Photo/Illutration A horse-drawn trolley runs along the main street of the Historical Village of Hokkaido. Opened in 1983, the facility is about a 40-minute drive from Sapporo Station. (Photo by Lisa Vogt)

The 1977 All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) ad “Dekkaido, Hokkaido!” (roughly “Hokkaido is huge!”) is true. Hokkaido makes up about a fifth of Japan’s land mass.

Unlike the rest of Japan, with its documented history spanning millenniums, Hokkaido’s history as a part of Japan only really began a mere 150 years ago when this land formerly known as Ezo was renamed Hokkaido in 1869.

Kaitaku and Hokkaido go hand in hand. Kaitaku is the reclamation and cultivation of undeveloped backward land from the viewpoint of willing proud-and-hardworking pioneer immigrants, or those who had no choice but to labor in the making of Hokkaido, indigenous populations aside.

The Japanese government invited so-called “hired foreigners” in a bid to lay the foundations of today’s Hokkaido. Among them were Horace Capron, a U.S. bureaucrat in the field of agriculture, and American educator William S. Clark.

The Historical Village of Hokkaido is an outdoor historical village museum created to mark the centennial anniversary of Hokkaido’s founding. It showcases restored and reproduced buildings relocated from around Hokkaido for visitors to see the lifestyles, culture and industry of the northernmost main island in its pioneering years from the Meiji Era (1868-1912) to the early Showa Era (1926-1989).

I visited the village in the summer after friends who went in the dead of winter warned about getting frozen toes as they had to keep removing their shoes upon entering buildings.

Over 50 structures are scattered around the vast premises (about the size of 10 Sapporo Domes), categorized into four areas: fishing, farming, mountain and peripheral villages. A horse-drawn trolley goes around the sites for those who’d like a guided tour.

A fascinating blend of Western and Japanese architectures is on display, with mannequins and volunteers making the village come to life while offering insight into the daily lives of Hokkaido’s early residents.

Inside, the buildings are outfitted with everyday artifacts from the time, with descriptions in Japanese and English. Outside, children visiting with their parents yell in delight, running around rolling hoops and trying to walk on stilts.

A police station, post office, barber, blacksmith’s shop, silkworm factory, the residence and operations area of a successful herring fishing business, an old Sapporo train station and more line the immaculately maintained streets.

I found a Christian church for Japanese Puritans who emigrated from Kobe most fascinating. They were inspired by the Mayflower Pilgrims, who overcame hardships with sweat and toil to finally turn barren land into the prosperous United States of America.

At lunch, in the pioneer spirit, I ordered the cryptic Yanshu Set, which turned out to be salmon-and-kombu stew over rice. Delicious!

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This article by Lisa Vogt, a Washington-born and Tokyo-based photographer, originally appeared in the Oct. 2 issue of Asahi Weekly. It is part of the series "Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan," which depicts various parts of the country through the perspective of the author, a professor at Meiji University. 

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