Summary
The Hokkaido Museum published admission and schedule details for its 12th special exhibition on Ainu crafts of the Sarugawa river, running July 11 to September 6, 2026.
The Hokkaido Museum in Sapporo has published detailed admission and schedule information for its 12th special exhibition, Living on the Sarugawa: Modern Sarunkur (Nupursar kotan ta: sinrit orwano tan te pakno). The exhibition runs from July 11 (Saturday) to September 6 (Sunday), 2026 and focuses on Ainu crafts collected in the Sarugawa river basin in the Hidaka region.
What happened
The exhibition brings together crafts from the Sarugawa basin whose makers and users can be identified by name, and pairs them with related photographs, documents and testimony from descendants. It traces how communities lived through rapid changes from the modern era to today. Loans and support come from the Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum, the Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum, the Sarugawa History Museum and other institutions.
Why it matters
The Sarugawa river basin has long been one of the most important centres of Ainu culture and continues to be so today. Naming specific craftspeople and their descendants alongside their objects positions the exhibition as an intimate cultural history rather than a decontextualized museum display.
Key details
- Period: July 11 (Saturday) to September 6 (Sunday), 2026.
- Hours: 9:30 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30).
- Admission: Adults JPY 1,000 (JPY 850 discount); high school and university students JPY 350 (JPY 250 discount). Junior high school students and younger, visitors 65 and older, and visitors with disabilities are admitted free. High school students are also free on Saturdays.
- Combined ticket: Special plus permanent exhibition, Adults JPY 1,600 (JPY 1,400 discount); high school and university students JPY 600 (JPY 400 discount).
- Closed: Mondays (except July 20 holiday), and July 21, 2026.
- Venue: Hokkaido Museum, second-floor special exhibition room, Sapporo.
- Note: On July 17 (Domin no Hi), the permanent exhibition is free but the special exhibition remains a paid ticket.
- Organizers: Hokkaido Museum, Foundation for Ainu Culture, National Museum of Ethnology.
For international readers
Overseas visitors interested in Ainu heritage can plan a full afternoon at the Hokkaido Museum with a combined ticket that unlocks the special exhibition and the permanent galleries. Interpretation is expected to be primarily in Japanese; travellers who prefer detailed English content may want to prepare visitor materials in advance.
Source: Hokkaido Government press release.
Source Details
| Source | Hokkaido Government |
|---|---|
| Original Title | 北海道博物館第12回特別展・令和８年度アイヌ工芸品展「沙流川に生きる—サルンクㇽの近代」Nupursar kotan ta: sinrit orwano tan te pakno：7月11日（土）開催 |
| Original Published | 2026-07-02 |
| Region | Sapporo |
| Target Reader | general |
| Review Status | reviewed |
| Risk Level | normal |
| Original Source | Hokkaido Government |
Editor Note
hokkaidopressに既にhokkaido-museum-ainu-saru-river-exhibition-2026が公開されているため、本記事は「入場料金・スケジュール詳細版」として差別化しています。公開時は既公開記事との内容重複を必ず確認し、料金・観覧情報を中心に補完的な位置付けにしてください。差別化が難しい場合は掲載を見送ることを推奨します。