On the third day of each year, a fishing village on Japan’s Sea of Japan coast draws a line around itself. The ritual is 250…
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Author: deities
New Year for Places That Refuse to Shout
Japan’s tourism boom has become the sort of problem that governments pretend to envy. The numbers are dazzling — and, more importantly, distorting. Official tourism…
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Six Hours in Matsue, by Design
A tearoom, a temple, a bowl of sea bream over rice, and handmade paper. Silence here is not an accident. It is designed Six-hour itinerary:09:45…
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Brazilian Flavours Find Home in Izumo ー When Brazil meets Land of Gods
The quiet city of Izumo still breathes the spirit of Japan’s ancient myths, yet amid its shrines and farmlands, an unexpected aroma drifts through the…
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Matsue’s Rhythm of Reverence: Dogyoretsu Drum Parade
Matsue — In the quiet castle town of Matsue, in western Japan, the steady beats of autumn echoed through the streets. Under soft grey October…
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JGSDF Izumo Garrison Celebrates 72 Years with Parade in City Centre
Izumo, a coastal city in Shimane Prefecture about 630 kilometres west of Tokyo and best known as home of Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine, hosted a…
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Izumo Celebrates Diversity Through Music and Dance
Izumo— The city’s central shopping street, Sun Road Nakamachi, came alive on October 12 with music, laughter and applause as local and foreign residents gathered…
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Matsue’s Lantern Festival — The Chief City of the Gods Aglow
Matsue — Once described by Lafcadio Hearn as “the chief city of the Province of the Gods” — opened its annual Suitōrō Lantern Festival this…
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Yasugi Ferments New Beat: Death Metal in a Soy Sauce Brewery
A soy sauce brewery in western Japan has swapped the smell of fermenting beans for the roar of death metal. On Sept. 14, the brewery…
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Beyond Numbers: Shimane’s Quest in Japan’s Tourism Boom
In the age of mass tourism, what does it mean to be overlooked? Japan is breaking records in inbound tourism, yet Shimane Prefecture — home…
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