The Ainu are the indigenous/first nation's people of Japan. I am leading another Hokkaido Japan photography tour group in the Akan National Park which is home to many Ainu peoples. Lake Akanko is a beautiful crater lake in the highlands of Akan National Park. Participants and I are currently visiting in Ainu Kotan village located near the shore of Lake Akanko. The Ainu Kotan village designated as a significant intangible folk cultural asset by the Government of Japan and UNESCO inscribed traditional Ainu dance on the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. These evening participants and I will attend the outdoor and indoor Ainu theatre of cultural awakening. The Ainu tell the story a variety of animals and spiritual or divine beings of an entity composed of or possessing spiritual energy. One such creature is the Blakiston' fish owl considered to be the Kamuy (diving being) of the village, and the bear which is the kamuy of the mountain. The performances are stunningly beautiful and mysterious with dramatically lit torches burning all around; the air is filled with the mysterious sounds of the Mukkuri. During the performances, we always get hundreds of great photographs, where one can feel the mystical energies of the Kamuy (Gods) of Akan Ainu Kotan.

If you would like to join us for the Ainu cultural awakening theater in 2019 - 2020 CLICK HERE