A Walk Through Hokkaido Historical Village
Explore the unique architecture, history, and daily life of Hokkaido's Meiji and Showa eras at the Hokkaido Historical Village, including Dosanko horses and fishing village life.
- Dr. Vivek Shilimkar
- 2 min read
Overview
Hokkaido historical village exhibits different types of buildings of Hokkaido built in Meiji and early Showa period, during the initial era of its development. All these buildings are categorized in four sections namely - Fishing village, farm village, town and mountain village.
Architecture and Development
Almost all the buildings in historical village are reproduced, reconstructed or moved from their original location to the village site. So, this village is best place to see and try to understand the early development phase and life style of Hokkaido. Apart from the indigenous building structures, Hokkaido’s development plan was also designed by the western architectures hence building structure has had a western style influence as well.
Dosanko Horse and Village Life
Major attraction in the historical village is the Dosanko (道産子) also known as the Hokkaido Horse(北海道馬, Hokkaido uma). Dosanko is short, strong and hairy horse breed, naturally evolved to live in cold climate of Hokkaido. People used to use the horse cart shown in the following video for transportation. You can get to experience the ride in village for nominal charges.
Watch a Dosanko horse cart ride at the Hokkaido Historical Village.
Fishing Village and Merchant Houses
Another indigenous interesting section is fishing village. Hokkaido was big exporter of fish during Meiji and early Showa period 1868 to 1912. It was also a primary source of income for Hokkaido’s people. So, the house of fish merchant use to be very big, where workers also lived. In such a house, usually 40-50 workers lived, they used to get only 1 Tatami size space to sleep (around 3ft by 6ft of space), cup and bowl for meal.
Access
The historical village is location outside of central Sapporo. Board a bus for from Shin Sapporo bus station for kaitakunomura. Its a 15 minutes ride to historical village.
Click here for timings of bus.
Working Hours and Fees
Fees range from 800 JPY (Adults) to 500 JPY (Students) and are free for senior citizens.
The Hokkaido Historical Village offers a fascinating glimpse into the region’s past, making it a must-visit for anyone interested in history, architecture, or the unique culture of Hokkaido.