Tag - ainu

 
 

AINU

A traditional Ainu preserved food called satchep (dried fish) is made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, in December.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2024
Japan court denies fishing rights to Ainu people
It was the first court decision on Indigenous rights related to Ainu people.
A large snow sculpture representing the National Ainu Museum and Park in Sapporo in 2020. The Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology's apology marks the first time that an academic society in Japan or abroad has apologized to the Ainu people, according to the Ainu Association of Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2024
Anthropology society apologizes to Ainu people over past actions
The apology comes comes after a series of lawsuits filed in the 2010s seeking the repatriation of Ainu remains excavated for research purposes.
A traditional Ainu preserved food called "satchep" (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2024
Japan academic society apologizes to Ainu people
It is the first time that an academic society in Japan or abroad has apologized to the Ainu people, according to the Ainu Association of Hokkaido.
Eleven portraits of Ainu chieftains, completed in 1790, are now held by the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Besancon, France. There were originally 12 paintings in the original set, collectively known as the “Ishu Retsuzo,” but one has disappeared.
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Feb 26, 2024
The ongoing mystery of the Ainu portraits in France
A former Hokkaido journalist is hoping to find out how portraits of Ainu chieftains from 1790 made it to Europe.
At the Akan International Crane Center, just north of the city of Kushiro proper, visitors can see the majestic red-crowned crane — a symbol of Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 17, 2024
Faces of the north: A Hokkaido town grapples with depopulation
Residents of Kushiro face an issue that more and more communities in Japan are having to deal with. The city may be young, but it's rich with tradition.
Sunset at Cape Puyuni in Hokkaido, Japan. The northern island is home to the indigenous Ainu.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Jan 21, 2024
To Bird, a savage. To Chiri, alive and aglow.
When given a pen, Yukie Chiri wrote about the Ainu in ways outsiders never tried to understand.
Mio Sugita
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023
LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita under fire again over Ainu comments
In September this year, the Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau found that her blog post about the Ainu people in 2016 violated their human rights.
Get a taste of Hokkaido’s playfully named chan-chan yaki — or griddle-cooked salmon.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 11, 2023
Recipe: Hokkaido-style griddle-cooked salmon
This dish reflects a combination of Ainu food traditions from Hokkaido.
Employees of a fishing net manufacturer, including Ainu Indigenous people, work at a facility in Urahoro, Hokkaido, in June.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 23, 2023
In Hokkaido, an Ainu group's lawsuit and climate change converge on salmon fishing
The Raporo Ainu Nation in Hokkaido is fighting for its Indigenous rights to fish for salmon. But warming waters are raising questions about future fish stocks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 7, 2023
Australia returns Ainu remains to Japan after 80 years
Efforts have grown to bring back indigenous remains, which were sometimes collected by excavating tombs for studies abroad.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 1, 2023
Ainu culture at the heart of Hokkaido’s mindful tourism pivot
As Hokkaido looks to promote responsible, community-based tourism centered on Ainu culture and traditions, questions remain as to who stands to gain.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2023
Japan's Indigenous peoples fight stigma to reclaim identities
Many people feel Japan's government has not done enough to support the Ainu and Ryukyu groups.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2023
Tackling taboos: Japanese university club teaches Ainu traditions
Students at Sapporo University are able to learn the Ainu language, dance, and crafts, as well as about traditional food and hunting culture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 7, 2022
I know Japanese. Why can’t I read signs in Hokkaido?
A lot of the readings for kanji on Japan's northernmost island are connected to the language and culture of the Ainu, who are indigenous to Hokkaido.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 1, 2022
Japan Times 1947: Japan hails new Constitution
A meeting of female political speakers meets with heckling from men 100 years ago, while Japan marks the arrival of a new Constitution, welcomes back Okinawa.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 20, 2021
Yukar: The timeless oral tales that are our window on Ainu life
Civilization overwhelmed Japan's indigenous population about 100 years ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jun 28, 2021
Discrimination and inertia slow use of Ainu grants, two years after launch
The first law recognizing the Ainu ethnic minority as an Indigenous people took effect in May 2019, with that legislation designed to protect and promote their culture through subsidies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Jun 6, 2021
Japan Times 1971: Japanese believe they are 'superior'
As witnesses took to the stand at the 1946 Tokyo trials, they addressed the propaganda campaign that led the Japanese to think they were superior. Attitudes hadn't changed 25 years later.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
May 17, 2021
When Japan's pioneers migrated north to Ezo
As Japanese discovered the vast northern part of their lands, a pioneer spirit took hold. How long would the Ainu tolerate them?
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 11, 2020
Episode 72: Preserving the endangered Ainu language
The Ainu language has been declared critically endangered by UNESCO, with few people left alive today who speak it.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on