Feb 27 (ONLY in JAPAN) - Hokkaido in the winter is cold and if you go to the very north coast along the Sea of Okhotsk, you'll find Abashiri (網走市) 260km / 165mi north of Sapporo.
In February, it's the high season for tourists because this is where you go to see a lot of snow. ice drifts and eat a lot of amazing seafood.
During the city's annual Drift Ice Festival, you'll also find the amazing Okhotsk Yatai Mura Food Market (オホーツク屋å°æ‘) where local resident come out to celebrate the cold long nights together with good food from the Sea of Okhotsk and copious amounts of beer and atsukan (hot Japanese sake). This is an excellent experience of a lively night market in Hokkaido and worth a stop and bite.
