A special booth named ‘Sikanto’ has been established at Tancho Kushiro Airport for a limited period, to promote the charms of the Akanko Ainu Kotan. In addition to the exhibition of works by craftspeople and the screening of video footage introducing Ainu culture, events are expected to widely promote Ainu culture at the aerial gateway to the region.

Sikanto means ‘sky’ in the Ainu language, and the booth was established on the 1st floor of the arrival lobby at Kushiro Airport.
　
As well as introducing collaborative products utilizing aspects of Ainu culture, supervised by Akan Ainu Consulting (Kushiro), many crafts by artists from Akanko are also on display. In addition, there is an enlarged map introducing the region, and an area where visitors can take photos wearing virtual Ainu costumes using augmented reality (AR).
　
The opening ceremony on July 1 was attended by Kushiro City Vice-mayor Akizato Kikuji and Hokkaido Airports Co., Ltd. Kushiro Airport Office Director Hakamada Keiichi. Chair of the Akan Ainu Association, Watanabe Kayo and others performed the tonkori (five-stringed zither) and mukkuri (mouth harp), which are traditional musical instruments of the Ainu. Hirono Hiroshi, chair of Akan Ainu Consulting, said, “We hope that people will come into contact with various aspects of Ainu culture and visit Lake Akan.” The exhibition will open until October 2.