Hokkaido Museum

What a great museum! It contains information about both far and near past of Hokkaido, as well as some insight into its nature and native species. So many artifacts and reconstruction packed into a single place, with many of the panel even translated in English. It also seems quite accessible with some interactivity, making it a great experience for older kids. Finally I really appreciate the time it takes to explore the Ainu culture and the impact mainland japan had on their people. It does a way better job at covering the subject than some of the museum I visited in central Sapporo, which just seem to gloss over it and present colonisation effort in an entirely positive way. Only reason I am not giving 5 stats is because how remote and difficult to access it is from central Sapporo. If you are not in sapporo for long or not ready to make this museum a full day affair, then other activities may be better instead.

It's a museum well worth visiting. While it's not a large establishment, with only two floors, you could easily spend a couple of hours exploring everything. You'll gain a lot of knowledge about Hokkaido's history and culture. They also have seasonal exhibitions, but you'll need to pay an additional fee to see them. I would recommend setting aside a good half-day for your visit here.

Bought this ticket together with the historical village at 1400 yen. This is about 10-15 mins walk away from the historical village. Accessible by bus no 22 from shin Sapporo station. A rather compact museum focus on origin and development of Hokkaido as well as the jomon and Ainu people. Time spent 2-3 hours.

We bought tickets for the museum and to visit the historic village, thinking that in three hours we could see both… But the museum trapped us. The first thing we saw was an impressive mammoth. The museum is ordered in a way that, as you advance, you are doing a travel across time. Starting with the Gomphotheres and early Paleolithic cultures, and then exhibiting elements of the Jomon culture. It was fantastic to see the progression of stone tools and implements over time. From the Jomon to Zoku-Jomon and Satsumon cultures. From the north, the Okhotsk culture. The Ainu culture. The pass of time leads to the advancing influence from Honshu, the Matsumae clan and the Tokugawa shogunate. “Civilization” and the suppression of their customs. Seeing photos of Ainu people wearing clothing that wasn't their own, imposed by the newcomer, provoked the same profound sadness in me as those photos of Chile's indigenous peoples subjected to the same thing. Now civilized. Now extinct. Just another fragment of a universal history that repeats itself. We had to hurry, as the closing hour was almost here, so the sections of modern times and nature (nooo!) were seen faster. I wish we had more time to enjoy everything here. It's an amazing museum!!

For those interested in Hokkaido’s history, culture, and development - this is the place. Good for a 1.5 hour stay. The two-floor museum has exhibits from the Mammoths’ age to present. Visitors can learn about how Hokkaido becomes what it is today and the complex cultural exchange happened between different groups of inhabitants over centuries.

Great museum on distinct history of Hokkaido - prehistory, pre-colonization Ainu, post-colonization, and a small natural history section. We didn't expect to be there so long, and didn't make it to the Historical Village further down the road. There are no substantial food options here: bring a lunch!

Very informative and fun museum. The walk there from the JR station was lovely in the snow. It was great to learn more about the Ainu people!

We visited the Hokkaido Museum after the Historical Village, using the combined ticket (1400円, or 800円 on its own). Unfortunately we only had about 1.5h to visit it, but it was enough for a quick run-through. The exhibits are on two levels showcasing Hokkaido’s history, nature, and cultures. The highlights for us were the Jomon dogu, learning about the Ainu, Mammoth skeleton, and ecosystems section with the interactive “Acorn” element. We planned to have a drink at the café afterwards, but they decided to close at 16:30 instead of 17:00 that day. We missed the 17:12 bus, but luckily the staff let us wait inside for the next one.