Hitoyoshi Cherry Blossoms
On the first weekend of April, Austin and I were out hiking in the north of Nobeoka when all of a sudden it began to snow. Snow! In April! I…
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Takanabe Sunflower Festival
At different times in my life, August has either represented the approaching autumn, or the coming spring. And as if to echo those transitions, it has marked my most exciting…
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The Garden of Love
In Shintomi Town, on the road from Takanabe to Saito, is a garden carpeted in bright, pink flowers. During spring, when the shibazakura (moss phlox) is in full bloom, the…
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Ajisai and the Plum Rains
Due to the stubborn Mei-yu front, most of East Asia experiences a two-month rainy season. During June and July, the weeks become an endless parade of cloudy days, accompanied by debilitating humidity and,…
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Senganen Garden and the Cat Shrine
“This… is so wonderful that I don’t know how to express it,” said British diplomat Harry Smith Parkes of his sojourn at Senganen in 1866. “Anyone who visits there must be stricken by…
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Road Trippin’ Solo, Part 1: Kuju Flower Park
Two years ago, I would have never considered disappearing into the countryside for four days by myself. Growing up in a city where danger is perceived to be lurking around every…
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Bokusui Spring Festival
Miyazaki is definitely an underrated prefecture, and one of the more unknown, buried in the depths of Google’s search results, under all the pages dedicated to Hayao-san and his many castles. But the great…
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Searching for Sakura
After leaving the snow in Nagano behind, and spotting hundreds of tree lilacs on the drive from Nikko to Ibaraki, John and I were starting to feel spring fever. Which…
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Garden of Statues in Heiwadai Park
One of my colleauges sent me on a little treasure hunt one typhoon day. The students weren’t at school and I was sitting at my desk wondering why the teachers bothered to…
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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 his month-long visit to Japan. Since Culture Day fell on Monday the 3rd, and I had a day off…
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Cosmos in Kobayashi
It was supposed to be a jam-packed weekend: John was coming down for a visit, Monday was a holiday and there were three festivals to enjoy. Instead, Typhoon Vongfong came…
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