is a river in

Hokkaidō 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 ...

History

Around 1000 years ago, the

Okhotsk culture The Okhotsk culture is an archaeological coastal fishing and hunter-gatherer culture that developed around the southern coastal regions of the Sea of Okhotsk, including Sakhalin, northeastern Hokkaido, and the Kuril Islands during the last half o ...

settled the river basin and moved inland. Remains from the

Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...

have been found on the bottom of Lake Abashiri.

Course

The Abashiri River rises in Tsubetsu on the slopes of Mount Ahoro of the

Akan Volcanic Complex Akan Volcanic Complex is a volcanic group of volcanoes that grew out of the Akan caldera. It is located within Akan National Park, about 50 km Northwest of Kushiro in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan. Description A number of peaks are arranged ar ...

. The river leaves the mountains and is joined by

Tsubetsu River is a town located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 5,011 and a population density of 7 persons per km2. The total area is 716.60 km2. History *1919: Tsubetsu Village ...

and

Bihoro River is a town located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. The name is derived from the Ainu word ''piporo'', meaning "place of much water". Largely agricultural, the town is best known for the Bihoro Pass, which has views over Lake Kussha ...

before flowing into

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 ...

. The river exits the lake and flows into the

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 ...

at Abashiri.

References

Rivers of Hokkaido Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub