Historic Village of Hokkaido

What to know

The Historic Village of Hokkaido (開拓の村, Kaitaku no Mura) is an open-air museum in the suburbs of Sapporo. It showcases around 60 historic buildings from across Hokkaido, dating from the Meiji and Taisho periods (1868–1926), when large-scale development of the island took place. The village is divided into four areas: a town, a fishing village, a farm village, and a mountain village.

The Hokkaido Museum (北海道博物館, Hokkaido Hakubutsukan) documents the history and nature of Hokkaido and is located about a ten-minute walk from the open-air museum. The museum focuses on five main themes, including Ainu culture, history, and wildlife.

The Historic Village of Hokkaido is located in the Nopporo Forest Park outside central Sapporo. From Sapporo Station, take a local train to Shinrin Koen Station (15 minutes, 360 yen, frequent departures). From there, the museum and open-air museum can be reached by a short bus ride (5–10 minutes, 240 yen, 1–2 buses per hour) or a 20–30 minute walk. Get off at Hokkaidō Hakubutsukan (北海道博物館) for the museum or Kaitaku no mura (開拓の村) for the open-air museum. Alternatively, you can board the same bus from Shin-Sapporo Station, which adds ten minutes to the bus ride. The buses are bound for Kaitaku no mura (開拓の村).