Upopoy, National ethnographic museum in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, Japan
Upopoy is a national ethnographic museum in Shiraoi, on the island of Hokkaido, dedicated to the Ainu, the indigenous people of the region. Its permanent galleries are divided into sections covering language, worldview, daily life, traditional crafts, and the Ainu's relations with neighboring societies.
The museum opened in 2020 as Japan's first national institution dedicated to the Ainu people and their heritage. Its creation came after decades of growing pressure from Ainu groups for formal recognition of their history and rights.
Performances and craft demonstrations here are led by Ainu community members themselves, which makes the visit feel direct and personal. Visitors can watch traditional practices as they are still carried out today, without any distance or mediation.
The museum sits close to Shiraoi station and can be reached by train from Sapporo in roughly 40 minutes. Arriving in the morning gives enough time to go through all the sections without rushing.
Many of the objects now displayed here were held for decades in the storage rooms of other museums, some located outside Japan. Partnerships with institutions in Russia, Germany, and the United States have made it possible to bring some of them back and present them alongside related pieces from other collections.
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