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.
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Volcanic Island Sakurajima
I have never seen an active volcano in real life before, so when John reminded me that there was one just a 15-minute ferry ride away from where we would be…
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A Walking Tour of Obi Castle Town
This article is available on GPSmyCity. Download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to all the attractions featured. After Naked Man Festival, we decided to drive the hour south to see…
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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),…
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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,…
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Nyutabaru Air Festival
I’ve barely left my apartment these past two weekends—a last-ditch effort to tighten the purse strings before my big trip to New York later this month (12 days and counting!).…
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Exploring Aya Town
On the fourth day of Matthew’s visit—and the last day we would be able to sightsee together—we decided to visit Aya. An hour or so west of Takanabe, the town is…
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Cape Toi: Wild Horses and an Abandoned Hotel
The third of November was a perfect autumn day. The sun was a warm blanket in the car and the crisp, sea air blowing through the window was cool enough…
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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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Yabusame Festival Gone Wrong
Waking up to a spectacular view of the countryside from an apartment window in Kanoya, Kagoshima, I never thought the day would end in blood and tears.
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