Playground of the Gods, Burnaby, BC

Playground of the Gods (in Japanese, Kamui Mintara) is located next to Simon Frazer University, on spectacular place of Burnaby Mountain, overlooking west towards Coal Harbour in Vancouver.

Two Japanese artists of Ainu origin, Nubuo (father) and Shusei (son) Toko, are the artists who dedicated these sculptures to the city of Burnaby in 1990. The poles carved in wood represent the story of the gods who descended to earth to give birth to the Ainu people and express 25 years of goodwill between Japanese sister city of Kushiro and the District of Burnaby.

Ainu are indigenous people living in northern part of Japan, on Hokkaido Island and on southern Sakhalin. Their origin is unknown. There were some 40,000 Ainu early in 16th century, now there's 15,000 of Ainu people. They have animistic beliefs and in healing they use shamanistic practices, now they are buddists. They have very rich tradition of folk music.