WTM 2022: Japan showcases Hokkaido's Ainu culture

The Ainu are the indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture.

Speaking to TTG@WTM this week, Matthew Joslin, senior marketing and communications manager, Japan National Tourism Organisation, said the Ainu culture was quite distinct from the more mainstream culture associated with Japan. “The Ainu language, dress, cuisine, crafts and songs are all very different,” he said.

He added: “There’s been a movement in the past few years to make sure Japan is now on the right side of history with regards the Ainu tribe and right some wrongs by honouring their culture.”

The government-funded Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park opened in 2020, with a mission to promote Ainu culture and pass it forward.

An extension to Japan’s existing bulletin train network scheduled for 2030 will make it easier to incorporate their homelands into travel itineraries, when the line from Tokyo is extended as far Sapporo, the largest city in Hokkaido.

Historically Japan has invested heavily in its much-lauded rail services and the pace continues with a 10-year development plan that has already seen the line from Hakata to Nagasaki open this September, making it easier to connect Tokyo with Nagasaki.