• Understand
• Get around
• See
• Do
• Buy
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Get out

Museum of Northern Peoples

Abashiri (網走) [1] is a small city on the northern coast of Hokkaido, Japan.

[edit] Understand

Once unimaginably far in the back of beyond, the name Abashiri used to strike terror into the hearts of suspected lawbreakers: it was the site of Japan's first maximum-security prison, built in 1890 when the enlightened Meiji era decided to copy Western ways instead of simply executing convicted criminals. Enlightenment in this case, however, translated into backbreaking hard labor (mostly road construction) and, for difficult cases like political prisoners, unheated cells in a region where winter temperatures often fall below -20 degrees C (-4 degrees F). The prison was finally closed, aptly enough, in 1984, but a newly constructed prison continues the tradition.

Today's Abashiri is an unattractive modern town filled with the implements and smells of its largest industry, fishing.

[edit] Get in

Abashiri is the closest thing in northern Hokkaido to a transport hub.

[edit] By plane

The nearest airport is Memanbetsu, 16 km south of Abashiri. Buses connect to/from the JR station before and after flights (25 minutes, ¥720).

[edit] By train

Abashiri is the terminus/junction of the JR Sekihoku Line (石北本線) from Asahikawa and the Senmo Line (釧網本線) to Kushiro via the Akan National Park.

Okhotsk Limited Express trains run from Sapporo to Abashiri. There are four daily departures, reaching Abashiri in 5 1/2 hours at a cost of ¥9440 each way. There is no charge for the service with the Japan Rail Pass.

[edit] By bus

Night buses from Sapporo (around ¥8000) are the cheapest way to get to Abashiri. Buses arrive and depart from Abashiri Bus Terminal, a short walk east from the JR Abashiri station.

[edit] Get around

Abashiri is fairly spread out. A network of buses radiates out from JR Abashiri station.

[edit] See

• Abashiri Prison Museum (網走監獄 Abashiri Kangoku). The original buildings of the infamous prison, but moved halfway up Mt. Tento to free up some real estate. Inside are wax dolls of prisoners and a hair-raising array of shackles and other prison paraphernalia. Admission a steep ¥1050, open 9 AM to 5 PM daily. Take a bus towards Mt. Tento.

• Museum of Northern Peoples (北方民族博物館 Hoppō minzoku hakubutsukan). [2]. A modern and moderately interesting museum documenting the lives of northern peoples around the world, not just Japan's own Ainu, but Canadian Inuit, Scandinavian Lapps and many more. Most of the material is also in English and there are some fairly bizarre exhibits involving, among other things, seal intestines. Admission ¥450, open 9 AM to 5 PM daily except Monday. Take a bus towards Mt. Tento and get off at Hoppō-minzoku-hakubutsukan-mae (say that three times fast).

• Okhotsk Ryūhyō Museum (オホーツク流氷館 Ohōtsuku ryūhyōkan). [3] (in Japanese). A museum devoted to pack ice, a common phenomenon in the Okhotsk Sea but for some reason a subject of fascination among the Japanese. Here you will learn all you ever wanted to know and more about pack ice, and even get a chance to touch some in a room kept at -15 degrees C (5 degrees F) (coats provided). Admission ¥520, open daily from 8 AM to 6 PM (shorter hours in winter).

[edit] Do

• In winter, when the famed pack ice has surrounded the town, you can hop aboard the icebreaker Aurora for a one-hour tour of the stuff up close and personal. Tours daily from January to April, ¥3000.

[edit] Buy

[edit] Eat

Being a fishing port, the thing to eat here is fresh seafood, particularly crab. There's a morning market with great selection.

[edit] Drink

Like every other city in Hokkaido, Abashiri has its own microbrew, creatively known as Abashiri Beer. The brewery, a 10-minute walk from JR Abashiri, is open to visitors and also serves lunch and dinner.

[edit] Sleep

• Abashiri Ryūhō-no-Oka YH (網走流氷の丘ＹＨ). Tel. 0152-43-8558, [4]. Inconveniently located a bus ride and an uphill walk away, but offers good views of the Okhotsk Sea. HI members pay ¥3250 per night.

[edit] Get out

The best reason to come to Abashiri is the attractions around it:

• Shiretoko National Park, to the east, is one of Japan's best yet least visited national parks.
• Akan National Park, to the south, is better known for its three mysterious lakes.

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