Seal Pool - Okhotsk Tokkari Center, Hokkaido, Japan

At the Okhotsk Tokkari Center (オホーツクとっかりセンター) in Mombetsu, on the far northern coast of Hokkaido, Japan, seals snooze on the poolside ledge and cruise slow laps through the water. "Tokkari" comes from the Ainu word for seal.

The center looks after seals found injured or tangled in fishing nets along the Okhotsk coast, nursing them back to health and returning the ones that recover to the sea, while those that can't be released live here permanently. Spotted seals share the pool with ringed seals, one of the smallest seal species.

Most of the day is calm, with plenty of dozing, until feeding time brings a burst of splashing and barking. If the pool ever looks empty, the seals have probably been moved next door while it's cleaned.

Did You Know? Each winter, drift ice from the Sea of Okhotsk reaches the coast off Mombetsu, the southernmost place in the Northern Hemisphere where sea ice forms.

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