In early 1900s Hokkaido after the Russo-Japanese war, Saichi Sugimoto pans for gold. Nicknamed “Sugimoto the Immortal” for his death-defying acts on 203 Hill, the ex-soldier seeks fortune in order to fulfill a promise made to support the family of his best friend before he was killed in action. A drunk tells Sugimoto the tale of a man who murdered a group of Ainu and stole a fortune in gold. Before the man’s arrest by the police, he hid the gold somewhere in Hokkaido. The only clue to its location is the coded map he tattooed on the bodies of his cellmates in exchange for a share of the treasure, should they manage to escape and find it.

Golden Kamuy has 4 anime seasons, several OVAs, and a completed manga. The story is split geographically between Hokkaido and the now-Russian island Sakhalin in the Sea of Okhtosk. Some locations in mainland Japan (Honshu) appear, as well as some pivotal Russo-Japanese war locations on land that now belongs to China or Russia.

Golden Kamuy held an official AR Stamp Rally in Hokkaido in 2022, the website for which has since disappeared. It seems that participants could earn different rewards depending on which region of Hokkaido they traveled to.

In addition, Golden Kamuy has appeared on cans of Sapporo Beer and has collaborated on merchandise items with Hokkaido-based sports teams like the Red Eagles ice hockey team and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo FC.