In celebration of National Indigenous Day, and to bring awareness of the indigenous people of Japan, we invite you to join us for a special screening of the documentary Tokyo Ainu directed by Hiroshi Moriya and produced by the Tokyo Ainu Film Production Committee. June 21 is also the summer solstice, or in Japanese 夏至 (geshi), another reason to celebrate and for a chance to cool down after the longest day of the year.

Tokyo Ainu

Directed by Hiroshi Moriya, 2011 [114 minutes]

Tokyo Ainu features the Ainu, the indigenous peoples of Japan, living in Greater Tokyo who are actively promoting their traditional culture in a metropolitan urban environment, away from their traditional homeland, Hokkaido. Shedding a common assumption that all Ainu live in Hokkaido, the film captures the feelings, thoughts and aspirations of Ainu people who try to follow the Ainu way no matter where they live.

DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHER, EDITOR: Hiroshi Moriya,

Hiroshi Moriya is a former TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) director, who directed documentary programs on indigenous people in Siberia and in the Amazon rainforest. At one time he travelled from the Arctic through the five continents to the Antarctic, filming wild animals. He received the High Vision Award 2000 for his “The Philosophers of the Forest, the Mehinaku”, which is a documentary film on an Amazon indigenous people.

He resigned from TBS in order to pursue a land- based lifestyle and learned Permaculture, a design theory to create sustainable life, while being engaged in farming and gardening. He is now based in Tokyo, being a freelance film director and a vegetable farmer.

(c) “TOKYO Ainu” Film Production Committee

Tokyo Ainu Website >

Ainu Museum >

Ainu Report on UNHCR >

Foundation For Ainu Culture

Other Ainu related links from Ainu Association of Hokkaido >

AINU: Indigenous Peoples in Japan (United Nations short video)