Bath time was the highlight of the day for inmates. In Abashiri
Prison, a modern bathhouse was built in 1912. The tub was made of concrete, and a boiler was
used to heat water. From a given workplace in the prison, 15 inmates at a time took 15
minutes to bathe. At the the guard's command, they spent 3 minutes for each of the
following: taking off their clothes, soaking in the tub, washing themselves, soaking in another
tub and putting their clothes back on. The inmates bathed efficiently, but only about 200
inmates could bathe per day. The prison rules in earlier years specified that inmates bathe
five times a month in the period from June through September and once a month in other months.
Currently, inmates are allowed to bathe every other day.