Hokkaido Museum (Mori-no-Charenga)
Quick Facts
- Location
- Japan, Sapporo
- Category
- Museum
- Duration
- 2-3 hours
- Opening Hours
- Daily 09:30-17:00 · May-Sep 09:30-17:00, Oct-Apr 09:30-16:30, last entry 30 min before closing; closed Mondays (next weekday after a holiday) and 29 Dec-3 Jan
- Ticket Price
- Adult: Permanent exhibition JPY 800 · Student: JPY 300 university and high school · JPY 600 for Hokkaido residents and groups of 10+; special exhibitions extra, annual pass JPY 1,500
- Address
- 53-2 Konopporo, Atsubetsu-cho, Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo 004-0006, Japan
- Coordinates
- 43.0542, 141.4975
Introduction
'Mori-no-Charenga' is not a separate children's forest centre: it is the nickname of the Hokkaido Museum itself. Opened in 2015, the prefectural museum merged the Historical Museum of Hokkaido (1971) and the Hokkaido Ainu Culture Research Centre (1994) into one institution. It stands in the native woods of Nopporo Forest Park on Sapporo's eastern edge, a long earth-covered wall of a building. Its permanent exhibition takes 'Hokkaido within Northeast Asia' as its frame, moving through five themes from the mammoths and strata of 'Hokkaido's 1.2-million-year story' to 'Ainu culture and modern Ainu history', 'the secrets of Hokkaido's character', the settlement era and today's ecosystems. What stays with visitors is less the number of specimens than the way nature and people are told together: one landscape first as Ainu hunting ground and ceremony, then as farmland and railway built by migrants from Honshu, and finally as a present-day question of resources and climate. Multilingual panels in Japanese, Chinese, English, Korean and Russian and a free guide app make it easy for non-Japanese readers, and the hands-on zones hold families for hours. The windows look straight into the Nopporo woods, and a ten-minute walk leads to the relocated buildings of the Historical Village of Hokkaido; a combined ticket covers both and fills a day well.
✨ Highlights
🛈 Practical Info
Opening Hours
| Monday | 09:30-17:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:30-17:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:30-17:00 |
| Thursday | 09:30-17:00 |
| Friday | 09:30-17:00 |
| Saturday | 09:30-17:00 |
| Sunday | 09:30-17:00 |
May-Sep 09:30-17:00, Oct-Apr 09:30-16:30, last entry 30 min before closing; closed Mondays (next weekday after a holiday) and 29 Dec-3 Jan
Ticket Information
| Adult | Permanent exhibition JPY 800 |
|---|---|
| Student | JPY 300 university and high school |
| Senior | Free aged 65 and over |
| Free Admission | Free for junior high and under, and visitors with a disability certificate |
JPY 600 for Hokkaido residents and groups of 10+; special exhibitions extra, annual pass JPY 1,500
Transportation
JR Hokkaido Bus Shin-22 from Shin-Sapporo, 15 min to Hokkaido Museum
74 free spaces beside the museum
10 min on foot to Historical Village of Hokkaido
FAQ
What are the opening hours of Hokkaido Museum (Mori-no-Charenga)?
Monday: 09:30-17:00; Tuesday: 09:30-17:00; Wednesday: 09:30-17:00; Thursday: 09:30-17:00; Friday: 09:30-17:00; Saturday: 09:30-17:00; Sunday: 09:30-17:00; May-Sep 09:30-17:00, Oct-Apr 09:30-16:30, last entry 30 min before closing; closed Mondays (next weekday after a holiday) and 29 Dec-3 Jan
How much is the admission for Hokkaido Museum (Mori-no-Charenga)?
Adult: Permanent exhibition JPY 800; Student: JPY 300 university and high school; Senior: Free aged 65 and over; Free Admission: Free for junior high and under, and visitors with a disability certificate; JPY 600 for Hokkaido residents and groups of 10+; special exhibitions extra, annual pass JPY 1,500
How long should I spend at Hokkaido Museum (Mori-no-Charenga)?
A typical visit takes 2-3 hours.
How do I get to Hokkaido Museum (Mori-no-Charenga)?
Bus: JR Hokkaido Bus Shin-22 from Shin-Sapporo, 15 min to Hokkaido Museum; Driving/Parking: 74 free spaces beside the museum
