Last year, I visited to Monbetsu and Abashiri to see drift ice because I thought there were fewer travelers due to COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, hotels and airline tickets could be changed at last minute. After a quick change of plans just few days before departure, I got into the clear skies and I was able to enjoy the drift ice.
It is a human nature to wonder if there are any birds of this year in last year’s nests. I wanted to go back to see the drift ice again. Due to my own arrangement mistake, I had to reschedule first half of the trip from Kushiro to Kawayu Onsen. However, as expected, I was not able to change my schedule for Abashiri and Monbetsu during the peak season of this year. I had a pretty much fixed schedule, and all I could do was to hope that the weather would be cooperative.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast was cloudy during my stay. If heavy snow was expected, I would have considered returning to Tokyo early, but the forecast was not that bad. I had to leave the weather to the gods of Hokkaido.
From Kawayu Onsen, I took a tourist bus to Abashiri. It was sunny early in the morning, but as I headed toward Abashiri, it gradually became cloudy. I wondered if there is no birds of this year in last year’s nests after all.
With a reservation made in advance, I boarded an icebreaker boat in Abashiri despite the poor weather. Although the scenery was magnificent, it was a bit of lacking from a photographic point of view.
From Abashiri, I continued the bus to Monbetsu. The windows of the bus on winter roads were dirty and the scenery outside was dark and somber. I fell into a sleep on its long way.
When I woke up just before Monbetsu, the light outside the window was slightly brighter. It was hard to believe at first glance, I wondered if the weather was clearing up. Was the weather forecast wrong?
When I got off the bus at Monbetsu Port, it was perfectly clear. I took an evening icebreaker boat for the sunset cruise. Last year, it was partly cloudy on the sunset cruise, so I might say that this alone was worth the trip to Monbetsu again. It was wonderful.
In the evening, I enjoyed at a local sushi restaurant.
The forecast for the next morning was cloudy again. Since weather forecast is just a forecast, it can be wrong. However, it is unlikely to be wrong for two days in a row.
By the way, the room on that day was exactly the same room in the same hotel as last year. If such a miracle could happen, I wonder if there could be some birds of this year in last year’s nests.
I decided not to have excessive expectations and went to bed. Still, it is human nature to be anxious, I had a nightmare that it was cloudy when I woke up.
When my alarm went off a little after 4:00 a.m., the sky was clear in reality. It was unusually cold, but my heart was warm. I headed for the sunrise cruise.
Thanks to the gods of Hokkaido, there were indeed many birds of this year in last year’s nests.