Lake Akan Ainu Kotan

Lake Akan Ainu Kotan

Here in a hot spring town on the shore of Lake Akan is an Ainu folk village where 36 homes and about 200 people still live in the largest kotan in Hokkaido. Kotan means village in the Ainu language. Visitors can study the Ainu way of life, their history and their culture at the Ainu Memorial Museum and the Forest and Lake Museum of Fine Arts. You can also experience a performance of the ancient Ainu dance (an important intangible folk culture asset), making mukkuri (traditional folk musical instruments), as well as Ainu embroidery. In winter there are also activities for making snow shoes out of branches and vines all by yourself and taking a walk with them. There are over 30 businesses lined up in the kotan including Ainu craftwork shops, restaurants serving meals with a northern flavor and shops selling Ainu cuisine.