Originally Posted by
jib71
BTW - Have you heard a story that ancient ainu artifacts have been found in the Aleuitian islands - indicating links between Japan and Alaska that go back for centuries? Someone told me this when I visited a kitschy Ainu "village" in Hokkaido. I haven't had the chance to check up on that story yet.
Jon Turk's book
In the Wake of the Jomon provides a fairly plausible explanation of this theory. The book details the author's re-creation of the trip from Hokkaido to the Aluetians via kayak.
An interesting read, IMHO.