Kayak and Land Journeys in Ainu Mosir

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.

Guy de la Rupelle is a lecturer at Reitaku University and has been living in Japan since the summer of 1990. He is constantly exploring the islands either by motorcycle, kayak or with his Citroen 2cv. He is the author of Motorcycle Vagabonding in Japan.