Lake Akan Ainu Kotan

Great place to learn a bit about the Ainu culture and perfect to buy many souvenirs not available anywhere else in Japan. My wife and I spent the afternoon walking between shops in the village and chatting with the people working there; the most enjoyable part of our trip was the friendliness and kindness of the people there.

When I went to Hokkaido in February, I bought a bottle of the marimo moss ball from Lake Aken. I imagined that if the marimo moss were a human, what kind of sense would they want to see in their whole life? Therefore, I drew this painting in oil, which showed Mariamo's sight of freedom as it fled the water.

Check out the Marimo by the lake. Find the vortex of time. Learn about Ainu culture and see some original artifacts.

I went in mid June afternoon. There were few people around. I walked around the pier and took photos of deer with the lake as the backdrop.
Most shops were open.

A wonderful experience, one of the highlights of our week in Hokkaido. At first, we were disappointed that there was no museum or information center proper. What there is, though, is a chance to genuinely connect and speak with the Hokkaido Ainu community and experience their traditional culture first-hand. There are a few model structures set up full of relics and photographs. There is a theater where traditional Ainu chanting and dancing is performed. There are a couple small, unobtrusive restaurants where you can sample "Ainu cuisine" (keeping in mind, of course, that they were traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers, so foods like rice are a recent addition). The best experience, though, was speaking with the Ainu themselves. The smaller shops in the kotan are run by people active in the Ainu community, people who are studying the language and working hard to preserve their culture. You'll have to have a Japanese speaker on hand to chat them up, but they have wonderful pictures and stories to share. We spent hours chatting with friendly people and came back from a vacation with a thirst for more knowledge!

Loved it, one of the more unique places I've been in Japan. Learnt a lot and wish I could see more Ainu related things elsewhere in Hokkaido

An amazing place to learn about Ainu heritage and culture, as well as a great place to pick yourself up some knickknacks made by Ainu artisans. If you're upset that some of the goods are too kitschy and touristy, just remember that even buying that stuff still supports the Ainu artists that owns the store!

Shop owners are very friendly to chitchat with you and explain a history of Ainu. I got a apron and a tenugui with Ainu emblem at Kumano-ie.

DEFINITELY THE 5 hour drive

A very beautiful river. Fun fact it changes colour depending on the time of day. I recommend that you should wear a jacket as it is very cold near the river.

Very beautiful and interesting performance. It was nice to learn more about the Ainu culture. Short performance but worth seeing.

Great place to learn about Ainu history and culture. This place deserves more attention and recognition.

A unique place to visit and enjoy Ainu culture in the middle of nature with a great National Park all around

Beautiful in autumn. Just visited 13 Oct 2018

Frozen

Fascinating peaceful area. Awesome hot springs. The real experience.

I love this place. Beautifull place with delicious foods

Lovely... I recommend people should visit

Exceptional!

The shows are definitely worth seeing