Tsugaru Strait
|
Tsugaru Peninsula and Tsugaru Strait |
Tsugaru Strait (津軽海峡 Tsugaru Kaikyō) is a channel between
Honshu and
Hokkaido in northern
Japan connecting the
Sea of Japan with the
Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of
Aomori Prefecture. The
Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point (19.5km) between
Tappi Misaki on the
Tsugaru Peninsula in
Aomori, Honshu and
Shirakami Misaki on the
Matsumae Peninsula in Hokkaido.
The Tsugaru Strait has eastern and western necks, both approximately 20 km across with maximum depths of 200 and 140 m respectively.
In the past the most common way for passengers and
freight to cross the Strait was on
ferries, approximately a 4 hour journey. Now the Seikan Tunnel provides a convenient alternative, and approximately halves the travel time in comparison to ferrying. When Shinkansen trains can traverse the tunnel to Hakodate (scheduled for 2015) the journey time will be cut to 50 minutes.
In 1954 1,155 lives were lost in the strait, on the freightliner
Toya Maru.
