Photo album of Ainu people living in Tokyo published

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9 Comments

Yelnats at 06:16 PM JST - 6th October

There is a homeless Ainu guy living in my town. I talk to him sometimes. Not a happy camper but a good dude, and a wonderful beard.
ThonTaddeo at 10:10 PM JST - 6th October

I hope this book doesn't carry an outrageous price tag, as I'd love to read and own it. Props to the Ainu people in the photos, who have pride in their ancestry and aren't, or are no longer, afraid to show it.

I once read in an earlier interview with Mina Sakai that she was ashamed of her heritage, and that no one had ever called her beautiful until she met her husband. (I wonder how that's possible, as she's quite lovely.) Hopefully this book will inspire other young Ainu people to have pride in their northern ancestry, and maybe even start learning the language again.
Pukey2 at 08:05 AM JST - 7th October

Is she the one who married a Chinese-American(?) guy? Hopefully there'll come a time when no-one in Japan will feel ashamed of their ethnicity, be it Korean, Ainu or anything else.
Osakadaz at 08:42 AM JST - 7th October

a picture would have been nice.
Brantastik at 10:33 PM JST - 7th October

It's Japantoday, they rarely put up a photo to accompany their articles:(
ThonTaddeo at 11:16 PM JST - 7th October

Pukey, yes, that's her. You can see a great photo of her here:

http://www.yaf.or.jp/maf/en/program/daichi/img/daichi_ph2.jpg

And then, in Ainu dress, on the cover of Metropolis here:

http://www.tokyographics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/779Cover.jpg

Kudos to Metropolis and JT for running these kinds of stories and keeping the Ainu in the public eye.
Ah_so at 09:59 PM JST - 8th October

http://www.yaf.or.jp/maf/en/program/daichi/img/daichi_ph2.jpg

Wow, what a nice looking girl...pity my work PC blocks the other site.
Pukey2 at 10:53 PM JST - 8th October

Thon:

That was a good, inspiring article. Slowly, the Ainus are regaining their self-respect and hopefully, respect from Japanese society. Not being allowed to speak your own language or practise your own customs, being forced to assimilate into Wajin society - that's a lot worse than what some countries have done to their ethnic minorities (but on the same level as certain western countries).
Antonios_M at 08:16 AM JST - 10th October

This seems very interesting.