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| Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno (front R) visits Upopoy, a major cultural complex in dedicated to the indigenous Ainu people in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on May 8, 2022. (File photo by Kyodo) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] TOKYO: The Japanese government will promote inbound tourism to a major cultural complex in Hokkaido dedicated to the indigenous Ainu people, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Sunday, Kyodo reported.
Matsuno, who also heads the government's Ainu policy promotion headquarters, visited the Upopoy complex in the town of Shiraoi on the northern main island, his first trip since assuming the post of top government spokesman in October. He also held talks with Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki and local people preserving Ainu culture. Upopoy, situated on a site of approximately 100,000 square meters adjacent to Lake Poroto, comprises the National Ainu Museum, the National Ainu Park and a memorial site, among other facilities. Upopoy means "singing in a large group" in the Ainu language.
The Ainu also struggled to maintain their culture due to Japan's assimilationist efforts that prohibited them from speaking their native language. The Japanese government only recognized the group as an "indigenous people that have their own language, religious and cultural identity" in 2008. The park in Upopoy has a hall for Ainu dance and musical performances, workshops for Ainu cuisine and instruments, a studio for craft demonstrations and a traditional Ainu village. The memorial site has buildings for the performance of memorial services and keeping the remains of displaced Ainu people, along with a monument.
