Ainu geography

is the second-largest and northernmost of Japan's four main islands. Together with its surrounding islands, it comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu. The two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel.

Sakhalin (, ) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An island of the West Pacific, Sakhalin divides the Sea of Okhotsk to its east from the Sea of Japan to its southwest. It is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast and is the largest island of Russia, with an area of . The island has a population of roughly 500,000, the majority of whom are Russians. The indigenous peoples of the island are the Ainu, Oroks, and Nivkhs, who are now only present in very

cape

Indigenous people of far eastern Russia

railway station in Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan

thumb|300px|Reconstruction of a traditional Ainu dwelling (cise, pronounced ), outside of the Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum Nibutani (), or Niptani (), is a district in the town of Biratori, Hokkaido, now in Japan. It was once known as Pipaushi, which is Ainu for "a place rich in shells" The population as of 2010 was 395 people. A particularly large proportion of the district's population is Ainu. As of 2000, over 80% of the residents were Ainu, making it the settlement with the highest percentage of Ainu residents in the country.