SAHARI, Hokkaido - Sightseeing boat operators have begun this year s cruises off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, setting off on Sunday from Utoro fishing port in Shari, a year after the KazuI sightseeing boat that departed from the same port sank off the peninsula.
The crash left 20 passengers and crew members dead and six others missing. Despite a prediction of bad weather, a decision to sail was considered unfavorable.
In response to the crash, a council of tourist boat operators instituted voluntary rules that required multiple operators to make decisions on sailing and to have another boat on standby in case of an emergency. The boats will run until Oct. 25 this season, with route restrictions that prohibit passing the site of the sinking until the end of May.
Two of the four boat operators launch one tour each on Sunday, two days later than scheduled due to bad weather. About 70 foreign tourists from Japan and abroad took part in the two-hour round trip.
I went on the cruise because I wanted to support them, but I enjoyed it and even saw a brown bear, said a 25-year-old passenger from Soka, Saitama Prefecture.