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Historical Village Of Hokkaido

Historic Buildings From Pioneering Days

Historical Village of Hokkaido is a collection of 52 historical buildings that were moved from all over Hokkaido, mostly built in the Meiji, Taisho and early Showa periods. Walking through this open-air museum, it's like one has stepped back in time to the developing days of Hokkaido a hundred years ago.

Historical Village of Hokkaido 北海道開拓の村 consists of 52 Historical Buildings from the Developing Period of Hokkaido, most of which were built between the Meiji and early Showa periods. These buildings were originally scattered all over Hokkaido, including Otaru, Sapporo, and Asahikawa, but they have been brought together here after a great deal of difficulty to form this historical architecture museum.

With these precious historical buildings, the Historical Village of Hokkaido recreates the original appearance of Hokkaido a century ago. The buildings are also divided into four different scenic areas as The Town, Fishing Village, Farm Village and Mountain Village. Visitors can stroll through them in horse-drawn carriages and experience the life from the perspective of the pioneers.

Kondo's Dyeing Shop 旧近藤染舗

The Town area is dominated by downtown buildings such as post offices, stores, houses, hospitals, and police stations. Old Watanabe Grocery Store 旧渡辺商店 was built in the early Taisho period, its masonry structure, being both fire-resistant and cold-resistant, is not common in Hokkaido. The first floor of the building was used as a store and the second floor was used for storage, and this type of layout planning was common in urban houses in those days.

Manywhere Trivia:
Frankly speaking, like the Westward Expansion in America, “pioneering” means blood and tears to native people in Hokkaido.

The Old Akiyama Family Fishing House 旧青山家漁家住宅 is a representative example of Hokkaido’s fishing village homes, and its owner, the Akiyama family, moved from Yamagata Prefecture to Otaru, Hokkaido, and built the house on the beach. The Old Akiyama Family Fishing House consists of a main house and six or seven warehouses, with the owner’s living area on the right side and a large spacious house on the left side as the resting place of 60 fishermen.

Nameplate of Old Sapporo Agricultural College Hostel 旧札幌農学校寄宿舎

There are several unique houses with different architectural styles in the Farm Village area, and the Western-style structure Farm Machinery Shed of Takikawa Sheepwalk 旧滝川種羊場機械庫 is one of them. This machinery depot was originally built to house planters of sheep breeders, but today there are dozens of tractors, sprayers, and other types of agricultural machinery on display inside.

The interior of Hokkaido is almost entirely covered by forests and mountains, and the vast forest area provided the developers of Hokkaido with abundant resources and products. The Wood-cutter's Shanty' was built in the late Taisho period, the house has a kitchen and stove, and two rows of bunk beds can accommodate 40 loggers.