2011/02/11 - Shiretoko Fantasia 2011
by francois and schauwecker
Ryuhyo (drift ice) along Shiretoko's eastern coast
We concluded our winter reporting trip to Hokkaido with a visit to the Shiretoko Peninsula. Located on a geographical latitude comparable to Venice (Italy) or Portland (Oregon), the peninsula is among the southernmost places on the northern hemisphere to see drift ice (ryuhyo) during the winter, typically from mid January to late March.
Oshinkoshin Waterfall along the road to Utoro is lit up in the evenings
We spent one night in Utoro, the only town along the peninsula's western coast. After dinner at the ryokan, we joined the town's many other ryokan guests in visiting the twenty minute long laser show "Aurora Fantasy" at Utoro Port (daily from February 5 to March 21 at 20:00, 300 yen).
Tourists flock to the laser show in the port of Utoro
A laser generated aurora delights tourists in the port of Utoro
The aurora turns more colorful
Besides visiting the "Aurora Fantasy" laser show in Utoro, we also went to enjoy the ryuhyo (drift ice) in various ways. Most exciting was the "Ryuhyo Walking Tour" (90 minutes, 5000 yen) which allowed us to step onto the drift ice, jump from ice floe to ice floe and even swim in the freezing Sea of Okhotsk in wetsuits.
Ryuhyo Walking Tour
Ryuhyo Walking Tour
Ryuhyo Walking Tour
We also joined a one hour cruise from nearby Abashiri on the Aurora icebreaker ship (3300 yen). The ship encountered little resistance from the ice, which has grown increasingly thin in recent decades. On our visit today, the port of Abashiri was completely free of ice, and it took us 10-15 minutes to reach a zone with some drift ice. Nonetheless, the sight of the ryuhyo was fascinating.
Ryuhyo Boat Cruise
Ryuhyo Boat Cruise
A sea eagle (owashi) seen on the Ryuhyo Boat Cruise
Ryuhyo Boat Cruise
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