Upopoy National Ainu Museum

What to know

Upopoy (ウポポイ, meaning "singing together" in the Ainu language) is Japan's premier destination for learning about the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan. Located in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, near Noboribetsu, the park includes the National Ainu Museum and various facilities for experiencing Ainu culture. It sits beside Lake Poroto.

The National Ainu Museum features a video theater and a permanent exhibition on Ainu culture and traditional lifestyles, plus rotating special exhibits. In the lakeside park, three buildings host dance and music performances, and offer hands-on activities related to Ainu cuisine, music, and crafts. Several reconstructed Ainu houses are open to visitors, where traditional ceremonies are occasionally held and costumes can be tried on.

The museum is in Shiraoi, a town neighboring Noboribetsu, about 100 kilometers south of Sapporo on the main railway line connecting Sapporo and Hakodate. It is a 10-15 minute walk east from Shiraoi Station.

A one-way trip from Noboribetsu by local train takes about 25 minutes and costs 470 yen, with a connection every 1-2 hours.

From Sapporo, most limited express trains toward Muroran and Hakodate stop at Shiraoi. The one-way journey takes just over an hour and costs about 4000 yen by limited express, or about two hours and 2240 yen by local trains.

Some highway buses between Sapporo (Sapporo Station) and Noboribetsu Onsen, and between New Chitose Airport and Noboribetsu Onsen, used to stop at Upopoy; however, most have been suspended since the coronavirus pandemic, except for a single daily bus between the airport, Upopoy, and Noboribetsu Onsen (45 minutes, 850 yen one way from the airport to Upopoy).