I came across Ainu culture while driving through Kuchiro in Hokkaido. We stayed one night in the city, unbeknown to us it was the night of their yearly Marimo f

I came across Ainu culture while driving through Kuchiro in Hokkaido. We stayed one night in the city, unbeknown to us it was the night of their yearly Marimo festival [1]. Marimo is an extremely odd moss ball that only grows in their lake [2]. Once to the brink of extinction, the Ainu celebrates every year by strolling around the city with the prettiest marimo. They celebrate through the night with traditional dances. It was a unique experience. [1] https://ohmatsuri.com/en/articles/hokkaido-marimo-matsuri https://ohmatsuri.com/en/articles/hokkaido-marimo-matsuri [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo