Japan'¬"s Ainu minority live mainly in the northern island of Hokkaido, where their distinctive identity and cultural practices are recognised and protected. A significant proportion of the Ainu, however, live in the greater Tokyo area, where their special status is not recognised in the same way. This book, based on extensive original research, explores the way of life of these urban Ainu. It charts how they came to Tokyo, how they struggle to maintain their identity and sense of community, how they live their lives, how they engage in politics in attempts to preserve their special status and how they themselves articulate their current status and its historical development.