Japan is building an attraction dedicated to the Ainu people for 2020 Olympics

In the run up to the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Japan is creating a Symbolic Space for Ethic Harmony. A mission that is driven by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, this is expected to draw visitors from across the world to the city of Sapporo, where the Olympic marathon will be run.
The Japanese Government is working to build a modernist shrine on a wooded lake shore that will celebrate the vanishing culture of the Ainu people of Japan. It is being called Upopoy in the Ainu language, and will house a museum, and a replica of a typical Ainu village. Many such villages were destroyed during the colonisation of Hokkaido in the 19th century. Visitors will also be able to see a memorial that will house the bones of Ainu people whose remains were sent to the universities in the 20th century.


The Tokyo Olympics is scheduled for next year, starting on July 24, and ending on August 9. Even though the efforts are being made for a positive experience, some Ainu people are worried that this could turn into a theme park, and will not serve its purpose.
According to scholars, the Aimu people settled in the northernmost island of Japan, and across Sakhalin, Russia by 1300s. In the 19th century, Japan took control of Hokkaido and colonised this region. The Ainu people were labelled as foreign aborigines. The efforts of the Japanese Government to draw in tourists from across the world and give them an understanding of who the Ainu people are might work in their favour.