Tsugaru Strait

Geographical location

The Tsugaru Strait (Japanese津 軽 海峡Tsugaru Kaikyo ) is a strait between the islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō in northern Japan. It connects the Sea of ​​Japan with the Pacific Ocean.

Name

The Tsugaru Strait was named after Tsugaru, which formerly formed the western part of Aomori Prefecture, today the name of a local town. A former name is Strait of Sangar. For Europeans, this was explored by Adam Johann von Krusenstern in the 18th century.

Crossing

The Seikan Tunnel passes through the strait at the narrowest point with 19.5 kilometers between Tappi Misaki on the Tsugaru Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture on Honshu and Shirakami Misaki on the Matsumae Peninsula in Hokkaido. The previously common ferry crossing was heavily pushed back through the tunnel as a means of transport.