Evening at Lake Poroto, almost no one around — the whole lake to myself. So quiet, the kind of view you want to keep looking at foreveeeeer. My train was closing in and I had no time to spare, yet here it was, stealing even more of it (laugh). Another wonderful day, as always.
See the walking route in photos → Travel Walks: Upopoy Route Map (April 2026)
What is Upopoy?
Upopoy (the Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony) is a hub for the revival and sharing of Ainu culture, set on the shore of Lake Poroto in Shiraoi, Hokkaido. It opened in 2020 and is made up of the National Ainu Museum — the first national museum in Hokkaido — and the National Ainu Park, in which you can experience Ainu culture firsthand, among other facilities. The name “Upopoy,” by the way, means “singing together (in a large group)” in the Ainu language.
The nearest station is JR Shiraoi. It’s about an hour from Sapporo by limited express, and roughly a 10-minute walk from the station.
Walking from the station, guided by Ainu signposts
On the walk from Shiraoi Station to Upopoy, I kept finding charming Ainu-language signs with deer illustrations: Apkas for walk, Hoyupu for run, and Sini for rest.
Walk, run, and then… rest. I’ve barely walked anywhere yet, though? I thought, snapping photos of the signs as I ambled along. As far as openings for a walk go, full marks. The anticipation builds~!
At the museum, time stolen by the video exhibits
At the National Ainu Museum, the video exhibits were wonderful. They walk you through Ainu history and daily life on screen, slowly and clearly, so even someone like me with zero knowledge could follow along. The exhibition hall was nearly empty too, so I could take it all at my own pace — which I was grateful for. I lingered so long that my only worry is whether I’d become a person of interest (laugh).
The displays of embroidery patterns, garments, and dugout canoes are worth seeing too. At the 10th themed exhibition, “Kere yan, Nukar yan, Nu yan — Touch, See, Listen: National Ainu Museum 2,” you could actually touch some of the items on display. Not just learning by looking, but discovering new things by touch — a really fun exhibition.
And those patterns… the more you look, the more you’re drawn in.
Into the cise, watching inaw being made
Out of the museum, I headed to the traditional kotan (village) by the lake. They let me go inside a cise (a traditional thatched house), too.
It happened that the very next day there would be a ritual called Chip-Sanke (the launching of a boat) — a ceremony to mark the opening of the lake for the season and to pray for safe passage. So in the cise, a staff member was making inaw (ritual wooden offerings, shaved thin into fluffy curls and dedicated to the deities). I got to watch the work for a little while, and seeing inaw being made for the first time, I was utterly transfixed. My train was bearing down on me, so not being able to watch it to the end is my one regret… the ritual itself must be quite a sight.
Lake Poroto, all to myself
At the end, I went back to Lake Poroto one more time. In the evening light, the clouds were mirrored right on the surface of the water — as if there were two skies.
Hardly anyone around, just quiet, only the sound of the waves. A view you want to keep looking at, stealing my time all over again. My train, I tell you, was really closing in (laugh).
Wrapping up
On my way out, I was sent off by a sign of the mascot Tureppon reading “Suy unukar=an ro (See you again!).” When someone says “see you again” to you in Ainu, well, you have no choice but to come back, do you? …Except this was no time for sentiment — it was a flat-out sprint to the station. No lingering in the afterglow for me; I tore up the stairs and made it by a hair. There I was, “Hoyupu (run)”-ing all the way to the station.
That night, back in Sapporo, I picked up soup curry to go from Okushiba Shoten. There was a handwritten message on the container — a warm little touch to round off the day. Because, you see, the message was written upside down (laugh).
If you want to enjoy the experience programs and rituals too, give yourself plenty of time. Next time, I’m going to aim for the day of Chip-Sanke!
