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Experiencing Ainu Culture at Upopoy

Shiraoi – A place to delve into the rich culture of the Ainu while exploring the area’s magnificent nature and delicious local food. With its relatively mild climate and proximity to Sapporo and New Chitose Airport, Shiraoi is a great destination for both new and seasoned visitors to Hokkaido.

Our journey began at Upopoy. Founded in 2020 as a “symbolic space for ethnic harmony,” Upopoy’s facilities include a museum, a cultural exchange hall and a traditional Ainu village. Our guide met us at the entrance and walked us to the first port of call: National Ainu Museum.

National Ainu Museum

National Ainu Museum’s stated aim is to “build a society where Ainu pride is recognized, raise awareness of Ainu history and culture, and help to forge a future for Ainu culture.” Its permanent exhibition is divided into six themes and its open-planned design allows you to explore as you wish, without following any particular route.

It’s a beautiful space with just the right number of exhibits – enough to introduce each theme without overwhelming the visitor. There are too many wonderful displays to mention here, but I was struck by two particular aspects.

The first is the exhibition’s interactive nature. The museum seems to encourage active participation. As well as the open planning, there is also special interactive area named “tempatempa” and a corner for children to sit, read and play.

The second is its multilingual nature. The museum’s primary language is Ainu. This is translated into Japanese and then into other languages. Our guide was quite proud of just how many languages they use, and rightly so! Most panels are translated into English, Chinese and Korean, for example, while polyglot staff wear armbands stating which languages they speak.

It all makes for a very enriching and welcoming experience and I bought a lovely attus bookmark from the gift shop as a memento.

Bow and Arrow Experience

Next up was the Bow and Arrow Experience. Here, you can learn to hunt in a traditional Ainu way. As a vegan, the only hunting I do is for carrots in the supermarket, so I doubted my abilities. I shouldn’t have. After showing me how to hold the bow, the guide gave me three arrows and pointed me to the targets. I missed the first two times, but on the third…victory! It was great fun.

The Cultural Exchange Hall

Visitors to Upopoy can also view traditional performing arts at the Cultural Exchange Hall. I picked up an English audio guide and sat down to watch “Sinot – Songs and Dances of the Ainu,” a program including a bow dance, a performance of the mukkuri mouth harp, and a recreation of the dance performed at the iyomante, a ceremony to send bears back to the realm of the kamuy (spirit-deities)

It was all rather lovely. Each performance was preceded by a brief explanation. Video images were then projected on a screen during the performances, with the round stage also illuminated from above. I was told the performers travel to the regions to learn local Ainu dances. Their dedication is apparent in the grace of their dancing and singing. I was quite moved actually, particularly during the iyomante section, when the dancers perform against old black and white footage of an actual ceremony. No one should miss this.

Kotan (Traditional Ainu Village)

The last Upopoy destination was Kotan, a traditional Ainu village with a group of reconstructed cise (houses). Visitors can enter these to look around and try on traditional Ainu clothing. We did both. It was an interesting experience to sit around an open hearth in Pon Cise (Small House) as our guides introduced some features of the building. A great way to finish our trip to Upopoy.

Part2: Sampling local cuisine and experiencing traditional crafts
Part3: A guided walk through Shiraoi’s magnificent natural landscape