14 Historic sites in Hokkaidō worth your time

This site shows 10,000 years of continuous settlement and how prehistoric society developed in the region.

What it is

• Archaeological site revealing 10,000+ years of settlement in Kushiro.
• Shows development of prehistoric society in the region.
• Hunter-gatherer society continued in Hokkaido, unlike Honshu.

What to see

• Exhibition hall with artifacts, diagrams, and dioramas.
• Full-sized model of a Satsumon-period pit dwelling inside the hall.
• Observatory with elevated view of the archaeological site.
• 102 circular and oval pits from Jomon and post-Jomon periods.
• 232 square pits from the Satsumon period.
• Five full-sized models of Satsumon-style pit dwellings to enter.

When to go

• Open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from April to November.
• Closed on Mondays.

Getting there

• Located on a plateau on the west side of the Kushiro Wetlands.

Official site

www.city.kushiro.lg.jp

Read more about Hokuto Site

Explore a large Jomon archaeological site with ancient artifacts and a massive mound structure.

What it is

• Jomon period archaeological site in Hakodate City.
• Largest Jomon site in Hokkaido.
• Designated a national historic site in 2011.
• Registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2021.

What to see

• Site on a coastal terrace facing the Pacific Ocean.
• Large mound structure, over 120m long, built 4000 years ago.
• Over 200,000 unearthed artifacts.
• Seventeen foot-shaped clay tablets, 6500 years old.
• World's oldest lacquerware ornaments, 9000 years old.

Official site

www.city.hakodate.hokkaido.jp

Read more about Kakinoshima Site

Explore a historic herring fishery ruin in Hokkaido, showcasing a pivotal industry from Edo to Meiji periods.

What it is

• A former herring fishery ruin.
• Operated by the Fukuhara family from Edo to Meiji periods.
• Construction is estimated around 1880.
• Designated a national historic site in 1982.

What to see

• The main building faces the coast.
• Document storage, rice miso warehouse, and net warehouse remain.
• Toilets and storage sheds also remain.
• Drying places for herring meal, kazunoko, and milt are preserved.
• Shows herring fishing during its peak.

Read more about Former Yoichi Fukuhara Fishery

Explore a large Jomon-era settlement with shell mounds and reconstructed dwellings, now a World Heritage site.

What it is

• A large Jomon period settlement site.
• Designated a National Historic Site in 1987.
• Became a World Cultural Heritage site in 2021.
• Preserved as Kitakogane Shell Mound Park.

What to see

• Five identified shell mounds.
• Excavated shells, fish bones, and marine mammal bones.
• Fourteen graves with buried human remains.
• Evidence of animal rituals with deer skulls.
• Reconstructed pit dwellings.
• A spring that served as a water source.

Read more about Kitakogane Shell Mound

Explore an ancient Okhotsk culture site with shell middens and artifacts.

What it is

• A representative Okhotsk culture site.
• Designated as a National Historic Site.
• Named in 1918, meaning 'inside the inlet' in Ainu.

What to see

• Shell midden on a sand dune terrace.
• Remains of pit dwellings.
• Numerous flexed human remains.
• Bone tools, pottery, and stone tools.
• Iron swords and bronze bells from the continent.

Getting there

• Located on the left bank of the Abashiri River estuary.

Read more about Moyoro Shell Midden

Explore Shiraoi Motojinya, a rare Edo-era fort, for a glimpse into Hokkaido's samurai history.

What it is

• National historic site of the Sendai clan's fort.
• Built in Shiraoi in 1856 by the Sendai clan.
• One of few Edo shogunate sites in Hokkaido.
• Related facility of Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park.

What to see

• Site covers about 66,000 square meters.
• Original fort had six gates, a headquarters, and a treasury.
• Includes Shiogama Shrine and Shiraoi Motojinya Museum.
• Museum houses 300 items: maps, documents, and armor.

Read more about historical remains of the Sendai clan's fort in Shiraoi

Explore a 4,000-year-old Jomon archaeological site with a large stone circle.

What it is

• A Jomon period archaeological site.
• Designated as a National Historic Site.
• Dates to the early late Jomon period, about 4,000 years ago.

What to see

• A stone circle with a double structure.
• The outer ring of the stone circle measures 36.9 by 33.8 meters.
• The stone circle contains 602 stones.
• A pit grave area south of the stone circle.
• Excavated squid-shaped earthenware.
• Pit dwellings and stone arrangements.

Read more about Washinoki Site

Explore Hokkaido's largest ancient settlement, spanning two significant prehistoric cultures.

What it is

• A complex archaeological site in Kitami City, Hokkaido.
• Spans the Satsumon and Okhotsk cultural periods.
• Designated a National Historic Site in 1987.
• Largest Satsumon culture settlement in Hokkaido.

What to see

• A sand dune 2.7 kilometers long.
• Over 2,000 detected pit dwellings.
• Okhotsk culture building remains.
• Pottery, stone tools, and ornaments.
• Surrounding area developed as "Tokoro Iseki no Mori".

Read more about Tokoro Site

Fugoppe Cave is a Zoku-Jomon archaeological site with over 800 ancient rock carvings.

What it is

• A Zoku-Jomon period archaeological site.
• Discovered in 1950.
• Designated a National Historic Site in 1953.
• Managed by the Yoichi Fisheries Museum.

What to see

• A cave 5 meters wide, 6 meters deep, 7 meters high.
• Over 800 carvings of people, animals, and boats.
• Carvings protected and exhibited in a capsule facility.
• A 7-meter-thick layer of artifacts.
• Excavated thin pottery, stone tools, and bone tools.

Official site

www.town.yoichi.hokkaido.jp

Read more about Fugoppe Cave

Explore a large Jomon-era settlement with pit dwellings and mounds, a designated World Heritage site.

What it is

• A Jomon period archaeological site.
• A large settlement from 5,200 to 4,000 years ago.
• Designated a National Historic Site in 2001.
• Became a World Cultural Heritage site in 2021.

What to see

• Over 100 pit dwelling remains.
• Large mound structures.
• Reconstructed pit dwellings.
• A Jomon forest.
• More than 100 pit graves to the southwest.
• Excavated artifacts at the Hakodate Jomon Culture Exchange Center.

Official site

jomon-japan.jp

Read more about Ōfune Site

Explore Japan's first reported and largest stone circle, a 3500-year-old Jomon-period burial ground.

What it is

• A stone circle site in Otaru City, Hokkaido.
• First stone circle reported to academia in Japan.
• Designated a National Historic Site on March 10, 1961.
• Estimated to be from the late Jomon period, about 3500 years ago.

What to see

• The largest stone circle among over 80 in the area.
• Site measures 33 meters north-south and 22 meters east-west.
• Adjacent Oshoro Toba site has a giant wooden pillar.

Read more about Oshoro Stone Circle

Ancient cave paintings in Otaru, Hokkaido, offer a unique glimpse into Japan's prehistoric art.

What it is

• A cave ruin in Otaru, Hokkaido.
• Known for cave paintings carved on its inner walls.
• Paintings date to around the 5th century.
• Discovered in 1866 by stonemason Chobei.

What to see

• Cave paintings depicting horned figures.
• Paintings show masked figures and quadrupeds.
• A bronze replica of the carvings.
• The Temiya Cave Museum built into a cliff face.

Official site

www.city.otaru.lg.jp

Read more about Temiya Cave

Japan's northernmost kofun burial mounds, a National Historic Site, offer a glimpse into ancient history.

What it is

• A cluster of kofun burial mounds.
• Designated a National Historic Site in 1998.
• Built between the 7th and 9th centuries.
• Northernmost kofun in Japan.

What to see

• 21 confirmed kofun burial mounds.
• Mounds range from 3 to 10 meters in diameter.
• Artifacts include Sue ware pottery.
• Iron arrowheads and knives were also found.

Read more about Ebetsu Kofun Cluster

Explore a restored 1874 barracks, offering insight into Hokkaido's Tondenhei soldier settlements.

What it is

• A historic site in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
• A restored wooden building for Tondenhei soldiers from Honshu.
• Designated a national historic site in 1982.
• Important for understanding the Tondenhei village.

What to see

• The restored Barracks No. 133, built in 1874.
• White plaster walls and stoves, as proposed by Horace Capron.

Read more about Kotoni Tondenhei Village Site and Barracks