Tokoro

The Tokoro River reaches the Sea of Okhotsk on the northern coast of Ezo. Its name comes from the Ainu To-koro-pet, “river with a lake”. Near its mouth, traces of earlier coastal settlements lie on the dunes, while an Ainu chashi site occupies a terrace on the eastern bank. These remains reveal a long history of communities living beside the river and the sea, in a landscape rich in fish and other coastal resources.