is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
located in
Okhotsk Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. It was renamed from the earlier Abashiri Subprefecture on April 1, 2010. Abashiri Subprefecture was established in 1897.
Etymology
Abashiri Prefecture was named after the subprefectural office ...
,
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
Abashiri is known as the site of the
Abashiri Prison
is a prison in Abashiri, Hokkaido Prefecture that opened in 1890. The northernmost prison in Japan, it is located near the Abashiri River and east of Mount Tento. It holds inmates with sentences of less than ten years. Older parts of the prison ...
, a
Meiji-era
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
facility used for the incarceration of
political prisoner
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...
s. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the city's new
maximum-security prison Maximum security prisons and supermax prisons are grades of high security level used by prison systems in various countries, which pose a higher level of security to prevent prisoners from escaping and/or doing harm to other inmates or security guar ...
is still in use.
As of 2008, the city has an estimated
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of 40,333 and a
density
Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...
of 85.6 persons per km
2 (222 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is .
Etymology
There are various theories about the origin of the name 'Abashiri' and, because of that, the origin is unknown. All of those theories are based on the Kanji interpretation of the
Ainu language
Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu, is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isolate ...
. These are the following theories.
* ''Apasiri'' (アパシリ) which is translated as "''leaking ground''". The reason behind this is that there was a cave, and water drops were falling inside like raindrops.
* ''Cipasiri'' (チパシリ). The name is based on an Ainu legend of a bird.
* ''Chipasiri'' (チパシリ). There used to be a white rock in the shape of a person wearing a hat on the south bank of
Lake Abashiri
is a meromictic lake in Abashiri, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Abashiri Quasi-National Park. The Abashiri and Memanbetsu Rivers flow into the lake. Water exits the lake through the Abashiri River again and flows to the Sea of Okhotsk.
Hi ...
, and it is said that the Ainu worshiped it.
History
The origin of the city's name is not known for certain, but it is agreed that it was derived from an Ainu word. A few among several of the candidates include ''apa-siri'' (leakage/ground) and ''ci-pa-sir'' ("the land we discovered").
*March 1872: founded, being given the name of
Abashiri District in Kitami Province.
*1875: The village name is rewritten in kanji .
*1902: Abashiri Village, Kitami Town, Isani Village, and Nikuribake Village, all in Abashiri District, merged to form Abashiri Town.
*1915: Notoro Village, Mokoto Village merged.
*1921:
Memanbetsu Village (later Memanbetsu Town, merged into
Ōzora in 2006) split.
*1931: Boundary with Memanbetsu Town modified.
*February 11, 1947:
Higashimokoto Village (merged into Ōzora in 2006) split. Abashiri Town becomes Abashiri City. All of the territories of Ōzora used to be a part of Abashiri.
Geography
Abashiri is located in the eastern part of Okhotsk Subprefecture, about 50 kilometers east of
Kitami
is a Cities of Japan, city in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the most populous city and the commercial center in the subprefecture, although the subprefecture capital is Abashiri, Hokkaido, Abashiri.
Kitami is physically in th ...
. There are no tall mountains, but there are many hills. The
Abashiri River
is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan.
History
Around 1000 years ago, the Okhotsk culture settled the river basin and moved inland. Remains from the Jōmon period have been found on the bottom of Lake Abashiri.
Course
The Abashiri River rises in Tsu ...
flows through the city and there are three lakes (
Lake Abashiri
is a meromictic lake in Abashiri, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Abashiri Quasi-National Park. The Abashiri and Memanbetsu Rivers flow into the lake. Water exits the lake through the Abashiri River again and flows to the Sea of Okhotsk.
Hi ...
,
Lake Notoro
, also Lake Notori or Notoro Lagoon, is a coastal lagoon by the northern shore of Abashiri, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is included in Abashiri Quasi-National Park.
It is the 13th-largest lake in Japan.
It is about northwest of Lake Abashiri and ...
and
Lake Tōfutsu) in the city as well. These lakes and
Mount Tento
is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty in Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan. Rising to a height of 207 metres, the mountain commands views over the Sea of Okhotsk, Lake Abashiri, Lake Notoro, Lake Tōfutsu, and, from afar, the Shiretoko ...
belong to
.
Climate
The climate is
humid continental
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
with warm summer (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''Dfb'') as much of
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
, similar to the south coast of
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. Despite its reputation for extreme cold, Abashiri is not actually the coldest major town in Japan, being less cold in the winter than
Obihiro
is a city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi area. As of February 29, 2020, the city has an estimated population of 165,851. The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the adj ...
and warmer in summer than
Nemuro Nemuro may refer to:
* Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
** Nemuro, Hokkaido, a city
** Nemuro Peninsula
** Nemuro Strait
** Nemuro Bay
* Nemuro Province
was an old province in Japan in what is today Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkai ...
or
Kushiro
is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. It serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island.
Geography
Mountains
* Mount Oakan
* Mount Meakan
* Mount Akan ...
. Abashiri receives less precipitation than any other city in Japan because its location on the
drift ice
Drift ice, also called brash ice, is sea ice that is not attached to the shoreline or any other fixed object (shoals, grounded icebergs, etc.).Leppäranta, M. 2011. The Drift of Sea Ice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Unlike fast ice, which is "fasten ...
-affected
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk ( rus, Охо́тское мо́ре, Ohótskoye móre ; ja, オホーツク海, Ohōtsuku-kai) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands ...
, which, however, causes Abashiri to receive less sunshine than the northeast coast since winter snowfall is heavier and
fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
less confined to the summer months when the
Oyashio Current
, also known as Oya Siwo, Okhotsk or the Kurile current, is a cold subarctic ocean current that flows south and circulates counterclockwise in the western North Pacific Ocean. The waters of the Oyashio Current originate in the Arctic Ocean an ...
is strongest. During the winter, when Lake Abashiri freezes over, fog becomes a common occurrence.
Also, the harbor closes when it ices over.
Economy
Because of its short 130-day
growing season
A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whil ...
, the crops in the region, such as oats, potatoes, and beans, are required to be hardy. Hay is also grown for local cows, horses, and sheep.
[ The sea is an important part of the community as well as the economy, as fishing, oysters, and seaweed are important means of livelihood.][
]
Transportation
Air
Memanbetsu Airport
is an airport in the Memanbetsu section of Ōzora, a town in Hokkaidō, Japan. The airport is close to Shiretoko National Park and consistently has over one million passengers per year.
History
The current airfield was opened in April 1985 ...
is located in nearby Ōzora.
Rail
Abashiri is an important local port city and railway terminal (Abashiri Station
is a railway station in Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), located. It is the main railway station in the city. Abashiri Station comes first in an alphabetical list of Japanese railway stations ( ...
).
* JR Hokkaido
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...
Sekihoku Main Line
is a railway line in Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) between in Asahikawa and Abashiri Station in Abashiri. The name comes from the first Kanji characters of and , names of ancient provinces along the lin ...
: Yobito - Abashiri
* JR Hokkaido
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...
Senmō Main Line: Abashiri - Katsuradai - Masuura - Mokoto - Kitahama
Education
Universities
* Tokyo University of Agriculture
The , abbreviated as Nodai (農大, ''nōdai'') or Tokyo nodai (東京農大, ''Tōkyō nōdai''), is a private university of agriculture in Japan.
There are three campuses: Setagaya, Atsugi, and Okhotsk (Abashiri).
Outline
Tokyo University ...
, Okhotsk campus
High schools
* Hokkaido Abashiri Minamigaoka High School
* Hokkaido Abashiri Keiyo High School
Sister city
Port Alberni
Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. It is the location of the head offices o ...
, British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada - Each year many students participate in student exchange
A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions.
A student exchange program may involve international travel, but doe ...
programs between the two cities.
Sights
Hokkaido has a brewery called Abashiri which sells a range of beers, including ''Bilk'', a blend of beer and milk. Abashiri is also home to a flower garden with a wide range of flowers.[
In the winter, tourists visit the city to watch the ]drift ice
Drift ice, also called brash ice, is sea ice that is not attached to the shoreline or any other fixed object (shoals, grounded icebergs, etc.).Leppäranta, M. 2011. The Drift of Sea Ice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Unlike fast ice, which is "fasten ...
.
File:Abashiri prison.jpg, Abashiri Prison
is a prison in Abashiri, Hokkaido Prefecture that opened in 1890. The northernmost prison in Japan, it is located near the Abashiri River and east of Mount Tento. It holds inmates with sentences of less than ten years. Older parts of the prison ...
File:Ryuhyo abashiri oki.JPG, Drift ice
Drift ice, also called brash ice, is sea ice that is not attached to the shoreline or any other fixed object (shoals, grounded icebergs, etc.).Leppäranta, M. 2011. The Drift of Sea Ice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Unlike fast ice, which is "fasten ...
off Abashiri
File:AuroraII01.JPG, Abashiri's sightseeing ship & icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
''Aurora II''
Museums
* Okhost Ryuhyo Museum
Culture
Mascot
Abashiri's mascot is . She is a plankton who the ability to gain flight with her cape. Her job is to protect everyone from criminal activities (such as terrorism and corruption), outbreak of warfare, natural disasters, health crisis (such as disease outbreaks) or anything that pose a risk to everyone's lives. She usually rests with her "nipopo" (totem pole) helmet and loves ingredients produced from the city. Her birthday is November 22.
References
External links
Official Website
Abashiri Prison Museum Official Website
Abashiri Tourist Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abashiri, Hokkaido
Cities in Hokkaido
Populated coastal places in Japan
Port settlements in Japan