insights from frontier Japan

During the summer, Ishikari Beach in the Ishikari region of western Hokkaido is a popular destination for sea bathers. But by late October, when they’re long gone, another group of people can be seen crowded together on the sand, peering at it intently as they walk. This new cohort are beachcombers, who search for and collect objects washed ashore — from pumice stones, created by volcanic eruptions 40,000 years ago, to a helmet decorated with Russian letters or an argonaut, a type of octopus housed in a shell that lives in warm, open-sea waters.

The Foundation for Ainu Culture manages the Ainu culture revival hub "Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park" (Shiraoi Town). In order to heighten awareness of ancient Ainu ceremonial dances that have been passed down through generations in various areas around Hokkaido, the Foundation has started inviting culture preservation societies from different areas to perform dances at Upopoy. Up through February of next year, culture preservation societies from various areas will teach about the characteristics and traditions of their areas through their dances.

A unique ‘Pokémon Fossil Museum’ exhibition that compares real dinosaurs and ammonite with characters that appear in the popular Pocket Monster (Pokémon) game, is being held at the Mikasa City Museum. The exhibition was planned “in the hope of providing an opportunity for children to become interested in science” based on the experiences of a researcher who, as a child, searched illustrated reference books to try and find creatures that resembled Pokémon.

Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science's traveling exhibition "Pokemon Fossil Museum" will open at the Mikasa City Museum in Hokkaido, the country's northernmost main island, from July, allowing visitors to learn about ancient creatures together with characters from the Pokemon video game series.

　A special exhibition titled ‘Hokkaido’s dinosaurs’, in which the fossils of seven varieties of dinosaurs studied in Hokkaido have been gathered, began at the Hokkaido Museum in Sapporo on the 12th.

An exhibition introducing Kutaniyaki porcelain, which was made 150–160 years ago and brought to Otaru and its surrounding areas by the Kitamae trading ships, is being held at the Otaru City Museum of Art, where visitors are enjoying the vivid colors and delicate patterns.

The "Lisa Larson - A Journey through Time" exhibit collecting approximately two hundred early to recent works from famous Swedish ceramics artist Lisa Larson commenced at the Hakodate Museum of Art, Hokkaido, in Hakodate City on October 3.

The National Ainu Museum and Park (Upopoy) serves as a base for the revival of the culture of the Ainu, an indigenous people of Hokkaido. It opened on July 12 in Shiraoi Town, central Hokkaido. Upopoy means “singing (in a large group)” in the Ainu language.

Asahikawa City's tourist facility, the ice and snow themed Snow Museum, closed permanently on June 30 due to the sales drop brought about by the new coronavirus pandemic. The museum had become popular for both local and foreign tourists as it resembles the ice castle in Disney's feature film “Frozen”. In 2019, approximately 100,000 people visited the museum.