Monbetsu Sea Ice Breaker
Together with the Sea ice Breaker ships operating out of Abashiri, Monbetsu offers a similar experience but with a slightly different type of ship – the Garinko 2 – which crushes the ice in it’s mighty teeth!
Monbetsu is not as popular as Abashiri so expect the experience there to go less smoothly. For one, the website is only Google translated and talks about “flights status” for the boat schedule (Japanese is 運航 in case anyone wants to know – it means “operating”). The website looks like a preserved relic from 1998 and Monbetsu itself is not that easy to navigate. However, Monbetsu is not that far away from Abashiri, and depending on the status of the sea ice, you could adjust your plans accordingly.
Will I see any sea ice at Monbetsu?
The season at Monbetsu tends to start slightly earlier and finish earlier compared to Abashiri. So if you are traveling early February, Monbetsu may be your best bet.
The red circle is Monbetsu and the green is Abashiri. This pattern is very typical later in February where the ice starts to thin. In general there are less days where you can experience the sea ice at Monbetsu compared to Abashiri, hence why Abashiri is a more popular tourist spot.
How to book and access
Booking can only be done via email from this page. You can check the status of operation from there also and what times the boat runs. There is a sunrise and sunset cruise also (sunrise cruise at 6am if you are staying locally). Check out the page on how to navigate around Eastern-Hokkaido during winter to plan how to get to Monbetsu. There is a scattering of hotels around 30 minutes walk from the port however buses are infrequent and confusing so either walk or take a taxi (if you can find one that speaks English). “When Japan” just walked to the hotel; it was easier. As a non-Japanese speaker it might be worth planning the Monbetsu cruise in the morning and head to Abashiri in the afternoon and stay there overnight.
