Abashiri

Abashiri is a small city on the northern coast of Hokkaido, Japan. Once unimaginably far in the back of beyond, the name Abashiri used to strike terror into the hearts of suspected lawbreakers: it was the site of Japan's first maximum-security prison, built in 1890 when the enlightened Meiji era decided to copy Western ways instead of simply executing convicted criminals.

Enlightenment in this case, however, translated into backbreaking hard labor and, for difficult cases like political prisoners, unheated cells in a region where winter temperatures often fall below -20 degrees C. The prison was finally closed, aptly enough, in 1984, but a newly constructed prison continues the tradition. Today's Abashiri is an unattractive modern town filled with the implements and smells of its largest industry, fishing.

Abashiri is the terminus/junction of the JR Sekihoku Line from Asahikawa and the Senmo Line to Kushiro via the Akan National Park. Okhotsk Limited Express trains run from Sapporo to Abashiri. There are four daily departures, reaching Abashiri in 5 1/2 hours at a cost of ¥9440 each way. There is no charge for the service with the Japan Rail Pass.