Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park)

Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park) ウポポイ 民族共生象徴空間 is a peaceful and beautifully designed cultural park where travelers can learn about Ainu history in an engaging, respectful way. The museum is well‑curated with clear explanations, interactive displays, and thoughtful storytelling. The surrounding lake and mountain scenery make the visit even more charming, offering a calm atmosphere to walk around and take in the view. Overall, it’s a meaningful stop for anyone interested in understanding Hokkaido’s Indigenous culture while enjoying a scenic, relaxing environment.

A great museum to experience and learn about Ainu culture. You can even eat their foods, try or even buy their clothes, and also see a music and folk dance performance. If you are a fans of Golden Kamuy, you have to visit this place!

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.

One the best museums I've been to in my life. Wonderful design, and I love the interactive nature of it. Combining the museum with the historical life workshops pushes it to the very best a cultural museum could be. I only wish I could buy an attus for myself!!!

Staff were friendly, chatty, and welcoming. It's more of an athropological experience than a museum. Upopoy focusses on showing you song, dance, hunting, food conservation, and clothes through practical hands-on experiences. The indoor exhibits felt a little sparse - there was not much information about even the age of most of the artefacts they had in glass cases. There was not much information about Ainu history in a more concrete sense either. I was able to enter without reservation and walk around freely. Thankfully it seems they have moved on from housing live bears and dogs. Certainly the largest and most spectacular Ainu museum in Hokkaido, with special care taken by the staff. A little light on information though!

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.

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.