Tag: Hokkaido

  • The Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum (GIZA)

    The Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum (GIZA)

    You can touch real drift ice at any time in the room to experience freezing temperature at -20°C of the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum! There were also a lot of swimming “Clione,” the angel of drift ice! The Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum (GIZA) in Monbetsu City, Hokkaido, is a facility where you can experience the world of drift ice all year round. You can touch real drift ice in an extremely cold space at -20°C and see the angel of drift ice “Clione.” Since gloves and warm clothing are available for rent, you can visit the museum dressing light clothes. The origin of the nickname of the museum “GIZA” is […]

  • The angel of drift ice “Clione”

    The angel of drift ice “Clione”

    The demonic predation scene of “the angel of drift ice” Clione is too scary! The head cracks wide open and the buccal cones pop out! Drift ice is one of the winter features of the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, in the east of Hokkaido. Clione, which is said to “come with the drift ice and leave with the drift ice,” is called “the angel of drift ice” or “the fairy of drift ice” because of its translucent body, red head and red abdomen, and its swimming motion, which looks like an angel flying with its wings fluttering. The scientific name of Clione is “Clione limacina.” The name “Clione” […]

  • Nature cruising tour in the sea of Rausu in Hokkaido

    Nature cruising tour in the sea of Rausu in Hokkaido

    I’ve joined a nature cruising tour in the sea of Rausu in Hokkaido! You can enjoy drift ice & bird watching in winter and dolphin & whale watching in summer! The large panorama of the Shiretoko Peninsula and Kunashiri Island was spectacular! Rausu Town in Hokkaido is located on the east side of the Shiretoko Peninsula. In the Nemuro Strait off the coast of Rausu, you can enjoy a nature cruising tour that you can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Shiretoko Peninsula, a World Natural Heritage Site, and Kunashiri Island in the Northern Territories. You can also observe marine mammals such as orcas, whales, and dolphins in summer, and […]

  • The drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk

    The drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk

    A scenic spot for the superb view that you’ll want to see at least once in your lifetime! Visiting Hokkaido to see the drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk, the mysterious beauty of nature! The northeastern area of Hokkaido, along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, is famous for the drift ice scenery in winter. In addition, Hokkaido is known as the “southern limit of drift ice,” the place where you can see the drift ice in the southernmost part of the Northern Hemisphere. From the coast, you can see drift ice from the middle of January every year, and the best season to see the drift ice […]

  • Abashiri Prison Museum (former Abashiri Prison)

    Abashiri Prison Museum (former Abashiri Prison)

    If you do something bad, you will be taken to “Abashiri Prison”! I had a prison meal at “Abashiri Prison”, the coldest prison located in extreme northern Japan! The Abashiri Prison, known as the coldest and farthest prison in Japan, is in Abashiri city, Hokkaido. In the movie “Abashiri Prison” which Ken Takakura played the lead, Abashiri Prison was the setting of the movie. In the movie, Ken Takakura played a prisoner, and the scene he broke prison and escaped became popular. This movie was serialized and the prison became very popular. All Japanese in their 50s or over knows the name of this prison. After Meiji Restoration, there were […]