The Ice Horizon and Drift Ice Walk—A Glimpse into the Ecosystem Created by the Currents of East Hokkaido

We will gather at Kushiro Airport and head to Kiritappu Wetland by private car.

There we will enjoy a great view of Kiritappu Wetland from Biwase Observatory. We will spend our time bird watching at Oku-Biwase Wild Bird Park (approx. 30 min.), after which we will visit Kiritappu Wetland Center and walk along the nearby Yachibozu Boardwalk Trail (approx. 1 hour on foot).

We will make a stop at Cape Kiritappu and observe sea otters in the wild. Sea otters are able to inhabit the area because of the abundance of marine life brought by the ocean currents. We will take a private car to a pension in Kiritappu.

Our day will begin with a private car to Odaito (approx. 1 hour).

We will drop by Roadside Station Odaito and have lunch at Odaito Fishing Harbor.

In the afternoon, we will visit Notsuke Peninsula, a coastal landform created by powerful ocean currents and the largest sand spit in Japan. In winter the shallow sea in this area is transformed into a field of ice and snow, known as ‘Salar de Uyuni of Japan’. Here we will walk along an expanse of ice and snow, seemingly extending over the horizon. We will explore this unique seasonal offering of the region (approx. 2 hours).

We will return to Rausu by private car.

We will take a drift ice cruise from Rausu (organized by Shiretoko Nature Cruise). We will have a high chance of seeing drift ice in the Nemuro Straits as well as large birds of prey such as steller’s sea eagles and white-tailed sea eagles (approx. 2 hours).

Next we will transfer by private car to Utoro (approx. 2 hours). In Utoro, we will go on a ‘drift ice walk’ with a professional guide from Shiretoko Guided Cruise Shinra (approx. 1.5 hours). Here we can actually set foot on the drift ice at sunset. Drift ice, carried by ocean currents, is one of the world’s rarest natural phenomena.

The presence of large raptors such as white-tailed and steller’s sea eagles is a sign that the currents that bring drift ice also bring rich blooms of plankton, which is the foundation of the marine food chain. Walking on the drift ice on the shore will further deepen the experience.

We will take a private car to the Shiretoko Nature Center and learn about the nature of Shiretoko from a Shiretoko Nature Foundation certified guide. This will be followed by snowshoeing along animal trails in a pristine forest (approx. 3 hours). The rich natural environments, both land and sea, in Shiretoko will allow us to see a wide variety of wildlife in the area. The accompanying guide will provide explanations for a more in-depth experience of nature.

After lunch at the Shiretoko Nature Center, we will take a winter wildlife watching tour accompanied by a Shiretoko Foundation guide (approx. 1.5 hours).

To end the day, we will stay overnight in Utoro at the same hotel as the previous day.

We will transfer by private car to Kiyosato Ihatov Hostel (approx. 1 hour). There we will take an untethered hot air balloon flight operated by Shiretoko Tourist (approx. 2 hours), affording us a bird’s-eye view of the land of East Hokkaido and the drift ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. We will look back and reflect on the richness of nature and ecosystems we experienced during the previous four days.

Finally, we will transfer by private car to Memanbetsu Airport (approx. 1 hour) and conclude our tour.