Today was reserved for the three big-hitters in Abashiri. In the morning I started at the Northern Peoples Museum, a museum essentially covering all Arctic regions and peoples – from the local Okthosk People, via the Sami to the Inuit. Overall another excellent museum with a good combination of exhibits – and of special interest for me given my visits to the high North. Though – I was a bit shocked by how they named the various tribes … I have not seen the word “eskimo” in a while – here it is in constant use – also it took me a while to figure out that “North-Indian” here refers to America – and not India…
A short walk got me over to the drift ice museum and experience center, which – to be honest – felt a bit like a tourist trap with just a small exhibition, a short film and an icy experienc (a room cooled down to -15°C with the option to see a wet towel turn solid) – plus of course the usual well equipped shop and restaurant … at least their viewing platfom did not disappoint.
Final stop was at the infamous Abashiri Prison Museum – a 20 minute walk away. The museum is a collection of buildings from Abashiri prison history. The prison was originally established in Abashiri in the 1880s with the prisoners pushed into forced labour, building up the infrastructure (mainly roads) – to connect this remote part of Hokkaido with the rest of the country … and to allow the establishment of a military presence to avoid a potential Russian invasion from the North. Living and working conditions here were harsh and many died in the process (incl. guards).
