Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park)

Upopoy is great fun and educational. It combines traditional museums with experiences including carving, music, dance and embroidery to name a few. The staff is kind and there seem to be limited foreigners to visit. It can be difficult to get to with public transportation but it is worth a visit.

Highly recommend. The train to Shiraoi is covered under the JR rail pass, so we didn't have to pay separate for transportation. We chose to go here over the koten village more north as its much more accessible, especially with time constraints. Everyone was extremely friendly and we were actively included in experiences. There are several love demonstrations throughout the day and effort was put into English translations for for displays (staff was also very kind and went out of their way for us in speaking english/ using translating apps) to make sure we understood everything.

Absolutely stunning setting, expertly crafted exhibits that were informative, with a powerful point of view and really enriched my understanding of the culture. I only wish I'd budgeted more time for this. Its convience minutes away from a JR station made it easy to slot into my itinerary as quicker mid-morning stop on my way to catch the Shinkensen in Hakodate.

I visited on the Cultural day so it was free!!! I didn’t expect to get free access but seems a lucky day indeed. The artists were good at reflecting the Ainu culture through costumes, dances, musical instruments & so many things. It is better if you go there in the morning. Check the JR schedule & make plans ahead of visiting there otherwise you’ve to wait long time for the train. Definitely a place worth visiting.

The first time I heard about the Ainu people was about 2 years ago. Over time, I got more information and when I planned to travel to Hokkaido, I just couldn’t miss visiting the Upopoy National Ainu Museum. There are a few ways to reach the place. I took a train from Sapporo station to Shiraoi station, which took me about an hour. 
It’s better to dedicate a whole day to exploring the whole Museum complex and park and dive deeper into the Ainu culture. You have a chance to observe traditional Ainu buildings, try to wear traditional Ainu clothes, learn their language or attend the craft workshops. There’s also the Cultural Exchange Hall, where you can watch a short film about Ainu culture. Take some time to walk around the park to enjoy the nature and the lake landscape. Don’t worry about the tickets, you can buy them at the ticket desk or ticket vending machine at the entrance. The place is highly recommended for visiting.

Great place to learn about the Ainu people thru exhibits and cultural performances. The museum building itself is impressive. Lake Poroto is inside the museum grounds, so you can take a calming walk along the lake shore. There are also dining options and gift shops with great products.

Highly recommend to visit this museum if you are around Hokkaido. It provides good explanation about the Ainu's culture and way of living. There's some performance as well inside the traditional house and it has beautiful lake with amazing view especially during sunset..

We found this museum to be truly exceptional. It not only provides a lot of knowledge about the Ainu and their past and present culture but is is also very interactive and immersive. We saw a dance and music show in the grand hall that was very impressive and loved walking the reconstructed Ainu houses. When looking for English books on Ainu, two ladies in the library went out of their way to help us. Also there are numerous good eating options and two sizeable gift shops.

Visiting the Ainu museum and village is usually part of any tour of Hokkaido. The last time I visited, well over 20 years ago, the village seemed more rustic. I really enjoyed the performance as it gave us a good insight into Ainu life back in the day. And the performers were excellent! I did visit the bears and dogs. But it was such a hot day that they looked so sad. Personally I'm not a fan of any caged animal so seeing the bears begging for treats was tough to watch. The museum was well done and informative. All in all a pleasant visit.