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.
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