Heart of Japan: Sayocho: A Viewpoint of Hyogo’s Pastoral Past and Future
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Heart of Japan: Sayocho: A Viewpoint of Hyogo’s Pastoral Past and Future

This article is brought to you through a partnership with the Heart of Japan blog, a project by the Hyogo International Association.   Having defeated a renowned swordsman in a decisive battle at the age of 13 in the early Edo Period (somewhere between 1584 and 1645 according to legend), the fame of masterless-samurai, or rounin,…

Travel Japan: The Sand Museum, a Photo Story
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Travel Japan: The Sand Museum, a Photo Story

For undulating sand dunes straight out of Arabian Nights look no further than Japan’s least populated prefecture, our very near neighbour, Tottori. That’s right, just to our north west you can live out your Ali Baba fantasies, complete with camels and hundreds of other tourists. The Tottori Sand Dunes are Japan’s only dune system, and…

Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage: 長谷寺 Hasedera
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Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage: 長谷寺 Hasedera

Temple 8 of the pilgrimage is Hasedera, called the Flower Temple, a beautiful site in Nara Prefecture. My own trip to Hasedera was unique along my helter-skelter pilgrimage route: rather than simply wander around taking pictures and reading information off my phone, I actually spent the night in a ryokan in the monzen machi (the…

Restaurant Review: じゅげむ Nishinomiya
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Restaurant Review: じゅげむ Nishinomiya

The perennial cheapskate in me will always be happy to find a good deal on the drinks/good food combo. When the same is offered right on my doorstep I can never decide if it’s a good thing, or just dangerous for the wallet and waistline. On this occasion I am very much leaning towards the…

Kicchiri Kitchen: Katsudon (カツ丼)
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Kicchiri Kitchen: Katsudon (カツ丼)

In my opinion this is the best Japanese comfort food, and likely to be found in your school’s cafeteria as a favourite amongst the students too. Katsu is breaded pork and don means atop rice (if you remember from last month’s kaisendon); the clincher is the steamed egg and sweet sauce topping combination – winning….

Your friendly AJET representative: October 2013
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Your friendly AJET representative: October 2013

Hello Hyogo! Happy Halloween!  Ok so I know I’m a bit early, but Halloween will be here before we know it!  For me October means all of my sports festivals are over and it’s time to start teaching again, including getting ready for my Halloween lessons. This month there are a lot of fun events…