Ambassador & Madame Hayashi's attendance at Japan House London’s opening event of “Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River”

2023/11/15
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On 15 November, Ambassador and Madame Hayashi attended the private viewing and opening event of the exhibition ‘Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River’ at Japan House London. Prior to the event, Mr Keiichi Endo, the Mayor of Biratori-cho in Hokkaido Prefecture, Ms Hiromi Kimura, Secretary General of the Biratori Ainu Culture Preservation Association, and Professor Hirofumi Kato, Director of the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies of Hokkaido University paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Hayashi.

The exhibition focuses on Ainu culture, language, cuisine and tourism, with costumes, craftworks and others on display, as well as dance, cooking and other demonstrations and workshops during the exhibition period. The exhibition also covers a wide range of topics, including the historical exchanges between Biratori-cho and the UK, such as the visit of 19th century British traveller Isabella Bird, and the Japanese manga Golden Kamuy, which is set in Hokkaido, providing a valuable opportunity to introduce Ainu culture to the UK. The opening event included a dance performance by Biratori Ainu Culture Preservation Association. The exhibition runs from 16 November to 21 April 2024. For more information, visit the Japan House London website.