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Doll Festival in Aya Town
At this time of year, special dolls are set out on displays in homes and shops around Japan for the annual hinamatsuri (doll festival) celebration on March 3. I’ve always been a teddy bear person,…
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Walking Tour of Obi Castle Town
After Naked Man Festival, we decided to drive the hour south to see Obi Castle Town (飫肥城下町), the “Little Kyoto” of Kyushu. The town was built on the remains of Obi Castle, ruled by…
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Naked Man Festival
When I returned to Japan after Christmas break, I found it only a couple of degrees warmer than I left it. Averaging a high of 13°C a day (about 55°F), the Miyazaki…
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Christmas Lights in Miyazaki
For a country that doesn’t really celebrate Christmas, Japan sure knows how to do Christmas lights. They are the romantic backdrop for Christmas Eve – a night celebrated like Valentines Day, where couples…
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Nyutabaru Air Festival
I’ve barely left my apartment these past two weekends: a last effort in tightening the purse strings before my big trip to New York later this month (12 days and counting!). But…
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Aya Town
On the fourth day of Matthew’s visit – and the last day we would have time to do sightseeing together – we decided to visit Aya. An hour or so west of Takanabe,…
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Nichinan Coast Part 2: Monkey Island and the Red Shrine
In early November, my former roommate and longtime bro, Matthew, came to Miyazaki for a visit. This is Part 2 of our road trip down the Nichinan Coast. Part 1 is here. I chased his…
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Nichinan Coast Part 1: Wild Horses and an Abandoned Hotel
In early November, my former roommate and longtime bro, Matthew, came to Miyazaki for a visit. This is Part 1 of our road trip down the Nichinan Coast. Part 2 is here. The…
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Garden of Statues in Heiwadai Park
One of the history teachers who used to work at my school (he was transferred to Miyakonojo) sent me on a little treasure hunt one typhoon day. The students weren’t at school and…
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Cosmos, Fire, Dance and Drums: Saitobaru Kofun Festival
My former roommate and longtime bro, Matthew, decided to come to Miyazaki for a week during a month-long visit to Japan. Since Culture Day fell on Monday the 3rd, and I had a day of daikyu on…
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Takanabe Lantern Festival
On any given weekend in Japan, there is at least one festival on somewhere to be enjoyed. Of all the ones I have been to, Takanabe‘s Lantern Festival is one of my favourites. The…
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