Historical Village of Hokkaido

We spent our last full day in Sapporo exploring the Historical Village of Hokkaido 野外博物館 北海道開拓の村. It is an open-air museum located near Sapporo that showcases the pioneer days of Hokkaido from the Meiji period (1868 - 1912) to the early Showa era (around 1926). Established in 1983, it features 52 historical buildings that were relocated and reconstructed to preserve and present the architectural and cultural heritage of Hokkaido during its development era. The village is divided into four distinct zones reflecting different aspects of life: a town area, fishing village, farm village, and mountain village. Each zone offers visitors a glimpse into the lifestyles, trades, and daily hardships faced by settlers and residents in Hokkaido’s early days of colonization and development. The architecture and interiors of these buildings are meticulously furnished with period-appropriate furniture, tools, and artifacts, creating a vivid impression that the inhabitants might return at any moment. This immersive environment brings history to life, with some buildings staffed by guides or featuring mannequins to further illustrate the era’s lifestyle. The village also highlights the unique influence of American advisors who aided Hokkaido’s development by introducing frontier farming methods and architecture designed to withstand the region’s harsh winters. Visitors can experience the village more fully by riding a horse-drawn tram or sleigh that runs between the different zones, enhancing the feeling of stepping back in time. It offers an educational yet enjoyable way to learn about Hokkaido’s history, culture, and the challenges faced by those who helped shape the region 150 years ago. Overall, the Historical Village of Hokkaido stands as a rare, living museum where people of all ages can appreciate the pioneering spirit and rich heritage of Hokkaido’s frontier days. We have spent nearly 4 hours there.

It's a worthwhile 4 hours visit for me. Got the first glimpse of autumn foliage on 19 Oct 2025, beautiful. It was a family day or something, children got free admission but as it is a huge place, the crowds were spread out. In fact it may be get spooky without a single soul in sight especially near the mountain village. Easy access by the 2-2 bus as the bus stop has clear sign on Hokkaido Historical Village, but it only runs every 30 min, so do plan your trip.

The best open air village too! We explored it with the free English guided tour which lasted 90 minutes. The guide was lovely and every house in the village worth a look. So beautiful when covered in snow! We spent around 4 hours there. Just make sure to catch the last bus which is scheduled way before the museum closes

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.

Great that we visited this place. This will help you get a glimpse of the past of hokkaido. Love the conversation we had with few people staying there. Note: it will eat your time so prepare at least 2-3 hours and do it early

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.

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.

We visited this unique little village made of Historic buildings in July of 2018. These buildings were from various places in Hokkaido and just moved to this location to be preserved and looked after. I have to admit I was expecting more of a town with buildings that are 300 years old or older, but in reality, the buildings here are more modern and tell the story of how Japan started to become influenced by the West. To get here from Sapporo, we took the train to Shin-Sapporo station. From there we got on a bus that took us to the village. If you are able to visit in the morning, you'd definitely have time to visit the Hokkaido Museum on the way back as the Museum Bus Stop is on the route. I was expecting that there would be more visitors/tourists but mainly, there were school age children on a field-trip with their teachers learning about their Japanese culture. Other than that, the visitors here are not many so you won't have to worry about long lines or such. It's VERY, VERY quiet... I'm glad that they had some English captions on the buildings for us to read but in some buildings, everything is written in Japanese. There is a big cafeteria that serves a DELICIOUS chicken curry. Be sure to get there before 4:30 as the last order is at 4:30 and close is at 5:00. The last bus pickup is at 5:15 and 5:40 so make sure that you don't miss those times.