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.