Abashiri City lies in the midst of Abashiri Quasi-National Park. Thirty-five percent of the entire land is forest, among which 50% is untouched forest. It has 4 lakes, one of which is registered with the Ramsar Convention. The once small fishing village with Ainu people and just a handful of traders from the present Shiga prefecture is now a city with a population of 34,000. The flourishment of Ab