Kayak and Land Journeys in Ainu Mosir: Among the Ainu of HokkaidoKayak and Land Journeys in Ainu Mosir takes the reader into Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido. The native inhabitants called this island Ainu Mosir, which means People of the Quiet Land. Guy de la Rupelle after having been to Hokkaido several times by motorcycle and meeting furtively these Ainu decides to take a longer look at who they are exactly and their current situation. To give a sense of purpose to his journey he packs two folding kayaks in his car, all his camping gear and spends six weeks meeting as many Ainu as he can, camps and paddles in the lakes, rivers and along the coastline of this amazing island, certainly the last wilderness left in Japan. It has been said that a good travel book is one in which the reader will discover new things as he travels with the writer. This is certainly the case. The reader will get a better sense of who the Ainu are through their voices as well as read about a part of Japan seldom written about by Westerners. |
Contents
Preparations And Departure | 1 |
First Encounters | 9 |
Ainu Introductions | 18 |
Akanko Its Lake and Ainu Village | 26 |
Paddling the Kushiro River Where is everyone? | 36 |
Kiritappu In Search of the Kurile Seals | 42 |
Paddling the Okhotsk Sea and the End of the Earth | 52 |
Kussharoko looking for an old friend | 98 |
Paddling to the OffLimits Island of Nakajima | 108 |
Getting Ready for the The Chipusanke Festival | 115 |
On the Sarugawa River | 132 |
Going Home Final Thoughts | 148 |
Afterword | 159 |
Appendix | 164 |
Acknowledgments and Thanks | 174 |
Common terms and phrases
Ainu community Ainu culture Ainu language Ainu Mosir Akan asked beach bear Biratori boats camping canoe carved ceremonies Chipusanke chise coast concrete craft dance drove dugouts feel festival fish folding kayak Fujito hand Hokkaido ikupasuy inau interesting Japan Japanese Japanese curry Kaizawa Kayano Shigeru kilometers kind Kunashiri Kuril Islands Kuril Seals Kushiro Kussharoko lake land later launching looked Mamoru minshuku Moshir motorcycle museum Nautiraid nearby Nibutani dam Okinawa onigiri onsen paddled parking lot pulled questions ramen replied rider river road roof rack rudder Russian Sakhalin salmon Sapporo Saru River Sarugawa sea kayak seemed Shiretoko Shiro shops shore side someone soup souvenir stay surprised talk tent thing Tokyo told took tourist traditional Ainu tree usually Wajin walked waves whale white-tailed eagle wind wine write