Journeys in Japan
Season 14 Episode 16 - Nibutani the Ainu, Living with Kamuy
The Ainu people are the indigenous people of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan's northernmost main island. They developed their own distinct language, history and culture, which were quite different from Japanese, and also lived in northern Honshu, Sakhalin and the Kuril islands. The Ainu people hunted and foraged for edible wild plants, coexisting with the natural environment. They produced powerful, beautiful folk art and craftworks, and they practiced many seasonal rituals to give thanks for the blessings of nature. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, US filmmaker Martin visits Nibutani, an area in Hokkaido with a strong connection to the Ainu people, to discover how they have managed to maintain their culture, handicrafts and beliefs to this day.
Episodes in Season 14
Nagoya: Exploring with Insiders
28 min
Ozu: Castle Town Looking to the Future
28 min
Kyushu: On the Trail of Shoyu
28 min
Yasugi: Discoveries Along the Iron Road
28 min
Matsue: The World of Wagashi
28 min
Kochi: Into the Luminous Darkness
28 min
Winter Along the Mogami River
28 min
Live Long, Live Well in Northern Nagano
28 min
Akita, Yamagata, Niigata: The Textiles and Traditions of Winter
28 min
Sapporo: Ski Mountaineering Tradition
28 min
Rambling Around Secluded Yanbaru
28 min
Onomichi: Vistas, Cats and Steep Hillsides
28 min
Tobishima Kaido: Taking It Slow on Golden Isles
28 min
With Isabella Bird — Part 2: On the Road to Tsugawa
28 min
On the Sugar Road from Nagasaki to Saga
28 min
Nibutani the Ainu, Living with Kamuy
28 min
The Wild Life in One-of-a-Kind Amami
28 min
Amami Oshima: Beauty in the Rain
28 min
Owase: City of Abundant Rain
28 min
Discovering the Wonders of Iya Valley
28 min
Tsuruga Castle, Where the Past Meets the Present
28 min
Gujo-Hachiman: Dancing the Night Away
28 min
With Isabella Bird — Part 3: On the Road to Yamagata
28 min
Koyasan: In Pursuit of Enlightenment
28 min
From Ise to the Source of the Sacred River
28 min
The Soaring Dragons of Chichibu
28 min
Kyushu: On the Shoyu Trail: Nagasaki – Kumamoto – Miyazaki
28 min
Handa: Savoring a Canal City's Delights
28 min
Yakushima Awakenings
28 min