Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park 🏞️🎨

Official Website of Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park

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Background and Mission

Efforts to promote Ainu culture and raise public awareness face several challenges. The Ainu language and traditional crafts are in crisis as fewer people are able to pass on these traditions. Understanding of Ainu history and culture remains low. To address this, the Council for Ainu Policy Promotion emphasized in July 2009 that a “symbolic space for ethnic harmony” is essential for policies recognizing the Ainu as an indigenous people. Upopoy serves as a space and facility for promoting Ainu culture and as a base for broader initiatives to revitalize and expand this invaluable but threatened culture. Upopoy symbolizes a forward-looking, vibrant society rich in diverse cultures, where indigenous people are treated with respect and dignity, free from discrimination.

Functions

As a national center for learning about and promoting Ainu history and culture, Upopoy enables people of all nationalities and ages to learn about the Ainu’s worldview and respect for nature. It symbolizes a society based on mutual respect and coexistence, sharing various aspects of Ainu culture developed over many years and influenced by the surrounding nature.

Functions of Upopoy

1. Research and exhibitions
2. Continuation of cultural traditions and development of human skills
3. Exchange of culture and experiences
4. Dissemination of information
5. Provision of park facilities
6. Fostering of respect for spirituality

History

Upopoy serves as a national center for the revival of Ainu culture.

The Ainu are an indigenous people in the northern region of the Japanese archipelago, particularly Hokkaido. The Ainu culture is distinctive, with a language unrelated to Japanese, a spirituality that holds that spirits dwell in every part of the natural world, traditional dances performed at family events and festivals, and crafts such as wood carving and embroidery incorporating unique patterns.
Upopoy serves as a national center for the revival and development of Ainu culture, an invaluable culture in Japan that is at risk of extinction. Upopoy was created to fulfill multiple roles and functions as a symbol of Japan’s long-term aim to build a vibrant society with a rich, diverse culture in which indigenous peoples are treated with respect and dignity, without discrimination. Experience the richness of Ainu culture while surrounded by the plentiful nature on the shores of Lake Poroto.
“Upopoy” is an Ainu word meaning “singing together in a large group”.

Main Facilities at Upopoy

National Ainu Museum 🏛️

Japan’s northernmost national museum and the first dedicated to the history and culture of the indigenous Ainu people. The National Ainu Museum’s objectives are to build a society where Ainu pride is recognized, raise awareness of Ainu history and culture, and help forge a future for Ainu culture. The exhibitions are designed to explore Ainu history and culture from an Ainu perspective.

Details

National Ainu Park 🌳

An open-air park where you can experience the culture of the indigenous Ainu people. The National Ainu Park is an interactive open-air center where you can watch traditional dances and participate in hands-on activities, including performing arts, cooking, and crafts.

Details

Cultural Exchange Hall 🎶

Watch mukkuri (a kind of mouth harp) music and traditional Ainu dance – designated as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties in Japan – together with other traditional Ainu performing arts recognized by UNESCO as elements of intangible cultural heritage.

Workshop 🛠️

This facility hosts workshops where visitors can try cooking and playing musical instruments. Experience the world from the point of view of kamuy (spirit deities) through panoramic images on domed screens in the adjacent annex.

Crafts Studio 🎨

Learn about Ainu crafts and witness demonstrations of techniques passed down through generations. Workshops on wood carving and embroidery offer an accessible way to learn about the significance of different patterns in Ainu culture.

Kotan (Traditional Ainu Village) 🏡

Explore a traditional Ainu living space with a group of reconstructed cise (Ainu houses). Listen to talks about the lives and culture of the Ainu people who lived in cise.

Path to the Ainu Spirit 🌲

This corridor feels like a trail through the forest, adorned with images of trees and animals, representing the importance that Ainu culture places on coexisting with nature.

Gateway Square 🛍️

This open-air space is a place to enjoy eating, drinking, and shopping.

Entrance Center 🚪

The Entrance Center has a shop with a range of Ainu crafts and other items that make perfect souvenirs. Enjoy Ainu cuisine at a restaurant with panoramic views, or choose from the extensive menu at the food court.

Cikisani Square 🎉

Enjoy seasonal events and special programs against the beautiful backdrop of Lake Poroto.

Memorial Site 🕊️

Dignified memorial services by the Ainu people. The Memorial Site ensures that remains of Ainu people, collected and stored at universities across Japan, are handled appropriately and with respect until arrangements for their return to the Ainu are established.

Details

Establishment of the Upopoy Memorial Site

The remains of Ainu people and the items buried with them have long been studied by anthropologists and other

researchers. In light of this history and efforts to repatriate the remains of indigenous peoples worldwide, the Japanese government decided in June 2014 to promote the return of Ainu remains. The Upopoy Memorial Site was established in September 2019 to fulfill this function.

Upopoy serves as a national center for the revival of Ainu culture, offering a space where visitors can immerse themselves in the richness of Ainu traditions and spirituality.

For more information, please visit the Official Website of Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park.

Photos and resources are from the Official Website of Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park.