Abashiri Prison Museum in Japan

Abashiri Prison Museum in Japan is one of the famous destinations you should visit to learn about the socio-political history of the country. . Abashiri Prison is located in Mt. Tento and was in operations until 1984.

History says that Abashiri Prison was built for keeping one thousand notorious criminals. However, it was completely gutted by a fire along with a factory and a warehouse. It took three years to reconstruct the prison house including the Government building in Western style in the center of the premises. Gradually, a project of refurbishing Abashiri Prison was undertaken in 1984. The original structures of the prison were shifted to Abashiri Prison Museum, which started functioning for the common men since 1985. Even now, you can visit this open-air museum in Mount Tento.

Features of Abashiri Prison Museum in Japan
- The relics of the prison bring alive the lives led by the prisoners once in this premise
- Various old structures including the main prison building, a law court, bath house and a punishment chamber are still retained in the museum
- Inside Abashiri Prison Museum in Japan, you will find wax dolls of prisoners, shackles and other relics of the prison that would take you back to the historical period when the prisoners lived here.
- You will be impressed that the museum still retains the old look of the prison with the wooden hallways showing the actual residences of the prisoners
How to Reach Abashiri Prison Museum in Japan
- You can avail of a loop bus from central Abashiri to the Abashiri Prison Museum
- You can also reach Abashiri station and then travel for just 4 kilometers to reach the museum
You can fly down to Memanbetsu airport and then proceed to Abashiri station.