of 334m. You can enjoy a spectacular view of the Sea of Okhotsk, Shiretoko, the Daisetsu mountain range, and drift ice in winter. A popular unique tourist spot is "Crab Claw Statue (object)"! It is a claw object of a snow crab with a height of 12 m, a width of 6 m, and a weight of 7 tons. It was created by Toshi Nagasaki, a sculptor from Tokyo. It is a popular photo spot for tourists who want to take commemorative photos. Next up is the Okhotsk Tokkari Center. It is a valuable facility in Japan that protects and raises seals. It is operated by two facilities: "Seal Land" and "Seal Sea Paradise". The Okhotsk Tokkari Center sheltered four seals in 1987, and now more than 20 seals are bred. (As of July 2023) The feeding experience at "Seal Sea Paradise" is a chance to see cute seals up close! Participation is accepted (numbered tickets are distributed) from 40 minutes before the feeding time. The capacity is 5 people on a first-come, first-served basis each time, but those who do not have a numbered ticket can also visit. Summer vacation and long holidays can be crowded, so if you wish to participate, please come early. Okhotsk Ryuhyo Park, about 15 minutes by car from the center of Monbetsu City, is a vast park with the theme of "a great landscape with a view of drift ice and a great scenery where you can hear the noise of the tide." Admission is free. The park is divided into 4 blocks of A~D, where you can enjoy the playground equipment and nature. The "Okhotsk Lavender Field" in Block A has about 12,000 trees and four varieties of lavender planted. The best time to see them is from late June to late July. In Block C, there is "Makiba no Hiroba Park Golf Course", and the course can be used free of charge at the reception, and equipment can be rented. There are plenty of accommodation facilities in Monbetsu City! Some hotels have hot springs, which can be expected to beautify your skin and heal the fatigue of traveling. Finally, I would like to introduce the exquisite gourmet food of Monbetsu City! In Monbetsu City, you can enjoy fresh seafood and local specialties. The large scallops grown under the drift ice of Okhotsk are thick and rich! Processed products are also perfect as souvenirs. There are also seasonal recommendations, including spring horsehair crab and autumn salmon! "Zuwaigani Kouramori" is a specialty not to be missed! We also recommend seafood dishes and local dishes that use plenty of seafood. Monbetsu City, Hokkaido is a treasure trove of nature and the best spot where you can spend a moment of excitement and healing. In COOL JAPAN VIDEOS, we will continue to tell you about the charm of Monbetsu City. Thank you for your continued support!

The weather and climate of Abashiri, where Abashirikoso is located, has a very high annual rainfall, and the average annual temperature and snowfall are as follows. January :-5.5°C Average snow cover 187.8mm February : -6.0°C Average snow cover 181.6mm March : -1.9°C Average snow cover 153.1mm April : 4.4°C Average snow cover 36.0mm May : 9.4°C Average snow cover 1.5mm June :13.1°C Average snow cover 0.0mm July :17.1°C Average snow cover 0.0mm August :19.6°C Average snow cover 0.0mm September :16.3°C Average snow cover 0.0mm October: 10.6°C Average snow cover 0.0mm November: 3.7°C average snow cover 18.5mm December: -2.4°C Average snow cover 130.7mm It is not uncommon for snow to fall in May. Abashiri's popular sightseeing unique to cold regions is famous for "Abashiri Drift Ice" where you can enjoy drift ice in the Sea of Okhotsk, and if you board the large sightseeing boat "Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Aurora", you can enjoy a valuable experience while breaking drift ice. Before the new coronavirus, more than 100,000 people boarded the ship every year. Drift ice appears along the coast of Okhotsk from around the end of January every year, and about two months after that, it is the turn of the "Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Aurora". You can also see seals on this drift ice. Another sightseeing spot in Abashiri that can be enjoyed throughout the year is "Museum Abashiri Prison". Museum Abashiri Prison is a museum that stores the actual Abashiri Prison buildings that were used from the Meiji era to 1973. At the Abashiri Prison Former Futamigaoka Farm Cafeteria Building and the Prison Cafeteria, "Experience Prison Food" is offered for a limited time where you can experience the food and gourmet food eaten by the current Abashiri Prison inmates. If you want to visit Abashiri sightseeing full of charm, please use our hotel "Abashirikoso". There is also a day-trip hot spring, so why not stop by and heal the fatigue of your trip? 【Abashirikoso Information】 [Address] 〒099-2421 Abashiri-shi Yobito 78 [Phone number] 0152-48-2311 [Access by train] About 10 minutes by bus from JR Abashiri Station. We will also pick you up and drop you off at JR Abashiri Station. *Advance reservation required [Access by plane] About 20 minutes by bus from Memanbetsu Airport. [Access by car] About 120 minutes from Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway and Marusefu IC

Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum reopened on January 20, 2023! You can enjoy the feeling as if you are exploring under the drift ice.

Abashiri Tourist Association. Hokkaido's tourism PR character "Kyun-chan" came to Abashiri! Kyun-chan is an Ezonaki rabbit that lives in Hokkaido and is characterized by its ugly ears and dark eyes. To impress the feelings of what you see and touch with "Kyun" is the origin of Kyun-chan's name. In Abashiri, we boarded the drift ice breaker "Aurora" and enjoyed local gourmet, Abashiri champon, Okhotsukuzangi bowl, drift ice curry, drift ice soft, etc.!

Introducing the photos posted on "Minna no Post"! This is a pickup post on the inbound tourism information SNS "COOL JAPAN VIDEOS". Today, I would like to introduce "YUTO's post "Hokkaido Monbetsu, shooting with crab claws in the background, a tourist attraction". The sparkle of jewelry ice cream is fantastic. Monbetsu City, Hokkaido, which faces the Sea of Okhotsk, is based on agriculture, forestry, and seafood processing in addition to fishing. Monbetsu City's hometown tax return goods, which are rich in seafood, are also talked about because you can get large scallops. Monbetsu City is also famous for drift ice docking in winter. The drift ice cruise of the drift ice breaker "Garinko-go", which moves forward while crushing drift ice, is very powerful! It is also popular with tourists. There are plenty of sightseeing spots in the vicinity as well as drift ice. The "Crab Claw Statue" object, which is also a popular photo spot near Monbetsu Port, is 12 meters high, 6 meters wide, and weighs 7 tons. It was made during the "Drift Ice Art Festival" held in 1983 (Showa 58). The Okhotsk Tokkari Center, where you can interact with seals, and the Hokkaido Okhotsk Drift Ice Science Center GIZA, a science center, are also recommended for sightseeing in Monbetsu City. The jewelry ice cream in the photo is the drift ice that washed up on the beach. It is not just a block of ice, but is characterized by high transparency. It varies depending on the weather conditions, but the best time to see it is usually around mid-January ~ early March. It is mainly found in the Tokachi River in Hokkaido and is popular with photographers because it can take photogenic photos. Tours are also held early in the morning when the jewelry ice is launched. ◆Monbetsu City◆ 【Access】 Plane Tokyo (Haneda Airport) - Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport 1 round trip each day Please check the official website for details.

Introducing the posts of the official "Abashiri Tourist Association" account! You will be overwhelmed by the sight of the drift ice being cut open. The sightseeing boat "Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Aurora" where you can see drift ice up close. In addition to drift ice sightseeing, you can also see wild animals such as seals. ◆Abashiri drift ice sightseeing icebreaker Aurora◆ 【Address】〒093-0003 Hokkaido Abashiri City Minami 3-jo Higashi 4-5-1 Road Station (Ryuhyo Kaido) 【Telephone】 （0152）43-6000 【Access】 About 5 hours and 30 minutes by train from Sapporo Station, get off at Abashiri Station About 10 minutes by bus / About 8 minutes by taxi Please check the official website for details.

Abashiri Tourist Association. The day after tomorrow, the drift ice breaker "Aurora" will start operation from January 20. The drift ice season has finally arrived! You can enjoy it until early March. Please come to Abashiri, the city of drift ice.

Shari, Hokkaido Sunset over drift ice! Shari Town is located on the Shiretoko Peninsula and it is 🌅✨ easy to see the sunset in the west. The sunset over the drift ice that can only be seen in Hokkaido is the best 😁.