Memanbetsu/Abashiri/Kitami Explore History and Culture on a Tour of Abashiri and Kitami!

Abashiri Prison Museum is an open-air historical museum that preserves the buildings of Abashiri’s old prison. The actual buildings used were moved to the museum and are now open to the public. Eight of the relocated buildings are designated as national important cultural properties, and six are registered as tangible cultural properties. Visitors can learn about the history of Hokkaido's development through the old buildings and valuable exhibits of Abashiri Prison.

At the prison cafeteria, you can enjoy the unique experience of tasting “kangokushoku (prison food),” a reproduction of the menu eaten by inmates in the current Abashiri Prison. It is said to be surprisingly delicious.

Kitami once flourished as the “city of mint,” boasting the largest production of mint in the world. The Kitami Mint Memorial Museum is a valuable facility that passes down that history to the present day, and has been certified as a modern industrial heritage site. The mint distillery located on the premises offers the chance to view the distillation process. In addition, one popular memento for visitors is the Japanese mint-scented cream that you can try making for yourself on-site.

Kitami City, which faces the Sea of Okhotsk, is also famous for its grilled meat. There was once a meat processing plant located behind Japan National Railway’s Kitami Station, making fresh meat always readily available. It is said that this is the origin of Kitami citizens’ love for barbecue, as stores offering grilled offal were always crowded with JNR employees. Kitami City has the largest number of barbecue restaurants per capita in Hokkaido, developing its own unique barbecue culture. Every year in early February, the Kitami Mid-Winter Barbecue Festival is held. An outdoor event in the middle of winter, the temperature can drop below minus 10 degrees Celsius, but the sight of 2,000 people enjoying grilled meat in the extreme cold is one of Kitami’s classic winter scenes. The city is a site of fierce competition between barbecue restaurants. Be sure to check out the Kitami Main Branch of Mikakuen or Yojo Horumon, which are popular with everyone from locals to tourists.

The Pearson House was built in 1914 as a private residence for the American missionaries George and Ida Pierson. Now, as the Pierson Memorial House, it is a registered Hokkaido Cultural Heritage Site. The aspirations of the couple, who were actively involved in charitable activities, are still firmly ingrained in the citizens of Kitami as a source of spiritual culture. The Pearson House was designed by W.M. Vories, a great name in the history of Japanese architecture, so it is also well worth seeing as one of his earliest works.

This is one of the few museums in the world that specializes in showcasing the cultures of northern peoples from around the world. The museum’s hall is built in the style of a cone-shaped tent, a common design in the northern regions. From the Inuit of Greenland in the east to the Sami of Scandinavia in the west, visitors can learn about the cultures of a wide variety of northern peoples. You will also be able to discover the Okhotsk culture that once flourished on the Okhotsk Coast of Hokkaido, and gain valuable experience in tracing the history of the island.

Kitami City is the largest producer of onions in Japan. From fall until the following spring, the harvested onions are shipped all over the country, and the freight train used to do so is popularly known as the “onion train.” The train, loaded with 200 tons of onions, uses a rare push-pull configuration to cross the steep mountain pass between Kitami and Asahikawa. Currently, the train makes only one round trip a day, so it is not easy to see. The best place to do so is at Jomon Pass, where a series of curves in the tracks allows you to take photos of the long stretch of cars. It is a sight to behold as the engines go full throttle over the mountains!

Finally, let us take a look at Kitami and Abashiri’s local beers. Okhotsk beer is made with only 100% malted barley, and markets itself on freshness. It is highly popular among the citizens of Kitami, who consume a stunning 90% of its production volume. Taste it for yourself at the Okhotsk Beer Factory, a beer restaurant run by the brewery.

Abashiri meanwhile, is home to Abashiri Beer. The brewery’s Ryuho Draft, inspired by Abashiri’s winter drift ice, has been a particular hit! It's vivid “Okhotsk blue” color makes for great photos. You can taste the beer alongside Abashiri wagyu beef at the Yakiniku Abashiri Beer Museum, which is run by Abashiri Beer.