Historical Village of Hokkaido

The Historical Village of Hokkaido (北海道開拓の村) is a beautiful open-air museum where you can walk through the history of Hokkaido and Japan. The village collects and preserves authentic old buildings from all over the country. One of the highlights is the horse-drawn tram ride, which costs only 250 yen. It’s a relaxing and charming way to explore the area, especially if you want to rest your feet. But there is a timetable for the service. Many traditional houses are filled with old furniture, tools, and lifelike displays of how people lived in the past. Depending on the day, hands-on activities such as cow milking and manual postcard printing exist. The staff at those sites (or, as I saw in their name tag, volunteers) were energetic and tried their best to speak English. I went there during the summertime. The weather can be hot and humid, and after the rain, there might be a slightly musty smell in some areas, especially near the older wooden buildings. It’s not overwhelming, but it's good to be aware of. The site is large, so wear comfortable shoes and take your time. The atmosphere is peaceful, educational, and full of character.

We planned to visit the Hokkaido museum and the historical village in 1 day together but couldn't because I made a mistake of going on a Monday and the former was closed. In hindsight, I don't think one can finish both in a single day, especially if you are like me and like to take in the authenticity and architecture fully. This is truly a wonderful experience and we stayed until closing time. We didn't even completely see all the buildings inside the village. Much of the structures inside are donated by the owner clans then moved and reassembled from their original context in this park. I was amazed how they capture how life was centuries ago and couldn't help but wander and imagine. Not much visitors here and the weather was good. Would definitely recommend to anyone going to Sapporo.

A hidden gem! Not many tourists as compared to the shopping districts but this is a really good getaway and gives a glimpse of lives and architecture from the Meiji and Taisho Eras. Many students came here for school field trip as well. A really fun place to come with family / kids. Plenty of different houses to explore with some interactive games / sessions. The cafeteria near the main entrance was also not bad. They had many set meals. Gives a school canteen vibe and served really good いももちand ice cream. Can purchase the combo ticket of this historical village + Hokkaido museum at 1400 yen. There’s a bus that runs from shin Sapporo station to here and Hokkaido museum. Be sure to check the time for the last bus.

On our way to the place it started to rain lightly, and by the time we arrived at the museum, it was already raining harder. The rain forced us to take shelter for a while at the museum entrance, where we had a small cup of coffee. An hour passed, still raining, but a little lighter than before. So we decided to have a rainy visit to the Village. The place is an open-air museum, on the edge of Nopporo Forest, where some 60 buildings recreate the era of the colonization of Ezochi, then newly renamed Hokkaido, just 150 years ago. Here we were able to see much of the history we had learned in the museums we visited. All the buildings were open to the public (taking off your shoes), but due to the time we had left before closing time, we had to limit how much time we spent in each one. Our imaginations tried to recreate what life would have been like there back then, what it would have been like to spend the winter there (clearly unimaginable for two Chileans without a life of snow), the smell of the wet earth, the damp wood, seeing the red and orange foliage. It was a fantastic journey back in time. We would have spent an hour in each building if possible, but by the time 4:00 PM struck and the closure was announced, we still had a section left to visit. I want to come back here!

Very large collection of historical buildings, rather than a village. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Toshi, the volunteer guide who showed me around in English. We had interesting conversations too about Japan and it's history.

Did you miss the old buildings converted into museums that you were able to find in other parts of Japan? Then come here and enjoy! You will find homes and businesses as they were 100-140 years ago in Hokkaido. I had a great time checking out every house of the village. It has been a great experience that I recommend to anyone with historical interest. To get there take any transport to Shin Sapporo Station (bus or metro line), and then the bus number 22 that runs every 30 minutes between the village, the museum and the station.

We visited on a Friday and besides some children on a school trip, there were barely any visitors around. It was really relaxing to just walk around the place and enjoy the nature while admiring the architecture of the buildings. I recommend coming here for a nice day out. There is also a cafeteria worth visiting if you want to take a rest.

An excellent place to learn history. How people lived in that era. All the buildings are original and preserved till today. Each house features a special trade, showing tools used and how people worked inside. They are mannequins in the building that showed how work was done in those days. A photography shop had a a photoshoot area and a volunteer stationed there to help you take pictures. The volunteer at the police station was especially welcoming and invited us to wear police caps to take pictures. We took a picture with him too. There were many volunteers, each specialised in one of the houses, explaining the history to locals. Unfortunately, no such volunteers for foreigners. Overall, a really nice experience.