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Lions and Tigers and Pirates - Oh My!

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September 1st 2009
What better way to wave goodbye to the end of August and sticky hot summer days than with a festival - more specifically a Pirate Festival! This weekend I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Onomichi, and then took a ferry to the island of Innoshima to attend their yearly Suigun Matsuri (Pirate festival). It had pirates, huge ass torches, many, many adorable Japanese children, dancers and tai ... read more

Asia » Japan » Mie

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more