[Travel] Winter in Hokkaido: 3 Days, 2 Nights - A Trip to Meet Seals in Mombetsu ②

To meet seals in winter Hokkaido, I headed to Mombetsu for a 3-day, 2-night trip!

On 1/20, despite schedule changes due to the Garinko-go being canceled, there was a surprise with taxi starting-fare coupons...
And I'm sharing the record of the second day, where I was moved by Luna-chan's "moo-moo" voice!

Click here for Day 1

Mombetsu, Seals, and Winter Hokkaido Trip Day 2 | A Happy Surprise After a Schedule Change

Today was originally planned for a ride on the Garinko-go, but as noted in the first day's article, it was canceled, so we decided to change our plans.

But there were some good things too!
We learned that staying at the hotel grants you coupons that make the taxi starting fare free.

We were told we could use 8 of them, and although we might not need that many, we received 5 for the day.
(They are only valid for the day stamped, so we need to ask the hotel reception to issue more for tomorrow.)

The starting fare was 700 yen, so it's quite nice to have that covered for free.

By the way, there are local buses in Mombetsu, but they don't run very often.
The closest bus stop to the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum and the Seal Center is "Okhotsk Tower Entrance," but it takes about 15 minutes on foot from there to each facility.

Considering walking on winter roads, the hurdle is quite high for beginners.

On the other hand, in February, a shuttle bus called the "Gariya-go" runs every day (it only runs on weekends and holidays in late January and March).

Like the free shuttle bus connecting Mombetsu Airport and the bus terminal, this one allows you to get on and off right near the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum.

If you are going during that time, I think you can significantly reduce the burden of travel by using the Gariya-go along with the taxi coupons.

Enjoying Luna-chan's "moo-moo" voice at Seal Land

We took a taxi to Seal Land, which we also visited on the first day.

We watched the 10:30 feeding time (this session was also a boy) and stuck by the pool where the ringed seal Luna-chan is.

After watching the seals in the pool for a while, I heard a "moo-moo" voice that seemed to be Luna-chan's...!

I had been repeatedly playing Luna-chan's "moo" on the official Seal Land Instagram, so I was very happy to hear the real thing!

Okhotsk Tower and Seal Marshmallows

I took the free bus directly to Okhotsk Tower.

If you ask the staff at the Marine Exchange Center, they will call a bus for you (so helpful).

Okhotsk Tower has free areas from the 1st to the 3rd floor, and only the seabed floor requires an admission fee (500 yen for adults).

The 1st floor has the reception and a kids' corner, while the 2nd floor features a 4D theater and a space where you can take commemorative photos with real drift ice!

Also, there is a mini aquarium on the seabed floor, and I saw a Clione!

Then I moved up to the 3rd floor of Okhotsk Tower to the cafe "Campanio".

I ordered a cafe au lait topped with a seal marshmallow!
I had seen it often on X and had secretly been longing for it.

The sweet marshmallow melts and matches the bitter cafe au lait perfectly—delicious!

By the way, these seal marshmallows are sold at the Marine Exchange Center gift shop, but the seal (float) in the photo is exclusive to Campanio.

The "round back of the head" of a wild seal I found from the observation deck

You can use telescopes for free on the 3rd-floor observation deck, so I tried looking to see if I could spot any wild seals.

But the ocean is vast, and no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find any...

Just as I was about to give up, thinking it was a pity...
My mother called out, "Oh! There it is!" and when I looked in that direction... it was there!

That round back of the head and those round eyes were definitely a seal!
I thought, "A photo!" but it dove underwater, so unfortunately I couldn't capture it...It was really there...!

Lunch and shopping around Hyomon Station

After that, I returned to the Marine Exchange Center, bought some souvenirs, and then called a taxi around 1:30 PM to head to Hyomon Station.

I had a late lunch at "Ramen Nishiya" inside Hyomon Station.
I ordered the rich miso ramen.Hokkaido miso ramen is truly delicious, isn't it?
(I had actually intended to eat at a restaurant inside the Marine Exchange Center, but it was closed on Tuesdays...)

From there, we moved to Marutomi Watanabe Fisheries Direct Sales Store to buy processed seafood products like scallops and shrimp.
(Marutomi Watanabe Fisheries Direct Sales Store is next to Yotteke Marutomi, which I mentioned in the first day's article)

We had what we bought sent home via courier service. It's a huge help not having to carry heavy things around...

Returning early in the middle of a blizzard

15:00: Around this time, it started to blizzard quite heavily, and since we aren't used to the snow, it became quite tough for us.

So, we decided to buy dinner at the supermarket in Hyomon no Eki and return to the hotel early.

We also bought local beer and regional cider at the souvenir shop in Hyomon no Eki.

We ended the day eating and drinking in our hotel room.

Continuing to the third day's article...