Abashiri Cruise: The Aurora Drift Ice Icebreaker

Tours That Include the Cruise

The pick for a Sapporo base is the Aurora Icebreaker Day Trip from Sapporo at $295 per person. It covers the cruise ticket and the drift ice museum entry, with meals extra and about five hours by coach each way. If the cruise is cancelled for weather, the group visits the Abashiri Prison Museum instead and gets a partial refund.

The 2-Day Aurora Cruise, Asahiyama Zoo and Onsen by H.I.S. costs $398 per person for 2 days. The price covers the cruise, an onsen hotel night, three meals, the zoo and the prison museum, and it runs on set dates in February and early March. There is a festival venue support fee of ¥1,000 per person paid on site, and day 1 lunch is not included. If the cruise is cancelled, the group switches to the Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum.

The 2-Day Drift Ice Cruise and Asahiyama Zoo Tour costs $617 per person and covers an icebreaker cruise, an onsen hotel night, dinner, breakfast and the zoo, with lunch extra. If weather cancels the cruise, Mt Tento Observatory and the Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum replace it.

Already in Abashiri? The Private Abashiri Drift Ice Cruise and Culture Day is $2,065 per group up to 6 for 8 hours, with the Aurora ticket, three museum entries, a private van and guide included and lunch extra. If you do not accept an adjusted itinerary, a full refund is guaranteed for the affected booking.

The 4-Day Red-Crowned Cranes and Drift Ice Tour from Kushiro is $975 per person, with the Abashiri drift ice cruise, the crane centre and a museum entry included, hotels and meals extra. On days without ice the cruise still runs along the coast.

Tours Where the Cruise Is Extra or Different

The 7-Day Hokkaido Winter and Drift Ice Private Tour costs $11,142 per group up to 6 and lists the Aurora cruise as optional and paid separately, with hotels also excluded. The 4-Day Steller's Sea Eagles and Rausu Drift Ice Trip at $1,001 per person is a Rausu eagle-watching boat of about 2.5 hours, not the Abashiri icebreaker. The 2-Day Drift Ice Cruise and Asahiyama Zoo Tour includes a drift ice icebreaker cruise but does not name its ship.

The 2-Day Private Shiretoko Tour from Abashiri and the 2-Day Private Shiretoko Car Tour are private car and driver only, with cruise and admission tickets bought separately.

Side by Side

This table compares the operator's own ticket with the tours that include the cruise, using prices from the operator and the tour listings, together with each one's plan when the cruise is cancelled.

Large Ship or Small Ship Aurora 3?

The choice changes the price, the length and what happens on a day without ice. The figures below come from the Aurora operator's fare and FAQ pages, converted to dollars at the rate used across this site.

Seats, Decks and What Is On the Ship

Standard seating on the large ship is unreserved, and guests board in the order they line up at the gate. That means a reservation does not hold a seat if the ship is full, so join the queue early. The 1st-floor cabin has free seating and connects to a side deck with a close, low view of the ice. The 2nd-floor cabin holds 50 special seats at the front, sold on board on the day for $3.16 (¥500) to whoever asks first.

The ship is heated throughout, with a coffee lounge, a shop and restrooms on both floors. Most passengers still watch from the outdoor deck, where it runs around -10 to 0 degrees C. Drones are not allowed.

Families, Seasickness and Access

Preschool children ride free and elementary school children pay $22.12 (¥3,500), so a family on the large ship pays two adult fares and the child fares only. The operator says the large ship rolls little while it breaks ice, but it can sway strongly on rough sea, so take your usual remedy if you are prone to seasickness. The Aurora Icebreaker Day Trip from Sapporo lists itself as not suitable for people prone to seasickness or with mobility impairments.

For wheelchair users the large ship is the only option. Staff help at the boarding point, but the stairs inside limit where you can go. Holders of a grade 1 physical disability certificate pay 50 percent of the fare, and so does one accompanying caregiver.

Aurora or the Garinko-go III in Monbetsu?

Hokkaido's other drift ice icebreaker sails from Monbetsu, further up the Okhotsk coast. The Garinko-go III runs daily from January 15 to March 31, and each cruise lasts about 60 minutes, up to 30 minutes longer depending on the ice. If you are based in Abashiri, the Aurora is the boat on your doorstep.

The 2-Day Drift Ice Cruise and Asahiyama Zoo Tour does not name its ship, and its second day goes on to Okhotsk Tower, so check the listing before you book if the Aurora itself matters to you.

Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum on Mt Tento

This museum on Mt Tento shows real drift ice in an indoor ice room and covers the science of the Sea of Okhotsk. Winter hours run 9:00-16:30 from November to April, with last entry at 16:00, and there are no regular closed days. Around the year end and new year, from December 29 to January 5, hours shorten to 10:00-15:00.

The address is Tentozan 244-3, Abashiri, and the phone is 0152-43-5951. Entry is included in Aurora Icebreaker Day Trip from Sapporo, Private Abashiri Drift Ice Cruise and Culture Day and 4-Day Red-Crowned Cranes and Drift Ice Tour.

Abashiri Prison Museum

An open-air museum of Meiji-era prison buildings, designated Important Cultural Properties. Admission is $9.48 (¥1,500) for adults, with high school students and younger at lower rates, and hours are 9:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:00. It is the backup stop on Aurora Icebreaker Day Trip from Sapporo: if weather cancels the cruise, the group visits here instead and receives a partial refund. 2-Day Aurora Cruise, Asahiyama Zoo and Onsen also includes entry, and day 2 lunch there is part of its meal plan.

Ryuhyo Monogatari Train

JR Hokkaido runs the Ryuhyo Monogatari train between Abashiri and Shiretoko-Shari along the coast, in drift ice season. It runs on January 30-31, daily February 1-28 and March 6-7. The one-way fare is a $6.57 (¥1,040) ticket plus a $6.32 (¥1,000) reserved seat, children half price, and all cars are reserved.

Train 1 leaves Abashiri at 9:50 and reaches Shiretoko-Shari at 10:41, stopping at Kitahama for about 11 minutes, where trains 2 and 4 in the other direction stop at Hamakoshimizu for about 25 minutes. The Kitahama observation deck was removed due to age.

Museums of the Okhotsk Coast

The Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples covers the cultures of the north. It opens 9:30-16:30, and permanent exhibition admission is $3.48 (¥550) for adults and $1.26 (¥200) for high school and university students, free for junior high age and under and for people 65 or older. It sits about 5 km from JR Abashiri Station on the Tentozan bus line, next to the Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum.

The Moyoro Shell Mound Museum shows remains of the ancient Okhotsk people.

Two Abashiri days cover this ground without a cruise. Abashiri Heritage Tour by Private Vehicle visits the prison museum, the drift ice museum and the Moyoro Shell Mound, while North Okhotsk Heritage and Kayak Day includes both museums, pottery making, lunch, dinner and a sunset kayak in a 10.5-hour day.

What Happens With No Ice

Drift ice is a natural phenomenon and is not guaranteed on any day. The decision whether to sail is usually made about 1 hour before departure, and a cancellation can still happen after check-in. The operator does not notify reservation holders, so check the operating status yourself.

With no drift ice, the large ship becomes a sea tour to Notoro Cape. If no ice is found, the small ship Aurora 3 sailing is cancelled.

How Cold It Gets

These are the Japan Meteorological Agency normals for Abashiri. The cabin is heated, but the outdoor decks run around -10 to 0 degrees C and colder over the water. The operator advises a heavy outer layer, ear covers, a scarf and waterproof shoes, since most passengers watch from the outdoor deck.

Wildlife on the Ice

Possible sightings from the ship include seals, sea birds and Steller's sea eagles, and none is guaranteed. The operator suggests binoculars or a telephoto lens. Drones are not allowed.