Picture from Hokkaido
Goodbye Hokkaido, goodbye Japan, goodbye Asia. When an incredible journey through this vivid continent! Next stop Montana, US.
#ephemera #travel #documentary #aerial
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Kenji is not Ainu but when he was younger he felt in love with an Ainu woman and with Ainu culture. Today he is engaged in preserving Ainu language working at the Ninutabi Ainu Cultural Museum and teaching a special class at a local elementary school.
Kenji is just an example of how Japanese people recently understood the importance of Ainu culture as part of the national cultural heritage and are today taking actions to preserve it.
#ainu #ephemera #portrait #school #travel #documentary
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As long as only 20 years ago Ainu still used to live in grass houses. Today they all moved to more modern housing, but they still teach youngsters to building in a traditional fashion, in order to preserve their cultural heritage.
You can still visit the interior of some houses in cultural centers and museums like the one in Nibutani.
#ainu #ephemera #architecture #house #japan #hokkaido #travel #documentary
Picture from Nibutani
Shigehiro Takano is another Ainu craftsman from Nibutani. I entered his shop while he was carving a traditional Nibutani Ita, a wooden plate decorated with patterns symbolizing natural elements of the area, like tree leaves, the river and fish scales.
#ainu #ephemera #craft #japan #portrait #travel #documentary
Picture from Nibutani
Toru Kaizawa, here carving a traditional malori knife, is one of the last Ainu woodcarving artist in Nibutani. In his works the traditional Ainu patterns meet a personal, more modern style, which makes his art commercially successful while keeping the tradition alive.
#ainu #ephemera #woodcarving #japan #nibutani #portrait #travel #documentary
Picture from Nibutani
Ainu people have a really strong connection to nature. A rather balanced one. Before taking bark from a tree they pray to thank the spirit of the plant. Once they took out one, and only one stripe, they mark the tree to show that it has already given to the community and should be used any further.
Later the bark is boiled to take out the vegetal fibers and twisted in a jute thread that will be later woven into fabric.
#ainu #ephemera #craft #bark #jute #process #travel #documentary #textile
Picture from Nibutani
Yukiko is one of the last women in Nibutani who still practice traditional Ainu weaving using fibers from tree’s bark. “I started when I was young and at the time you could sell the textile to Japaneses from the South. Today I just keep on doing it because I love it and makes me feel good. Younger generations are still interested in the craft but, since it’s not economically viable and you need time to practice, it’s very difficult to keep this tradition alive.”
#ainu #ephemera #craft #textile #portrait #travel #documentary
Picture from Nibutani Dam
I was planning on renting a van a driving all around Hokkaido countryside to look to explore Ainu people, the native people do Japan. However I had an issue with my driving license and couldn’t rent the vehicle.
So I decided to head straight to my first destination and spend some time there.
Nibutani is a small district in the town of Biratori, on the Saru river. Over 80% of the residents here are Ainu, the highest percentage on the whole island.
#ainu #ephemera #hokkaido #japan #travel #documentary #aerial
Picture from Danum Valley Conservation Area
Before heading to Hokkaido in Northern Japan, I want to share with you my experience in the Borneo rainforest, where most of the wildlife is threatened by the increasing deforestation. Soon on Ephemera Youtube channel (link in bio)
#borneo #ephemera #travel #documentary #vlog
Picture from Tokyo, Japan
How to order sushi in a restaurant in Tokyo without human interaction. Are we going to stop talking for good and just send messages to each other?