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Only in Japan
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Welcome to the "Abashiri Keimusho, Abashiri prison" .
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This one has since been retired and has been turned into a museum
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the new prison a couple of kilometers away
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But what is great about this is. It gives you an inside glimpse into everyday life at a Japanese prison
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Abashiri is in northern Hokkaido on the sea of okhotsk
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It's famous for its prison, this is the current prison which began operations in the mid-1980s
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Inmates have lighter sentences here not exceeding eight years
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A couple kilometers away is the old Abashiri prison opened in 1890 where the harshest sentences in Japan was served
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Looks warm in summer, but the winters can be downright treacherous when an average is minus 10 degrees Celsius in February
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But it's also famous for one other thing, right? That's right pal it has real prison food real food
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Abashiri is the only place where you can try the same prison meals the inmates received. Enjoy your meal, Sir
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The "Bangaichi Shokudo" diner is where you can experience a true Japanese prison meal
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It's considered a secret meal because these meals were only eaten behind the walls until recently.
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These manikins are inside the prison cafeteria showing how inmates used to eat lunch between work shifts
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But most meals were served in their cells
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This is some good eaten. Miso soup is out straight better than my wife's cooking
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That'll be sure
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This is the current prison in operation and their meals are brought to them and eaten in their cells
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There's a special opening to serve the meals. A good meal can make prison life a little more bearable
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This is a private cell much prized in the prison. The inmates eat like this makes you wonder if it's better than school lunches
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In a past episode I featured school lunches, and I was surprised at how healthy and nutritious the set menus were
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With attention paid to caloric intake for energy for
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The prison meals it's the same, but how does it really taste the "Bangaichi Shokudo" has two prison meal sets available A and B
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Let's go inside and grab a seat
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The diner is made of wood with high ceilings like the original prison cafeteria
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I ordered both sets to try and the staff went to work grilling the fish and preparing the dishes
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Here's what I got first meal set A, the Pacific saury or Sanma set
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The grilled saury fish the centerpiece
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So this is authentic Japanese prison food,
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this is the only place in Japan where you can eat it, and you can see its
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It just looks really healthy you have
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The Mugi Gohan, the barley rice you have Miso soup you have two kinds of salads
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And you have this piece of fish which is Sanma that looks so good
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The Sanma or salary is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside
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natural oils giving a pleasing mouthful oh
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The Sanma is perfectly grilled. It's salted. It has a side of grated Daikon or Japanese radish too it
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Goes together really well
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Normally, there is no Miso soup at the prisons. Instead inmates get a strong coarse tea. Don't eat the tail unless you want to try
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The infirmary as part of your escape plan
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But I know in Japan is famous for its cuisine having some of the best in the world
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But if this is prison food I can eat this every day
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Before you start thinking Japanese prisons are soft. Here's the schedule three meals a day with a variety
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And here are three sample meals can you tell which is breakfast lunch and dinner?
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Ramen. curry rice, Italian pasta, macaroni salad, fried shrimp and various grilled fishes all make up a week sample menu
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The daily schedule is very strict allowing for only 20 minutes to eat your meals
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The days are filled with work except 2 hours in the evening before bed
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Cells have black-and-white TV, a Futon and toilet
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The shared rooms are larger, but without the privacy
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It may be better than a Penitentiary in your country, but it's still a hard life
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Here's prison meal be the Atka Mackerel or "Hokke" set
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The mackerel is a beautiful piece of fish called "Hokke" in Japanese
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Boiled greens with fried Tofu mountain potato with dried bonito fish flakes
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The Hokke looks and smells fantastic
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I like how you can take the bones off real easily
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But once again the fish is just so so tender it's cooked perfectly
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So I guess we could say that this is some of the healthiest prison food
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Which might make it the best prison food in the world?
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Prison meal time is certainly a moment
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I'd look forward to if I were ever incarcerated but Abashiri in North Hokkaido is a rough place
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Especially in winter and the inmates here was some of the hardest criminals in the country
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Takahashi-san, can you scrub my back? Hey keep it down in the back?
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When you cross the bridge to enter Abashiri prison your life was pretty much over
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This museum is one of the most fascinating in Japan here at the building houses the prison cells has a unique shape
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In the center where they all connected was a lookout for the prison guards
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So from this point in the prison you can see all five corridors
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So the security guard on duty had a very good vantage point
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It would be hard to get past the guards unless you were this guy up there see him. Hey buddy up here
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You got a file
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That's Yoshie Shiratori,
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the only man to have ever escaped from Abashiri prison in fact
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He had escaped Japanese prisons four times one of the most celebrated anti-heroes in Japan
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Here's his room his floorboards were reinforced so he couldn't go under
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So how did he escape from his cell?
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In 1944 he rusted the handcuffs in cell inspection window with Miso soup
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Weakening the iron the salt in the Miso soup made the iron brittle and breakable
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When the time was right he broke free and climbed through a broken window in the roof
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Yoshie Shiratori's story itself is worth a visit to the museum
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Yep, Miso soup brah bet you'd never think of that
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The prison had many unique features like the windows which were slanted so inmates could only see one way
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They couldn't see the guards coming
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There's a house in the museum with movies and interactive exhibits that allows you to really take in the history of the prison
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Toddle I can't see where I'm going well. It ain't to see the warden's wife
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unfortunately
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It was the inmates who built the road up to Abashiri in the Meiji era
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Many died in the forests cutting down trees pushed at a relentless schedule
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Those that survived had a home at the prison at the end of the road
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And the museum allows you to try these feats of strength for yourself
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One of the most fascinating parts of the prison museum is a wing where you could enter new prison cells and
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Experience what the slammer is like for yourself
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Just make sure you keep the door open behind you oh you may be there for a while
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Come for the food and stick around for the prison for five to ten hours. That is
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Next time we'll learn the secret of long life in Japan is there a secret and if so will my
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106 year-old friend tell us I
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Traveled to Tottori prefecture to find out
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Mata ne~!