Indigenous people around the world are called many different names, in Japan, the indigenous people are the Ainu from Central to Northern Hokkaido, Japan.  Any Hokkaido Photography Tour, if it is true to the breadth of Japan’s culture, must be dedicated in some small part to capturing Ainu culture and traditions.  Although the Ainu are not exclusively living in Hokkaido, the majority of the Ainu people live on Japan’s north island as well as smaller amounts on Russia’s Kuril and Sakhalin Islands.

The Ainu once struggled to preserve their national identity, but they were recently officially recognized by the Japanese Diet as the indigenous people to Japan.  Going beyond that, their dance has been designated a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.  While indulging in Hokkaido photography, I or another Blain Harasymiw Tour Leader will escort you to the Akanko Ainu Kotan villages.  There you can witness the lomante fire festival in the Ainu Theater ‘Ikor’.  The word means treasure in the Ainu language.  The rarity and exclusivity of this experience makes this a once in a lifetime opportunity.  While witnessing the performance, you will see the distinct link between the natural world and the dancers and singers performance as they imitate the motions and intimations of the hunt and commune with nature.