Abashiri Prison, which was built on the Abashiri River, is
accessible only by crossing Kagami Bridge. Since 1890, the bridge has been replaced four times.
The second Kagami Bridge, built in 1917, was reconstructed at the Abashiri Prison Museum.
Kagami is Japanese for "mirror". The bridge was given this name in the hope
that the inmates would look into the clear stream and reflect on who they were and who they
might become before they crossed the bridge to their destinations.