A distinctive rock on the Abashiri coast. There seem to be tetrapods and a walkway leading to the rock, but entry is prohibited. It's a pity, but I gave up on visiting it. It can be seen from anywhere along the Abashiri coast. Its shape is very distinctive, so I'd like to look into it someday.

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A strangely shaped rock floating off the coast of Abashiri Port, "Boshiiwa (Hat Rock)" 🪨. I had wondered for a long time "what is that?", and recently I finally found out its name. This giant rock, about 40 m high, was formed about 10 million years ago when magma rose due to submarine volcanic activity and solidified. Long ago this rock was called "Chipa-shiri" in the Ainu language, and it was an altar for the Ainu people. "Chipa-shiri" means "an island with a nusa-ba (a ritual place for worshipping the gods)". There is a theory that this changed into "Apashiri" and then came to be called "Abashiri". Meanwhile, the name "Boshiiwa" is said to have begun in Meiji 21 (1888), when the American engineer C.S. Meek, who conducted a geological survey at the request of the Kaitakushi (Hokkaido Development Commission), likened the shape of the rock to a hat and called it "Boshiiwa". (Visited on July 24, 2024)

It stands out when you look at the sea from the Abashiri coast. It looks like you could get close from the breakwater on the Abashiri coast, but entry is prohibited because it's dangerous. Probably people used to be able to walk close to it in the past, but an accident happened and entry was banned, I suppose.

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Located as if connecting the middle of the Abashiri Port embankment, it stands out even from the Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) and piques my curiosity. Since it's on the breakwater that continues from the Abashiri coast, it looks like you could approach it on foot, but it seems entry is prohibited now.

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The symbol of Abashiri Port, introduced on Burataamori. The way it rises from the sea like some kind of switch is truly striking. Unfortunately it was stormy when I visited, and I couldn't even approach along the embankment being swallowed by rough waves (besides, entry is supposedly "nominally" prohibited), so I could only stand on the beach. But as if the strong wind were perfect for air surfing, countless black-tailed gulls were gliding and dancing joyfully over the sea, which was a sight in itself. It is said that the Okhotsk people of Sakhalin used this rock as a landmark to sail this far south. Imagining what was in the hearts of the Okhotsk people when they overcame these rough seas and sighted Boshiiwa, I felt a fascinating sense of interest.

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