At https://malagabay.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/parting-pacific-pottery/ … Tim Cullen is away on a new angle, similarities between Jomon pottery from Japan and the pottery of the Valdivia Culture in Ecuador, located on the Santa Elena peninsular. They appear to have arrived in the area around 5000 years ago – another long distance migration episode? Perhaps.
Specific similarities between the two zones including broad line incision, excision, red slip, finger grooving, and shell stamping, combing, cord impression, rocker stamping and folded over rims with short spouts etc. Did Japanese fishermen get washed up in S America in a storm – or were they capable of crossing the Pacific. Jomon people used hollowed out log boats so that would be almost miraculous – so it has been suggested they hugged the coastline. Why has Japanese style pottery not turned up in N America? Some say there are also links to the Zuni people of New Mexico (but that is far inland from the coast). As Cullen says – there are two explanations. Either the similarities are accidental or there was a direct transfer of knowledge from Jomon Japan to Ecuador. One interesting point is that around 3000BC there was some kind of event, including low growth tree rings that may indicate a drop in global temperatures, but whatever, widespread migrations did take place at this time (including the arrival in Sumeria of horse mounted nomads from the steppes).