This museum is largely new, built in 2020. It is an absolutely beautiful complex paying tribute to the culture and heritage of the Ainu people's. If you love learning the history of civilizations, there is an enormous amount of information here as well as artifacts. In addition, you can partake in workshops, watch short films and live presentations of Ainu language, dance, and music. Highly encourage you to visit!!

+3

We had an amazing and memorable experience here. I’ve never had such an engaging, hands-on experience like this in any museum before with just 600 yen for ticket each person after 2 pm. The location is convenient—just a short walk from the train station, making it easy to visit from Sapporo. My girlfriend was especially excited to come here, and it turned out to be a great choice. All the staff were very polite, and everything was beautifully preserved and well organized. The interactive exhibits were excellent, and we really enjoyed the workshops, as well as the traditional dance and unique musical instruments. This was definitely one of the best decisions of our trip. Highly recommended—you can easily spend at least 3–4 hours here. 👍

+3

I went to Upopoy in early February 2026. The place was covered in snow and even the lake was frozen. It was such a great experience learning about Ainu history and culture. We participated in the workshop/storytelling sessions at the kotan huts and the museum. We didn't get to enjoy the performances because we were short on time. I think the whole place requires about 3-4 hours for a full immersion of the culture. Hope for an opportunity to revisit it someday. We took the train from Hakodate and arrived at Shiraoi station around 3 hours later. Upopoy is just about 15-20 mins walk from the station. Ours took longer due to the icy footpath and we needed to be more careful anf cautious. Everything is clearly labelled and easy to follow even for non Japanese reader.

+3

You need at least half day to stroll around the museum and learn during your visit here. This museum is very well designed, informative and interactive. Information displayed at the museum also written in english. Both kids and adults can enjoy the museum. We enjoyed the dance and singing performance, and try traditional clothes of Ainu The staff was also very helpfull. It is open our eyes to ainu culture.

+1

My planned all day trip to Upopoy and the National Ainu Museam was unfortunately sabotaged by a bear accident on the railway. After an incredibly stressful day I managed to eventually make it from Hakodate with 50 minutes before 6 and blitzed through the expedition rooms before closing. Which is a real pity, because it's a world class museam and one of my favorite stops in my trip. The exhibits are thoughtfully presented, diverse and insightful. There was less English in the temporary exhibition, but the permanent has good translations for everything. The artifacts are all beautiful and the documentation is intelligent. The building and environment are all breathtaking. Staff are friendly. Entry is slightly steeper, although have a discount after 2pm, but this is a premium exhibit so I didn't mind. It's an effort to make the trip all the way up to Upopoy, and even more coming from NZ. But of all the things I did in my trip, I think I'd like to revisit this the most and give the proper do over I planned. Without the bear disaster this time. Note: I was also very pleased to see they have a great digital resource of the collection accessible on their website!