Abashiri

A city of Okhotsk Sea drift ice: ride the Aurora icebreaker, visit Abashiri Prison, see wildflower gardens in summer and glasswort in autumn.

Abashiri lies on the Okhotsk Sea coast of northeastern Hokkaido. It is one of the southernmost places in Japan where you can see drift ice near land, and it is a hub for driving and rail travel (JR Sekihoku Line and Senmo Line) in eastern Hokkaido. Memanbetsu Airport is about 30 minutes by car from the city center. From late January to early March, drift ice from the direction of Sakhalin covers the sea, and sailing out on the Aurora icebreaker is the signature winter experience. Summer and autumn are the season of flower fields and lakes: in June–July, wildflowers bloom at the Koshimizu Natural Flower Garden and Wakka Natural Flower Garden, and in mid-to-late September, glasswort turns the shore of Lake Notoro red at Ubaranai.

Main areas: ① The city and Mt. Tento: Museum Abashiri Prison, the Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum and the Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples are clustered around Mt. Tento and can be combined in half a day. ② The east coast: Kitahama Station, Lake Tofutsu and the Koshimizu Natural Flower Garden; in winter you can ride the Drift Ice Monogatari sightseeing train. ③ The western lakes: Lake Notoro, Cape Notoro and, farther on, Lake Saroma. ④ To the south in the town of Ozora: Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park (May).

Getting there: From Sapporo to Abashiri it is about 5 hours 20 minutes by JR limited express, or you can fly into Memanbetsu Airport. Sights are spread out and public transport is infrequent, so renting a car is strongly recommended; winter driving requires snow-driving experience. Allow 1–2 days. Abashiri can be linked with Shiretoko (about 80 km east), Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo into a loop around eastern Hokkaido. Note: the arrival time and extent of drift ice vary each year, so check the Japan Coast Guard's drift-ice information before you go. Winter temperatures often fall below -15°C, so dress warmly.

Top sights

• Aurora Icebreaker Cruise – An icebreaker sightseeing boat that departs from the Michi-no-Eki 'Ryuhyo Street Abashiri' and sails into the drift ice fields of the Sea o…
• Abashiri Prison Museum – An open-air museum with relocated buildings from the Meiji-era Abashiri Prison, including radial cell blocks and the Mirror Bridge. It offe…
• Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum – A drift-ice museum atop Tenmozan. Its −15°C experience room lets you touch real drift ice, and the rooftop observation deck overlooks Lake…
• Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples – A museum on the Ainu, the Okhotsk culture, and the daily lives of peoples across the Arctic region, with rich and exquisite exhibits.
• Lake Notoro Coral Grass (Uparanai) – The largest coral grass (glasswort) colony in Japan, on the southern shore of Lake Notoro at Uparanai. In early autumn, the lakeshore turns…
• Koshimizu Natural Flower Garden – A dune garden wedged between the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Tofutsu. In early summer, about 40 wildflower species bloom here, including Ezo da…
• Lake Abashiri – A brackish lake south of Abashiri city. In winter, after it freezes, you can try ice fishing for wakasagi (smelt), and Tenmozan offers a vi…
• Lake Tofutsu – A Ramsar-listed wetland where whooper swans gather in winter. The reflection of Mount Shari on the lake makes it one of eastern Hokkaido’s…
• Cape Notoro – A cliff headland on the Sea of Okhotsk. An octagonal black-and-white lighthouse and vast grasslands create sweeping scenery, and drift ice…
• Kitahama Station – An unstaffed station billed as the “closest station to the Sea of Okhotsk,” with the sea just beyond the platform. In winter, drift ice can…
• Moyoro Shell Mound Museum – The display facility for the National Historic Site Moyoro Shell Mound, introducing the enigmatic Okhotsk culture that thrived along the Se…
• Lake Saroma – Hokkaido’s largest lake and Japan’s third largest. From the Mount Horoiwa observatory, you can look down on the lake and the sea, separated…
• Wakka Primeval Flower Garden – A flower garden on a sandbar about 20 km long between Lake Saroma and the Sea of Okhotsk. Private cars are banned, so visitors cycle or rid…
• Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park – A hillside of about 10 hectares in Ōzora Town, covered with shibazakura (moss phlox). In late spring, the entire hill turns pink, making it…

Where to eat

• Sakanatei Kihachi – A popular seafood izakaya in central Abashiri, once listed in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido Bib Gourmand, serving whale d…
• Prison Canteen (Museum Abashiri Prison) – A canteen beside the entrance of Museum Abashiri Prison. Its “prison meal,” which recreates the real meals served at Ab…
• Teishaba (Kitahama Station Café) – A café-style canteen inside the wooden station building of JR Kitahama Station, with the Sea of Okhotsk right outside t…

Itineraries

• Eastern Hokkaido Wilderness & Shiretoko Loop – In via Kushiro and out via Memanbetsu, linking the Kushiro Marsh, the Akan Three Lakes, whale watching in Rausu, and th…
• Drift Ice & Red-Crowned Crane Winter Rail Journey – Traverse Hokkaido by train in winter to see penguin walks, drift ice icebreakers, Shiretoko snowfields, and red-crowned…
• Grand Hokkaido Self-Drive Loop – A complete loop from New Chitose, covering Central Hokkaido's flower fields, Shiretoko, the easternmost point of Nemuro…