Abashiri is a city of approximately 40,000 inhabitants on the coast of Hokkaido, about Shiretoko National Park. The greater attraction tourist of the city is the Museum of the prison and the observation of el Mar of Okhost frozen during the winter.
Abashiri prison was built in 1890 to confine the most dangerous prisoners in the country. The prison became famous when it was the scene for the movie made by Ishii Teruo on the yakuza in the 1960s. Today you can visit the old prison buildings, converted into a museum. The Museum reproduces the daily life of prisoners, with more than one dozen of the former prison buildings: the room where held trials, the bath-house and the room of punishments. The new Abashiri jail nearby: at the foot of Mt. Tento. There is no doubt that for a prison, the enclave is wonderful: surrounded by lakes, lush forests and the sea of Okhost. Read the rest of this entry »