Hakodate Museum of Northern Peoples
Hakodate Museum of Northern Peoples
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
126 reviews
Excellent
40
Very good
68
Average
17
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Paula H3796
13 contributions
May 2019
This Museum is easy to find for a tourist using public transport once you work out the tram system, as the stops are close (you can see the tracks in the photo). I love the anime 'Mononoke Hime' or 'Princess Mononoke' and a central protagonist is the boy/village leader of a northern group who tries to resolve the pressures of industrialisation and people's independence and survival on the natural world and a spiritual life. As a result this trip we travelled to the northernmost point of Hokkaido (Cape Soya) and sought out this Museum. Fascinating displays on this restricted theme - honest and factual in the Japanese style. English handouts - so much stays with me - the salmon skin shoes, the embroidery, the weapons. I'll try to go again, as Hakodate is at the southern end of Hokkaido and easy to visit physically and culturally.
Written April 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary B
Sydney, Australia88 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
Excellent museum, definitely the highlight of our visit to Hakodate. Really interesting history and artefacts with beautiful fabric designs and a good selection of lifestyle objects to interest everybody. English signs made it very accessible. Pity the museum shop didn’t have more gifts as there were such original designs.
Written February 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
betsysSacramento
sacramento263 contributions
Jul 2013 • Family
By western standards, this isn't up to the highly immersive and entertaining standards being set by new museums, but this museum houses three collections of important artifacts. 7 rooms contain a group of artifacts, each around a tooic or theme.... Clothing, hunting implements, and items associated with their spiritual beliefs. Labels are printed in English and each room has at least a plaque with a paragraph of explanation in English.
We came to Hakodate to see this collection and almost didn't go because the concierge at our hotel told us incorrectly that it was really, really small and not really about the Ainu or indigenous people of Hokkaido. There are thousands of artifacts here, collected primarily by 2 men who did research in Sakhalin and Hokkaido in the 1930's. One, Dr. Sakuzaemon Kodama, eventually established the Northern Culture Laboratory of Hokkaido university.
The illustrations of Ainu, unfortunately, are mostly reproductions from the Tokugawa period and they're pretty unflattering and racist. The Ainu were first documented by the shogunate when there was concern about invasion by Russia, and Hokkaido was not yet homesteaded by Japanese,
Ainu designed everything and believed spirits lived in plants and animals. Seeing their extraordinary use of powerful graphic design will inspire art lovers and anyone interested in coastal "Indians" (first people).
FYI the best comprehensive listing of Ainu related sights and museums is produced by the Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture: ainu@frpac.or.jp.
There's also a small Ainu shop on Motomachi toward the rope way base just past the Russian Orthodox Church, in the same block as the huge temple (giant black ceramic tile roof). The owner's brothers carves many of the items in the store as well as cloth headbands inspired by Ainu design.
We came to Hakodate to see this collection and almost didn't go because the concierge at our hotel told us incorrectly that it was really, really small and not really about the Ainu or indigenous people of Hokkaido. There are thousands of artifacts here, collected primarily by 2 men who did research in Sakhalin and Hokkaido in the 1930's. One, Dr. Sakuzaemon Kodama, eventually established the Northern Culture Laboratory of Hokkaido university.
The illustrations of Ainu, unfortunately, are mostly reproductions from the Tokugawa period and they're pretty unflattering and racist. The Ainu were first documented by the shogunate when there was concern about invasion by Russia, and Hokkaido was not yet homesteaded by Japanese,
Ainu designed everything and believed spirits lived in plants and animals. Seeing their extraordinary use of powerful graphic design will inspire art lovers and anyone interested in coastal "Indians" (first people).
FYI the best comprehensive listing of Ainu related sights and museums is produced by the Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture: ainu@frpac.or.jp.
There's also a small Ainu shop on Motomachi toward the rope way base just past the Russian Orthodox Church, in the same block as the huge temple (giant black ceramic tile roof). The owner's brothers carves many of the items in the store as well as cloth headbands inspired by Ainu design.
Written July 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sankes
Leeds, UK604 contributions
Aug 2013 • Solo
I didn't know much about the Ainu and other Northern peoples. Their arts, clothes are all aesthetically wonderful. Some of their practices such as bear sacrifices are hard to watch but overall I recommend for those who are interested.
Written August 21, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bimdonesia
Hong Kong, China2,502 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
More about the anthropologists who researched the Northern Peoples than the people themselves. English information accompanies exhibits, but the Japanese text is more detailed.
Written April 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AllanJane_11
Melbourne, Australia453 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
This museum was really interesting and well set out.
If you are interested in history and learning about the Ainu people you should visit.
The staff gave us a pamphlet in English to walk around the exhibits with. Each room follows a theme with most of the exhibits having both Japanese and English descriptions.
There is a fantastic set of hangings in the entry hall depicting the life of the Ainu people over the twelve months of the year.
The museum is close to the British Consulate and the Hakodate Public Hall so visiting all 3 will easily fill half a day.
This museum should be publicised more - we visited because of what we had read on Trip Advisor.
If you are interested in history and learning about the Ainu people you should visit.
The staff gave us a pamphlet in English to walk around the exhibits with. Each room follows a theme with most of the exhibits having both Japanese and English descriptions.
There is a fantastic set of hangings in the entry hall depicting the life of the Ainu people over the twelve months of the year.
The museum is close to the British Consulate and the Hakodate Public Hall so visiting all 3 will easily fill half a day.
This museum should be publicised more - we visited because of what we had read on Trip Advisor.
Written June 23, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
elsiek
London850 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
A refreshingly simple museum dedicated to the history of the Ainu (Northern) people who inhabit this area. Not the swish displays we're used to in the west, but none the less, all exhibits were clearly displayed with enough English to make it understandable. All the rooms follow a theme so ask Reception for the English version of the guide so that you can follow it round. Look out for the only example of an Ainu boat left in the world! On arrival you will be offered a discount ticket if you plan to visit 2, 3 or 4 of the museums in the area
Written May 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna Lee
16 contributions
Aug 2019
Worth to visit, give you a good knowledge about the history, living conditions customs and cultures, very easy to follow and very good displays.
Written September 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
luxingren
Bellevue, Washington36 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
This museum was almost empty when my wife and I visited it, and that's a shame as the exhibits are interesting and there are English descriptions throughout. A lot of the items remind me of Pacific Northwest first nations items I've seen in Victoria, BC and Seattle. I'd rather spend an hour here than suffer through the boring retail offerings in the red-brick warehouse district nearby.
Written May 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaiula
Seattle, WA124 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
Great museum showing the history of the indigenous people of Hokkaido. Definitely worth seeing. Mostly everything is in Japanese. If was fun doing the pattern work at the end.
Written April 25, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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