Prologue: Meeting of the North and South

• Prologue

  Meeting of
  the North
  and South

• Theme 1

  Hokkaido's
  Tale of 1.2
  Million Years

• Theme 2

  The Culture
  and Recent
  History of
  the Ainu

• Theme 3

  The Secret of
  Hokkaido's
  Unique
  Identity

• Theme 4

  Towards
  Our Time

• Theme 5

  The
  Ecosystems
  of Hokkaido

Numerous islands lie to Hokkaido’s south, including Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa. The neighboring island of Sakhalin (Karafuto) stretches far to the north, and just beyond lies the Eurasian continent. To the east, the Kuril Islands lead towards the Kamchatka Peninsula. Since ancient times, Hokkaido has been a crossroads connecting these regions, and a point of interaction for all manner of life, human culture, and goods. The mammoth came to Hokkaido from the north, and the Naumann’s elephant came from the south. Stand on the picture of Hokkaido below, and see the world from our vantage point.

Explanation board (PDF)