Ice fishing on Lake Abashiri

Photos © Wolfgang Kaehler, phototours.us

By Michelle Alten

Last night Franci and the group awarded Wolf with a stuffed fish owl, “the owl the almost was”. Despite a noble attempt by the intrepid photographers in the cold of the night, they weren’t able to get a shot of the owl that stayed hidden high in a tree, refusing to come down.  The fish owl, found here in Hokkaido, is the world’s largest and possibly rarest owl.

Hotel staff saying goodbye to our group in Abashiri

At dawn, golden light glowed within ice-fishing tents, arranged on the lake.  As the sun rose, they turned to colorful gum drops scattered on the newly fallen snow.  As we left the hotel, the staff, keeping with Japanese tradition, stood outside in the cold, waving to us until we were out of sight.  We stopped to photograph the families out ice fishing and Naoko, told us that they cook tempura with their fresh smelt right out on the ice.  At Abashiri’s Museum of Drifting Ice, Cherie, one of our fellow travelers, commented, after watching a very sophisticated video about the ice, that the Japanese are way ahead of us.  “Well, they even have heated toilets in a national park,” she pointed out.  How right you are, Cherie!  We all posed for a picture with our sea salt caramel ice cream—incredibly delicious!—in front of an igloo.

Our group posing with icecream at the Museum of Drifting Ice

Run with the Wolfies – See the world from a different angle!
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