ABASHIRI, Hokkaido — Plowing his icebreaker, the Aurora, into drift ice 10 km off Abashiri, Hokkaido, Capt. Keiichi Hori smiles bitterly as tourists onboard cheer the crunching sound of the boat's progress.
"This is nothing. Real drift ice would not sound like this," Hori, 52, explained. Although Abashiri is known as the southernmost part of the world to experience Arctic ice floes, the 10-year skipper confirmed that drift ice has become "thinner and thinner" in recent years.
Approximately 500 km northeast of the Group of Eight summit site of Toyako, Hokkaido, residents in Abashiri have taken center stage in witnessing the toll of global warming.