Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

Come to the Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples to learn about life in northern climates throughout the world. Taking a comparative approach, this museum features the Okhotsk and Ainu cultures of Japan, as well as groups in Greenland and Northern Europe. With over 900 artifacts arranged thematically on display, visitors can discover how people in northern regions have adapted to their landscape. For a more hands-on experience, daily activities offer the chance to try traditional clothing and crafts, and regular events throughout the year focus on different cultures. As a result of this global perspective, multi-lingual audio guides are available for non-Japanese speakers.

Every year in late January, drift ice from the Sea of Okhotsk arrives along the coast of Hokkaido. One of the best ways to experience this natural phenomenon is by boarding the Aurora, a powerful icebreaker sightseeing ship that plows through the ice during an exciting about 60-minute cruise.

The heated interior of the ship ensures a comfortable journey, with different vantage points to enjoy the view of the drift ice. For those seeking a more intense experience, the observation deck is highly recommended — the cracking sounds and jolts of the ice breaking beneath the ship are unforgettable and thrilling.

The Aurora typically operates from late January to late March. With direct buses available from Memanbetsu Airport and Abashiri Station, access is quick and easy. If you're lucky, you might even spot wildlife such as seals lounging on the ice or majestic Steller’s sea eagles resting their wings.

Starting in 2023, the newly introduced compact sightseeing ship Aurora 3 is also in service. It features an innovative offering: a live feed from an underwater drone, streaming real-time footage of the drift ice beneath the sea, shown on monitors inside the ship — a fresh and immersive way to experience the ice from above and below.

An exhibition hall where you can experience the Okhotsk winter year-round, with views of the Shiretoko Mountain Range from the Mt. Tento Observatory, designated as a national scenic beauty.

One step inside the building, the drift ice experience room kept at minus 15 degrees awaits. In the room lined with real drift ice, cold air pierces the skin, and through the sensation of breath freezing white, you can experience the Okhotsk severe cold with your whole body. Touching the drift ice, the coldness and hardness transmitted to your palm evokes the journey of ice that has drifted from distant seas. In the aquarium, clione called "angels of drift ice" swim with their transparent bodies swaying, and balloon lumpsuckers and snailfishes with their round forms and adorable appearance soothe visitors.

From the attached Mt. Tento Observatory, a 360-degree panorama including the Okhotsk Sea and the Shiretoko Mountain Range, a World Natural Heritage site, spreads out. The view from this observatory is a valuable scenic beauty designated as a national cultural property. You can overlook the magnificent nature showing seasonal expressions - mountains of fresh green in spring, the brilliantly blue sea in summer, land dyed in autumn colors, and the sea covered white with drift ice in winter. The experience of gazing at the great nature of Okhotsk spreading below while receiving the cold wind is deeply engraved in visitors' hearts.