The Ainu Culture, indigenous to Hokkaido, was flourishing long before Wajin (main-island Japanese) moved to and began to settle on this northern island.

It is said that Ainu Culture, having the Satsumon Culture as its primary parent, was influenced by the culture of Honshu and northeastern Asia.

Japan was a melting pot of many different ethnic groups ranging from continental Asians, both distant in time, such as those related to Native Americans, and more recent migrants such as the Chinese and Koreans, as well as various groups of Pacific Islanders related to the Polynesians. In the study of Jomon skeletal remains dating from thousands of years ago, a very ancient Asian was recovered, someone who was directly ancestral to the Ainu. This said, it was found that diachronically, and geographically, the skeletal structure of the Jomon population changed over time from southwest to northeast, paralleling the actual migration of Japanese speakers historically.