JETFuel Magazine Spring/Summer 2018 by JETFuel

magazine

Spring/Summer 2018

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CONTENTS 5 Culture 8 8GIC :I D:N :I 11 A GCLIBCL 1:BFDBF 13 ,GD F 8 C 0B D BD IBE:

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20 Lifestyle 22 A I 0B G J 27 A 0 :M I J GFLF ILE 37 BH AG GD: L I I :E :FBDD: :C

38 Community 40 42 46 47 61 64

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67 FJET Announcements 68 Credits

This magazine contains original photos used with permission and free-use images. If you are the owner of an image featured in this publication believed to be used without permission, please contact the editors of JETFuel at fukuijetfuel@gmail.com. This edition, and all past editions of JETFuel e-magazine, can be found online on ISSUU or can be requested through e-mail.

CULTURE

m u m i Max ! ! ! t r o Eff

Work Hard, Play Hard By Sarah White “The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” Brian Sutton-Smith At 4:15 p.m. I hear the pounding of sneakers against packed dirt outside. A steady cadence of counting off echoes up and down the halls. I look up, and teachers have trickled out of the staff room. Club activities have started. “It’s crazy,” I used to think. “These kids are running themselves ragged!” The dedication to sports and clubs was certainly admirable to me, but I often wondered how many kids actually enjoyed it. I would tell students, “We don’t have to join club activities in America.” They’d stare at me with wide eyes. “Really?” But I wouldn’t see the same envy as when I’d tell them about our strangely long summer vacation or the lack of homework to accompany it. I could never understand. For me, the very idea of being forced to do something made it less fun. I’d see the kids running outside in 30+ degree weather and feel thankful that I didn’t have to do that. I could spend my free time how I wanted. Playing video games, reading books, watching movies with friends…

In winter, when the world went white, I hardly noticed how club activities died down. I was just happy that many of my hobbies were things I could do in my apartment. I didn’t have to brave the roads or walk through a meter of snow. We got days off from school because of it all, and I told the students to enjoy their snow day. They looked back at me with confusion. They were probably thinking what I had to slowly realize: there’s only so many games I can play, books I can read, and movies I can watch before I start getting restless. Even though I knew I could go out and do winter sports, it all seemed too troublesome or too expensive. Moods swung, motivation dwindled... Then spring hit like an adrenaline spike. It seemed that overnight, normal school life transformed-bloomed once more into an activity haven. Now, I often walk into a class full of students dressed in P.E. gear. They are clearly exhausted, but I am the one feeling envy. They rant and rave about their upcoming games or contests, and that restlessness rears its head at me. Do something. Any-

thing.

I start exercising, but it’s not enough. It isn’t until I hear one of my new first year students trying to explain his love for taiko to me in elementary English that it hits me. Exercise is great, but it’s only half of what I need. It’s all the “activity” without the “club” part.

So I ask him where I can go to join. And he’s stunned. He tells me “I practice at Otaiko Hills.” The fact that I know this place doesn’t really register yet. I spend the next few days trying to get details from him in broken Japanese and English. It’s a lesson in communication if there ever was one. Gestures, Google translate, and laughter--at our own mistakes, and the fact that they don’t matter in the slightest. When I arrive at the place, I feel mild panic kicking in. It looks professional. I can hear the sounds of taiko before I even get out of my car. I see an outdoor stage as I approach the building, and a realization grips me. I have been here before. It’s where I watched the Otaiko festival last year in August--one of my first events as an ALT. Drums are echoing louder now from the building, and I have to take a moment to gather up my courage. I consider giving up. It’s too difficult, the language barrier will be too high, the group will be too advanced-The drums stop. Silence washes over the stunning landscape, fire-lit by the setting sun. I came all this way. I can do nothing else but just walk in and give it my all. Maximum effort, as one of my favorite non-heroes would say. They are expecting me when I walk through the sliding doors. I am greeted by most of the Otaiko za Myojin members. The sensei has me give a self introduction.

I am told that I will only watch that day, but the sensei makes me play near the end of practice. My hands are shaking, my form is terrible. I have so much to learn, but that’s okay because I have all these wonderful people to do it with. And I realize suddenly how important it is to have a club activity. I realize why all of my students go at it so hard every single day. It’s not just about pushing your body. And it’s certainly not about making yourself look better on a college application, like what’s told to us in American schools. It’s about having fun and discovering your own capacity for physical and mental growth. It’s about socializing and commitment. I practice taiko four days a week now in three different groups, and there are days I don’t want to go. But I can’t talk myself out of it like I can with exercise at home. I have people who want to see me, and I have people who I want to see. When did club activities become something only done while we’re in school? The many benefits that come from being in a social and active group don’t stop once we graduate high school or college. I am the busiest I have ever been, but I find I have more energy for my job, for writing, and even for starting up new books or video games. I can’t say that committing so much time to one thing is right for everyone, but I can definitely say that I am glad I did. It quieted a yearning inside of me that I didn’t even remember I had: to learn, to commit, to be productive and deliberate with my free time. And most importantly, to play.

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philosophy of continuous improvement. Origon bike rides to school and inally from the Japanese business world, the runs along the river, a seemingly unrelated word now has a presence in various internaseries of construction projects has been taking tional settings. Today, kaizen is working its magplace. ic on Fukui.

Recently,

It started around the terminus of the But this is the story of the mainline—not Echizen Railway at Fukui Station. Then it spread the ‘new trunk line,’ the uncomfortable translato the banks of the Asuwa River. Then to the tion of shikansen in English. The mainline tracks road that runs parallel to the mainline on the are the tracks that everyone has ridden at least west edge of the Kasuga neighborhood. Then once. next to the level crossing south of Odoro Station. Then it hit me: all this infrastructure is for the The Hokuriku Mainline connects Maibara, Hokuriku shinkansen. Tsuruga, Fukui, Kaga, Komatsu and Kanazawa. (Not to be mistaken with the line connecting The Echizen Railway terminus is to be Tsuruga to central Kansai most directly, which is replaced by new shinkansen platforms on the Kosei Line.) On the extremities, passengers the east side of Fukui station. The mainline can use nifty IC cards to swipe through unbridge over Asuwa River will gain a parallel manned ticket gates. Not so in Fukui, where restwin. The super express train will run where I olute station workers validate and collect tickhave run, slicing over rice fields and breezing ets by hand. Having always started and ended past Mt. Monju. Change is coming. With it, trips in Fukui, I wonder whether I could board a the romance, prestige, and flair of the hightrain in Maibara and disembark in Kanazawa speed train will undoubtedly make its mark without ever needing to open my wallet. on place that many affectionately, if not with resignation, call the inaka. Local trains run frequently in the mornings and evenings. Looking at their timetables, Kaizen was the first word that came they seem to have been written without rhyme to mind when I saw that the early stages of or reason. Headed south in the morning rush? construction for the Hokuriku Shinkansen had You have options: 7:40, 7:52, and 8:12. started. Kaizen can be described as a

But local service reverts to an hourly schedule at 9:10. For many, the Hokuriku Mainline is a convenient escape route. One can leave to faraway places at the ungodly hour of 4:50 a.m. on the one and only rapid service run of the day. Served by either the 520 or 521 series trainsets used on local trains, the earliest service reaches Tsuruga at 5:30 a.m. The Hokuriku Mainline is where the beloved, diesel-powered KiHa 120 tiptoes for a brief three kilometers before switching to the Etsumihoku Line. For a country with nearly 20,000 kilometers of electrified railways, having a service utilizing a diesel engine speaks to Fukui’s remoteness. Perhaps because of this, I find it amazing that the fastest service of the Thunderbird can take travel from Kyoto, a city bursting with tourists hoping to take in some of Japan’s most iconic sights, to Fukui, where IC technology has yet to arrive and non-electrified train service exists, in 80 minutes. By comparison, a trip between Fukui Station and Echizen-Ono Station on the KiHa 120 lasts 58 minutes. ••• The sounds the people living along the Hokuriku Mainline hear throughout the day are repetitive. Whoosh. Beep, beep, beep. Whoosh. Beep, beep, beep. The choo-choo’s and clickity-clack’s that American train watchers might recognize are unknown here, where whistles aren’t blown to avoid disturbance and electrified trains on well-maintained tracks rush by at a whisper. But I hear them. In fact, I listen for them. If I didn’t live as close as I do to the Minami-Fukui Freight Terminal, I might not hear the steady alarm that precedes passenger trains breezing through the yard. I might not hear the sharp whistle freight locomotives sound before easing into motion. But I have lived here, along the Hokuriku Mainline, and it’s one of the things I will miss most when I leave Japan this July.

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This is a write up for anyone interested in hiking or camping, or 12th century Buddhist poets and boiled eggs for that matter. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a description of a three day hike across a section of the Kumano Kodo trail, in Wakayama. Perhaps you can use it to plan your own trip down there.

DA A The Kumano Kodo is in the Kii area of Wakayama and is one of only two UNESCO World Heritage site hikes in the world. The other is in Spain. For over 1000 years, people have been trekking its paths, gasping at its views, and boiling eggs in its natural onsen water. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well worth a visit. We walked half of

the Naka-Hechi section of the trail, a 30 km stretch that spans from central Wakayama to the East coast.

D N EM NDA 2OH I 2 The Kumano Kodo is an ancient pilgrimage site. Its popularity coincides with the beginning of Buddhism in Japan around the 6th and 7th century when pilgrims made their first footprints on the trail. The areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deep rooting in nature is said to have healed people of their struggles and reinvigorated their zest for life, and it continues to do so to this day. It is also the place of origin for a lot of Japanese folklore, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m told.

Its forests and mountains are packed full of culture and heritage, and it is a natural paradise virtually unscathed by the human hand. The Kumano Kodo certainly offers a challenge for any hiker, and is a source of inspiration for any lover of nature.

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Start time: 4 a.m. 6 hour drive from Fukui to Shingu. Leave the car in Shingu car park by the train station. Our adventure began at Shingu. From there we took a local bus to the Hongu Taisha shrine, a beautifully crafted wooden complex with four areas for prayer. Ringing the bell at each one of the archways is tradition here, so we took the opportunity to pray for our safety and bless our heavy backpacks with the hope they wouldn’t crush us along the way. After that we set off under Japan’s largest torii gate which marks the entrance of the Dainichi Goe trail and links Hongu to Yunomine. Before long we were deep in the forest. Huge trees stood tall all around as we wound up and down the trail. The path rambles through a thick forest and along the way there are little boxes with stamps inside that you can collect for your notebook or scrapbook. If you collect them all, you can get a kind of passport to show that you’ve done it. Some time in the afternoon we arrived in the small yet famous onsen town of Yunomine, home to the only World Heritage onsen open to the public in Japan. It’s as old as the Kumano Kodo itself, and about as small as an ALT’s bathtub. There are a few different onsens you can use here, but the World Heritage one is in a tiny hut tucked under the bridge. A fun quirk here is the natural egg boiling. We bought a dozen eggs from one of the little stalls nearby, plopped them in to the sulphur smelling water, and waited for a few minutes. As the sun went down around us we sat by the stream and ate an abnormal amount of boiled eggs. With fifteen kilometres under our belts, and bellies full of eggs, it was time for a good night’s sleep. That night we stayed in J Hoppers, which given how rural the area is, was a surprisingly cool and trendy place. There were young staff, guitars on lend and beers on sale. The beds are really comfortable too, and rice is served free, so you can take a rest and re fuel on the budget of a true 6th century pilgrim.

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Start time: 8 or 9 a.m. Take the bus from Yunomine to Ukegawa, a remote bus stop along the trail. Takes about 15 minutes. From there, hike 15 kilometres to the campsite. The highlight of this section had to be the view from the top of the trail, where you can see the vast peaks of the Kii Mountain Range, sprawling out for miles like a giant green blanket. A perfect spot for lunch, we sat and ate ramen from our camping stove and admired the stunning view in the distance. By this point, the Kumano Kodo seemed to be having an effect on the group. The respect for nature we had developed took on quite a bizarre form when one member, after brushing his teeth, decided to spit in a bottle to avoid contaminating the trail, and then proceeded to carry his minty spittle around for the rest of the day—determined not to spill a drop until he’d found a bin. I thought—this is either respect for mother nature in it’s highest form, or just a strange boy spitting in a bottle. I guess only the Kumano Kodo knows. After a long hike in the heat, the Koguchi campsite was a welcome retreat. It used to be an old school some forty years ago. Now partially renovated, it serves as a guesthouse with a campsite where presumably the old playing field would have been. There aren’t many

facilities here, but it has a toilet, a sheltered seating area with seats, and a place to buy beer and snacks, and so it became our home for the night.

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The next section of the hike definitely took on a new form of natural beauty. Picture films like Indiana Jones, Jumanji and the Jungle Book. All shades of green were present, and moss covered the stones that hugged the path. Stone staircases emerged from the greenery and old relics revealed themselves from behind vines. The landslide the week before had left the pass in a state of disarray. Wood, leaves, and green things cascaded down in a knotted mess and rubble. One huge tree trunk lay at a 45 degree angle blocking the path, frozen in motion and left for the moss to do its worst. This is apparently the hardest day of the hike and the first leg has a history of being treacherous—five kilometres long and eight hundred metres up. It rendered the 12th century poet Fujiwara Teika apparently speechless, who said, “This route is very rough and difficult; it is impossible to describe how tough it is.” And if a 12th century Japanese poet couldn’t find the words, then how were a few ALT millennials going to be able to? Well here are some words. It is steep, but it’s not so difficult. There are parts of Mt. Fuji that are harder, I think. Maybe Mr. Teika spent too much time rhyming and not enough time on his squats. Or, maybe hiking shoes hadn’t been invented back then. After coming back down the other side of the mountain, tired and weary from three days of trudging through the forest, we hit our final destination, the Nachi Waterfall. Before anything else, you’ll see an ice cream shop. Grab a sweet reward of brown sugar, sour plum, matcha, or vanilla ice cream. Then wander through the temple, down the steps to the base of the waterfall, check it out, and jump on the bus to Katsura Station. Cheap Airbnbs can be found near there, so we found one and slept like century year old logs.

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There is a lot more to see on this epic trail, but I’ve probably gone on for too long about eggs, spit, and 12th century poets to talk about anything else in much detail. Briefly though, there are three shrines and a beach on the route back to Fukui: Asuka Jinja, Hayatama Taisha, and Hana no Iwaya. The beach is called Shichiriga Hama. Go to all of them after picking up your

car from Shingu if you have the time. The beach is nice because they have a huge row of those flying fish across the whole beach. I took great pleasure in running as fast as I could whilst looking up at them flying over my face. If you get the chance, go and spend some time as a Buddhist pilgrim for a few days. I had a ball. Thanks for reading. Budget for the whole trip

Petrol (one car)

¥ 5300

Highway toll

¥ 9000

Parking

¥ 2100

Bus to Hongu

¥ 1550 p/person

Bus to Ukekawa

¥ 330 pp

Bus to Katsura

¥ 900 pp

Train to Shingu

¥ 240 pp

Hiking food

¥ 6000 probably more actually

Accommodation night 1

¥ 3800 pp

Accommodation night 2

¥ 1500 pp

Accommodation night 3

¥3375 pp

Rough total per person

¥25000

LIFESTYLE

The Secret Life of JTEs An Interview with Arusa Kaku

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The Leaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Conundrum An Interview with Travis Brown

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DECADENT CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM VANILLA CAKE Makes: 12 Servings  Prep: 35 minutes  Cook Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS 3/4 cup (255g) Cocoa Powder 1 cup (340g) Salted Butter 2 cups (250g) of Granulated Sugar or Confectioners’ Sugar 1/4 cup (60 ml) Heavy Cream 1 tablespoon of Vanilla Extract 1/2 tablespoon of Ground Cinnamon 1 1/2 cups (190g) Strong Flour 1/2 cup (100g) Granulated Sugar 1/2 cup (115g) Salted Butter 1 3/4 (8g) teaspoons Baking Powder 1/2 cup (120ml) Heavy Cream 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract 2 eggs

DIRECTIONS Buttercream Frosting 1. Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer or a wooden spoon until smooth. 2. Slowly beat in granulated or confectioners’ sugar until it’s fully incorporated. 3. Beat in the vanilla extract. 4. Gradually pour in the milk and beat for an additional 5 minutes. Vanilla Cake 1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius. Grease a 9X9 or a size 6 cake pan. 2. In a medium bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder

and add it to the mixture. Mix well. Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. The cake is finished when it is firm to the touch or comes out clean with a toothpick.

Pro-tip: If using a toaster oven, be sure to cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil after roughly 5 to 10 minutes of baking. This ensures the top of the cake doesn’t burn. For a smooth frosting finish, ice the cake with a crumb coating of the buttercream and allow it to set for an hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

Have y! ever ju" had a craving for some m!#wate$ng, fa%y, sugary, and bu%ery Ame$can-"yle chocolate fro"ing? Submitted by Natasha Taliferro

COMMUNITY

Dear Diary, JETFuel Magazine’s own “Dear Abby,” is looking for submissions of the Fukui community’s most pressing questions. Submission is anonymous, so if you’d like to submit a question that will be answered by one of our secret seasoned senpai, submit your questions and they’ll be answered in the next issue of JETFuel e-magazine! We take submissions for “Dear Diary” and other content submissions at any time during the year!

First Year Retrospective

with

m i a r n a K ohan M

A look back at one ALTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first year in Fukui.

A Trip Down Memory Lane During spring break, I got a chance to go back to areas in Japan where I had previously lived and worked. I flew from Komatsu Airport to Sendai. There I met with an ex-co-worker from the company I used to work for, Peppy Kids Club. We had a great conversation at a café and we remembered old times. I was happy to see how Sendai Station had been renovated since the big earthquake of 2011. I was there when it happened. The next day I went to Yamagata City, which was my first residential area back in 2010. I went back to my previous apartment and walked around the city to re-visit places I used to go to. The day after, I went to the village of Nagai in Yamagata prefecture by local train and went back to the PKC classroom I used to teach in. I met with the business hotel owner who remembered me after I showed him a picture taken in 2011. I went to the ramen shop I enjoyed very much for its “Karashi” spicy ramens. The next day I took the shinkansen to go to Tokyo where I met with another friend from the Peppy years. We went to Akihabara and played “Street Fighter II” on the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo. On a busy street, we did a bit of shopping and I bought a few items including a Masterpiece Transformer from Yodobashi Camera and a Japanese Nintendo GameCube with the game Super Mario Sunshine. I stayed three days in Tokyo, Chiba and Narita. I met friends from GABA, ECC and RCS, all companies I had previously worked for between 2011-2013. We had interesting talks and it felt great to see them again. After that week spent traveling back in time, I returned to Fukui with a sense of having accomplished my mission.

The Super Science Seminar Back in March of this year, I had the pleasure to host the annual Koshi High School Super Science seminar. Twenty-two participating ALTs came along and they had the task of giving feedback to the students doing their scientific research presentations. I had an opportunity to host as master of ceremonies wearing a special â&#x20AC;&#x153;anime characterâ&#x20AC;? costume. I had worked a lot on the booklet that was given to each ALT as well as to the students. Having not had any previous experience doing such a project, I learned how to make the booklet through watching YouTube videos using my Mac computer. I had a great time doing it. My favorite part was Photoshopping all the headshots of the participating ALTs. It was a great experience hosting the event and everybody there seemed to have enjoyed themselves. The event was a success! Thank you again to all the ALTs who participated on that special day!

A Special Visit Last April, I had a special visitor: my mother from Canada. She came to Japan as part of a medical convention event with an organized tour. I went to see her and my stepdad in Kyoto where we visited Kiyomizu Temple. It was her first trip in Japan and she really enjoyed it. After the weekend spent together, she came to visit me in Fukui

for one day. She came with me to Koshi High School where she saw the students from the two classes I taught on that day. My students were curious to see her in class and they asked her questions which made it fun for them to interact with her. My mom was impressed by my communication skills as well as how well I was speaking in Japanese even though I know I am still only an advanced beginner. I was very happy to see her in Japan and it was an experience that made us bond as mother and son. We created a memory which will last forever!

Like The Locals Do One of the places I have been to a few times is Bar Jake, which hosts local bands including Asobigocoro, which is a band formed by a Japanese couple and their friends. The first time I met them was during New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve where I had sung a Beatles song with the band after they invited me to join them on stage. I have gone back twice since then and have even bought a CD from them. I think that they are great and it is a very popular hangout place for foreigners living in Fukui. The atmosphere is cheerful and the staff is friendly. I got a chance to see Fukui locals there and had a good time meeting new people. It is a place I highly recommend to spend a nice evening listening to live music. Kampai!

Catspotting If you’ve ever find yourself down in the southern part of Fukui and thinking “man, I wish I could see a cat right now,” then you’re in luck! Robin Jungwirth has a few pieces of sage advice to share with all you cat lovers. Check them out below!

!!!!!!!! Down here in Bam-Town (Obama), animal lovers can enjoy meeting some special friends! Go to the Sannomae Family Mart when it gets dark and head to the back of the building. If your timing is right, you will meet a cute and friendly cat! She’s eager for pats. She has a collar so she probably belongs to one of the houses across the street. Or she’s just fashionable. She loves all creatures big and small, including this unsuspecting froggy: Another hotspot is across from Wakasa High School and next to the parking lot that is currently very hideous during construction. You can often see a big and fluffy calico gal hanging out in front of some houses day and night. She’s roughing it on the streets, but the locals seem to leave food out for her. Due to this recent pampering, you might have to coax her with treats. But give it a try!

The bloggers,

vloggers and instagrammers

of Fukui

Melanie Stacey

â&#x20AC;©

Ashley Price

Kim Carrero

â&#x20AC;©

Zack Urbano

Natasha Taliferro

Tram Ng â&#x20AC;¨

Through The Lens A Photography Spotlight by Rachel Brisson

Fukui Summer Festivals 2018 August is the peak of festival season in Japan. Even if you’ve just arrived, there’s still lots to see and do. Get out there and enjoy summer!

Awara Hot Spring Festival August 8-9

A festival to celebrate Awara’s famous onsen. http://awara.info/cat-sightseeing あわら湯かけまつり

Mikuni Fireworks August 11

This is one of the largest fireworks displays in all of Hokuriku. Get to the beach early to reserve a spot, then enjoy watching the fireworks being set off over the ocean at night. http://www.mikuni.org/hanabi/

Maruoka Castle Festival August 11-12

A festival to celebrate Maruoka Castle, one of the oldest castles (if not THE oldest castle) in Japan. There’s usually a parade and traditional dancing on the streets surrounding the castle grounds. Maruoka SHS students will be hosting a tour, which you can find out more about via the Facebook link below. http://www.city.fukui-sakai.lg.jp/chiiki-maruoka/kanko-bunka/kanko/matsuri/kojo-matsuri.html https://www.facebook.com/events/1993526000659745/

Ono Castle Festival August 13-16

Fireworks, festival stalls, and various other events. https://hanabi.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0518e00071/

Fukui Summer Festivals 2018 Echizen Summer Festival August 13-15

The main event for Tannan ALTs is the Furusato Odori, where everyone wears yukata and dances down the streets of Takefu. But you don’t have to live in the Tannan area to participate. The Facebook link below has all the info on how you can apply to dance the night away. http://welcome-echizenshi.jp/summer-festival/ https://www.facebook.com/eiaflash/posts/2214798648756765

Katsuyama Fireworks August 14

Katsuyama is known for the Dinosaur Museum, Heisenji, and many other beautiful sightseeing spots. Make a day of it, and end your adventures with a fireworks display. https://fupo.jp/event/納涼花火大会

Tsuruga Fireworks and Obon Festival August 16

People float lanterns with candles inside out to sea for their ancestors, and there is a fireworks show on the sea afterwards. http://www.turuga.org/places/toronagashi/toronagashi.html

Sunflower Festival August 18-19

This event in Obama is held to celebrate the local sunflowers blooming and includes musical performances, hula dancing, and booths run by local shops. https://fupo.jp/event/2018ひまわり祭り

O-TAI-KO August 25

There is an all-day taiko festival in Ota (part of Echizen Town), followed by a small fireworks show. http://www.town-echizen.jp/event/detail.php?206

Fukui Summer Festivals 2018 Eiheiji Obon Festival August 25

A small festival, followed after sunset by a Buddhist ceremony and the floating of lanterns downriver. There’s a small fireworks display at the end of the night. http://toronagashi.com/

Asakura Illumination August 25-26

This event is held at the Ichijodani Asakura Family Ruins, once the center of power for the influential Asakura Clan. Event highlights include a battle reenactment and large candle illumination. If you’re interested in volunteering at the festival in yukata, check out the Facebook event below the event link. http://mantouya.jp/access.html https://www.facebook.com/events/291519438087553/ Thank you to everyone who edited and added to the original Google Doc version of this calendar (with special thanks to Megan Daniel). You can access the online version of this list via the FJET Facebook page. Just search for “summer events”!

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