10 Best Things to Do in Abashiri: Local’s Guide
Planning a trip to Abashiri in Eastern Hokkaido? You’re in the right place!
Abashiri is best known for drift ice in winter, but this quiet coastal city is full of nature and unique things to do all year around.
Most travelers to Hokkaido don’t even reach the eastern part and just stick to Sapporo and Furano. But that’s exactly why I love cities like Abashiri, away from the crowds.
I grew up in Eastern Hokkaido, and Abashiri was one of our favorite weekend getaways. So in this guide, I’m sharing 10 of my favorite things to do in and around Abashiri, from drift ice adventures and sunflower fields to a few local secrets you won’t find in a typical tourist itinerary.
If you’re the kind of traveler who loves offbeat nature and hidden gems, you’ll love this city.
Let’s dive in!
1. Visit Abashiri Prison Museum
The Abashiri Prison Museum is an open-air museum built in real prison buildings used between the 1890s and 1980s.
This isn’t a typical museum. You can feel what life was like for inmates over a century ago, from the preserved wooden cell blocks and guard towers give a vivid picture of what life was like for inmates over a century ago.
You’ll learn a lot about the history of Hokkaido here. For example, many prisoners sent here during the Meiji era played a huge role in building roads in the region.
It’s definitely an eye-opening visit, but to be honest, I still feel scared at this museum since I visited here as a kid, because everything felt so real!
There’s also a quirky side to the experience. You can try the old prison-style meal in the dining hall.
Information
- Open hours: 9 am – 5 pm
- Admission: 1,500 JPY
- By bus: 10 min by the Kanko Shisetsu Meguri Line (sightseeing bus) from JR Abashiri Station
- By car: 7 min from Abashiri city center, parking free
- Official website
Where I always stay in Abashiri: Hokuten no Oka
A cozy onsen resort hotel that my family and I love.
✅ Relaxing onsen & free hot stone spa
✅ High-quality buffet with local ingredients
✅ Interior designes inspired by the regional culture
2. Touch the real drift ice at the Drift Ice Museum
Want to feel a bit of Abashiri’s winter magic, even if you’re visiting in summer? Head to the Drift Ice Museum!
This small but interactive museum is dedicated to the drift ice that arrives at Abashiri’s coast every winter. Inside, you’ll learn about this beautiful, natural phenomenon and meet the rare creatures that thrive beneath the ice, like sea angels.
My favorite part of this museum is a walk-in room chilled to -15°C, where you can touch actual drift ice! It’s freezing cold of course, but such a cool experience!
Before you leave, don’t miss the rooftop deck. On a clear day, you’ll get panoramic views over Abashiri city, nearby lakes, and the Sea of Okhotsk.
Information
- Open hours: 8.30 am – 6 pm
- Admission: 900 JPY
- By bus: The next stop from Abashiri Prison Museum (5 min)
- By car: 10 min from Abashiri city center, parking free
- Official website
3. Ride the drift ice breaker ship in winter
If you’re visiting Abashiri in winter, there’s one experience you have to try. A ride on the Aurora icebreaker ship!
From late January to March, the ship cruises through the frozen Sea of Okhotsk, pushing its way through thick drift ice. You’ll hear the sound of ice cracking beneath the ship, and see the white sea filled up with drift ice.
If you’re lucky, you might even spot a sea eagle or a seal chilling on the ice.
A cruise tour is around an hour, with several departures a day. It’s a popular activity, so tickets sell out fast. Book ahead if you can!
4. Catch ocean views from Cape Notoro
Cape Notoro is one of the best view spots in Abashiri.
This peaceful cape offers wide open grasslands, sea cliffs, and a iconic lighthouse standing at the edge. On a clear day, you can even spot the Shiretoko mountain range far in the distance.
In summer, the area turns into a green meadow filled with wildflowers, and sometimes cows grazing. In winter, from late January to early March, you can see the frozen sea with drift ice below the cliffs, stretching into the horizon.
And if you’re into stargazing, this is a hidden gem. The night sky here is incredibly dark and clear, so perfect for watching stars (and even shooting stars sometimes). Just bring a flashlight for the path, and keep an eye out for wild animals, like foxes and deer.
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5. See the Pink Moss at Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park (May–early June)
If you’re visiting Abashiri in spring, don’t miss this magical pink hillside just 30 minutes away from the city center.
From early May to early June, two hills are beautifully covered in shibazakura, tiny moss phlox flowers that bloom in bright shades of pink. There are gentle walking paths winding through the hills to enjoy the views.
What makes this place even more special is the story behind it.
In 1977, a 58-year-old local farmer started planting these flowers by hand, with no machines and no help. His dream was to create a peaceful park where people could relax and gather. It took him 8 years to cover the 100,000-square-meter hillside, and he kept taking care of it until he was 80 years old.
Even after he passed away, his beautiful creation continues to bloom every year, drawing visitors from all over Japan and beyond.
Information
- Opening hours: 8am – 5pm from May to June
- Official website
- Admission fee: 500 JPY
- Free parking
- Access: 30 min by car from Abashiri city center
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6. Visit Lake Notoro’s red carpet of glasswort in autumn (mid-Aug to late Sep)
You’ll be in Abashiri in autumn? Then Lake Notoro is the place to go.
This quiet coastal lagoon sits just outside Abashiri, and from mid-August to late September, its shoreline turns a stunning deep red. The color comes from glasswort, a salt-tolerant plant that creates a natural red carpet along the marsh.
You can explore the area on wooden boardwalks built over the wetlands, which makes it easy to walk through without getting your shoes muddy. There’s even a sign proudly calling it the No.1 glasswort colony in Japan!
Information
- Open 24 hours
- Google Maps location
- Free admission, free parking
- Access: 20 min by car from Abashiri city center, or 20 min by bus from JR Abashiri Station
7. Meet adorable chipmunks
Have you ever wanted to feed a chipmunk? You can do it in Abashiri!
At Okhotsk Chipmunk Park, you’ll get to meet dozens of the cutest little chipmunks. It’s more like a cozy petting zoo than a traditional park, and it’s really fun for both kids and adults.
When you arrive, the staff will give you a quick briefing on how to safely enter the enclosure. Then you’ll get gloves and a small packet of sunflower seeds to attract the chipmunks!
They’ll jump onto your hands or even your lap to grab a treat. The way they stuff their cheeks full is sooo cute. If you’re traveling with kids, it’s a guaranteed favorite.
Information
- Ticket: 400 yen per person, from 3 years old
- Hours: 10 am to 4 pm, open from May to mid-October
- No public transportation access
- By car: 15 min from Abashiri, 50 min from Kitami
New Travel Guide!
Plan your perfect trip with local gems and zero tourist traps.
✅ Local spots you won’t find anywhere else
✅ Skip tourist traps so you stop wasting time and money
✅ Travel like you have a local friend showing you around
8. Cycle through nature in Wakka Nature Reserve
If you like cycling, go to Wakka Nature Reserve, one of Japan’s largest coastal grasslands. This long, narrow spit stretches for 20 km, dividing the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Saroma. And it’s home to over 300 kinds of plants and wildlife.
You can rent a bicycle at the Wakka Nature Center and choose between two routes: a flat, kid-friendly path or a slightly hilly 4.5 km trail with ocean views and fewer crowds.
I definitely recommend the latter. At the end of the ride, there’s a small spring where you can drink fresh water straight from the ground. The round trip takes about 1.5 hours at a relaxed pace.
And here’s a bonus: after cycling, stop by the beach near the Nature Center for gemstone hunting! Just a short 1 km bike ride from the center, the beach is known for its agate stones. Look for them in gravelly areas. Sometimes you’ll find a bunch, sometimes none, but that’s part of the fun.
This was actually one of my favorite weekend adventures as a kid. My sisters and I would spend hours to bring home “treasures” (most of which, sadly, turned out not to be agate!).
Whether you’re with kids or not, this is a perfect nature activity to enjoy Hokkaido’s wild and peaceful side.
Information
- Rental bicycle: 650 JPY per adult, 320 JPY per child
- Hours: 8 am to 5 pm in May & from September to mid-October8 am – 6 am from June to August (Closed during winter)
- By public transportation: 5 min from Tokoro Bus Terminal to Wakka Iriguchi
- By car: One hour from Abashiri and Kitami
- Official website
- Google Map
Need help with trip planning?
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9. Day trip to Monbetsu: See seals and the giant crab claw
Just a 1.5-hour drive from Abashiri, Monbetsu is a small port town along the coast. It’s perfect for a day trip from Abashiri.
The must-visit of Monbetsu is the Okhotsk Tokkari Center, a rescue and rehabilitation facility for injured seals. These seals are rescued from the nearby sea and taken care of until they’re healthy enough to return to the wild.
While those under treatment stay in pools inside a facility, visitors can see the ones after recovery and on training in outdoor pools. You can also watch them during feeding times (five times a day). There’s even an underwater viewing space where you can watch them swim!
Admission is only 200 yen, and it goes directly to covering seals’ meal costs. If you’re in the area, I really recommend stopping by to support this lovely little place.
You can also visit the Okhotsk Drift Ice Science Center nearby.
Before you leave Monbetsu, don’t forget to visit one of its most iconic landmarks: the Giant Crab Claw Statue. Yup, it’s exactly what it sounds like. A giant, 12-meter-tall red crab claw standing proudly in the middle of the ocean park. It’s been there since 1983 and has become the photo spot of the town.
10. Visit the hidden sunflower field before your flight (Late July–early August)
Flying in or out of Memambetsu Airport in summer? Then I’ll tell you about this secret sunflower field right next to the airport… That’s absolutely worth a stop!
From late July to early August, around 400,000 sunflowers bloom across a vast field. Even if you miss the main season, a second wave of a different sunflower variety blooms here from late September to early October.
If you’re lucky, you might even catch a plane taking off or landing right behind the sunflowers. It looks like it’s flying straight out of the sunflower field! Aviation photographers love this spot and come from all over Japan to capture the moment. (Just note that Memambetsu Airport doesn’t have that many flights per day, so timing is key.)
Perfect for a quick visit before or after your flight, and a beautiful last memory of your trip to Abashiri.
Information
- When to visit: August or late September to early October
- Open 24 hours, Free admission
- Access: 5 min by car and 20 min by walk from Memambetsu Airport
- Google Maps location
Your next steps
Now you’re ready to plan your trip with the best things to do in Abashiri! Don’t forget to check out my summer itinerary and winter itinerary for Abashiri.
Where to go next after Abashiri? I recommend Shiretoko for outdoor activities in untouched nature.
Happy trip planning!
Plan your perfect trip with local gems and zero tourist traps.
✅ Fill your itinerary with local favorites you won’t find anywhere else.
✅ Know exactly which tourist traps to skip so you stop wasting time and money.
✅ Experience Eastern Hokkaido like you have a local friend showing you around.
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