I also went to see the one-legged torii gate - which partially survived the atomic blast and was rotated on its base. The destroyed half is laid down nearby. My meeting with Hiroshima survivor Kosei Mito a couple years ago allowed me to understand what parts were facing the blast.

Arrived early enough in Nagasaki City that I was able to visit the Atomic Bomb Museum as well as the Peace Park. Unlike Hiroshima where the Hypocenter is marked somewhat unceremoniously with a small sign, Nagasaki has a proper monument under the detonation point.

I also made a detour to go to Okawachiyama village. Saga is considered the home of porcelain ceramics in Japan, and Okawachiyama has a high concentration of ceramic makers. They also have this wonderful bridge covered in white and blue ceramics, including a dragon!

Travelling through Saga Prefecture today on my way to Nagasaki. I stopped near Hamanoura, where you can get a great view of the ocean next to some terraced rice fields. It’s also apparently a popular spot with couples.

Hello Hakata!

Went back over some of the kanji I've already done because I felt like I could improve on some of the Hane (plume) strokes. Left is before and right is after. Though I'm not sure which I prefer more.

PSA for companies looking to slap Japanese text on merch because it "looks cool". You need to double check your typesetting with someone who understands the language. When setting Japanese text vertically, the chouonpu (dash indicating an elongated vowel) is a vertical, not horizontal line.

Afterwards, the inaw (shaved sticks) are left in the ground at the site where the ritual was performed. This photograph is from after the 2024 ritual when I visited the Pon Ayoro area.

Salmon, as kamuy cep (divine fish), hold a significant place in Ainu culture. Salmon caught in rivers are often used for rituals. In order for Ainu to pass down their culture, fishing is currently allowed under special circumstances if they obtain permission the Hokkaido government.

Wandering around an Off-House in southern Osaka. There’s a large section of wood carvings. Many are souvenirs from Hokkaido - of bears with salmon in their mouths, but also a fair amount of carvings of Ainu men and women. Also spotted a pair of Ainu-influenced kokeshi dolls!

I like how the AI they shoehorned into Twitter just doesn't understand anything, sarcastic posts included.

A special exhibition is also being held at Upopoy until August 23rd, which focuses on the 150 year-old history of World Expositions / Fairs, as well as the complex history of Ainu involvement in them.

Some photos have arrived - so here's me giving my speech and paying respects at the Munro memorial earlier this month. No kilt this time as I've outgrown it (and been three years since I've visited Scotland so I can't get a new one!) but I still have my embroidered Ainu hanten from Naganawa Yukari.

Coincidentally the name of the "Neo-Grotesque" category Helvetica belongs to reminds me of how Parsons' Backrooms plays off of memory, nostalgia and its distortion into something uncanny. Would be interesting to see more Backrooms stuff play with warped typography like Hellvetica does.

The perhaps unexpected emotional weight that Helvetica and other Neo-Grotesques and Geometrics can bring is explored quite well in Evangelion, where a sense of haste and despair is conveyed through their use in various interfaces.

Another aspect is that their neutrality adds a sense of cold, uncaring, observational facelessness in scientific horror-thriller medias that works well for organisations like Kane Parsons' ASync. Works to this effect in Jurassic Park as well as Trevor Roberts's Mystery Flesh Pit, etc.

About Backrooms' typography. Helvetica works well as it's used everywhere, especially standardised signage. Same with Highway Gothic on American road signs. Quotidian interaction via public transport and corporate spaces leads to this liminal vibe. Uncanny as they're not meant to be remembered.

Isolated up until colonial Japanese built railways into the north of Hamgyong Province. The last known population count was from a North Korean scholar in the 60s who said there were ~1000 households, but the North seems to have forcibly assimilated the Jaegaseung into regular North Korean society.

Interesting rabbithole I've been going down the past couple days is reading about the "Jaegaseung", an [ethno-religious?] minority indigenous to the north of Korea who descended from the Jurchens. Also known as "sansaram" (mountain people), they formed villages made up of married Buddhist lay-monks.

Never mind all the other remakes, they're putting out Ocarina of Time again? How many times does that make it now?

Yesterday marked the 123rd birthday of Ainu translator Chiri Yukie. Born in 1903 in Noboribetsu (Nupurpet), Chiri dedicated her life to recording Yukar - Ainu oral epics - though sadly passed away at age 19. Her work is still an invaluable source for Ainu traditions & culture.

Afterwards, I visited his grave in Nibutani cemetery. I brought some of the memorial flowers I was given and cleaned it up. Although Munro’s wishes for an Ainu burial weren’t fulfilled, the Nibutani cemetery, like traditional Ainu burial grounds, is located on a hill that overlooks the village.

Today I participated again in the annual memorial for Dr Neil Gordon Munro, a Scotsman who spent much of his life (until his passing) among the Ainu people of Nibutani, offering free medical treatment to all. I gave a short speech on behalf of the Japan Society of Scotland.

Back in Nibutani today. Was great to catch up with people and wander around! Will have some more photos soon from what I was up to.

Afternoon yukar recitation

Hello again Hokkaido 🛬

I'm not a big fan of Tsuyu (the Japanese rainy season), but I do like seeing the hydrangea bloom, and watching them in the rain. Probably one of the only upsides of this time of year.

Their granddaughter Osuga Rueko helps teach the Shiraoi dialect of the Ainu language today. You can read more about her, and her grandparents here: mori-kawa-umi.com/story/597/ And here: mori-kawa-umi.com/story/3352/ Ainu photos often get shared without the stories behind them being heard.

Ikashimatoku was born in 1876, and his wife Saki in 1881. Ikashimatoku was said to be a skilled bear hunter (and otter hunter up by the Aleutian Islands). Saki was a skilled transmitter of Yukar (oral epics), and raised some 25 bear cubs for the Iyomante "bear sending" ceremony.