Buena Vista from the peak of Mt.Maruyama!

by Kazu

It takes approximately thirty minutes to reach the peak of Mt. Maruyama that is loved by the citizens of Sapporo City to enjoy trekking. So many Buddhism statues were placed here and there for worship . they were mainly for the safe trekking in the woods.

Some brown bears appeared in the adjacent mountain called Sankakuyama and one of them was hunt by the voluntary hunter in the hunting association.

After conserving brown bears in Shiretoko Area that was designated as one of the World Heritage by UNESCO, the number of the brown bears increased and some of them went to the west to secure their territory and some bears appeared even in Sapporo City.  

 

Mt. Maruyama Trekking!

by Kazu

It has been a while since I enjoyed trekking on Mt. Maruyama in Sapporo with my wife. It was so fine on that day and not so hot. We parked our car in the parking lot of Hokkaido Shrine and walked to the entrance of the trekking trail.

Before the pandemic of covid-19, there were many sticks for trekkers on the backside of the sign at the entrance but I could find nothing this time. Everything has changed after pandemic.  

The aged big trees welcomed us like before and any citizens including little kids were enjoying trekking the trail in the woods. The stone statue of Buddhism were also waiting for us.

 

Fort by the Beach!

by Kazu

There is a farm that raise chickens to pick up their eggs and run a restaurant in their premises. Special pizza, curry rice, spaghetti, oily noodle were their big draws. It seemed that the owner and employees love surfing wave off shore of Mukawa Town. Some wet suits were hung in front of the entrance.  

A dog-run space and camping site were near the building of the restaurant made of steel frames. I did not expect so delicious dishes but I have to apologize to the owner of the restaurant.  

Each dish has the top quality and the sense of the chef seemed to be superb. Needless to say, the quality of the eggs brought by the chickens running around on the ground was amazing. Please try the pizza and noodles in the restaurant. The name is "Fort by the Beach".

 

What They Lost!

by Kazu

The son of the famous Ainu artist Mr. Bikki Sunazawa said there was no precise definition of Ainu tribe, so everybody can say that they are the descendants of Ainu who were distinguished by the Japanese people and can get funding to become international students and to build their house with low or no interest. 

He also said that Ainu people did not have the custom of bathing. I am not sure to what extent his explanation describes the real life and roots of the indigenous people of Hokkaido Ainu but he is the real descendant of them.

Those shoes were made of the skin of salmon and deer. I know that the Aleutian people called Unangan use the gut of seals to make their raincoat for fishing from the kayaks but I've never seen the same in Ainu culture. 

 

Similar to that of Alaska?

by Kazu

I am not sure if the indigenous people of Hokkaido Ainu enjoyed tobacco or not bu well-designed tobacco cases were also displayed in the showcases. Other tools used in their actual life were also in the showcases and helped us imagine their real life.  

As I mentioned in previous post, Ainu people did not manufacture iron and they made the most of the metal nails of the wooden boxes drifted in the ocean and reached the coast of Hokkaido.  

So most of their tools were made of natural materials such as reed and balks. This cradle is also made of reed and the stems of plants. Getting over cold winters must be so tough even for them.  

 

Which do you like better?

Different from the display in Upopoy Ainu National Museum in Shiraoi Town, the lighting in the museum seemed to be regulated and make the most of natural light from the outside.

These items might have been used in some kinds of ceremony because they were so decorated with gold Japanese lacquer and the family emblem. I can not believe that the indigenous people of Hokkaido Ainu preferred these kinds of gorgeous design usually.    

Some X-ray photos were also displayed on the wall of the showcase. Ainu people might have used the treasure drifted in the ocean and each the coast. It requires high degree of skills to craft such well-designed metal products. 

 

Is that the real life of Ainu?

by Kazu

How to carve out the table ware from the trunk of the trees were explained on the wall of the showcase. But these kinds of textiles made of gold and silver strings were brought from the main island of Japan, I think.

Some necklaces with blue stones seemed to be made of turquoise but I've never heard of turquoise produced in Hokkaido before, so they may be brought from the main island of Japan. 

I have seen the senior leaders of the tribes used these wooden sticks to conduct the rituals to appreciate the godsend but they are not chopsticks. As a priest, they use the sticks to share the food with the deities around them.