Winter Hokkaido Okhotsk Sea is covered in white drift ice.
The drift ice is only seen in Winter. Have a moving and spectacular experience seeing drift ice with the Abashiri drift ice sightseeing icebreaking ship.
Operation Period: from January 20th 2017 to April 2nd 2017
■Icebreaking Ship Terminal
Abashiri Roadside Stop※The Icebreaking Ship Terminal inside
Ticket Sales, Ticket Gate, Waiting Room, Shops, Toilets, Free Parking Available
※(Abashiri roadside stop is used as a rest area for road travelers, as well as a information center for local people and road travelers)
■Aurora and Aurora 2
Maximum Capacity: 400 people, facilitated with heating, shops, and toilets.
Person in Charge: Toshikazu Ooki
The drift ice sightseeing season is from January to March.
From early February to mid-March there is a higher opportunity to see drift ice (68% visibility in these 5 years.) . It is not guaranteed that you can see the drift ice everyday, because of unpredictable wind directions and water current.
It takes a little luck to witness drift ice.
We hope everyone viewing this site can experience drift ice while aboard the ice breaking ship. We look forward to seeing you.
Once you get out to sea,
We recommend you come out on deck.
You can overlook drift ice from the observation deck, and you may be lucky to spot animals in the wild resting on the drift ice (Steller's sea eagles, white-tailed eagles, seals and more). From the side deck, you get to see the spectacular drift ice right before your very eyes.
When you're feeling cold during drift ice viewing,
Warm yourself up with hot beverages like coffee from the shop, sit down, relax and enjoy the drift ice from inside the cabin.
If you prefer, we have drift ice draft beer, local Abashiri beer. It can be a great memory to experience the weather with a cold drink.
| | Jan. 20 - 31 | Feb. 1 - 28 | Mar. 1 - 31 | Apr. 1 - 2 |
| 1st Departure | 9:00a.m. | 9:30a.m. | 9:30a.m. | 11:00a.m. |
| 2nd Departure | 11:00a.m. | 11:00a.m. | 11:30a.m. | 1:30p.m. |
| 3rd Departure | 1:00p.m. | 0:30p.m. | 1:30p.m. | |
| 4th Departure | 3:00p.m. | 2:00p.m. | 3:30p.m. | |
| 5th Departure | | 3:30p.m. | | |
| Sunset Cruise | | 4:30p.m.
※Sunset Cruise is available only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday between February 12th and March 13th.
| |
Required Time: 1 hour Fares: Adults 3,300 yen Children 1,650 yen
※Please complete your boarding procedures 15 minutes prior to departure.
※From March the 15th, in the event that the number of passenger reservations is 15 or lower,
service may be suspended.
Service running time may be up to 1 hour and 30 minutes depending on drift ice conditions.
Abashiri drift ice sightseeing icebreaking ship Aurora
Minami 3, Higashi 4-5-1, Abashiri city, Hokkaido TEL：+81-152-43-6000
Access
【Airplane】
- Haneda Airport to Memanbetsu Airport approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Shin-Chitose Airport to Memanbetsu Airport approximately 45 minutes
- Okadama Airport to Memanbetsu Airport approximately 50 minutes
→from Memanbetsu Airport to Abashiri Station approximately 30 minutes by direct bus
→from Abashiri Station to the Aurora ship Boarding Site approximately 10 minutes by direct bus
【JR】
- Sapporo - Abashiri approximately 5 hour and 30 minutes
- Asahikawa - Abashiri approximately 3 hour and 50 minutes
- Kushiro - Abashiri approximately 3 hour
→from Abashiri Station to the Aurora ship Boarding Site approximately 10 minutes by direct bus
Enlarge the map by clicking them
| Brochure | Japanese, English, Chinese |
| Staff | Japanese |
Questions about travel to Hokkaido
We accept questions about Hokkaido trips.
Please let us help you preparing for your individual trips,
small-group trips, observation tours, etc.
Please use the inquiry form.
