is a river in Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

History

Around 1000 years ago, the Okhotsk culture

Okhotsk culture

The Okhotsk culture is an archeological coastal fishing and hunter-gatherer culture of the lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk : the Amur River basin, Sakhalin, northern Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, and Kamchatka...

 settled the river basin and moved inland. Remains from the Jōmon period

Jomon period

The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...

 have been found on the bottom of Lake Abashiri.

Course

The Abashiri River rises in Tsubetsu on the slopes of Mount Ahoro

Mount Ahoro

is a mountain in Tsubetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the source of the Abashiri River. The mountain is made up of non-alkaline mafic volcanic rock 7 million to 1.7 million years old....

 of the Akan Volcanic Complex

Akan Volcanic Complex

Akan Volcanic Complex is a volcanic group of volcanoes that grew out of the Akan caldera. It is located within Akan National Park, about 50km Northwest of Kushiro in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan.-Description:...

. The river leaves the mountains and is joined by Tsubetsu River and Bihoro River before flowing into Lake Abashiri

Lake Abashiri

is a lake in Abashiri, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Abashiri Quasi-National Park. The Abashiri and Memanbetsu Rivers flow into the lake. Water exits the lake through the Abashiri River again and flows to the Sea of Okhotsk.-History and formation:...

. The river exits the lake and flows into the Sea of Okhotsk

Sea of Okhotsk

The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...

at Abashiri.