Black-headed gulls sit on pickets at a riverside in Tokyo, Japan, December 27, 2015. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

“The Ainu (アイヌ?), also called Aynu, Aino (アイノ), and in historical texts Ezo (蝦夷), are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. Most of those who identify themselves as Ainu still live in this same region, though the exact number of living Ainu is unknown. This is due to ethnic issues in Japan resulting in those with Ainu backgrounds hiding their identities and confusion over mixed heritages. In Japan, because of intermarriage over many years with Japanese, the concept of a 'pure Ainu' ethnic group is no longer feasible. Official estimates of the population are of around 25,000, while the unofficial number is upwards of 200,000 people”. – Wkipedia

Photo: A captive bear drinking from a large bottle held by an Ainu tribeswoman. (Photo by Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1955

Kagome Co's employee Shigenori Suzuki tries to eat a tomato which is fed to him by the newly-developed “Wearable Tomato” device for runners, during its unveiling event ahead of the weekend's Tokyo Marathon in Tokyo February 19, 2015. The eight-kilo (17.6-pound) contraption fits on a runner like a rucksack. It can distribute a total of seven medium-sized tomatoes, one by one, at the click of a button and supplies the runner with much needed nutrients during a long jog or race. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Japanese women wearing “yukata” casual summer kimono take selfies at Asakusa district in Tokyo, Japan, 13 September 2020. Asakusa is one of Tokyo's most-visited areas and is usually crowded with tourists. In Japan, the numbers of visitors from abroad fell by 99.9 percent from a year earlier in July due to the ban for entries of foreign visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA/EFE)

Young adults wearing a mask, attends a ceremony as they commemorates the Coming of Age Day of young people entering adulthood in Tokyo, Japan, on January 10, 2022. While the COVID-19 epidemic continues to progress in Japan due to the new Omicron variant, the events that have been organized by the various municipalities of Tokyo have followed a strict sanitary protocol, such as temperature control, disinfection of hands, and the wearing of a protective mask. (Photo by David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A Miniature Dachshund (L) wears a duck bill-shaped dog muzzle while sitting in a stroller with another Miniature Dachshund at the “Interpets” international pet fair in Tokyo, Japan, April 2, 2015. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/EPA)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. compete during the ice dance short dance program at the ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating in Tokyo April 16, 2015. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)

A participant in costume poses to a camera after a Halloween parade in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan October 30, 2016. More than 130,000 spectators turned up to watch the parade, where about 2,600 participants dressed up in costumes, according to the organiser. ((Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)