Hakodate City Museum of Northern Peoples — Attraction in Hakodate

This was a much bigger and more thorough museum than I had expected. It went into lots of aspects about the lives of northern peoples, from clothing to language to daily life. I was glad to see that the museum acknowledged that the encounters between these peoples and the Japanese was often explicitly colonial in nature, and that some of the Japanese sources that are left behind and that are relied on to tell us about the people thus have to be handled carefully. There was information in English pretty much everywhere even if some of the translations were sometimes a bit off. There were 2 videos as well, both very informative, although one of them didn't have English subtitles. The captions, which are written by the director, are some of the funniest and cutest I've ever read in a museum. It was a bit weird to have the director cracking jokes in the captions but I found it quite endearing too! Overall, really great museum :) There is an entrance fee but you can couple it with some of the other attractions in the area and save money. I got a student discount too which made my visit to 3 places about 300 yen, and I reckon...

Amazing and well worth the entry fee. There’s a pretty good collection of artefacts and information about Ainu culture. The descriptions come in multiple languages—English is one of them. The exhibits extend up to the third floor. There is a toilet, and lift for those who come with kids or the elderly.

The building itself also has a historical value, which you can feel and see when you visit. I especially like the Director’s notes, it is really a display of enthusiasm and interest of someone who really loves their job. This is the first time I’ve read museum descriptions that have a “personality” while keeping the educational tone, and it’s really refreshing.

The notes also reference Golden Kamuy, not surprising considering it puts Ainu culture at the forefront of its plot. There’s a few native birds (Shimaenaga) in Golden Kamuy character costumes, very cute.

Definitely a must-go when you’re...

Interesting museum of the Ainu people. I like the very beginning of the museum where they talk about a lot of misconceptions and misrepresentations. It’s less impressive when the museum director’s commentary is derogatory toward the people, they are trying to educate about. My picture includes one of the captions which I found kind of funny, but there are many captions that are a lot more judgmental. Overall, it was a good experience though! I would not let possible for translations have a negative impact on the interesting artifacts and history found in this museum.

Along with your ticket to this museum, you can pay a little bit more for access to three other museums close by. We also enjoyed the history of literature museum...