Hokkaido Trivia – Where is Hokkaido and Abashiri???

Japan as you might know consists of 4 large islands (and hundreds of smaller islands around), namely Honshu (mainland), Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido.  Hokkaido is the northernmost island.  It’s about 37 times the size of Tokyo, which is about the size of Austria in Europe.  And it is Japan’s largest prefecture.  Like the other 3 islands in Japan, Hokkaido has smaller islands around, for instance Rebun and Rishiri (northwest) and Okushiri (southwest), not to mention the “4 Northern Islands”.

Where is Abashiri? 
Imagine – a rhombus with a tail hanging down from its bottom left side. That’s the shape of Hokkaido, and Abashiri lies at the northeast side of the rhombus.  Its latitude is 44°N which is about the same as the country Monaco in Europe or the city Toronto in Canada.  The entire city is designated as a Quasi National Park which makes this small city so special with rich nature.

The map underneath shows how Hokkaido is separated into 4 areas.  Some of the major cities (including Abashiri 😊) and the 3 islands mentioned above are indicated in the map.

Hope this can be a little hint for you when you enjoy your activities in Hokkaido in the future!