A style of incarceration that’ll go away you with a brand new appreciation for the on a regular basis.
There are a lot of locations the place you may eat in Japan, however for those who’re on the lookout for a meal that’ll take you again in time and go away an indelible mark in your soul, then you definately may need to make a journey to Abashiri Jail Museum.
Abashiri Jail is Japan’s northernmost penal facility, and whereas it’s nonetheless in operation, a few of its oldest sections, courting again some 120 years, had been relocated to a website roughly 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles) away. This website is now the Abashiri Jail Museum, and it’s Japan’s solely open-air museum the place a real-world penal facility is preserved and open to the general public.
▼ There’s so much to see and do right here, however the spotlight is a meal on the Kangoku Shokudo (“Jail Cafeteria”).
This cafeteria is known for serving jail meals that recreates the lunches of modern-day inmates, and there are two principal set meals, containing both sanma (Pacific saury) or hokke (Okhotsk Atka mackerel), that include barley rice, aspect dishes, and miso soup.
▼ Not unhealthy for a jail meal.
These meals are surprisingly wholesome and scrumptious, however prone to grow to be boring for those who had been to eat them day by day. With this in thoughts, the cafeteria determined to get a little bit artistic by including a brand new merchandise to the menu not too long ago — the “Launched From Jail Celebration Meal”.
▼ Our reporter Saya Togashi was eager to attempt the meal, so she ordered it on the ticket machine, the place it was priced at (1,650 yen [US$11.50]).
This meal was created after listening to opinions from inmates relating to the meals they’d most prefer to eat as soon as launched from jail. When it was prepared and Saya went to retrieve her meals from the counter, it shortly grew to become evident that this choice was world’s away from the fish-and-barley-rice set served behind bars.
So what do inmates need to eat once they get out of jail?
▼ Katsudon!
Katsudon (fried pork rice bowl) is a scrumptious consolation meals and this one regarded majestic. Whereas it sat superbly as the primary dish on the tray, there have been different treats alongside it, specifically miso soup and a bottle of Coca-Cola.
Carbonated drinks like Coca-Cola can solely be drunk on so-called “Sports activities Day” contained in the jail, making it a sought-after beverage.
▼ Sweets are additionally not often eaten on the within, which makes this tub of luxurious ice cream a dream.
Making an attempt the kaysudon revealed that this too, is a dream meal, as a result of Saya had by no means seen pork this thick and juicy.
With each chunk, you’re reminded of the place you might be, with the Abashiri Jail emblem carved into the bowl.
▼ The miso soup additionally appeared even higher than the jail meal selection.
Consuming the luxurious katsudon and washing it down with the Coke made Saya realise how a lot she takes these small pleasures with no consideration.
Ordinarily, she wouldn’t assume twice about shopping for a bathtub of Häagen-Dazs for dessert, however after placing herself within the sneakers of an inmate who’d been denied the pleasure for years, her appreciation for the candy, and her freedom to purchase it, grew tenfold.
If you end the meal, you’ll be full from the meat, fats, and sugar, but it surely’ll all be value it because the sense of satisfaction is palpable. And so as to add much more sweetness to your go to, you may decide up a tin of celebratory “Launched From Jail” candies on the museum store.
You should utilize the jail cafeteria with out getting into the museum, so you may simply cease by for a meal with out having to pay an entrance price. As for the Launched From Jail Celebration Meal, it’s solely provided in restricted portions and has been recurrently promoting out each day because it was launched in July.
It seems this particular meal is simply as sought-after by the common public as it’s the jail inmates. Not solely is it a scrumptious meal, it’s additionally one which’s meals for thought, leaving you with a brand new appreciation for the on a regular basis.
Cafeteria data
Kangoku Shokudo / 監獄食堂
Tackle: Hokkaido-ken, Abashiri-shi, Yobito 1-1
Open: 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (final order 2:30 p.m.)
Closed when museum is closed
Web site
All photos © SoraNews24
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