POLESTAR
April 2016 Volume 13 Issue 12 Photo courtesy of AJ Kay
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Woodford
chalk scratch ichinensei nandake mountains laugh - Jack Powers
Dear Hokkaido ALTs,
Whether as a reprieve between classes, a quick shot of the mother tongue, or just an excuse to ignore the crashing implosion of your home country’s body politic, we’re glad you’ve clicked open this edition of Polestar. We hope you like what you see and consider helping us to make it better. Anyone can submit work to Polestar. Facebook message or email us at editor@hajet.org with any ideas, questions, or concerns. Thanks to the writers and photographers who made this issue memorable!
Jack Powers, Editor Isabelle Legault, Designer
. s e o r d i P a e okk
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Photo courtesy of Ferfie Brownoff
Ferfie Brownoff President | HAJET
G
iven the fact that I’m writing this at the end of March, I’m not able to go into a lot of detail about all things new and exciting regarding HAJET. As of yet, the new Prefectural Council still hasn’t met for our April retreat, where we hash out all of the projects that we hope to accomplish this year. That said, considering the early plans for events that have been shared so far, I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead for HAJET this year. Regardless of how many years you’ve been here, hopefully we’ll be able to sling some wicked, if not new, events your way. All of my excitement for the new year got me thinking about how much this season seems to embody all things new. I’m not going to sit here and get all cliché about “turning over a new leaf”, or it being a season of “new beginnings.” Granted, after a pretty regrettable Michael Jackson karaoke double feature, I’d certainly like to turn over a new leaf regarding some of my Nijikai choices... In any event, due to the lack of HAJET news to report, I want to share my thoughts on this time of year. First, I want to address the weather and seasons. Personally, I find it a little bit funny how much the folks I’ve met here give spring a bad rap. To be fair, this isn’t limited to the ALT community; this is the case for the majority of people I know back home as well. Honestly, I used to hold a particularly unfavorable opinion of the late and long winters in my hometown. Still, there’s a certain degree of entitlement that goes on in the spring. I hear a lot of people making demands for consistent weather. Seeing as we have zero control over the weather (climate change aside), and are fortunate enough to live in a developed country (though some ALT housing situations might contest that...), I don’t really worry too much about any inconvenience associated with rain/ snow indecision that gets hurled my way.
I’ve also heard quite a bit about how ugly it is outside. “Everything is gross and dead,” they say. Sure there’s the snow mold that gives my sinuses a bad time – I’ll give into that one being an unequivocal bummer. Even so, as I took a rip up one of the mountain passes near my town at the end of March, I was floored with how amazing the natural landscape was. The color and the smell of the fir trees were more intense than I ever noticed before. The deer and Eurasian Jays (whose colors look especially spectacular mid-flight) got me particularly stoked. It all brought on a sense of freedom and revitalization that I hadn’t heard too many folks talk about in their treatment of winter’s end. Okay, I know this is all subjective, and I`m by no means trying to criticize anyone who maintains that the end of winter is a bad time. I’m just offering up my opinions on a time of year that I feel is undeservedly ragged on. Things will have changed for your workplace environment as well. It might very well suck to have some of your favorite coworkers or students move on to different places. For me, when my supervisor told me he’d be switching positions come April 1st, I was pretty bummed—and not just because I’d have to use only Japanese with his replacement. However, I still think it’s pretty fun to get to build new relationships with folks, even if we have to work hard to see those kinds of things through. I know it’s not going to be easy or enjoyable for everyone. Despite all of this, consider the rad opportunity that you are currently a part of. Consider how many people you know back home who don’t get to experience what you are now experiencing. Consider how many folks you beat out in applying for this job. And, finally, consider that, even if all the things about your job are overwhelmingly unfavorable, you’ve got access to everyone in the HAJET community. And as I mentioned before, while details at this point are somewhat limited with regards to times, places, and the specifics of the new events the PC is planning, I’d recommend that you get stoked. So in the meantime, stay safe, be well, and have a nice time.
Thoughts from the
First Year Rep. Jon Curry First Year Representative | HAJET
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hat’s up, everybody! A new school year is already here! And, as is the Japanese way, what would a new fiscal year be without a sudden flurry of confusion in every town hall and teachers’ room throughout Hokkaido? Seriously, I’ve seen more activity in my BoE in the past week than I had since my arrival last fall. And with all this activity came a couple of somber moments. Having only really just become comfortable with the people I sit with nearly every day in town hall, I was informed that most of them would be moving to different floors of the building, or out of it all together. Luckily one of my BoE buddies will definitely still be in my same desk pod, but my supervisor and neighbor– the two super awesome guys who picked me up from New Chitose those many months ago—will be gone in only a few days. As for my schools, I mostly lucked out; my favorite JTE will be here for at least another school year, and the majority of teachers who were leaving were the ones with whom I wasn’t particularly close. Or so I thought, until I was greeted on my way to work last Tuesday morning by one of my favorite teachers. This guy had great English speaking skills, was super friendly, always tried to help me feel welcome and involved… and also happened to be slated to move all the way up to Rishiri Island. Needless to say, my already diminishing excitement for another boring BoE day was effectively sapped. But, to be honest, that’s really the extent of my sad feelings associated with the upcoming year. Sure, some good friends will be leaving here and there, but that just means more opportunities to make even more friends! Not to mention, with a new school year comes a new wave of students! Of course, they’ll all be students
I’ve worked with before, as they’ll be transitioning from elementary to junior high school. But, given how many hilarious memories I made with them in just one semester, I can’t wait to see how a full year will go! So on that note, I want to leave this month’s article off with a funny story from my middle school’s graduation ceremony. For the longest time, the only experience I had with gold, confetti-releasing party balls was in Super Smash Bros. Melee, so I was super excited to see one in action upon walking into the school gym. The whole thing was quite impressive for having been set up almost entirely by the students, so I had high expectations for the epic party ball opening. As the ceremony gets underway, the tears start flowing; I was pretty collected the whole time, but the teachers flanking me had the waterworks going at full blast. I can see parents and kids from the lower grades choking back their tears as well. The whole thing is mounting up to be a deeply emotional and moving event with a glorious confetti shower finish. In a moment of silence as the first graduate stands up to accept her diploma, a sudden click echoes through the room. Everyone looks confused, except for my JTE, who is already mid-facepalm as the party ball bursts open an hour and a half early. The best part came when the students began to walk out with their diplomas: the first and second years scooped up handfuls of confetti and tossed them in the air as they passed. It was definitely reassuring to see that these kids could still find some humor in the end and show love to their classmates. Today’s picture features a diorama of the graduating class; notice the attention to detail, showing how many students sleep in class, even when one of them stands on his desk in an attempt to start a riot. Here’s hoping you all have awesome starts to your school year! Photo courtesy of Jon Curry
Jozenkai Children's Day Jennifer Wang Sapporo Representative | HAJET
on Hinamatsuri. Chimaki, rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, is also eaten on this holiday.
etween the bipolar weather and the closing of the school year, April is a slow month in Hokkaido. Rather than being holed up at home and bearing the rest of winter under your kotatsu, there are always things to do in and around Sapporo. Children's Day, or Kodomo no Hi (子供の日), is a holiday celebrated May 5th as part of Golden Week, but Jozankei in ShikotsuToya National Park is starting the celebration early. Beginning on April 15th, the popular onsen town will hang more than 400 koinobori (鯉のぼり), or carp streamers, above the Toyohira River. This year marks the event’s 30th anniversary.
In addition to the carp streamers, Jozankei's onsen scene is also one of a kind. Hoheikyo Onsen is well known as one of the top onsens in the area. A day trip package, which includes roundtrip bus fare and an onsen ticket, can be purchased from the bus terminal in Sapporo JR Station, or the bus terminal in Makomanai Subway Station. The onsen ticket is valid at any of the following 3 locations: Jozankei onsen, Hoheikyo Onsen, and Kaganeyu Onsen. The day trip package costs 1800yen, and the bus ride will take about 60 minutes each way from Sapporo Station, a little less that that from Makomanai Station. (https://jozankei.jp/pac)
Originally known as Boy's Day, or Tango no Sekku (端午 の節句), the holiday celebrated the health and growth of male children, specifically. After World War II, it became a designated national holiday and was renamed Children's Day. On this day, families fly carp streamers, symbolizing the strength of carps, fish that can swim upstream, and pray for their children to grow up strong and healthy. Families also buy Gogatsu Ningyo (五月人 形) for their sons, much like the dolls for the Girl's Festival (Hinamatsuri). The dolls usually resemble Kintaro, a boy hero in Japanese folklore who possesses superhuman strength. Also similar to Hinamatsuri, there are special foods for this day. Kashiwa mochi, mochi wrapped in oak leaf, very much resembles the sakura mochi eaten
After soaking to your heart's content, don't forget to stop by for some amazing food. Hoheikyo onsen offers authentic Indian Curry and piping Chai Latte at the restaurant inside the onsen hotel. This restaurant offers a wide variety of flavored naan, from pizza naan to gyoza and coconut naan. If you are a naan fanatic, don’t pass up on this restaurant. The kitchen has a large glass pane, and customers can watch the chefs cook their food. Even if curry isn't your thing, the restaurant also serves jingisukan and Japanese soba. Jozankei's Children’s Day celebration will end on May 8th, but make sure to go before it's overrun by tourists! Or else you may have to line up to shower before getting in the onsen.
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Interview: FROM DAY TO DAY
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n March 19th, I had the opportunity to attend the “Tour Final” show at Club DUCE in Sapporo for FROM DAY TO DAY, a metallic hardcore punk band that has been gaining in popularity over the last year thanks to the release of their first “mini” album, “Inception,” as well as a corresponding music video for the song “Lies,” frequent tours around Japan, and strong support from their local scene in Sapporo. The band recently played in Tokyo, the Kansai region, and Kushiro. Many of you probably already know Naoto Suzuki, the band’s drummer and a pretty consistent presence at HAJET events. I first met Naoto a couple of years ago through a mutual friend and fellow ALT, Taylor Read. I was completely stoked to learn that Naoto was so involved with the local punk and metal scene in Sapporo, something I had been sorely missing after moving to Hokkaido. As chance would have it, Naoto was actually from the town in Hokkaido that I live in, Monbetsu. Not only that, one of his best friends is another legendary local guy that tends to hang out with foreigners and lives in Monbetsu: Shunta Fujie. It was Naoto who set up this interview, and he and Shunta provided the translation support for the rest of the band. Huge thanks to both of them, and, of course, to all the members of FROM DAY TO DAY.
Photos courtesy of FROM DAY TO DAY
Adam Gentle Northern Representative | HAJET T= Takanori Takahashi (singer)
G= Naohisa Kawakami (guitar)
N= Naoto Suzuki (drummer)
Sh= Shunta Fujie (translator, Naoto’s best friend)
Okay, so, thanks guys. I have a few questions. First one: How was the tour? T: We had a lot to drink.
Avril Lavigne? N: No, that’s Shunta. Everyone: (Laughter)
N: A lot of drinking. Everyday we were drunk, then hungover...like, really bad hangovers.
T: Saosin and Underoath.
And then you had to play?
N: Yeah, he loves screamo.
N: Yeah…(chuckles)
Who writes the music?
T: It was awesome. The reaction from the Kansai people was really warm.
T: Basically, the guitarists write the songs, but….
Really? So they were friendly? N: More friendly than in Tokyo. Alright, so then, is the punk/hardcore scene bigger in Kansai [than in Tokyo or Sapporo?] T: Osaka is similar to Sapporo’s hardcore or extreme music scene. I think Tokyo is very different. Why is that? T: Tokyo is a really big city, so everything is about what is fashionable, and hardcore and punk are not… fashionable. Okay, so how did you guys end up playing in Kushiro? T: There are actually people who want to listen to hard music in Kushiro. Not too many people, but there’s a tiny kind of scene in Kushiro. What do you two guys think are the biggest musical influences on your band? T: Hmmm….uhhhhh… Sh: Justin Bieber! Everyone: (Laughter)
Everyone contributes? N: Yeah, yeah. Like, I wrote the melody for the song “Lies.” So, the lyrics are in English, and I know that a lot of Japanese bands do that, but why did From Day to Day choose to do that? T: We listen to so many English songs, and we are influenced by English songs. Singing these kind of songs in Japanese...is…sometimes it just sounds really funny. N: For example, if I say, in English, “you,” it’s just “you.” But, in Japanese, there’s “omai,” “anata,” “kimi,” like so many ways to say it, that it can end up sounding funny. T: It’s kind of difficult to explain. First, we basically think that singing in English is cool. Just cool. And making lyrics in Japanese is more difficult. Is it because English is just more direct? N: Yeah, yeah, I think so. Sh: I think it’s also because they’re used to hearing English songs in Japan, so making Japanese lyrics would be difficult. I know it is for me, and I think for them too. Interview continues on next page
What other local bands have From Day To Day played shows with that you really like? G: INVISIBLE, from Tomakomai. What kind of music [do they play]? G: Kind of metallic. They’re very cool. What is the future plan for FROM DAY TO DAY? N: We want to be more popular. So, we want more songs. For example, we want to write more extreme ones and more approachable ones. You want to do both? N: Yeah, so this is my thought: In Japan, almost everyone wants to listen to really….not extreme music. So, to be popular we have to make softer ones, but we also love hardcore and death metal. Like, really complicated, really hard music. We want to make both, in the same band. That’s my thought, but I think everyone is thinking the same thing. T: I want to fill up this place. My goal right now is to fill up this venue (Club DUCE). In the future, I don’t know, but that’s my goal now. This is just for me. I really like vinyl. Is there any chance you guys will put out anything on vinyl? Everyone: (laughter) N: Maybe? One day. Haha. We will try.
To download FROM DAY TO DAY’s mini-album, “Inception”, you will need a Japanese iTunes account. The CD is also available at Tower Records in Sapporo.
Official website (with a pretty sweet shirt available for purchase): fromdaytoday.net Music video for “LIES:” fromdaytodayband
Matsuno OSOMATSU
The oldest. Wears red. Supposed to be the responsible one, but is actually the laziest. Has no distinguishing characteristic or catchphrase.
Matsuno KARAMATSU The second oldest. Wears blue. A wannabe “cool guy” who (wrongly) thinks that he’s popular with the ladies. His distinguishing characteristics are his sunglasses and leather jacket, and he likes to use random English words in conversation.
Matsuno CHOROMATSU The third oldest. Wears green. The responsible one and “straight man” of the group. His distinguishing characteristics are his downwardpointing mouth and slightly concerned expression.
Matsuno ICHIMATSU The third youngest. Wears purple. A people-hating loner who prefers the company of cats. He often speaks in a monotone. His distinguishing characteristics are his sleepy eyes, flu mask, and sweatpants.
Matsuno JYUUSHIMATSU The second youngest. Wears yellow. A happy, hyperactive ball of energy who loves baseball. His catchphrase is “Hustle, hustle! Muscle, muscle!”. His distinguishing characteristics are his shorts and his constantly open mouth.
Matsuno TODOMATSU The youngest. Wears pink. Somewhat effeminate and snarky. The only one actually able to talk to women. He prefers to be called “Totty”. His distinguishing characteristics are his hats, his “cat-like” smile, and his bishonen eyes.
Surprise hit:
Osomatsu-san
Katelyn Mitchell Musical Director | HAJET
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he students will not pay attention today,” one JTE asserted a few weeks ago as we prepared to face our final group of junior high third-years. “These days, they spend class time drawing strange looking men.” I put little stock in the comment, assuming he was referring to heart-wreathed doodles of Hey Say Jump members or the caricatures of various teachers I had often seen scrawled in the corners of blackboards. But when I was handed a pile of “Passive Voice” worksheets to correct, the faces peering out from the margins belonged to neither singers nor sensei. Instead, I saw six men identical but for the color of their sweaters, with beady eyes and hairstyles reminiscent of the Beatles: the main characters of the anime Osomatsu-san.
same woman, Totoko, are used to criticize the NEET (unemployed homebody) lifestyle, as she repeatedly declares them all to be pathetic and unworthy of her attention. Osomatsu-san edged out both traditional favorites such as Uta no Prince-sama and highly anticipated newcomers including One Punch Man to become a big hit with young viewers. New merchandise sells out in hours; Tokyo alone boasts three Osomatsu-san cafes, and adaptations including a manga, a novel, and a dating sim video game have all been announced for 2016.
Studio Pierrot premiered Osomatsu-san last October. It stars 20-something Matsuno Osomatsu and his five identical brothers – Karamatsu, Choromatsu, Ichimatsu, Jyuushimatsu, and Todomatsu. The nowlegendary first episode grabbed viewers’ attention by having the boys demolish the fourth wall within seconds; they argue about which genre the new show should be, trying out and discarding idol anime, school life, and an Attack on Titan parody before reluctantly returning to a slightly modernized version of the original manga’s concept.
Osomatsu-san is primarily advertised in a manner more similar to that of an idol group than that of an anime. Fans are encouraged to declare their support for their favorite Matsuno brother, and are placed in competitions with fans of the others. Stores feature locations where you can vote for a brother by writing him a love letter, and will stock more items related to the current winner. Each piece of merchandise is produced sixfold – in each brother’s trademark color, so shoppers can show their loyalty. I have been witness to multiple hallway arguments on the question of best character, with apathetic Ichimatsu reigning as champion at one junior high school and energetic airhead Jyuushimatsu at the other.
While there is a loose central narrative in which the characters are jobless losers who inhabit modern Japan, the show does not allow itself to be confined by continuity, genre, or its own universe. Osomatsu regularly addresses the audience, and the laughs often come from unpredictable places. The difficulty of telling the brothers apart becomes the subject of a lewd joke in which the appearance of their genitals is compared. Skits in which the Matsunos profess their love for the
Osomatsu-san is both a genuinely good show and an interesting phenomenon in Japanese media and pop culture history. If you don’t have the time to commit to a new show, however, you can still become the coolest teacher around by casually mentioning a favorite character in front of your students. Just keep your ears open and make sure to pick the right one—openly declaring yourself a fan of Choromatsu in a school full of Karamatsu girls might be hazardous to your health!
まぬけ
Lost my train of thought: T-shirts to translations Jack Powers Editor | POLESTAR
A
kid in one of my elementary schools wears the same track suit every day I’m there. It’s an unremarkable, navy blue, standard issue sort of one, except for twin cursive words emblazoned below the left collar: “Outstanding Masculinity.” It’s not wrong to string those words together, just odd, and actually very clear in meaning. However, like so much of the other God-level English you find in Japan, it’s largely unaware of itself. In the same class, another kid often wears a t-shirt with a flaming motorcycle on the front and the words “Man was born for Love and the Revolution” on the back. They don’t understand how good they’ve got it. A foreign language provides cover for this sort of melodrama, but, even under careful consideration, nuances in language can withstand proper transmission. Turning an everyday word like “ganbare” into English requires doing away with either the meaning or the economy of the word. An everyday ichinensei argument will involve all sorts of language that would lose buoyancy in translation. Another reminder that language isn’t math and of the cruel limits of “internationalization” in our internationalized world. Nowhere is the contrast in language clearer than in recent politics. The manipulation of local language stands as a beacon of exclusivity amidst an interconnected globe and often can be heard in political movements whose appeal can seem baffling in translation. Whereas hard policies and “proper speech” are easily relatable across cultures and languages, the power of populist rhetoric is that it’s only meant to make sense in a particular tongue--and to particular people. When Donald Trump
refers to his hands mid-debate, Japanese hear “手が小 さいから体のほかの部分も小さいと言いたいのだろう が、その点では何の問題もないことをここで保証す る.” Is that as incredible as the original? If Trump calls a foreign leader “dopey” (まぬけ) or tells his supporters to “knock the crap” (叩をめしてやってください) out of a protester, the literal meaning in translation is often beside the point. The words are less vessels for imparting meaning than an end in themselves. When told in English that Vladimir Putin began a speech on Russian television by saying “Out of my mouth comes unimpeachable manly truth,” you know you’re not his target audience. Though many of Shinzo Abe’s public speeches can be found on the government website in English and flow pretty well, the slogans used by the nationalist advocacy group Nippon Kaigi—of which Abe is a member—are far clunkier in translation. For instance, 英霊顕彰（えいれいけんしょう）becomes “Revere the spirits of Japan’s war dead.” A clean four syllables becomes thirteen. Whether prairie folkey-ness or mystic kanji compounds, populist language is hyperaware of itself and coded for a very specific group of people. The media will inevitably miss and ignore a lot of the home-spun language used in international politics because of its unwieldy nature and grasp at straws to pull out actual meaning (God Bless the man tasked with translating a Sarah Palin speech). The segregating, oft-masturbatory language of populist leaders demonstrates the dizzying infinite swirl of any language even for native speakers. It might be a good rule of thumb that all that cannot be translated is bullshit. In a world awash in meta-tribal language, maybe Japanese t-shirts are an antidote.
Ainu pulled from textooks Rob O`Neill Member | HAJET
T
he Mu River, or Mukawa, winds past my town. The river was a sacred site to the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, a site of reverence and pilgrimages. The Ainu people of Mukawa revered the kamuy of the river, for the river was abundant. The Mukawa valley produces a variety of crops and teems with fish in the springtime. Of course, outside of the name of the river
and the fish within it (shishamo), you could be forgiven to think that Ainu influence has died out. Beneath the surface, however, you can see that the Ainu never truly left. The community center offers free Ainu language lessons, the students of the elementary school spend a three-day trip every year at our Ainu Seikatsukan, or Ainu Experience Center. If I look close enough, I can even see it in my neighbors and students. You do not see the curly hair and long beards that I do
in southern Japan, I imagine. The people of Mukawa do not celebrate their Ainu culture so much as they venerate it. They are still Japanese, so they keep what is most important to them private.
American textbooks dance so sensitively around things like Manifest Destiny. Sure, our aggressive expansion displaced innumerable native peoples, but hey! Look at all this profitable farmland it afforded us!
Following the mandatory 2014 textbook revisions, Nihon Bunkyou Shuppan, an Osaka-based textbook company, has updated its section on the colonization of northern Japan and Hokkaido to the following (translation provided by Asahi Shinbun):
The constant rah-rah refrain of U.S. History courses serve to make us more American and thus more willing to engage the world as an American rather than as a citizen of the world. Japan has much the same issue. If you ask the average Tokyo high school student about the Ainu, you’re likely to get a similar answer. The Ainu, like the Native Americans, are curiosities of the past, not living breathing cultures. If we allow history books to change details, and erase the history of violence inherent to modern nations, we allow living cultures to pass away unnoticed.
“Following the enactment of the protection law, the government gave land plots to the Ainu people, who were mainly hunter-gatherers, and attempted to change their lifestyle to center around agriculture.” The text in the previous edition states that the Japanese government confiscated the land and then encouraged the Ainu to practice agriculture. The stated justification for changing “confiscated” to “given” was to avoid confusing students trying to “figure out the context of the act.” The passage does go on to mention that the Ainu were forcibly migrated after the failure of the agricultural land grant program. But within the context of being “given” the land as opposed to having it confiscated and redistributed, the textbook casts the Ainu as simple, passive people who needed Japanese assistance. The Ainu have been pushing back against these stereotypes for years. The middle school in Mukawa uses a different textbook, one with a more detailed and sympathetic history of the Ainu. My Kyoto-sensei is from Muroran, a city with its own history of Ainu struggle against Japanese colonization, so he’s sensitive to the feelings of the community on the subject. My BoE had heard about it, and they were all in agreement that the updated version was misleading. However, my boss simply stated something close to, “What do you expect from those bozos in the textbook industry?” It`s no secret that the textbook industry is a nightmare all over the world. When you throw together lobbyist money, ideological agendas, local histories, school budget restrictions and developmental psychology what you get is largely a steaming pile of bias. America is a hotbed of regional political conflicts started squarely over textbook content. Campaigns are run and lost over promises to fix the way our children are taught, and promises to bring “values” back to our society. It’s why
Okinawa, like Hokkaido, has a long history of Japanese colonialism and repression that’s largely sterilized in school textbooks. In 2007, MEXT asked textbook publishers to revise a section detailing the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. Specifically, the request was to remove references to the Imperial Army’s orders for Japanese residents of Okinawa to kill themselves to avoid capture, and how the army coerced civilians into mass suicides. The people of Okinawa were understandably livid, and held the biggest political rally in Okinawa’s history to get MEXT to apologize. MEXT caved, and the references to mass forced suicides were restored. 110,000 gathered just north of Naha to protest the alteration of their history, and they won. The Ainu people of Hokkaido are living still, but to the greater Japanese population Ainu culture is dead, relegated to models of dirt and wood domiciles, and fire-dances in resort towns. The descendants of the Ainu are not as tightly knit or numerous as the people of Okinawa. The Ainu of Hokkaido have become small, locally-focused communities mainly in the Hidaka and Iburi countryside. The young people of these communities tend to move to larger cities and deny their roots, a growing trend all over Japan. A large-scale protest is unlikely to happen. Still, local groups (like the Mukawa Ainu Culture Transmission and Preservation Society) are doing their best to tell anyone who’ll listen that Ainu history is Japanese history and the Ainu are still a part of Japanese society, despite what you may have read.
Photo courtesy of Colette English