Sightseeing icebreakers began operating Saturday from their bases in the Hokkaido ports of Abashiri and Obihiro, showing tourists drift ice in the Sea of Okhotsk, vessel operators said.
491-ton icebreaker Aurora left Abashiri in the morning with the season's first 230 passengers aboard, including students on a school excursion from Oi High School in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Passengers saw a sea eagle and a sea lion during their voyage.
The number of passengers on the Abashiri icebreaker has increased steadily since its first voyage in 1991. It attracted a record 176,000 passengers last season, including groups of tourists from Taiwan and Hong Kong.
