On the final day of my 4-night, 5-day solo trip to Eastern Hokkaido after 7 years, I checked out of the hotel near Lake Akan a little after 9 am. I visited the "Mashu Onsen" roadside station, Mashu Lake, Lake Kussharo, and the "Panorama Bihoro Pass" roadside station before arriving at the last sightseeing spot of this trip, the "Abashiri Prison Museum." I first had the "Prison Meal," grilled salted salmon, at the "Prison Cafeteria" in front of the ticket counter, but it was slightly disappointing as it didn't have the shabby and smelly feel of a real "prison meal." Moving on, I explored the Abashiri Prison, where the mannequins of the prisoners were well-made and quite amusing. The guards in white uniforms were oddly handsome mannequins, and it was funny to see them. The tour included visits to various areas like the miso-soy sauce warehouse, rest area, and the forge where three prisoners in red clothes worked, supervised by a young guard. In the prison history museum, there were three prisoners wearing straw hats and yellow prison uniforms, and visitors could even try on the hats and clothes. I tried on one of them (just kidding). The radial prison blocks with long narrow cells were lined up, and one of them had three prisoners eating the prison meal, grilled salted salmon, inside. I wished I could have eaten the salmon in that cage. Lastly, I visited the bathhouse building, where 15 prisoners from each work area would efficiently bathe for 15 minutes under the guard's command. The souvenir shop at the museum offered various prison-themed souvenirs, including cookies, ramen, beer, and snacks. I bought some for myself and some as gifts for friends. The ramen I bought had funny messages on the packaging related to the prison experience. After returning from Abashiri Prison, I cooked and enjoyed the "Abashiri Prison Ramen" with toppings, along with the "Abashiri Prison Black Beer." The ramen had a flavorful salt soup and curly noodles, while the beer had a deep, smooth taste with a hint of caramel malt. The snack of salted crackers was a perfect accompaniment to the beer. Next, I headed towards the "Mehan no Oka Memanbetsu" roadside station near Memanbetsu Airport. Bon appétit!

During my trip to Hokkaido, I visited the Abashiri Prison Museum on the first day and had soft serve ice cream at the souvenir shop. The Abashiri Prison is an outdoor museum where actual buildings used in the Abashiri Prison since the Meiji era have been relocated and preserved on Tento Mountain. The grounds are quite spacious and it took me about 2 hours to see everything. At the end, I found soft serve ice cream at the shop. It came with a cute prisoner cookie on top. There was only one flavor, vanilla, but it was delicious because Hokkaido has tasty milk. The shop staff, however, seemed a bit laid back as they left the paper wrapper in between the cone and ice cream, making it messy to eat. I had to discard the lower part and inform the staff to dispose of it. The lady's reaction was understanding, typical of the easygoing nature of Hokkaido residents. The shop also offered prison sweets like potato starch dumplings, famous sweet potato dumplings, and cheese balls. They had combo menus with soft drinks and you could enjoy them in the cafe at the back. The prison croquettes were made from potatoes grown and harvested at the Nimukagaoka Farm. There is also a prison cafeteria on-site where you can have meals, but it's only open during lunchtime, so the shop is recommended for snacks at other times.

My son went on a school trip to eastern Hokkaido and brought back a souvenir for me. Despite it being mid-May, the museum, Abashiri Prison, welcomed them with snow on the last day of their trip. After touring the museum, he bought this souvenir at the local industry and product exhibition on the premises. It's similar to the common "I went to ○○ and brought this back!" snacks, but the impact comes from the place name or where they visited. He said he tried it and it's delicious, handing it to me and saying, "This is really good!" It's a well-thought-out snack with a soft mochi filled with a flavorful sesame paste, coated with kinako powder. The packaging for each piece also has that catchy naming (laughs). It might be perfect as a souvenir for my colleagues at work.

Wagyu croquette, the best!

I bought various souvenirs at the souvenir corner of the Abashiri Prison Museum. The store is spacious but divided into several sections, so you have to go to different registers depending on what you're buying. It's a bit surreal to follow the instructions and go to the designated register for each item. The souvenirs all have bold prints saying "Abashiri Prison!" on them, adding a unique touch. The "Abashiri Prison Cookies" have different illustrations printed on them and have a strong wheat flavor. The "Released Rice Crackers" have a funny packaging, perfect for giving out as gifts. The "Back from Abashiri" box contains Hokkaido-exclusive corn chocolate, which is more eye-catching than regular corn chocolate. It's a fun way to bring a smile to someone's face when giving it as a souvenir. The store accepts PayPay payments (depending on the store).

I visited the prison cafeteria and discovered that the prison store corner is located outside, not just inside the museum as I had thought. I tried the ramen at the cafeteria, which was not very good, and then visited the store afterwards. There were three different stores, which was a bit confusing. The staff at the store seemed frustrated because customers brought items from multiple stores to the same register. I tried some nostalgic kibidango, which had a chewy texture and a mild flavor. It wasn't bad, but I got tired of it quickly. I also made some simple ramen at home, using the same water I boiled the noodles in. The noodles were thin and had a nice texture, and the soup was rich and flavorful. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

In August 2017, a friend who traveled to Eastern Hokkaido brought me back souvenirs from a local roadside station as requested. The items were purchased from a souvenir shop at Abashiri Prison. I tried them at home. Abashiri Prison Ramen - Soy Sauce Flavor: The packaging was eye-catching, but the taste was delicious. I personally liked the mild taste of the soup. Abashiri Prison Cookies: The cookies had a strong visual impact with "Congratulations on Your Release" printed on them, but the taste was actually quite good. They make a great souvenir due to their unique design. Thank you for the meal!

I received a souvenir from someone I am grateful for in August 2016. Although everyone is going to various places, I am also thinking of going out during the Obon holiday. It is a delicacy of squid, which I will enjoy as a snack with my evening drink. As the holiday begins, the time for evening drinks has also moved up. It is my daily enjoyment time. It has been a while since I had such a delicacy, but it is thin and easy to eat, with a slightly sweet taste. There is plenty of it, so I will mix it with pickles and let it sit for a day. The flavor mixes well with the pickles and tastes delicious. ✿ฺ(๑´ڡ`๑)✿ฺ.