Shiretoko's Drift Ice at Utoro The sun sinks beyond the drift ice

The air stung my face, so I tucked my chin a little deeper into my scarf. Drift ice stretched across the sea in front of me. I'd come to see the ocean, but this was nothing like the water I usually pictured; at first, I didn't know what to say.

Between the huge floes, I could see smaller pieces of ice and patches of open water. The longer I followed them with my eyes, the more I wondered how far they went. However far I looked, there was more ice. It stretched much farther than I'd imagined, and I just stood there staring, mouth slightly open.

My breath turned white, then vanished almost at once. I watched it for a second, then looked back at the sea. The sun was sinking lower. I couldn't believe it was already so late, but the changing sky held my attention more than the clock.

It was cold, but I still couldn't bring myself to leave. I held my scarf closed at my chest with both hands, shoulders hunched, and kept looking beyond the ice. "Beautiful" didn't feel like enough, so I gave up trying to find the words to tell anyone.

I stayed quiet the whole time the sun was setting. Usually, when I see something like this, I want to tell someone about it right away. That time, though, I wanted to keep watching a little longer. Every time my breath clouded the air, I felt one thing clearly: I was really here.

After the sun had set, I finally let out a long breath. I was supposed to be done watching, but I still hated to look away. As I was leaving, I looked back at the sea once more, then finally set off. When I tell someone about it later, I want to say, "I was speechless," before I say, "It was beautiful."