Abashiri Prison Museum

Abashiri Prison Museum

This museum is located at the foot of Mt. Tento and on the shore of Lake Abashiri, nestled among the picturesque scenery of Abashiri Quasi-National Park. The museum is a reconstruction that exhibits actual conditions at Abashiri Prison, feared as the most remote prison during the Meiji period (1868-1912). The museum was opened in 1983 with a floor space of 170,000 �u and a collection of more than 6,000 exhibits. There are over 30 buildings including the five connected prison wards that radiate from the center of the complex, the bathing facilities and the educational rehabilitation hall. Realistic mannequins are on display to teach visitors about the lives of prisoners incarcerated at Abashiri, the benefits of land reclamation in Hokkaido and more. Free guided tours are conducted four times a day offering easy-to-understand information. At the Former Futami-ga-Oka Farm Cafeteria, which was used as the actual dining hall for the prison, you can try a Prison Meal (for a fee) that is the same as that offered to inmates at the current Abashiri Prison.