Kayak and Land Journeys in Ainu Mosir: Among the Ainu of Hokkaido

by Guy de la Rupelle

Kayak and Land Journeys in Ainu Mosir takes the reader into Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido. The native inhabitants called this island Ainu Mosir, which means People of the Quiet Land. Guy de la Rupelle after having been to Hokkaido several times by motorcycle and meeting furtively these Ainu decides to take a longer look at who they are exactly and their current situation.To give a sense of purpose to his journey he packs two folding kayaks in his car, all his camping gear and spends six weeks meeting as many Ainu as he can, camps and paddles in the lakes, rivers and along the coastline of this amazing island, certainly the last wilderness left in Japan.It has been said that a good travel book is one in which the reader will discover new things as he travels with the writer. This is certainly the case. The reader will get a better sense of who the Ainu are through their voices as well as read about a part of Japan seldom written about by Westerners.

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2005

Reviews

[Bruce Hesselbach]

The author vividly describes the modern day life of Ainu in Japan and the beautiful as well as the impaired landscape of Hokkaido. I felt as though I were traveling by kayak with him and meeting the people that he met. This book is a worthy update to the magnificent and exhaustive account of the Ainu in Ainu, Spirit of a Northern People (Smithsonian, 1999). I was particularly impressed by Professor de la Rupelle's honesty and candor in this interesting book. He doesn't pull any punches. He can also be very poetic at times in recounting the delights of kayaking.