3.Palaeolithic Period
It is still not clearly known when exactly humans first settled in Hokkaido; however, it is estimated that human habitation began over 30,000 years ago. This period was during a glacial period when the temperature was lower than it is now, and Hokkaido was still connected to Sakhalin Island and the continent by land. As such, mammoths and other animals were able to cross over from the continent and lived in Hokkaido during this period.
【Figure: East Asia during the last glacial period】
Eastern Hokkaido is one of Japan's largest sources of obsidian and there are many archaeological sites from this period which remain in inland area near these sources of obsidian. In contrast, almost none have been found in the coastal area around the Tokoro Site, with the Gifu II site where stone tools from approximately 24,000 to 25,000 years ago were found being nearly the only example.
【Figure: Obsidian sources and Paleolithic sites】
