Foreign Perspectives of Ainu Culture
A Day of Adventure Travel
Information
The Ainu. The indigenous people of northern Japan, including Hokkaido and its surrounding areas. They have their own unique language and culture, with prayers, dances, and the belief that spirits reside in all things.
Upopoy, the National Ainu Museum and Park, located in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, recently celebrated its third anniversary, acting as a foundation to revitalize and preserve Ainu culture. Despite the pandemic, it has attracted numerous domestic and international visitors.
The city of Sapporo, Hokkaido hosted the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS), the first of its kind in Japan. 800 participants, including representatives from travel agencies, media, and tour operators from approximately 60 countries attended, and various tours, lectures, seminars, and business meetings took place throughout the summit.
“Adventure Travel” involves combining at least two of three elements: "activities”, "nature", and "cultural experiences".
This program focuses on two of the 31 ATWS one-day tours starting in Sapporo that include Ainu cultural experiences. The first, titled " Travel back in time with the Ainu community " provided an opportunity to experience Ainu culture in Asahikawa. The second, " Ainu craft & culture in Shiraoi town " visited Upopoy and included a traditional Ainu embroidery experience. These tours provided the overseas tourism representatives with a firsthand experience of Ainu culture and a rare opportunity for direct interaction with people of Ainu decent.
This program showcases the participants' impressions and explores the unique traits of Ainu culture from the perspective of international attendees.
Gallery
More Videos To Explore
Our Series
We follow Japan’s trailblazers breaking new ground in various fields and discover the purpose that keeps them moving forward.
Explore a colorful variety of modern Japan’s most popular topics, including food, technology, ecology and regional promotions, with a focus on the innovative ideas and passionate effort from the people behind it all.
This series explores the allure of traditional culture thriving in Fukui, a region rich in nature facing the Sea of Japan.
The program introduces the history and wisdom behind Japan’s technological strength and specialties, which are helping to revitalize regional areas of the country.
This series will feature how various culture in modern Japan and overseas blend together and influence each other.
In this series, we visit areas in Hokkaido with deep connections to the Ainu living there and showcase their prayers, dances, and traditional ceremonies passed down through generations.
Infotainment show featuring young artists full of talent with their unique sense of “Japan.”
