Ainu Cultural Experience in iwor Forest,
Biratori Town, Hokkaido

Highlights

  • Visit Biratori Municipal Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum to learn about tools and materials used by the Ainu.
  • Explore the forest with local Ainu guides to experience the Ainu culture that has been transformed across the past, present, and future.
  • Learn about their initiative, "Managing Forests for the Next 300 Years to preserve and inherit the Ainu Culture."
  • Savor traditional Ainu home dishes for lunch at a recreated cise (traditional Ainu house) in a kotan (Ainu village).

Tour Overview

Itinerary:

Day 1 Time Place
8:15 AM Meeting at Sapporo TV Tower
8:30 Depart from Sapporo
10:15 - 11:10 Biratori Municipal Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum
11:10 - 11:30 Ainu Craft Shops
11:30 - 12:30 Lunch - Ainu Traditional Food in Nibutani kotan
12:30 - 13:00 Transfer to Abetsu National Forest by a private car
*Change to rental boots
13:00 - 15:00 Ainu Cultural Experience in iwor Forest
15:00 - 15:30 Transfer to "Fureai Center Biratori" from Abetsu Forest (Toilet break)
*Return rental boots
15:30 Transfer to Sapporo
17:30 Arrival in Sapporo TV Tower, disbanded

The Ainu are an indigenous people of northern Japan, especially Hokkaido, with a unique culture that includes a distinct language, spiritual beliefs centered on nature, traditional dances, and crafts.

On this tour, you will explore the iwor forest (Abetsu National Forest) with local Ainu guides. You can immerse yourself in authentic Ainu culture by learning how they use wild plants in their daily lives and by trying simulated traditional hunting.*iwor means "hunting and gathering ground" in the Ainu language.

The guides will also introduce you their project aimed at restoring modern-day forestry areas back to the forests that existed over 150 years ago when the Ainu people used them as iwor. This project is a collaboration between Biratori Town, Biratori Ainu Association, and Hokkaido Regional Forest Office, with the younger generation actively working to preserve Ainu culture. In Nibutani, Biratori Town, you can also experience Ainu traditional crafts, such as the Nibutani ita (wooden trays carved with Ainu patterns) and the Nibutani attus (woven textiles made from tree bark), which are the only crafts in Hokkaido designated as Traditional Crafts of Japan.

Traditional Ainu home dishes for lunch will be served at a recreated cise (traditional Ainu house) in a kotan (Ainu village).

  • AreaBiratori Town
  • Main ActivitiesCluture Experience
  • Age Requirement Aged 12 and over
  • Difficulty (ATTA) 2
  • Duration9hours
  • Available datesSeptember 1st to November 30th

Meeting Place, Address, Time

  • Meeting Point: In front of the entrance on the 1st floor of Sapporo TV Tower
    Meeting Time: 8:15 AM

Meals

1 lunch included


Pricing (per person)

For 2 people: 190,100 JPY
For 3 people: 129,100 JPY
For 4 people: 98,500 JPY
For 5 people: 86,800 JPY
For 6 people: 79,000 JPY

Items Included in the Price and Optional Menu, etc.

  • Private vehicle cost
  • Guide fee
  • Lunch cost
  • Admission fee
  • Experience fee
  • Rental boots fee
  • ※Optional tree planting: 1,000 (available only in May-June and October-November)

Items Not Included

Beverage Costs, Personal Expenses.


Payment Method

Advance payment (Credit card payment available)

Cancellation Fees

10 to 8 days before departure 20% of the tour price
7 to 2 days before departure 30% of the tour price
The day before departure 40% of the tour price
On the day of departure (before the tour starts) 50% of the tour price
No-show or cancellation after the tour has started 100% of the tour price

Confirmation and Important Notes

  • There are areas where mobile phone service is unavailable.
  • There are no restrooms in the national forest, so please use the facilities at the museum before entering.
  • During the experience, please follow the guide's instructions at all times.

Contact

Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., Ltd. Sapporo Group Travel Branch, TEL: 011-251-5731, FAX: 011-251-3630