Last summer we went to Hokkaido.

She has never been to Hokkaido.

By the way, have you ever been to Hokkaido?

The , at long, is the third longest in Japan and the longest in Hokkaidō.

Active contact between the Wajin (the ethnically Japanese) and the Ainu of Ezochi (now known as Hokkaido) began in the 13th century.

So what gives? First, things look a lot grimmer when one gets two hours outside of Tokyo to places like Hokkaido.

During his mission, the Special Rapporteur visited Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, the island of Hokkaido (Sapporo, Niburani and Hakuro) and Chubu in Aichi prefecture, before ending his visit in Tokyo.

Formation of Ainu political party The was founded on January 21, 2012, after a group of Ainu activists in Hokkaido announced the formation of a political party for the Ainu on October 30, 2011.

Likewise in Japan the education system does not recognize or promote the history, language or culture of the Ainu, the original inhabitants of Hokkaido, even though the law acknowledges the importance of Ainu culture to the country's heritage.

Blakiston was the first person to notice that animals in Hokkaidō, Japan's northern island, were related to northern Asian species, whereas those on Honshū to the south were related to those from southern Asia.