Japanese weren't the only people on Japan in the past

Japan is an isolated country surrounded with the sea.  Thus, people think we were and are only one people in Japan, but it's not correct.

We had 2 peoples, the native Japanese and native Hokkaido people, or "Ainu".
They used to live in Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin.

The Kuril Islands are small ones in the northern and eastern of Japan, red and pink islands.

The Sakhalin is placed in the north far from Hokkaido, or the island pointed with a red signal.

The Ainu people had their own language and culture, different from the main island of Japan.
After Japan was lost in the world war 2, they escaped to Hokkaido and there were also many battles with the native Japanese. The Ainu were completely defeat and had had a very hard treatment for a long time.

But recently they are mixed and live all over Japan, so we don't know how many Ainu people there are now.
And we are only one people in Japan now.
This is the history of Hokkaido.

When my family have visited Hokkaido 4 times, we learned something historic and the world heritages we should inherit to the young generations every time, of course while looking around sightseeing spots and eating delicious foods in Hokkaido.
Seeing by our own eyes is really a good study, I think.


今回は北海道の歴史について、アップしました。
単一民族と思われがちだけれど、独自の言葉と文化を持ったアイヌ民族がいたということと、アイヌ民族の簡単な歴史について、本当に簡単ですが少しだけ書きました。

残念ながら、今は純粋なアイヌの方はもういないと聞きましたが、アイヌ文化を守り伝えていこうとしている博物館も、活動されている団体もありますよね。環境に根付いた生活の知恵があちらこちらで見れて、なかなか楽しかったです。

現地に出向いて、現地の人から話を聞いて、文化に触れる機会と、日本にある世界遺産を少しでも多く、私の子どもたちに見せたいと、旅行のごとに体験学習や平和学習などをいつも組み込んでいます。
百聞は一見にしかずということわざを信じて・・・。
当然、現地の美味しいもの、壮大な景色も楽しんでいます。

日本のことをしっかり知った上で、世界に羽ばたいていって欲しいと願っているけれど、さて、肝心な子どもたちはどうだかなあ…。
将来が楽しみです。