However, the area was more commonly referred to as the Okhotsk region (オホーツク地方, Ohōtsuku-chihō), as it faces the Sea of Okhotsk, and the name Abashiri was changed to the more commonly used Okhotsk during the administrative redivision of Hokkaido's 14 subprefectures to 9 subprefectural bureaus in April, 2010.
Namun, daerah itu lebih sering disebut sebagai Okhotsk region (オホーツク地方, Ohōtsuku-chihō), karena menghadapi Laut Okhotsk, dan nama Abashiri diubah menjadi Okhotsk karena lebih umum digunakan selama redivision administrasi Hokkaido 14 subprefektur sampai 9 biro subprefektural pada April 2010.