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What’s a Fire Flower? A Festival-filled Summer
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BySean Mulvihill

  Mark your calendar and fill it up with these incredible opportunities to travel Hyogo and its neighboring prefectures.   July 14, Nachi-no-Hi Matsuri in Wakayama A festival where 12 enormous fire torches are lit at the base of Nachi Waterfall. The torches welcome the god Kumano back to the Grand Shrine located there. Held…

Happy (Chinese) New Year!
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Happy (Chinese) New Year!

ByHyogo Times Contributor

Festivities in Kobe’s Chinatown during the first weekend of February celebrated Shunsetsu, and the start of the year of the Rabbit. Beginning February 3rd with the new moon (to end January 22nd, 2012), Rabbit years are said to be for catching one’s breath after the dynamism of the Tiger. This year’s Rabbit is associated with the element metal, so the fluffy bunny may have a bit of a sharp edge (perhaps dulled a little by the fact that it’s yin metal, not yang this year)! Nankin-machi was thronged with visitors all weekend long, and on display were performances of dance, acrobatics, tai chi, as well as the famous lion and dragon dances.