Abashiri, Hokkaido
Abashiri is known as the site of the Abashiri Prison, a Meiji-era facility used for the incarceration of political prisoners. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the city's new maximum-security prison is still in use.
As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 40,333 and a density of 85.6 persons per km (222 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is 470.94 km (181.83 sq mi).
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. 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, 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: Abashiri Village (アバシリ村) founded, being given the name of Abashiri District in Kitami Province.
- 1875: The village name is rewritten in kanji (網走村, same pronunciation).
- 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.
Following the 1945 Soviet invasion of South Sakhalin, Abashiri saw the resettlement of several Nivkh and Orok families from Karafuto; among them was Chiyo Nakamura (1906–1969), a Nivkh shaman from Poronaisk (Japanese: 敷香町, romanized: Shisuka-machi). By 2004, the Nivkh-Orok community in Abashiri had apparently vanished.
Geography
Abashiri is located in the eastern part of Okhotsk Subprefecture, about 50 kilometers east of Kitami. There are no tall mountains, but there are many hills. The Abashiri River flows through the city and there are three lakes (Lake Abashiri, Lake Notoro and Lake Tōfutsu) in the city as well. These lakes and Mount Tento belong to Abashiri Quasi-National Park.
Climate
The climate is humid continental with warm summer (Köppen: Dfb) as much of Hokkaido, similar to the south coast of New England. Despite its reputation for extreme cold, Abashiri is not actually the coldest major town in Japan, being less cold in the winter than Obihiro and warmer in summer than Nemuro or Kushiro. Abashiri receives less precipitation than any other city in Japan because its location on the drift ice-affected Sea of Okhotsk, which, however, causes Abashiri to receive less sunshine than the northeast coast since winter snowfall is heavier and fog less confined to the summer months when the Oyashio Current is strongest. During the winter, when Lake Abashiri freezes over, fog becomes a common occurrence. Also, the harbor closes when it ices over.
| Climate data for Abashiri, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1889−present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) |
11.1 (52.0) |
19.7 (67.5) |
31.9 (89.4) |
35.4 (95.7) |
34.0 (93.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.6 (99.7) |
32.8 (91.0) |
27.7 (81.9) |
21.7 (71.1) |
17.6 (63.7) |
37.6 (99.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.2 (28.0) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
2.3 (36.1) |
9.1 (48.4) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
23.3 (73.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
15.0 (59.0) |
7.6 (45.7) |
0.7 (33.3) |
10.7 (51.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.1 (22.8) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
4.5 (40.1) |
9.8 (49.6) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
19.6 (67.3) |
16.8 (62.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
6.9 (44.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.9 (16.0) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
0.6 (33.1) |
5.8 (42.4) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.6 (58.3) |
16.6 (61.9) |
13.4 (56.1) |
7.0 (44.6) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
3.3 (38.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.2 (−20.6) |
−25.7 (−14.3) |
−23.2 (−9.8) |
−12.4 (9.7) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
0.1 (32.2) |
2.8 (37.0) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−29.2 (−20.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 53.8 (2.12) |
41.9 (1.65) |
39.3 (1.55) |
51.2 (2.02) |
64.1 (2.52) |
68.1 (2.68) |
85.8 (3.38) |
115.3 (4.54) |
115.0 (4.53) |
88.2 (3.47) |
58.1 (2.29) |
63.6 (2.50) |
844.2 (33.24) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 90 (35) |
69 (27) |
52 (20) |
15 (5.9) |
1 (0.4) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
13 (5.1) |
71 (28) |
312 (123) |
| Average snowy days | 19.7 | 15.9 | 13.4 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 3.7 | 14.8 | 71.6 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 72 | 73 | 70 | 68 | 73 | 80 | 82 | 81 | 76 | 71 | 68 | 69 | 74 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 111.5 | 137.9 | 172.4 | 178.6 | 187.1 | 172.2 | 167.6 | 163.9 | 162.9 | 157.4 | 121.2 | 117.4 | 1,850.1 |
| Source 1: JMA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: JMA | |||||||||||||
Economy
Because of its short 130-day growing season, 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 located in nearby Ōzora.
Rail
Abashiri is an important local port city and railway terminal (Abashiri Station).
- JR Hokkaido Sekihoku Main Line: Yobito - Abashiri
- JR Hokkaido Senmō Main Line: Abashiri - Katsuradai - Masuura - Mokoto - Kitahama
Education
Universities
- Tokyo University of Agriculture, Okhotsk campus
High schools
- Hokkaido Abashiri Minamigaoka High School
- Hokkaido Abashiri Keiyo High School
Sister city
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada - Each year many students participate in student exchange 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.
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Drift ice off Abashiri -
Abashiri's sightseeing ship & icebreaker Aurora II
Museums
- Okhost Ryuhyo Museum
Culture
Mascot
Abashiri's mascot is Nipone (ニポネ). 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.