Upopoy

Upopoy is a national ethnographic open-air museum in Shiraoi in northern Japan dedicated to the culture of the Indigenous Ainu people. The site includes several buildings, among them the main exhibition hall with galleries on language and ways of life, a theater for traditional performances, and reconstructed thatched-roof homes in the traditional style.

The institution opened in July 2020 as the first national museum in Japan devoted exclusively to Ainu heritage. The founding marked an official step in recognizing the Ainu as an Indigenous population after centuries of marginalization and assimilation policies.

The name comes from the Ainu language and means singing in a large group, reflecting the importance of communal performance in traditional Ainu culture. Visitors today can watch live demonstrations of mukkuri mouth harp playing and upopo call-and-response songs performed by Ainu artists in the indoor theater.

The site sits on the edge of town and can be reached by train or bus from central Shiraoi, with most visitors spending two to three hours for a full tour. The outdoor areas with reconstructed homes remain accessible in light rain, while the main galleries are designed to accommodate wheelchairs.

The complex houses a memorial site containing remains of 1,300 Ainu ancestors previously held by different Japanese research institutions. The return of these remains was part of a longer reconciliation effort that led to the opening of the institution.