Asahikawa City Museum - Hokkaido

Asahikawa City Museum (旭川市博物館) is a facility that aims to increase visitors' knowledge and comprehension of Ainu culture. It is located at 7 chome, Kagura 3 Jo, Asahikawa City in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan.

Asahikawa City Museum (旭川市博物館) 

Asahikawa City Museum details

Asahikawa City Museum was opened in 1993. In November 2008, the museum renewed the exhibition and focused on introducing the complex Ainu culture and tradition to the locals and also the foreign visitors. It also showcases the flora and fauna of the Kamikawa Region. 

Asahikawa City Museum - Asahikawa City, Hokkaido

Asahikawa City Museum houses hundreds of Ainu-related displays like clothing and tools. It also has interactive displays to make learning fun, especially for the younger generation. 

Team Nicerio visits Asahikawa City Museum

The Crystal Diamond art installation in front of the museum

Got our ticket to Asahikawa City Museum

Time to explore the museum

My favorite among these displays is the miniature diorama of the everyday life, culture, and tradition of the Ainu people. It made me imagine how life was back then and how similar some traditions were to the ancient Filipinos. 

To most visitors, the museum is divided into two exhibition areas: the First Floor Exhibition and the Basement Exhibition. However, these areas are actually further divided into smaller exhibitions and these are:*

First Floor Exhibition

• Worldview of Ainu
• Ancient Ainu as hunters-fishermen
• Ancient Ainu as Artisan
• Housing and Family Life of Ancient Ainu
• Ancient Ainu as farmers
• Housing and Family Life of Modern Ainu
• Modern-era Trading Networks in Northeast Asia
• Medieval-era Ainu who settled on Sakhalin Island 
• An Ainu Chieftain who profited materially from trading 
• A Medieval monument erected by the Chinese at the lower Amur River
• The housing of Japanese settlers
• The Cultures of Aboriginal Peoples in Northeastern Asia
• The current culture of Kamikawa Ainu

Photos of some of the displays in the First Floor Exhibition

Basement Exhibition

• The Cultures of the Paleolithic and Jomon-Era
• Ancient Ainu Culture
• Modern Ainu Culture
• Fauna of the Kamikawa Region
• The history and Culture of Japanese Settlers 
• Geological features of the Kamikawa Region

Photos of some of the displays in the Basement Exhibition

* I posted only a handful of photos of the exhibits and I purposely didn't label them so that you would only get a glimpse of what Asahikawa City Museum has to offer. Please visit the museum and enjoy it with your own eyes.

I visited Asahikawa City Museum with my family last May 14, 2022, which was my 194th day here in Japan as an ALT under the JET Programme. My family and I enjoyed the very informative displays of the museum. It was also the first time that I saw my wife really interested in historic things much more than the indigenous Ainu people. We stayed in the museum for about two hours taking in as much information as we could from the visit.

Asahikawa City Museum Entrance Fee

Asahikawa City Museum Entrance Fee

Here are some souvenirs that you can buy at Asahikawa City Museum

Visitors need to pay 350 yen (adult) and 230 yen (high school students) to enter and see the permanent exhibition gallery of Asahikawa City Museum. Elementary and Junior High School Students are FREE of charge. 

Asahikawa City Museum Operating Hours

Asahikawa City Museum is open from 9AM to 5PM except on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. 

Why visit Asahikawa City Museum?

Japan is not just anime and otaku culture. It's actually a country with rich complex cultures and traditions. The Asahikawa City Museum is one of the best places to visit to understand the Ainu culture. I highly recommend this place if you want to deepen your understanding and knowledge of Japan's northern indigenous people. 

Getting to Asahikawa City Museum:

Asahikawa City Museum can be reached on foot from the Asahikawa JR Station. Simply head out the South Exit, cross the Crystal Bridge, and follow the Showa-dori. The museum is about 820 meters away from the Asahikawa JR Station.

Another option is to ride the bus from Asahikawa JR Station to the following bus stops:

Taisetsu Crystal Hall via Denki Kido #93 or Dohoku Bus #443

Kagura 4-7 via Denki Kido #80/81 or Dohoku # 39 / 40 / 43

Travel time: 8 - 10 minutes

Bus fare: 180 yen

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