Highly recommended for you to stop by and visit. It gives you an insight of the prison system in japan (before and currently). It’s a big area so their guide map should help you where to go in order so you wouldn’t use too much time and effort.
Fascinating history, though some parts feel selective or somewhat glossed over.
The prison, built in the Meiji era, housed convicts who were used as forced labor to “develop” Hokkaido, including constructing roads through inhospitable terrain. Many died under brutal conditions, which the museum address in some detail.
Fun stories such as the “five-inch nail Torakichi” who escaped many times, once after stepping on a 5-inch nail, adds whimsy to the history.
But I wish they also talked about the political prisoners such as the leftists and suspected spies detained around WWII. Perhaps it’s too recent for Japan.
The part about the modern day prison comes across as promotional.
The main signs have English translations which is already a lot of information, but you will need to rely on google translate for some of the detailed descriptions.
Strangely, they sell soap made by prisoners. Compulsory prison labour is apparently legal until recently.
A cool yet haunting experience that was my main reason for coming to Abashiri.
The museum is interactive and really does an excellent job of telling the stories of those who worked and were imprisoned there.
Snow on the ground really painted a picture of the conditions that would have faced those there in winter.
A very unique place.
You can walk around for about two hours.
The main prison building is beautiful, but it has a bit of a smell.
There are many human-like mannequins, which feel a bit creepy.
Overall, the environment is nice, the area is spacious, and it’s comfortable to walk around.
Very interesting place to visit. I watched Golden Kamuy which sparked an interest to come here. Quite sombre reading/seeing/watching the history of the place.
When we were here, it was blazing hot. Bring an umbrella. We had one and it made things slightly more bearable. There are some provided apparently, but we didn’t see any at all anywhere. There’s one building with air conditioning which provided some reprieve.
