Kumamon is a mascot created by the local government of Kumamoto Prefecture in 2010 as a campaign drive by the region to draw more tourist when the bullet train Kyushu Shinkansen opened. He is a bear, about 1.5 metres (5ft) tall, with black glossy fur, circular red cheeks and wide, staring eyes. Kumamon was voted the most popular yuru-kyara in 2011.
Tag: Japan
Magnolia Blooms
The simplicity of the magnolia flowers might not be as marvelous as compared to the hypnotic aesthetics of the cherry blossoms, but it’s a lovely reminder that winter here in my place is finally over.
The Search for Shima-Enaga
Listed as one of the cutest animals in Hokkaido, I was in pursuit of shima-enaga or the Hokkaido long-tailed tits. However, in the three weeks that I have been looking for this elusive bird, I have encountered 3 other species of birds.
Akkeshi Sakura And Oyster Festival
Akkeshi is a town located at the Kushiro subprefecture, eastern part of Hokkaido. The town is famous for their oysters and the Akkeshi Oyster Festival in spring is a way of celebrating the bountiful supply of oysters in the month of May.
Hirohiko Araki’s Bizarre Adventure
Confined at the corner of the bookstore, there’s not much in the exhibit except for a number of posters and action figures of Araki’s magnum opus “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure”. It was first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1986 making this year its 30th anniversary. It transferred to the monthly seinen magazine Ultra Jump in 2005 where it is still running as the second largest manga series by the publishing company Shueish
The 7-Day Nature Photo Challenge
I think almost everyone of us with social network accounts have received menacing chain messages telling us that we will have an eternal bad luck or burn in hell if we do not spread the message to other people by either private messages or by posting it on our accounts’ wall. This was however not the case with the challenge I received recently through my Facebook account. The challenge is that to post pictures of nature for a week on the FB wall and nominating other people to do the same. It is much like the ice bucket challenge without the ice, the bucket and the money donations (lol!). Actually, I was already invited to do this challenge five times and this is the only time that I gave in to the challenge.
Hill Billy Burger In Obihiro
All of us ordered the shop’s signature hillbilly burger which is consists of hamburger buns with chopped onions and celery, a slice of tomato and a pork patty in barbeque sauce and melted cheddar cheese. What I like about their burgers are the juiciness of the meat unlike the ones being served in the more famous burger joint here. More important than the the irrational Hawaiian theme of the shop is the highly recommended delicious taste of the burger that Hill Billy is offering.
Leaving Miyazaki
The viewing deck is called the Miyazaki Airport Park where a small airplane Beechcraft C90A King Air JA8850 can be seen. The aircraft belongs to the Civil Aviation College which is based in Miyazaki City.
Foodtrip At The Kokusai Dori Street
During my more than a week visit in Okinawa, Kokusai Dori (International Road) has been my favorite place. It’s a 2 kilometer stretch in downtown Naha filled with bars, restaurants and different types of shops. Having been developed from a dirt path through a swampy fields, it is also called the “Miracle Mile” representing the quick revival of Okinawa after World War 2.
Mythical Gods Of Miyazaki: Umisachi Yamasachi Limited Express
The Umisachi Yamasachi train is not a regular train but a sightseeing train. It travels along the scenic Nichinan coastline between Miyazaki city and Nango in Miyazaki Prefecture. The train starts from Miyazaki Station at 10:06am, spends 4 hours in Nango, and returns to Miyazaki by 5:15pm.
Mythical Gods Of Miyazaki: Miyazaki Jingu
Considered as the most important shrine in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Jingu the oldest which is said to be established over 2600 years ago. According to legend, the place where the present shrine stood formerly housed a palace enshrining the spirit of Emperor Jimmu. The present structure was built in 1907 with the main shrine built with only Japanese cedar from Sano.
Mythical Gods Of Miyazaki: Aoshima Island
Aoshima is a small island measuring 1.5 kilometer in diameter and a surface area of 4.4 hectares. There are more than 200 varieties of subtropical plants fluorishing on the island, particularly the 5000 palm trees with some of which are 350 years old. It was assigned as one of Japan’s National Special Natural Monuments.
Amoj In Wanderland 