A unique natural phenomenon, known as drift ice, occurs each winter on the Sea of Okhotsk, on Hokkaido’s northern ... up close is on a short icebreaker cruise, traveling through the ice itself.

NEMURO, Hokkaido–This year’s commercial whaling of minke whales has begun off the coast of eastern Hokkaido, with the first catch of the season being unloaded here on April 1. The catch was a ...