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Abashiri 網走市 |
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Abashiri
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| Coordinates: 44°1′N 144°16′E / 44.017°N 144.267°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaidō |
| Prefecture | Hokkaidō (Abashiri) |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Osamu Ōba |
| Area | |
| - Total | 470.94 km2 (181.8 sq mi) |
| Population (January 2008) |
40,333 |
| - Density | 85.6/km2 (221.7/sq mi) |
| City Symbols | |
| - Tree | Katsura |
| - Flower | Ezo Murasaki Tsutsuji (Rhododendron dauricum) |
| Website | Abashiri City |
| Phone number | 0152-44-6111 |
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Higashi Yon-chōme, Minami Roku-jō, Abashiri-shi, Hokkaidō |
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Abashiri (網走市 Abashiri-shi) is a city located in Abashiri Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. Abashiri is the dryest city in Japan.[1]
Abashiri is best known as the site of the Abashiri Prison, a Meiji-era facility used for the incarceration of political prisoners. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the city's new maximum security prison is still in use. It is an important local port city and railroad terminal.
As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 40,333 and the density of 85.6 persons per km². The total area is 470.94 km².
Abashiri is located in the eastern part of Abashiri Subprefecture, about 50 kilometers east of Kitami. There are no tall mountains, but there are many hills.
Abashiri's sister city is Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. Each year many students participate in student exchange programs between the two cities.
Memanbetsu Airport is located in nearby Ōzora.
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Abashiri (網走) [1] is a small city on the northern coast of Hokkaido, Japan.
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.
Abashiri is the closest thing in northern Hokkaido to a transport hub.
The nearest airport is Memanbetsu, 16 km south of Abashiri. Buses connect to/from the JR station before and after flights (25 minutes, ¥720).
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.
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.
Abashiri is fairly spread out. A network of buses radiates out from JR Abashiri station.
Being a fishing port, the thing to eat here is fresh seafood, particularly crab. There's a morning market with great selection.
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.
The best reason to come to Abashiri is the attractions around it:
| Routes through Abashiri |
| Asahikawa ← Bihoro ← | W  E |
→ END |
| END ← | N  S |
→ Teshikaga → Kushiro |
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