Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples

This museum focuses on the cultures of "Northern Peoples" who inhabit the Northern Hemisphere, ranging from the Ainu, Japan's indigenous people, to the Eskimos living in Greenland and the Sami in Scandinavia. It is Japan's only museum of its kind and one of the rarest in the world, since it opened in 1991.

The museum exhibits valuable artifacts related to the lives of these Northern Peoples are displayed by theme, including clothing, food, housing, transportation tools, beliefs, and rituals. For example, reindeer fur and clothing made from seal intestines to the semi-subterranean dwellings of Eskimos living in the northernmost coastal regions of Alaska are highlighted in the exhibition. Visitors can explore the wisdom and ingenuity that have allowed these peoples to survive in harsh climates, as well as their histories.

There is also a section where you can try tAinu clothing. It's a rare opportunity to don these garments and experience the culture of the Northern Peoples firsthand.