The Ainu group at the Saint Louis Exposition

"The Ainu Group at the Saint Louis Exposition" by Frederick Starr is a real-life adventure where the author travels to Japan during a tense time of war to find Ainu people and bring them to America for a world's fair. The story follows Starr's trip to the northern island of Yezo, as he arranges to bring a group of Ainu to the St. Louis Exposition. This book acts as a window into the lives and culture of the Ainu people, revealing their unique customs and the problems they faced when getting ready for this exhibition. Starr, together with his Mexican photographer, journeys from Tokyo to remote Ainu villages, painting a picture of their daily lives, surroundings, and how they look. The book shows Starr's first meetings with the Ainu, their old traditions, and the difficulties they encounter when they’re taken far away from everything they know.