In late October, we will visit hotels in the Lake Akan Onsen area (between Kushiro and Abashiri) in Hokkaido to establish a partnership for our clothing rental and pre-trip concierge service.The Lake Akan Onsen area is home to "Ainu Kotan," a settlement of the Ainu tribe, an indigenous people of Japan. Therefore, we are considering negotiating with them regarding renting Ainu ethnic costumes. Today, we ask our e-mail subscribers if they want to use Ainu ethnic costume rentals when traveling in Hokkaido. When visiting Japan, many foreign travelers rent Kimonos and Yukatas, which are part of Japan's traditional costume culture. However, in Hokkaido, there are no costume rentals of the Ainu people for travelers. Many foreign travelers may not be familiar with the Ainu people. We would like you to understand more about the Ainu people. The Ainu people are the indigenous people of Hokkaido. They have cultivated a unique culture, which includes the Ainu language, distinct from Japanese, a "spiritual culture" in which it is believed that everything in nature has a soul, "ancient dances" performed at festivals and family events, and crafts such as embroidery and wood carving with unique "patterns." However, due to the new coronavirus, embroidery, wood carving, and other handicrafts are no longer sold to tourists, and the Ainu are facing economic hardship. Therefore, we hope that renting Ainu ethnic costumes will allow visitors to experience Ainu culture and help to alleviate their economic hardship.
