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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Lake Akan - Ainu Culture Tour
Explore how the native Ainu interact with and respect nature
Akan Ainu Industrial Arts Association
Surrounded by virgin forests inside the Akan Mashu National Park, Lake Akan is one of the most beautiful lakes in Eastern Hokkaido. Situated on its shore is Akanko Onsen, a hot spring district with several hotels, and a popular sightseeing area.
Akanko Onsen is home to the Lake Akan Ainu Kotan, a village of arts and crafts built by the Ainu natives of Japan. It is a place that conveys the traditional culture of the Ainu, with several Ainu handicraft shops and restaurants standing lined up along the road.
"Anytime, Ainutime!" offers guided tour programs led by local Ainu guides. You can enjoy activities such as nature walking and traditional handicraft making. The Ainu live a lifestyle that values the relationship between people, objects, and wildlife. They communicate with the surrounding nature when they gather plants for food, and they think of a special person when they create wood carvings and embroidery patterned on nature. "Anytime, Ainutime!" aims to convey this wonderful culture by letting you experience it first-hand.
From the knowledge and the way of life of the Ainu, "Anytime, Ainutime!" hopes that you can discover useful life lessons that will stay with you long after your journey ends.
How to get there
Travel by airplane from Haneda Airport to Kushiro Airport (1 hour 45 minutes). Lake Akan is 1 hour 20 minutes by bus from Kushiro Airport. Alternatively, take the bus from JR Kushiro Station (2 hours).
4-7-84 Akanko Onsen, Akan-cho, Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido
