Tourist Train Starts For Season In Hokkaido
A railway operator on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido has started a service offering tourists views of ice floes that wash up on the shores of Okhotsk.
The first train of the season departed from Abashiri Station on the JR Senmo Line after a ceremony on Saturday. About 100 people were on board.
The blue vehicle bears pictures of a lily native to Hokkaido and the Shiretoko Mountain Range in the prefecture.
The passengers couldn't see any ice floes during their one-hour voyage to Shiretoko-Shari, but took photos of the snowy landscape and foaming waves on the sea.
A senior official with the tourism department of Abashiri City said the ice floes are yet to be visible but that he hopes many people will enjoy the scenery of Okhotsk.
The train makes two round-trips a day until March 1.
