JetFuel Fall\Winter 2020

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Fuel the ALT life

Photograph by Megan Luedtke

Photo by Atul Vinayak on Unsplash

LETTER From the Editor Hello Readers, Winter has arrived and with that our daily journey through the slippery snow and echoes of "Samui desu ne!" in the staff room have truly begun.

I can not even begin to express how much of a whirlwind this past year has been. We've been shuffled around, isolated, and made busier than ever! Yet, you are still here. You have successfully survived the worst year in recent recorded history, so give yourself a pat on the back for that!

I want to thank all of our contributors this time around. This magazine only exists because of all of you! I also want to thank everyone for their patience and support while I was working on this issue solo for the first time. And with that I'll send you off with a quote, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.

It's about learning how to dance in the rain.

When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around."

- Vivian Greene

Editor in Chief, Leah Burkett

Photo by Cayla1 on Unsplash

T A B L E

O F

CONTENTS 3

Letter from the Editor

Travel 8

Travel the World Without Leaving Home

17

Beware the Bear: A Short Story

by Natasha Taliferro

74

by Ariel Montemayor

2 2 Abandoned Places in Japan

by Charlotte Coetzee

3 3 Another Year of Fukui Fun

by Pierre Leroux

40

Island Travel: Becoming Local

by Jake Gertz

Culture 56 62

Echizen's Sharpest: Takefu Knife Village

by Emma Williamson

A New Leaf: Making Traditional Paper

by Megan Luedtke

68

The Kani Experience

74

Making Mochi: Pounding in the New Year

33

by Nyssa Giangregorio

by Leah Burkett

22 8

56

119 102

92

109

Community 77 Welcome To Fukui

by Leah Burkett

95

92

Fukui Halloween Soccer Tournament

95

Social Media Highlight

by Iggy Jeffery

Lifestyle 102 Exhibition of Three: My First Art Exhibition

by Catherine Cornelius

109 6 Strategies to Staying Motivated

by Karim Mohanna

114 Vegan Cookbook Essentials

by Khensani Maluleka

119 American Classics at Home

by Sarah Taylor

122 Sudoku 123 Kanji Quiz 124 Credits

TRAVEL

TRAVEL

HOW TO TRAVEL THE WORLD WITHOUT

Leaving Home

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

WWW.AWAYFROMORIGIN.COM

HOW TO TRAVEL

The World WITHOUT LEAVING HOME

by Natasha Taliferro

S

ometimes a trip of a vacation is like a rollercoaster ride. You spend months or sometimes years anticipating the trip, planning out every single detail. telling all your friends about it so much that they secretly kind of hate hearing about it, and packing and unpacking your bag until it's finally the day before your flight and you're wondering if you really did pack enough underwear? If the descent up the slope of a roller coaster is before the trip and the steep drop and adrenaline is during the trip, then the kind of nauseous feeling a the pit of your stomach by the end of it is when you finally get home and drop your luggage at the door.

"Found yourself dreaming of dancing Flamenco in Spain?"

What happened to that passion and excitement?! You've just experienced the after-trip crash. You're definitely not ready to venture on another big trip again, but you don't want to lose that wanderlust and travel itch while you take a break from traveling, As a part-time traveler with a full-time job, I'm not often found traveling the world like many travel nomads are.

Instead, I save my wanderlust and travel excitement for when I finally have a vacation from work and can jump on the first bus or train to the airport. So, I've had my fair share of traveling the world from the comfort of my couch. There's so many great ways to experience different cultures without actually going to a foreign country if you're willing to look for ways to do it.

Found yourself dreaming of dancing Flamenco in Spain? Why not learn through YouTube?

Longing for some classic Japanese okonomiyaki but can't find any Japanese restaurants in your neighborhood? Find the recipe online!

Whether you're stuck at home because you just got back from a trip, can't afford to travel, don't have the time, or you're just plain grounded for the foreseeable future, there are many ways to enjoy dream destinations and foreign cultures without leaving your home-heck, sometimes without even leaving the comfort of your warm and trusty bed.

You might be itching to hop on a plane or in your car to jet off to a bucket list country or place, but what do you do when that's not possible?

If you thought, curl up in a warm blanket and eat chocolate, then I completely support that! Who wouldn't want a nice snack in a cozy environment? But, while unproductivity during a home-based vacation in today's fast-paced world is perfectly ok.

Here are 14 ways you can travel the world without leaving home (and some of these ways are FREE!).

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3. Read Travel Blogs

14 Ways to Travel from Home 1. Find Culture in Your Local Area Finding culture in your local area can be as simple as a Google search.

Now, with so many apps and resources like YouTube, GrubHub, and UberEats, you can find great cultural experiences either for free or at a cheap price!

Craving a little Mexican culture?

Type "Mexican Restaurant" in Google Maps and see what pops up. chances are there are more multicultural restaurants in your area than you think.

On a personal note, when I first moved to Fukui, Japan, I really missed dancing salsa and interacting with Latin American culture.

Luckily, with a little searching on the radio and YouTube, I was able to find the salsa music I missed so much and learn new dancing styles through great free videos in YouTube.

Tip If you're interested in leaving your house, finding culture within your local area ia as easy as stepping outside! Remember how I said I love salsa dancing?

Other than turning on the radio, I broadcasted my interests to the new friends I made in my community, and I was connected to great salsa dance group that I still dance with today!

2. Read a Book How long has it been since you've cracked open a book and sat down for a long reading session?

If you're like me, you'll sit down to read and get distracted with everything else happening in your life after a couple of minutes. I used to be the kind of kid who would run to the bookstore, buy a new book, and finish half of the book before bed Now, as an adult, reading has definitely stopped being a priority in my life, and I can read books in more than one language. That's double the fictional world's to get lost in! If you have some vacation time in your life 10

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that doesn't include travel, why not use your downtime to get back in touch with the bookworm in you?

Some books that I recommend are:

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert The Alchemist by Paulo Coelo Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer Into the Wild by Carine McCandless On the Road by Jack Kerouac

This wouldn't be a travel guide if I didn't suggest you go and read more travel guides to get the wanderlust juices flowing. Travel guides and blogs are a great way to not only travel from home, but also to plan for your next trip.

These blogs are researched and written painstakingly by people who love to do what you love to do, too: travel!

I might even venture as far as to say that writing a travel blog is a carefully mixed art of providing the information that travelers want to read while telling the actual travel story, and it often requires these travel bloggers to take notes or even write blog posts on their trip.

Other than checking out my other articles on destinations like Japan or Vietnam, and reading trips on living abroad, I recommend checking out these great travel bloggers: The Blonde Abroad The Awkward Travellers Charlies Wanderings I Am Aileen LiveLoveRunTravel Tayaramuse

"A travel blog is a carefully mixed art of providing information."

Tip If reading a book is not your thing, why not listen to a book instead? Audiobooks have become super popular and accessible over the years as you can listen to books from your Kindle, Nook, or even iPhone. There are audiobook sites out there for everyone like Amazon's Audible, on iTunes, and Google audiobooks.

Marching Powder by Rusty Young Last Train to Istanbul by AySe Kulin Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson Wild Swans by Jung Chang The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh One Hundred Years of Solitude

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami Kokoro by Natsume Soseki.

4. Go on a Virtual Museum Tour If you're the kind of person who likes to visit a museum wherever you travel, then you can also do that at home! Many museums offer free virtual tours on their websites, on YouTube, and through other resources like Google's Arts & Culture program.

You can find exhibits from your favorite museums with just a mouse click.

Missing a little of the New York action? Check out the Metropolitan Museum's online exhibits.

Need a little Parisian Charm?

The Musee d' Orsay in Paris has Virtual exhibits and tours as well.

Photo by Tomas Eidsvold on Unsplash JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 11

Queen Roma First They Killed My Father Queen of Katwe The Secret life of Walter Mitty I'm going to be honest, I only have a subscription to Netflix. While there are other shows I loved watching in the U.S that I can only find I've only allowed myself to spend money on one streaming giant.

Luckily, thanks to the kindness of friends and their VPNs, I can watch some of the more popular/mainstream tv shows or movies on other networks occasionally (watching parties, anyone?)

For Netflix loyalists, here are some international or travelfocused tv shows I recommend:

Outlander Queenie Our Planet Anothony Bourdaine's Parts Unknown Street Food

5. Watch International Movies & TV Shows We are in the best generation to easily access international movies and TV shows. All you need is a subscription (yours or your friend's/family's) to at least one of the big online networks like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, and you've got a library of movies shot in bucket list destinations. Especially now, networks like Netflix have been cranking out international shows and movies from all over the world and for very kind of viewer.

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If you have an online streaming subscription, there are quite a few movies and shows that you can watch to refill your wanderlust.

Movies, any network:

The Grand Budapest Hotel Okja/Parasite Eat, Pray, Love Mamma Mia Under the Tuscan Sun The Bucketlist Slumdog Millionaire

Have an Amazon Prime account?

Try watching..

Bizarre Foods: Destinations The Layover Planet Earth Departures

Delicious

And, let's not forget Hulu:

Anthony Bourdaine's No Reservations Basic Versus Baller: Travel at Any Cost Gaycation

6. Play Travel Board Games Board games are a great way to travel to a different location- a different worldwithout leaving your home!

Games like these are great to play when you're grounded after a long trip or have no plans for the day.

Tokkaido Citadels Jaipur Passport to Culture

7. Try Out a Little Culture Whether you're living out in the middle-of-nowhere, or in the center of a bustling city, venture out and find a little culture for yourself! It's really only a Google away. Even better, now that video=chatting has become a tried-true way to have classes and communicate, why not find a group online

and have virtual meetings?

Even in the most obscure and small towns, you can find foreign culture if you look enough for it! When I moved to Fukui, Japan, I was really bummed thinking I wouldn't be able to continue my love of Latin Dance. Little did I know, Fukui is a great epicenter for all things Latin America because of its huge BrazilianJapanese population.

8. Listen to International Music

I've been able to find Latin dance groups, Hulu dance classes, martial arts classes and many other hobbies in the small rural prefecture I call home.

Have you been avoiding the Kpop wave that has taken over the U.S these pat couple of years? Fall don the K-pop rabbit hole on YouTube and there's bound to be something you like! YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music all have great selections of music for you to choose from and get lost in.

My personal recommendations are Urban Zakapa, an indie-like Korean gorup that has a chill sound and powerful vocals and Utada Hikaru, a JapaneseAmerican soloist who has sung for some of the most poular video games.

Tip Apps like MeetUp and Groupon are great ways to try out new things with new friends or on a budget.

There's a saying out there somewhere about how music is good from the soul-or maybe that's just what I think?

Whatever the case, apps like Spotify or apple Music and YouTube are great ways to stumble on international music.

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9. Cook an International Recipe If you're stuck at home or willingly spending some down time, you've got t eat, right?

Trying out a new recipe is a great way to introduce yourself to a different culture and change up your daily routine. I mean, love eating cereal for breakfast like everyone else, but challenging a new recipe that I learned from my travels or of a destination I want to go to is a great feeling.

Plus, there's so many great online cookbooks and food bloggers out there, that you're bound to find a recipe from any place in the world.

Here are some go-to recipes I recommend:

American/New Orleans: Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta with Smoked Sausage Italy: Creamy Tuscan Chicken

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Vietnam: Sinh To Avocado Milkshake Japan: Gyudon

Bo/

Tip Don't feel like cooking that challenging recipe? Why not order in from a local restaurant that's not your usual? You'll be helping out a local business and trying a dish from a different culture!

10. Get Lost on Instagram

platform is a great way to see a destination-well, the "good" parts, at least- and get a feel for how popular it is during any given season or year. try not to stay on Instagram too long, but here are some travel Instagrammers that I recommend: @ThereSheGoesAgn @SolarPoweredBlonde @SaltInOurHair @SeoulBB @InKimono @Veggiewayfarer

After reading al those travel blogs, the next best thing to do is scroll endlessly through Instagram. Instagram is a great way to get inspiration for planning your next trip, or for scoping out locations tagged by locals.

Before I start planning any trip, I think about what kind of destination I'd like to travel to.

Instagram's photo-based

@SolarPoweredBlonde

11. Watch Travel Videos When I'm at home and not traveling (or working), one of my favorite pastimes is to watch travel videos/ From cinematic to vlog style, YouTube has so many great and informative travel videos about any country or experience you could possibly imagine. Many travel bloggers and travel guide locals have actually joined the ranks of YouTube's most popular video makers, so the depth of information is endless- usually all wrapper up in stunning visuals and dramatic soundtracks.

Some great YouTubers that i like to watch are Benn TK for cinematic videos, and Leah of AwaywithWind, an up-and-coming YouTuber that makes great, informative vlog style travel videos about Japan.

12. Learn a New Language Learning a new language is one of the greatest ways to keep an idle

mind active. I've studied (well, I'm still studying) and speak Japanese. Japanese was a language that I stumbled upon out of sheer fate when I was 14 or 15, and I've kept the language a part of my life ever since. Heck, Japanese is the reason why I'm an expat in Japan right now! That's why I'm a huge advocate for language learning.

Learning a language is a hard task, and one that will probably take a lifetime before fluency if you seriously want to speak the language, but it's a great way to prepare for a trip as well. Before every trip, I try to learn a little of the destination's language to show respect for the culture and have a little linguistic back-up if things get funky. I'm not a fluent speaker by the start of the trip, but I do feel a little safer being able to convincingly ask for the

"Learning a language is a great way to keep an idle mind active." bathroom. Over the years, I've used a ton of textbooks and mobile apps for language learning, but whether you're a short-time learner or committed for life, there are some great free and paid resources for you to use.

Rosetta Stone: I think almost everyone knows Rosetta Stone, but its peak popularity was probably about 10 years ago. It can be an expensive program as each language has a number of leveled steps to fluency, but reviews have shown that the results are worth the price.

Doulingo: I've used Doulingo to refresh my Japanese, study Korean (which I need to get back to, by the way) and crash-study French when I studied aboard in Switzerland. The free mobile app teaches you the language basics, which is perfect for a short vacation in a foreign country.

Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash

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13. Look Through Old Travel Photos

More Articles from Away From Origin:

If you're like me, you go on a trip or travel to a dream destination, take pictures of EVERYTHING and then- you get home and leave it stored on a memory card, hard drive or somewhere deep down in a box never to be seen again.

Don't be like me.

Take this time to pull out that folder of travel pictures and relive the experience! If you haven't bombarded your friend's and family with epic travel photos, now's the time to do it. Also, this is a great way to clear some space on your memory card or hard drive for your next trip.

First-Timer's Guide to Tokyo, Japan

14. Start Planning Your Next Trip Remember how I mentioned getting lost on Instagram? That is also the perfect start to planning your next trip! Planning a trip, international or domestic, can be a big task from researching locations to explore to figuring out where you're going to eat (perhaps one of the most important parts pf a trip). Not everyone is good at or comfortable planning a trip, but anyone can do it!

First, just start! Figure out where you want to go and start Googling from there. You'll find a plethora of resources such as travel blogs, Instagram posts, Pinterest pins, and YouTube videos to get you excited about your next adventure.

How to Deal with the Coronavirus as an Expat Abroad

planning a trip anytime soon? Check out my travel guides and Pinterest to give you a bit of wanderlust!

Lastly, although it may not give you the wanderlust and travel inspiration you were looking for, try to get outside and explore your local area! Oftentimes, we forget to be a tourist in our hometowns and countries, missing out on all the great things there is to offer in our own backyard. Try to get out there and be a tourist in your own city- you never know what awesome thing you'll find!

Tip If you want to see more articles like this from me check out my travel blog, Away From Origin. AFO is an affordable travel and lifestyle blog offering tips and tricks on how to maximize your travel experience without breaking the bank.

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5 Destinations in Asia to Travel to in 2020

TRAVEL

BEWARE

Bear the

BEWARE

Bear the

By Ariel Montemayor

Written from Simon Barker's perspective

The morning of September 12th, Ariel and I woke up early and eager to get ready for Makhanda's Virtual Half Marathon Event, an event to raise money for my hometown.

Having done a driving-run of the route the week before, we knew it would be a literal uphill battle in the heat - the very humid heat - of a Japanese summer. As such, we agreed to leave from my place by 9:00 a.m. to finish before the worst was due to set in. By half past 8,

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however, we received bad news: One participant, Francesco, had lost hist keys and wouldn't make it; The other, Iggy, was running late. When Iggy arrived and we started loading up the car to go to the starting point, we discovered a nasty surprise.

Iggy had forgotten his running shoes at home. Should we make the trip to get his shoes, even as the sun and temperature were climbing higher? Should we count it as a lost cause, given the bumps in the road we'd already encountered?

We decided to soldier on, and we arrived at the starting point of our marathon a full hour and a half behind schedule, Iggy in his running shoes and I on my bike - at least for the first half. our route would take us up Mt. Kariyasu past a waterwheel at

the halfway point to a campground and shrine at the top. Ariel, our chauffeur for the day, would drive the car up and wait for us with water and other refreshments at the waterwheel and pick up my bike before carrying on to the top. She dropped us off and, after a quick conference with google maps, we started our run.

Bad timing, forgotten shoes, and a blazing Japanese summer's day could do nothing to deter us, but there was one thing we hadn't accounted for and within just minutes out from our halfway point, we were stopped by a kindly gentlemen in his car.

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The man explained to Iggy that he had just seen a small bear up ahead. It didn't take long for us to figure that where there were small bears, there are bigger bears close by. We had brought out bear bells like every other hiker in Japan, but there was a big different between deterring bears from coming near and walking right into one. With this new information, there was little else for us to do but call the whole thing off.

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I pulled out my cellphone to let Ariel know and to have her pick us up, but the call didn't go through. Iggy tried his but the same thing happened. We didn't have cell service on the mountain and neither did Ariel.

We made our way back down and began calling any- and everyone we could think of to come pick us up. One friend didn't answer, another was out of town, and our options were growing thin. Finally, someone picked up the phone, out friend Ashley. After explaining the whole comedy of errors that was the situation we were currently in, she agreed to come pick us up.

You can imagine Ariel's surprise, then, when I rolled up in Ashley's car just past noon. She had been relaxing in the shade by the waterwheel completely oblivious to anything going on.

Her phone hadn't made a single peep the entire time either, just as we had suspected. We thanked Ashley for her help and collected Iggy from the base of the mountain where he waited with the bike. The run had come to a bust, but we had set out that morning to reach the top of Mt. Kariyasu and in spite of everything we were determined to reach that end. Even though it wasn't how we originally meant to get there, we took the car up to the top and enjoyed the view.

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TRAVEL

BANDONED JAPAN

Exploring

Photo by Florian Olivo on Unsplash

by Charlotte Coetzee

I

t's no secret that Japan has a plethora of abandoned buildings, their not-so-empty husks left to be once again claimed by nature.

For

some, the years that have gone by have turned them into relics of the past, their faded silhouettes sending chills down any passerby's spine. Others, though eerie in their own sense, seems to have simply hit pause, their exteriors deceptive in its beauty.

After a certain Dutch friend of mine said, "I'd die happily if I died while exploring these buildings," I had to see what the fuss was all about. Coming from a country where I'd likely face a nasty outcome

if

I

explore

abandoned

buildings, I've always made sure to keep my distance. But now, with those risks diminished, I couldn't help but be intrigued.

So, without further ado, here are my three favorite abandoned buildings to date - in no particular order.

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Kannon Onsen Hotel statue. In the end, this was a bit of pipe dream, as the hotel didn't

Ishikawa

remain open for long. Unfortunately, finding information on this hotel is about as difficult as getting my junior high school kids to say "games" and not "game". However, from first glance, it's clear this hotel was intended to be great.

We spent several hours weaving our way between the two main

My first and likely one of my most

buildings of the hotel; connected by a simple walkway. With more

memorable exploits, was the ruins of an

rooms than we cared to count, we only peaked into a few of them,

old onsen in Ishikawa. Located next to the

surprised to find what good state they were in. Curtains still hung

Great Buddha statue in Kaga, this hotel

silently before the screen windows, the tatami unmarred even by

was (apparently) built as a place to host all

time. Some still had their futons neatly folded into the cupboard as

those flocking to come see the giant

though waiting to be taken out and used at any time. If someone

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were to show me a photograph of the room, I'd have a hard time believing it was abandoned.

Despite the good state of the rooms, the same could not be said for all parts of the hotel. Aside from the possessions left behind, it was clear that others had taken to using it as a secret dumping ground. From childhood toys to a mint-condition Cadillac, the hotel would be any hoarder's dream. We even found a grand total of three piano's scattered across the bar and lounge area (and no, it clearly had not been left behind by the hotel). It was thanks to these objects that we could at least get an idea about when the hotel closed down. Some fo the magazine dated back to 2005, but of course, this could've just been dumped here.

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"... an amazing onsen lost to ruins & rubble."

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Now, for the crowning feature of this hotel- the onsen.

Located in the left-hand building (when coming from the Buddha), the onsen truly was something to behold.

Two floors of the hotel had been hollowed out to make room for it; the floor-to-ceiling windows letting in a ample light compared to the dimly-lit hallways we had come from. It was almost sad to think that such a spectacular onsen had gone to ruins and rubble. I'm sad to say that it set a new standard for me, yet I hadn't even used it.

Due to ease of access and remarkably god taste, this is an easy adventure for anyone wanting to explore.

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Ski Resort, Fukui

This ski resort, located comfortably next to Route

shelves. This was in stark contrast to the second room,

161, is impossible to miss. It's triangle-shaped

where the floor had sunk in, creating a sinkhole of

roof, worn down by the elements, makes it stand

equipment.

out like a sore thumb. Where our previous location stood still in time, this location had been

Our first encounter was the flooded barroom, the once

marred by it. Overgrown and somewhat flooded,

white walls now covered in moss. A faded reservation

this building needs some careful footwork, though

sign sat lonely on one of the tables and I couldn't help

I wouldn't quite call it unsafe.

but think that its reserver likely missed their booking.

Despite its dilapidated state, I could see how it once

We first set off along the outside of the building,

may have been a nice spot for people to unwind after a

dredging our way through a bit of swamp to my

long day on the slopes.

sandal-wearing demise. However, this leads you to the rental area at the back of building, and oh

Reaching the main area, or what we so assumed, we

my, did my hoarding tendencies flare up. Although

had quite the treasure hunt. Having been turned into

covered in dust and rust, the first room was

what I can only describe as a "find-it" game, the main

exactly as it had been left, skis neatly stacked

area held more than a few little golden nuggets. I'll let

along the back wall and snowboards still on their

you decide for yourself what about it you find most

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interesting, but my personal favorite still remains the pitchfork stabbed into the roof. The most ironic part is that I hadn't noticed it until I was looking at my photos afterwards. Though luckily I didn't miss the telephone

third floor and perhaps reach the stairwell at the back of the building. You

hanging by its cord from the

may be tempted to go up and find that there's a staircase leading into the

roof.

ceiling. Should you do all this, you'll find yourself in a small maze of sorts, it's walls reaching up to your waist (if you're about 165m that is). Even more

Now,

for

the

most

surprising than this little labyrinth, is a hidden room in the attic; it's only

confusing and thrilling part

door a hole in the stone wall. And there, tucked into the corner beside a

of this abandoned beauty.

window-covered wall, is an old bed. It's tatami mattress claimed by nature.

Say you were to enter the

Were you to test your heart and venture through the dark attic, you'll likely

building, head up to the

have about a thousand and one questions... and answers to none.

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North Korean Scho GIFU

Yes. That Korea. Now, as exciting as the North

nto lush green field over the years. With not a

Korea bit of the name sounds, it is just a normal

single door or window left unbroken- likely not

school. Or well, it used to be. But simply adding

time's fault- the school welcomed us with open

the name of such a debated country certainly

arms.

does allow the mind to come up with all kinds of crazy ideas and theories. These ideas tend to run

For the most part, the school was entirely empty.

even more rampant when you're walking through

All except one room, which required some careful

the hallowed, glass-covered halls of the school.

footwork across the heavily rotting door put

Miraculously empty, this school stands as a

down as a makeshift bridge. The floor in that spot

skeleton of its former glory. With a sprinkle of

- and only that one spot- had crumbled away

imagination, it's not difficult to envision how nice

almost entirely. In this circular room, a very odd

a school it must've been.

array of objects could be found. Scattered across the floor, I couldn't quite bring myself to search

Our journey began with some good old-fashioned

through the damp and molding heaps for fear of

trail blazing through mosquito-infested grounds.

what I might uncover. Instead a friend and I

What used to be dirt and dust had transformed i

hunched over a Korean textbook, it's pages

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ool,

exposed, ink faded by the light determining that it was an old history book.

I don't have quite that much more to say about this place.

Unlike the other two, what made it memorable to me isn't what can be described. Perhaps it's just that it was a school which likely had so many happy memories, only to be forgotten and undone by time. Or perhaps it's the North Korea element, allowing for wild theories to rear their ugly heads. All I know is that I can't quite shake the feeling of walking through the empty rooms, mind ablaze with thoughts of what was and what could've been.

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" I'D DIE HAPPY IF I DIED EXPLORING THESE PLACES." ELINE OOMEN - THE DUTCH FREIND

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FUKUI Experience FUN TRAVEL

Discovering Fukui's Best Of Fukui Fun

ANOTHER YEAR

By Pierre Leroux

Hey everyone! My name is Pierre and I have been living and working in Fukui since August of 2019 as part of the JET Program. You see me here standing with my dear friend and Fukui mascot HappyRyu -Happy Dino - on the coast of Minami-Echizen Town, announcing the opening of the Echizen Gani crab season (launched every year from November 6th!)

I regularly post pictures and videos of my latest travels around the prefecture on Experience Fukui so you might want to check it out! For the latest on everything fun and delicious Fukui has to offer, follow me on...

皆さん、こんにちは！2019年8⽉からJETプロ

グラムの参加者として福井県で暮らしているピ エールです。写真を⾒てもらうと、私のそばに ⽴っているのは福井県のゆるキャラであり私の 親友の「はぴりゅう」です！南越前町の海岸に 出向いたのは、毎年11⽉6⽇に⾏われる越前がに の解禁をみなさんにお伝えするためでした！私 は、県内を回り「 Experience Fukui 」という SNS やユーチューブチャンネルにて福井の魅⼒ をリポートしているのでよければ⾒てください ね！福井の楽しい・⾯⽩い・美味しいは以下の 「Experience Fukui」をフォロー...

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の修⾏場所・永平寺の所在地として有 名です。永平寺町にあるこの⽇本の曹 洞宗の⼤本⼭は、700年以上前に曹洞宗 の開祖の道元禅師によって開かれまし た。お寺では、実際に修⾏中のお坊さ んの⽇常を垣間⾒ることができます。 この本格的な禅寺で700年間という⻑年 にわたって変わることなく受け継がれ てきた禅の精神と教えを経験すること は、⼀⽣忘れられない思い出になるで しょう。 Right in front of the temple lies a charming shopping district where visitors can stock up on local 'omiyage' souvenirs and get their fill of Eiheiji Town's most iconic foods.

And before the gates of Eiheiji stands the brand new Hakujukan Hotel (2019 opening), an "Inn Close to Zen" where visitors who spend the night can engage in 'zazen' seated meditation under the guidance of "Zen Concierges" trained at Eiheiji. The whole experience feels like an overnight stay at a temple!

⼤本⼭永平寺の⾨前には、永平寺のお ⼟産を⼿に⼊れたり、永平寺グルメを 楽しんだりできる商店街が広がりま す。それに、禅コンシェルジュのもと で本格的な座禅体験を宿泊者に提供す る「親禅の宿 柏樹関」が⾨前で2019 年にオープンしました。まるで宿坊に いるよう！ "Find Your Zen" in Fukui Through this short article, I would like to introduce a few of the many things to do, see, and eat around our beautiful prefecture that I discovered throughout the last year. First up is the Eiheiji Temple.

Fukui is famous around the country and abroad for being home to Japan's largest Zen Buddhist training site: The Eiheiji Temple. Located in Eiheiji Town, the temple - the headquarters of Soto Zen in Japan - was established more than 700 years ago by the founder of the famous school of Buddhism, Zen Master Dogen.

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Here worshippers and other visitors get to watch actual monks in training going about their daily lives around the temple.

Witnessing the spirit and the teachings of Zen, unchanged over the centuries, in this authentic Zen Buddhist temple truly is an unforgettable experience.

この記事では今年私が取材した、⼤好 きな福井県が誇る盛りだくさんの体験 や名所、⻝などの中からいくつかをピ ックアップし皆さんにご紹介したいと 思います。まずは永平寺です。福井は ⽇本中や海外でも⽇本最⼤の禅仏教の

"Feels like an overnight stay at a temple."

Look at this feast! At the Hakujukan Hotel, I could also try 'shojin ryori vegetarian Buddhist cuisine for the first time. In the world of Zen, meals are an integral part of the monks' training. The cuisine that derived from the dietary restrictions of Buddhist monks in this vegetarian 'shojin ryori'.

The Buddhist cuisine centers around soy-based foods and other fresh products of the land. Some local Fukui items include 'gomadofu' sesame tofu, an Eiheiji specialty. Plot twist: 'Goma dofu' is not really tofu, however, as it is not made of soybeans but rather of crsuhed sesame seeds and 'kudzu' Japanese arrowroot starch boiled in water and then chilled like tofu.

この豪華なご馳⾛をみてください！ 「柏樹関」では、仏教のベジタリアン 料理「精進料理」を⼈⽣で初めていた

だきました。禅の世界では⻝事は⼤切 な修⾏の⼀つ。仏教の信念から⽣まれ たのは「精進料理」です。精進料理は ⼤⾖から作られる料理や⾃然の恵みを 中⼼にしています。なかでも福井らし い料理といえば永平寺名物の「胡⿇⾖ 腐」。胡⿇⾖腐は、⾖腐と違い⼤⾖で はなく、砕けた胡⿇やクズを煮てから ⾖腐のように冷やしてかためたもので す。 Revisiting a Tale of Epic Proportions

2020 will be remembered for many things. But did you know that it was also when Fukui took center stage on national television?

Earlier this year, the 2020 edition of the annual 'taiga' epic drama, produced by the national broadcaster NHK, featured an exciting Echizen - present-day Fukui - Storyline!

This year's period drama, "Kirin ga Kuru" or "Awaiting Kirin" - in reference to the mythological creature - centers around the historical figure of Mitsuhide Akechi, a general who lived during the 'sengoku' Warring States period of feudal Fukui, so throughout the year, I got to travel around the prefecture to share some of that history with everyone!

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Many of the places around Fukui that witnessed this complex Warring States drama unfold over the centuries now introduce this part of Japanese history to visitors through exhibits, events and other fun activities.

A walk around the Kumagawa-juku Historic Post Town of Wakasa Town (picture 1), the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Historic Ruins of Fukui City (picture 2) or the Kanegasakigu Shrine of Tsuruga City (picture 3) is the prefect way to get a feeling of these great feats of Fukui's past.

年もいろいろありましたね。その 中で、福井が全国的な⼈気の時代劇に 登場したのをご存じでしたか。公共放 送の NHK が放送する⼤河ドラマは今 年、越前（現・福井県）も舞台になり ました。今年の⼤河ドラマ・麒麟が 2020

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くるでは、戦国時代（15世紀半ば〜17 世紀前半）に活躍した武将・明智光秀 の⼈⽣が物語られています。主⼈公で ある光秀は福井にゆかりがあり、今年 はその歴史を皆さんに伝えるために県 内で点在するゆかりの地を巡ってきま した！戦国時代に繰り広げられた歴史 の舞台になった県内のゆかりの地は 今、展⽰やイベントなどいろんな楽し い⽅法でその歴史を紹介しています。 若狭町の熊川宿（写真１）や福井市の ⼀乗⾕朝倉⽒遺跡（写真２）、敦賀市 の⾦ヶ崎宮（写真３）を散策したら、 福井が持つ⻑い歴史が体感できます よ！ Feeling on Top of the World

A park on top of a mountain? With hot baths to dip your feet in while enjoying a panoramic view of the

of the Sea of Japan AND the Five Lakes of Mikata? Count me in! All this ( and so much more) is available at the Rainbow Line Summit Park overlooking the towns of Mihama and Wakasa. The Cool Japan Award 2019 winning attraction went through a huge renewal and reopened in April 2020, now offering more fun than ever!

Located near Kyoto, the region is famous for facing the Sea of Japan, but the beautiful lakes are also well worth the trip!

A great way to get to know the area and meet with locals is by going on a bike tour of the Five Lakes Mikata. On your trip, I highly recommend you try a local favorite: squid 'donburi' rice bowls!

in the production of handmade 'washi'! And did you know that Japan's first national paper money was also printed on Echizen Washi?

公園が⼭の上に？そして、⾜湯を楽し みながら、⽇本海と三⽅五湖を⼀度に 眺められる？それは気になりますね。 美浜町と若狭町をまたぐレインボーラ イン⼭頂公園では、その他にも楽しめ る体験が盛りだくさん！「クールジャ パンアワード2019」受賞のこの観光名 所は、2020年4⽉にリニューアルオー プンし、今まで以上楽しいモノ満載に なりました。三⽅五湖を有する福井県 南部では、満喫できることがいっぱ い！京都の隣にあるこのエリアは、⽇ 本海に⾯しており、⽔深や塩分がそれ ぞれ違い⽔⾯の⾊も違う三⽅五湖⾃体 も地域の⾒どころ！三⽅五湖を⼀周す るサイクリングコースがオススメ！途 中で地元の名物「イカ丼」を味わうの も楽しみの⼀つですね。

Echizen Washi According to the legend, a women the Kawa-kami Gozen - appeared here more than 1,500 years ago to teach the papermaking trade to the villagers, who then began worshipping her at the nearby Okamoto Otaki Shrine as a paper goddess, the only one in Japan.

Now, Fukui is number one in Japan

「1,500年以上にわたってMade in Japan ブランドを⽀えてきた技 術」福井には代々受け継がれてき た、皆さんも鑑賞したり体験した りできる『千年⽂化』と伝統⼯芸 があります。その⼀部を味わった り体験したりするために、越前 市・越前町・鯖江市でできている 丹南エリアにお邪魔しました！最 初に訪れたのは越前市にある越前 和紙の⾥です。伝説によると、約 1500年前に「川上御前」と名付け られた⼥性がここに現れ村⼈に紙 すきを教え、地元の岡太神社・⼤ 瀧神社で⽇本唯⼀の紙の神様とし て祀られるようになりました。現 在、福井は⼿すき紙の⽣産量で⽇ 本⼀を誇ります。そして⽇本最初 のお札⽤紙に越前和紙が採⽤され たのをご存じでしたか。

Fukui Crafts Behind the "Made in Japan" Brand for over 1,500 years. Fukui is also home to a millenary culture and craftsmanship that were passed down through generations and are still well alive and available for visitors to discover and experience.

In order to get to know some of the traditional crafts of Fukui (and try my hand at a few in the process!), I traveled around the Tannan area of Echizen City, Echizen Town and Sabae City.

My first stop was the Echizen Washi Village of traditional Japanese paper, in Echizen City.

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Takefu Knife In my quest for crafts, I then headed over to the Takefu Knife Village of Echizen City, a cooperative where artisans come together to create world-class Japanese quality blades: The Echizen Knife. The facility went through a renewal and in August of 2020, a new set of cool-looking buildings, housing an extended factory space, a revamped store and an exhibit hall, opened!

Top chefs and patissiers through Japan and the whole world choose the amazing blades of Fukui because of their sharpness and ability to slice cleanly and with ease. The thin and incredibly light blades are resistant to damage and maintain their sharpness very well.

How about making your very own Echizen Knife under the guidance of a skilled professional ?

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伝統⼯芸に触れる旅が続き、職⼈が⼀ 緒になって世界屈指の越前打刃物に励 む、越前市のタケフナイフビレッジに 向かいました。2020年8⽉に、⼯場が 拡張して作られ、売店や展⽰ホールが 設けられた新館がオープンしました！ 越前打刃物は切れ味がよく、滑らかで 綺麗にスライスできるので、⽇本や世 界中のトップシェフやパティシエも、 福井の素晴らしい刃を選んでいます。 すごく軽くて薄い刃は、損傷に強く、 切れ味をとてもよく維持します。今 度、職⼈の案内により⾃分の越前打刃 物を作ってみてはいかがですか。 Echizen Pottery Next up on our itinerary is Echizen Town, home of the Echizen Yaki pottery.

Echizen Yaki stands among the Six Ancient Kilns of Japan, ceramics that were given the Japan Heritage status. Echizen's pottery history dates back to more than

850 years ago. In the Middle Ages, its production - which centered on everyday items such as pots, jars, tea utensils and other drinking containers- developed into the biggest in the Hokuriku region comprising the prefectures of Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyama.

The local wares, notable for their simple texture and natural beauty, are also recognizable by their dark reddish-brown color and their strong and leakproof qualities.

At the Prefectural Museum of Ceramics, I could make a cute teacup, of which I am very proud!

次に訪れたのは、越前焼の舞台となる 越前町。越前焼は⽇本遺産に認定され たやきもの「⽇本六古窯」の⼀つで す。越前焼の歴史は、850年前にさか のぼります。壺や甕、茶器や酒器など ⽇⽤品の⽤途が多い越前焼は、中世 に、福井県・⽯川県・富⼭県を含む北 陸地⽅で最⼤の陶芸産地になっていま した。茶褐⾊という⾊合いと、⽔を通 さず頑丈なところも特徴です。福井県 陶芸館では、今も愛⽤しているマイ湯 のみを作りました！

Sabae Glasses In Sabae City, the center of eyewear production in Japan, I could visit an eyeglass factory and try polishing a cute little accessory made of frame material. As the local frames account for over 20% of the worldwide production, Sabae City is without a doubt the perfect place for such a fun activty! once a year, RENEW - the largest industrial tourism event in Japan is held across Sabae City, Echizen City and Echizen Town, the center of 'monozukuri' crafts in Fukui Prefecture. This year's edition, Re: RENEW2020, took place on October 9-11 and you can bet I was there!

Over the course of the weekend, the artisans behind seven local craftsEchizen Lacquerware, Echizen Washi traditional Japanese Paper, Echizen Knives, Echizen Chests, Echizen Yaki pottery, eyeglasses and fabric - open their studios to the public so that we can visit their facilities and partake in all kinds of workshops. The aim is for visitors to get to know the people and the stories behind the rich 'monozukuri' traditions of Fukui. The event also offers many opportunities to try making something yourself or get

your hands on some delightful wares created by local craftspeople.

⽇本における眼鏡の⽣産の中⼼となる 鯖江市で、眼鏡の⼯房を⾒学し、フレ ームの材料でできたかわいいアクセサ リーを磨くワークショップにチャレン ジすることもできました。眼鏡のフレ ームの世界シェアの２０％を誇る鯖江 ならではの体験ですね！毎年、⽇本最 ⼤規模の産業観光イベント 「 RENEW 」が、福井県のものづくり ⼯芸の中⼼となる鯖江市・越前市・越 前町で開かれます。今年は 「Re:RENEW2020」として10⽉9⽇〜 11⽇に開催され、私も参加してきまし た！会期中は、越前漆器・越前和紙・ 越前打刃物・越前箪笥・越前焼・眼 鏡・繊維の7産地の⼯房・企業を開放 し、⾒学や様々なワークショップが楽 しめます。福井のものづくりの作り⼿ の思いや背景を知ることがイベントの ⽬的の⼀つです。また、⾃分でものを 作るワークショップに参加したり、地 元の職⼈が創った素敵な商品を購⼊し たりできます。皆さんも来年参加して みませんか。

of natural beauty and the delicious foodstuff that they nurture, as well as the millenary culture and craftsmanship that were passed down through generations around these parts and are still cherished to this day.

But this is only the beginning!

There is still a lot more to discover in Fukui...

「ふくい旅はまだまだ続きます」短い 記事ではありましたが、福井が誇るた くさんの魅⼒のいくつかをご紹介して きました。福井に⽣きる「禅」と禅宗 から⽣まれた⽂化、⽇本という国の歴 史における⼤きな役割を果たしてきた 名所、⼤⾃然とその育む⻝⽂化、代々 受け継がれてきた『千年⽂化』と伝統 ⼯芸など。しかし福井には魅⼒がまだ まだありますよ！これからも⼀緒に福 井を巡って体感しましょう!

So Much Yet to See

Over this short article, I introduced some of the best Fukui has to offer; Zen Buddhism and the whole culture it gave birth to, historic places of importance that contributed greatly to the making of Japan as we know it today, sites

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TRAVEL

Island Travel Becoming Local

Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

Adventures in a Distant Land

By Jake Gertz

Wanna get Lost?

Most of us feel we've come to an unknown place when beginning teaching in Fukui. as the saying goes, "Where the Fukui is that?"

Living in Katsuyama, it especially feels like I've reached the pinnacle of the inaka. There are many local farms and frequent bear attacks. but no. There are plenty of Family Marts and Lawson's here. So instead let's think back to a thousand years ago before COVID19 existed. Where we can find many beautiful natures.

Back to the time ancient forest spirits roamed the earth and people crossed the narrow sea by barrel boats. Today we're going to learn about monkey families and wolf gods we can easily meet in Japan.

It was Christmas of 2017. The previous summer having traveled west to Osaka, the culture difference was profound. normally people around Tokyo area or Fukui are a little shyer and more reserved. Osaka was a different story. People would openly come up to me and ask me to hang out with them. It was great for practicing Japanese and getting to make friends. That's why that Christmas I made my way all the way down to the south end of Kyushu. Kagohshima City.

C o m e

f o r

f o r

t h e

t h e

a n i m e ,

S t a y

p e o p l e

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The Naples of Japan K a g o s h i m a

C i t y :

Having arrived at the station, you find they take Santa seriously. On Christmas day there were actors hired to sing carols outside the station mall both dressed as holiday elves and as Santa. Along with the unusual holiday cheer, creepy robot Santa would wave menacingly as tourists and locals passed by.

One thing becomes exceptionally clear when arriving in Kyushu. It's much warmer than the rest of Japan. All you need is a clean t-shirt and jeans. What a wonderful break it was from the never-ending snowfall.

So at first, I went to the place where every ALT goes when arriving in a new city; Mr. Donut. Had some donut spaghetti for lunch and made my way to the business hotel in the city center. The staff there was really surprised to see a gaijin using the place. most of them stay around the train station. We hit if off pretty well and I told him the usual info.

Teaching in Japan, from America. Lots of dinosaurs in Katsuyama. He gave me a map of the city so I could get around more easily and a key to the room. The place was fantastic. It was advertised as a capsule hotel, but it had a small desk, a full-sizes bunkbed, and a landline phone. Man, who needs smartphones when you got a vintage landline? I stashed my goods and did what any good traveler does.

Try to get lost in a new place.

Photo by Parco Chan on Unsplash

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Photo by Christian Chen on Unsplash

Photo by Christian Chen on Unsplash

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o itsu

by M o t Pho

After traversing the city for a while, the next stop was Lawsons. While sitting down to have lunch, a Canadian ALT approached me to ask what I was doing by myself on Christmas. He offered me some Chu-hai and we had a nice long talk.

He mentioned teaching at one of the elementary schools on the western peninsula of the prefecture.

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sh pla Uns n ao oriy Kom

The volcano that lies just south spews ash every month or so and that is the reason special colored plastic bags are found stashed throughout homes and stores throughout the city. They are specifically used for strong volcanic ash. I was lucky enough to have just missed the previous explosion since the ash gets in your eyes and nose and ears. Everyone races home when the volcano erupts to prevent ash from getting in every orifice of their body. It's certainly a spectacle I'm glad that I missed.

Teh accursed island S a k u r a j i m a

Hearing so much about the volcano, I came to learn it is the main attraction of the city. There are tours of it, and you can walk around providing it's not active. The ALT told me to head to the port and grab a ferry.

Next thing I know, coming to the port I run into all the famous Kagoshima attractions: The Aquarium, the lava rock diamond jeweler's shop, a preserved samurai garden and residence overlooking the Volcano and most importantly of all, the port.

FYI, the samurai (Satsuma) domain was the setting for 2003's film, The Last Samurai.

It was based on a Samurai who held out against the newly formed Meiji government.

Plenty of preserved areas from the period exist around the city and eastern peninsula.

At the port, I met another former ALT who was spending the holidays traveling to the same places. He currently teaches at a university and said it is exactly like teaching high school. He has a Harry Potter sticker reward system for getting students to answer questions in class. The more stickers the students acquire, the closer they get to a goal line on his Harry Potter racing spread sheet.

After discussing teaching, he helped me get tickets for the ferry and the bus tour of the island. He spoke very fluent Japanese so it was a huge help. Still, he mentioned getting tripped up by all the kanji readings even long into his life in Japan.

Sakurajima is a beautiful island to take pictures of from across the bay. Walking around it is a tad less interesting.

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There are a couple of stops we made. First at a 20-year-old sculpture made after a big rock festival took place on the island.

Then at the famous footbath heated by lava water and finally to the observatory at the peak of the island. After 90 minutes, the novelty starts to wear off. no one lives on the island, there is no permanent man-made structures (besides the observatory). Trying to walk around the island is futile since everything is so widely spread apart.

Quite shocking is that the land bridge which connects the volcano to the eastern peninsula was formed only 100 years ago after an eruption. At low tide, one can walk across it without need for a boat.

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bought some local oranges grown on the island and left. plenty more to do and see.

Made it first to the jewelry store. The staff were very welcoming. They gave me the run down on how the diamonds are processed and procured using the lava rock from the volcano. After the lava is cooled different gem types are discovered. They cool them down and shape them into various goods. Next stop, the garden.

Sengan-en garden is one of the most beautiful gardens in all of Japan.

Besides being a former samurai residence and overlooking the volcano, it had a number of verdant plants, flowers and several exhibits relating to samurai history. If you ever come to Kagoshima, that is the number one place to visit by far.

Next it was time for what I really came to Kyushu for. The Princess Mononoke Island. All aboard!

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Princess Mononoke Island y a k u s h i m a

I s l a n d

Yakushima is one of the four natural World Heritage sites in Japan. When I was a teenager, Princess Mononoke was the first anime film I ever watched in a movie theater.

Still to this day it's my favorite Ghibli film.

When I heard it was based upon the forest of this island, I had to go visit. I didn7t know it was a real place. The animators lived there for a few months to get the look as close as possible for the movie.

Getting there involve either taking a too expensive 30-minute flight or a slow-moving four-an-a-half-hour ferry to the port of Yakushima from Kagoshima port. I decided to do what the locals do and take the slow path. On the ship I discovered most of the people visiting have parents or grandparents living on the island. They work in Kagoshima but are from the island. they work in Kagoshima but are from the island. Because the island is mainly a tourist sight, they must commute to Kagoshima by ferry. most end up living in the city and travel back when they have holiday time.

After getting off the ship with a few other tourists, my hopes to explore the island by foot were quickly dashed. Despite it being one of the smaller Japanese islands, Yakushima is still 130 kilometers in diameter.

One quickly learns it is impossible to get around without a vehicle.

Was this really the island? It didn't look like the movie. It looked like Katsuyama with fewer dinosaurs. Plenty of mountains everywhere but not a whole lof of forest.

Turns out you have to drive to the center of the island to experience this. Walking 50km by foot wasn't going to happen so I tried for about 7.

After getting a bit lost, I ran into a local Buddhist monk who invited me to ring the

the night bell with several other locals of the island. Happy to make a new friend I agreed to return in a few hours.

He told m there are no convenience stores on the island and the best way to get food was via the local grocery store.

Dunch that night was a couple of oranges. Surprisingly, they are the size of grapefruits. I didn't know oranges could get that big!

The monk and several of his friends and family were waiting at the bell. Some grandparents and their elementary school aged kids. We had a nice long talk about life on the island. Yakushima is known as the rain island since it rains 1/3 of the year. So., a little like Katsuyama.

With my limited Japanese I told them about Katsuyama and some dialect words. then they taught me some Kagoshima-ben and we rang the bell for the evening. One of the grandkids helped me find a restaurant for dinner.

Turns our the island has some delicious sashimi.

Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

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I thanked the girl and she left.

The grandparents told me her and her friends go to elementary school on the main island and were here to visit during the holidays.

I found a Ryokan for the next couple of nights which appeared to be someone's big house with extra rooms. Inside was air-con, a TV, a bed, a couch, and a full shower + sink. This place was a bed and breakfast,. When I lived in Italy, the B&B's had no breakfast. The extra B is for BYOBB. Brunch consisted of Yakushima orange, natto, pancakes, orange juice, milk, and fish. It tasted amazing. I met a hiking blogger from Tokyo while eating. He told me a place to rent a car and was surprised I could speak some Japanese. We've come to be friends on LINE ever since the travels.

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Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

M i s t y

V a l l e y

Walking to the car rental shop I experienced the same facial expression that greeted me the first time in Fukui Bank; pure dread.

My initial thought was they don't have too many foreigners renting out vehicles in this place or they were worried about communicating with me. The sstaff was trying very hard to stay calm and tell me they needed all sorts of certificates and information regarding renting a car in Japan. Then they said a local friend needs to sign for e to rent the car. I whipped out my shiny new driver's license and immediately the attitude changed.

What? You live in Japan? he fear in their eyes melted away. Okay, now we were getting somewhere. Almost immediately I could sign for a two-day rental. It's an absolute necessity if you're going to visit the island in the off-season. The buses stop running.

First stop, the lesser traveled area.

Yakusugi Land. People go here to find ancient cedar trees. It's claimed the one in the center of the island is 8,000 years old but there is no way to know for sure. I believe the mana tree in many games and anime series are based off this tree.

On my way, I often had to stop for families of monkeys crossing the road. Did you know monkeys have line leaders? The would is full of surprises.

It was time for a pretty intense hike.

Physical activity aside, the center of the whole island is absolutely beautiful. Stunning pictures and video can hardly do it justice. The smell of cedar, the sound of the rivers, animals moving through the bramble of the woods, waterfall rushing over cliffs. It is a truly remarkable place.

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" y o u

s e e

y o u

d o n ' t

t h e

Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

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j u s t

i t ,

i t . "

y o u

You don't see the nature. You smell it, you feel it. All you senses become attuned to an ancient forest.

Streams running across boulders, green trees harboring crows, cool air lacking any fog or pollution. It's quite the place to experience time flowing in a different way. The local people live on the coast and the center is for travelers, hikers, animals, and trees.

You also learn that quite a large portion of the movie was based on actual events. At one point in the past the island was almost destroyed by over-logging. Since then, it has been reseeded and preserved as a natural World Heritage site.

Along he path certain larger cedar trees are marked as being 800, 1,200 and estimated 2,000 years old.

On the path I met two hikers. They were a traveling couple from the Nerima area of Tokyo. Nerima is probably the nicest suburb of Tokyo, it is also where Doraemon

is set and is considered by many to be the birthplace of anime as TOEI studies is located there.

Turns our they came for the same reason I did and were surprised to see a foreigner so far away from Tokyo. most tourists hit big cities like Tokyo or Osaka, not cultural gems like the islands. They always go hiking around the country. We talked about Nerima and our favorite Ghibli films and hiked together for awhile until the paths diverged. I met a lot of people on this island within just a few short days.

I took the car to the center of the island. The previous night I had returned to the monk and locals to ring the bell again. He asked when I would be returning. I wanted to comeback the next year but so far it hasn't happened. it's strange, this island really has a way of welcoming you that doesn't happen in

other areas of Japan. It felt necessary to thank them and say goodbye.

famous movie scenes T h e

R o c k

Next stop was the southern center of the island. It was my last day and I only had the car until 2pm so I had to be quick.

Using the car's Japanese GPS, I managed to make it there with only monkey traffic on the road.

I took the 3-hour total path to the Mononoke forest. All along the way you can recognize places from the movie and see even more ancient trees. on the way there are plenty of log cabins for hikers JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 53

"

t h e

k n e w

who prepare ahead of time. The cabins are empty, so they are minimum shelter from the elements at night. At the top of the path, you can see a giant stone slab over looking the forest valley. Much to my surprise it is modeled after the one seen in the film. They only sad part was there were no gaint wolves to tell me stories.

You sit atop that rock, taking it all in and snapping a million photos. The place you never knew existed was the one you wanted to come to all along.

Taking the ship back was a good chance to reflect on the journey. The place was amazing, sure, but I would never consider going back again without friends, if not for the people I met. Kyushu is often called the friendliest place in Japan and it's not hard to see why. At no other place in Japan did I make so many friends so quickly.

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p l a c e

y o u

e x i s t e d

o n e

y o u

c o m e

t o

n e v e r

w a s

w a n t e d

a l l

t h e

t o

a l o n g . "

Every time you visit a new place, it's the people that make or break a trip.

My goal for a long time has been to visit every prefecture in Japan. I would have succeeded a year ago but COVID got me stuck at a close 46.

Whether it be locals in Osaka inviting me out to drink more than a few beers or hikers in the forest sharing stories, the journey is only worth it, if you can make connections along the way. Luckily, there have only been a few unfriendly places that come to mind but I guarantee that it will never be an issue in the south. The next chance to explore, if the world ever returns to what it was before, starts in Kyushu. I can't recommend it to you enough, because the people there are the friendliest I've ever met.

CULTURE

CULTURE

by Emma Williamson

Echizen's Sharpest Takefu Knife Village

There's a number of things in Fukui that are pretty much a rite of passage for us to go to, from Tojimbo up north, to Eiheiji for the good Zen feelings, then Wakasa to pretend we're ohashi jouzu, and so on. What's in the middle?

According to my students, we've got a trifecta - Takefu Knife Village, Echizen Soba and Echizen Washi Village. The

main honchos of the Manyo area, and their personal favourites.

So I'm pretty fortunate that my school is so close to these big boys, not only for general 'I-canget-there-easily' fandango but also I get the full opportunity to flaunt that I'm a good ALT and doing the local stuff.

Let's go full reporter mode.

Though I do apologise for my inability to take photos with any manner of decency. An influencer, I am not.

Photo by Takefu Knife VIllage

Today on your Echizen Tour, we've got the Takefu Knife Village. I actually visited here on my birthday last year. No better way to get my inherent rage out for becoming another year older than making a weapon. I'll take you through the experience day, hopefully resulting in a 'Wow! We don't have that in my country. Let's try it!'

Little bit of backstory, we all love a good dialogue, eh?

Echizen uchihamono, like hatchets, sickles and knives, have been

around for a long time. 14th century level long time, and originated with Chiyozuru Kuniyazu. These items became pretty well known in Japan. Since then, Takefu was actually the first area officially recognized as the Traditional Producing District by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

The Knife Village as we know it, however, has been in operation since the early 90's, but was in planning since the 70's. The forge masters there now still make everything manually, in the style JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 57

"Now That's a Knife!"

Photo by Takefu Knife VIllage

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and techniques passed down to them from masters before them.

Looking for some nice souvenirs? he main entrance of the complex has lots of original pieces varying from traditional to contemporary.

Want to see how they do it? you can stand on the viewing deck to watch the process by the experts.

Punctuated every so often with my penchant for repeating "Now THAT'S a knife." in varying levels of terrible and possibly offensive dialect. To start the experience day, we arrive early and I've only had one coffee prior. Some might say this is a disaster for me, but it was my birthday and I wanted a lie-in, sue me. introduction and inevitable safety check ensure, then suave apron and goggles a go-go. Sadly, sunglasses had to be removed. Shame.

Next we're equipped with a large metal baton. This is not to be swung like a sword. People judge you. Somehow, I'm to turn this into a sleek cutting apparatus and I have doubts. I enjoyed metalwork in school, but there's a difference

between making a wonky metal keychain over numerous weeks and a 'hello I will slice digits like tofu' ouch tool in a few hours.

We're guided over to the furnace, given a short demo then let loose. Honestly, aside from the last part, this was m favourite. It was repetitive, but genuinely ace. Put baton in furnace, make it burny burny hot hot, bring out and beat vigorously until it cools. Rinse, repeat.

Maybe it's residual caveman mentality, but there's something really satisfying about it.

So this would take an age to finish if just by the power of rage and whisky, so we alternated between hammer and machine. The machine is Terrifying as the petal is like a car accelerator. Also awesome...mostly awesome.

Now I've got a battered bit of metal, what's next? But how are we going to make it remotely knife-y shape? You are not skilled. Indeed. There is a solution.

Let's use an enormous press! Oooh! You only get one shot at this, make it count.

Look at that! Its all smooth and knife looking! Are we done? Absolutely not.

This wouldn't cut jelly. Or it would, it just wouldn't give the ASMR feels. To the next beating machine, off you go! Let's get an edge on this bad bay.

Obviously, having an edge on a knife is pretty important. But this can go really wring here, and you're warned to be careful of beating it too much. It's metal, but make it fine and it'll easily break. Also, uneven blade does not a knife make.

More accelerator, much excitement. but also very fiddly. This thing skids about like a toddler on ice, so gripping it gives you some sweet arm gains. Somewhat.

Onto sanding and buffering! Such concentration. There's a much larger machine with a stone to polish the metal.

There's a lot of back and forth here, but that's mostly because I kept doing it wrong. Competent people do not take the length of time I did.

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You get to choose your handle next. All the handles are made of Sakura wood, but the print at the top is one of a kind.

Aces.

Once the handle has been selected, you can carve your name on the blade.

Obviously, you can write however, you like, and there's some stamps with letters and numbers too. There's scrap pieces of metal you can practice on, before ultimately making a mistake on the real thing and haunting your perfectionism for the rest of your life. I swear I practiced those number placements, ugh.

The Katakana though? Chefs kiss.

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Chef's blade

The paper cutting part was greatly entertaining. It's the final test to make sure the blade is the GOOD STUFF and not going to cut like a pre-school 'My First Kitchen' knife. Can confirm blade sliced in a borderline arousing fashion, Cue echoes of overused quote.

And we're done! the whole experience cost around 15,000 and took about 6 hours. Which really isn't bad when you consider that you now have an original knife, handmade by your good self, knife. Almost like it's the only one (not just number one).

￥

The forge masters conduct everything in Japanese, but never fear my fellow N6 lads! A translator can be arranged at the time of booking. Our translator was actually my host sister, so that was an extra Brucie Bonus.

Now that's a knife!

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CULTURE

A NEW LEAF MAKING TRADITIONAL WASHI PAPER

MEG LUEDTKE

After graduating from university, I've struggled to set aside time to create much art. At least not in the capacity that I use to. Which... in hindsight, makes sense. In school, I practically lived in the university's art building. Between my graphic design classes and all the extra studio art courses I was taking, I was usually either sleeping on the couch in the printmaking room or in the north campus lunch hall eating a late meal. Now that I'm not in a studio 24/7, it makes sense that I haven't been able to create as much as I used to. But even then, I feel as if I've really struggled to create as of late. I get to exercise a bit of my creativity when I help design the Jet Programme's nationwide magazine, CONNECT, but it's not quite the same as sitting down and zoning out while I create more traditional

"novel" - ink on paper (added materials)

works of art. So, I wanted to find a way to reconnect with art as I had in the past.

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I WANTED TO RECONNECT WITH ART

My desire to reconnect with a more traditional art form happened to coincide right with Inktober, a popular online art challenge that takes place during the month of October. I decided this would be a great time to make some new works.

But first, I needed paper. Of course, your everyday average joe kind of paper would have been fine, but since I was in the creator mood, I decided to finally pay a visit to the Echizen Washi Paper Village and try my hand at making some paper the old traditional way. I convinced my ALT neighbor and fellow artist Iggy to join me in my paper making adventure. I got us set up with an appointment and then on our designated day, off we went to make some paper.

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Artwork Title: "Fertile" - ink on paper

About a week later we clamored into my car and headed to the paper village.

After checking in, we were introduced to our paper making teacher for the afternoon. Before we got started on making our own paper, we got a short history less, a tour of the studio, and an explanation of the process of making washi paper. We were given boots and aprons in preparation for our paper making endeavor and watched our sensei do a demonstration. Then, it was our turn. Now, I've made paper before. I use to make my own for my art classes at university. I wasn't expecting the process to be a walk in the park, but I thought that having some former experience would help me out a bit. It didn't help much.

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The way washi paper is made is pretty different than how I made paper in the studio back home. The mold was a lot larger, the process longer, and it required getting into a rhythm that rocked your whole upper body. Our sensei made it look so easy. I assumed I could get by with one or two practice pages before moving onto the real deal. Nope. I ended up doing four or five before I managed to make a sheet of paper that came out looking totally even. Once I figured out the rhythm I was able to make another fairly quickly, but getting into that rhythm to begin with took more time than I anticipated. My hips and arms were tired from trying to pinpoint the exact pattern and rhythm I needed. At the very least, the locals visiting the studio found my feeble attempts at paper making entertaining. As people strolled through, our paper sensei explained the process to all the visitors, pointing out what I was doing and why I was doing it. After I finished making my (giant) leaf of paper we talked with the locals for a little while before they wandered out of the studio to check out the rest of the village. Now it was Iggy's turn to try and my turn to sit back and watch someone else take a shot at the process. A few attempts and successes later, we were ready to wrap up for the day. We packed our bags and paid for our lesson. Before leaving the village we decided to stop at the gift/paper store nearby. I have never seen a place so full of paper before.

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IT GOT TO DO IT THROUGH A DIFFERENT CULTURAL LENS.

I had an absolute field day, wading my way through a field of paper of different colors and textures. Paper made and shopping trip done, we left the village and headed home. About two weeks later, I would go and pick up our paper and prepared to take on Inktober. Unfortunately, I (as usual) overbooked myself and was not able to do nearly as much of Inktober as I would have liked. But despite the fact I didn't do as much drawing as I intended to do, I was extremely glad to have had the experience of making washi paper. It was very enlightening to do something I already had done before but through a new cultural lens. Now, I have some nice homemade paper for whatever art project comes next, and if I run out... I know where I can make more.

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CULTURE Photo by Yu Kato on Unsplash

K

The Echizen Crab Ask anyone and they will tell you that Echizen Kani is "the taste of winter".

Not only are these special crabs considered to be the best tasting crabs in all of Japan but they are also the only crab in the whole country that has been dedicated the Imperial family.

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by Nyssa Giangregorio

As you may have heard, Fukui is famous for it's delicious, yet criminally expensive crab known as Echizen Kani. This mythical crab is admired, sought after, and desired by people all across Japan, and I was lucky enough to first experience it as a small sample at the end of the year office party. However, this year was quite different.. Before I retell my harrowingly educational experience, I have found some great places where you can enjoy the prized Echizen Kani in various ways that won't break the bank.

Something to note, if you know absolutely nothing about crabs, is that the female crab, or Saiko ( ), is the most popular to order because it usually has a pouch of eggs. The male crab is called Zuwai ( ), and will often be sold a cheaper price because it doesn't have eggs.

Another fun fact that you may not know, is that you will often see little black spots on top on the crab. These little spots are actually sea insects. When you see a lot of of them on a crab, it's a good indicator that it's going to be a good one.

セイコ

ズワイ

Matsuda

Located on the Echizen Coast, between Fukui and Sabae, Matsuda offers a cozy atmosphere and a beautiful view. The staff are very friendly, and the owner is a local sports celebrity. Now retired from his career in volleyball, Mr. Matsuda runs a high-quality sushi restaurant and fishing business. From November through February (or until the season supply sells out), he offers a special kani-don, for roughly 4,200, featuring a beautiful collection of all parts of the famous beats. It's advertised as all the enjoyment with none of the work! Even if you don't make it on time for the crab season, it's a fantastic, local restaurant to check out if you enjoy seafood.

Reservations are required for the crab season.

￥

This restaurant is a short walk from Mikuniminato Station and Sunset Beach. They offer a variety of seafood, but of course, that's not why we're here! This place offers crab set meals at one of the most affordable prices in Fukui. Get yourself a whole she-crab meal set from 8,000 to upwards of 30,000 depending on the number of people, course selected, and so on. This one is for the adventurous one who wants the traditional experience as it is the whole crab, boiled, and squaring you up in a handsome display. But fear not! I will relay some pointers I have learned with properly eating these crabs. Reservations are required on the weekends, and probably anytime during the crab season.

￥

Hamasaka

￥

Restaurant Tajima Tajima is recognizable by the giant crab hanging above their shop sign. A stone's throw from Mikuniminato Station, it's easily one of the cheapest places to experience a seiko-don for a mere 3,500! But, that's not the only option! There's a number of crab donburi available to choose from depending on your budget and adventurousness. They also have a number of other local specialties and get much of their fish from the market just down the road. Definitely worth checking out! Reservations, of course, recommended.

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This year, my kani adventure went rather differently due to the unexpected nature of the 2020 we live in. My dear friends, an 80+ year old man, suddenly found himself having to eat alone as his wife was recovery from surgery at the local hospital. He had promised that the three of us would eat Echizen Crabs together this season! However, since his wife was sharing her hospital room, it would have been rude to make the whole hospital smell like crab. So instead, we decided to eat the crabs at my house.

Nothing motivates you to clean like having company though, am I right? For some reason, I had expected him simply to bring crab legs, or crab meat, as that's usually what I see in the grocery stores.

But no. from his bag he pulled a pair of crabs wit 45cm wingspans. He set one down in front of me as it's toe-tips hung off the sides of my dinnerplate. It stared me down, We looked at each other for some time, the crab and I, as I remembered my first time facing a fried soft-shell crab ending in tears. But, I was 30 now, and I should know how to eat a crab, given the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse. I was ready to begin my journey in eating a whole for the first time. I looked at my friend and said, "I have no idea how to eat this." He laughed.

I learned, the first thing to do is to pull off the top of the shell. Placing the thumb on one side, and your fingers on their other, it's simple crack-crack, and it comes off rather easily; a bit like removing a Tupperware lid. This reveals a bright orange meat and the gills of the crab.

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My friend told me that the orange part is the best part of the crab. We tried to determine what exactly it was, but it was a struggle.

The dictionary suggested it to be the liver, but the texture was quite unique. Firm, meaty, but not soft as the other livers I'd been tricked into eating. This was quite pleasant. "But don't eat the gills", he told me. "It's really bad. You could die." I laughed, and then realized he wasn't joking.

The gills, placed gently on and around the very meat we were eating, were dangerously toxic?? I later found out this to be a common misconception, however, it did add a layer of exotic danger to the meal.

The next step, is you must crack the carapace in half by holding a set of legs in eachhand and folding the crab. This, too, is surprisingly easy.

Then, remove the egg pouch, and you can carry on to separating the legs. It's best to separate the legs with sections of the carapace attached as there's also meat inside these parts and breaking the carapace into small pieces without the leverage of the legs is ... a task. then, if you've ever eaten a crab, it's rather the same as any other. Break each section just inside of the joint so that you have a bigger opening to use your pick to push the meat out. No pick? No problem! Just use the pointy toes of the other legs to help you.

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Them came the eggs. This part was rather simple to figure out. You just have to be careful about the little appendages mixed in, designed to help hold the eggs in place.

These, unlike the gills, are not dangerous in any way, though some find the texture unpleasant. In all honesty, I can't say I found the texture of the eggs all that pleasant either, but the flavor was good. This part, has an intense crab flavor. I rather liked it, and can understand why she-crab soups are so popular back home. It's very salty, and very crunchy, as similar to other fish eggs you find in sushi. It is not like cod eggs at all, thank goodness! That being said, it's probably best if you don't think too hard, and just go for it.

Photos by Fukui Tourism Board

These crabs were large, but their legs were spindly making the whole process of them rather tiring. However, at the end I was good. I felt accomplished, though vaguely uncomfortable with my newly acquired knowledge of how to dismember a creature. Then, my friend handed me the top of my crab. "There's more, don't forget." He joked about putting sake in the top of the crab and drinking that, though I hear It's actually done! Then, he put his thumb on the crabs mouth and pushed it into the hollow of the shell revealing another set of bright orange mystery meat. Though easy to do, I found this part particularly unnerving to execute. But the deed was done.

I sat back, contemplating the exoskeleton remains of our crabs as I wiped my hands clean. Then, my friend reached into his bag again, and pulled out a third, whole crab! "I bought this for my wife," he said, " but the hospital doesn't allow crabs as gifts. I don't want to waste it," and he put it in front of me. "By yourself now, let's see if you remember!" I laughed... and then ate it. Dismemberment is much easier the second time around.

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CULTURE

Mochi Making POUNDING

THE

NEW

IN

YEAR

ith each new year spent in Japan, I get to experience a new part of Japan's unique holiday traditions and culture. During my first year, I stayed up until the early hours of the morning for my first Hatsumode at Kehi shrine. During my second year, I learned how to cook and prepare osechi. This year, I was kindly invited to join in on a local family's new years tradition of mochi making!

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Everyone must awake before the sun shows its face for the mochi making process is a full days task. In order to make the mochi, we began by steam cooking the rice over a wood-burning stove until it was soft and over saturated. Though cooking the rice may have been the simplest task of the day, it took the longest to do.

Once the rice was at the correct thickness, it was tossed into a special time-saving machine, "The Mochi Maker".

This machine completely replaces the need for pounding the rice manually, as it efficiently and quickly beats up the rice to a mochi-ready consistency.

However, given how rough this year was, I requested to make one serving of mochi the old fashioned way. So, with a heavier than anticipated hammer in hand and a few good 'Gaijin Smashes' I merrily pounded away all of my grievances towards 2020.

The pounding did not last long though for it was extremely tiring work and I was not very skilled.

So with the year pounded out of my system, it was time to move on to the final step in the mochi making process, rolling it into small hand-held mochi balls.

Contrary to expectations, rolling the mochi was actually my favorite step..

Everyone gathered together around the preparation table rolling the soft mochi while talking in both English and Japanese. Rolling the sticky, steaming hot mochi in my hands against the cold outdoor backdrop. The overall atmosphere of the event not only made me feel apart of a community but it also was an enriching and unique cultural experience that was highly enjoyable. It's no wonder ALTs from the area come back each year to help out.

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COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

E L H L O! New

ALTs

WELCOME TO FUKUI!

It's no question that this past year has been crazy. Delays and cancelations happened left and right. So, it goes without saying that the arrival of the new batch of incoming ALTs has long been anticipated.

Though there have been a lot of changes this past year, the arrival of the newcomers means a shift towards some semblance of normalcy. I believe everyone is just as excited to meet the newcomers as the newcomers are excited about coming to Japan.

With the new ALTs arriving shortly, I've managed to reach out to a few for a small interview. I hope to introduce these seven new ALTs who will be arriving later this month!

b m o C c M e n e l y Ra o From: Canada, Ontari JHS in Sabae City JET Placement: Chuo

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Tell us a bit about your hometown? What is famous? Is there anything unique?

What were you doing prior to coming to Japan? Why did you decide to join the JET Program?

London, Ontario is known as the Forest City as the city has a lot of parks and forests.

There are also metal trees that were sculpted for our downtown area to help promote London as the Forest City. London is the birthplace of Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, and Justin Bieber.

While researching why my hometown is famous, I found out that between 1959 and 1984, London was home to the largest known concentration of serial killers in the world. That's an interesting fact for sure that even I did not know.

In April of 2020, I finished my Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership.

While being in school, I worked at the same child care centre for the past four years and absolutely loved being an educator working with infants. Before even starting my Honours Bachelor, I knew that I wanted to move to Japan and teach English. I've had a fascination with the Japanese language and culture for quite a few years now, and I wanted to experience the culture first hand.

The first thing I want to do is eat Okonomiyaki!

I'm sure you are highly anticipating your arrival. What is one (or more) thing(s) that you are looking forward to about moving to Japan/Fukui?

I think the first thing I would

want to do once I get to Japan is eat at an okonomiyaki restaurant. Beyond that, I want to do some exploring in my free time by going hiking, going on road trips around Fukui, and participating in local events and festivals. I would also like to get to know the JET community in Fukui by attending group hang outs and meeting other JETs in the area.

Two Truths & One Lie. Can you guess which one is the lie?

I have traveled to five different countries in my lifetime I can speak English, French and a tiny bit of Japanese I have won a few gold medals from synchronized figure skating .

Tell us your best joke!

Q: What do you call a dog that does magic?

A: A Labracadabrador.

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i n o l r a C Vincent esota From: USA, Minn ty JHS in Fukui CI a iw Se t: en em JET Plac

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Tell us a bit about your hometown? What is famous? Is there anything unique?

I grew up mostly around the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. I suppose you could say we are famous for snowy weather, lots of cycling paths, the infamous "Fargo" accent (which is actually kind of rare), and maybe a good craft beer scene? I haven't spent too much time in Minnesota recently, but it's a good place and the Twin Cities area is great.

What were you doing prior to coming to Japan? Why did you decide to join the JET Program?

Prior to Japan, I was spending a lot of time traveling. I had actually lived in Japan for a couple of years back in 2013 (Ibaraki!), and I recently found myself missing it. So I figured I'd give the JET Program a shot and hope for the best! My plan was to wander around Europe and Asia for a bit while I waited for things to pan out, but then COVID happened and I ended up living in Bali for a year! There are definitely worse places to be during a pandemic.

I'm excited to eat some Japanese food and drink overly foamy beers again!

I'm sure you are highly anticipating your arrival. What is one (or more) thing(s) that you are looking forward to about moving to Japan/Fukui?

Two Truths & One Lie. Can you guess which one is the lie?

Honestly? Cold(ish) winter weather. I miss cold weather and snow! I'm also super excited to eat some Japanese food again and have a couple of overly foamy beers!

Hopefully I can get back into snowboarding again (it's like riding a bike, right?) and maybe I can even find a good surfing area. I'd definitely like to go to a few Japanese baseball games at some point, too. Though I don't know which team people in Fukui cheer for. Maybe an Osaka team? Either way, I'm excited to find out. And, overall, I'm really looking forward to exploring and checking out Fukui.

I hate Natto and Durian

I am African

My next goal in life is to get a dog. A big one.

Tell us your best joke!

I'm a big "dad joke" fan. This is my favorite dad joke.

(No clue how this will work in writing, but here it goes...)

How do you keep a turkey in suspense?

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a l l e r a u q s a P a Mirand rk From: USA, New Yo S in Fukui City JH ta ri Mo t: en em JET Plac

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Tell us a bit about your hometown? What is famous? Is there anything unique?

My hometown is Rochester, NY, which is in Western New York. It is known for some of its festivals, such as the Lilac Festival and the Jazz Festival.

It is also known for a dish called a "garbage plate". A garbage plate is usually some sort of combination of home fries, macaroni salad, hotdog, hamburger, chopped onions, and hot sauce all piled on to a plate. Despite its name, it is actually pretty tasty.

What were you doing prior to coming to Japan? Why did you decide to join the JET Program?

Before coming to Japan, I was living in Tscaloosa, AL where I was getting my Master's in

Applied Linguistics at the University of Alabama. I also worked as an English as a Second Language teacher. I decided to join JET because I knew I wanted to move abroad after finishing my degree, and I am also interested in learning more about Japanese culture and the Japanese language, so JET seemed perfect for me!

I want to try as many new foods as I can!

I'm sure you are highly anticipating your arrival. What is one (or more) thing(s) that you are looking forward to about moving to Japan/Fukui?

Two Truths & One Lie. Can you guess which one is the lie?

I was the coach of the women's ultimate frisbee team at the University of Alabama.

I have seen Ed Sheeran in concert five times.

I have visited fourteen countries in the past six years.

Tell us your best joke!

Q: Why was Cinderella kicked off the soccer team?

A: She was always running away from the ball.

I am excited about everything! I really love food though, so I want to try as many new foods as I can.

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k c i r d a e H Dan

ssachusetts a M , A S U : m o r F y Hall in t i C a m a y u s t a : K JET Placement Katsuyama

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Tell us a bit about your hometown? What is famous? Is there anything unique?

My town is a big suburb not too far from Boston, which is great when I want to show friends and family around the various historical sites and and national landmarks that make up the city. My town did play a fairly large role in the development of the textile industry during the Industrial Revolution and there are also some really cool parks and old estates dotting the landscape.

What were you doing prior to coming to Japan? Why did you decide to join the JET Program?

I was working as a linguistic engineer for chat bots at a tech company in northern Massachusetts. Before that I studied applied linguistics at Teachers College Columbia University and before that I worked in Taiwan and Japan as an English teacher. I've always had a fascination with languages, Japan, and the Japanese language in particular, so JET has always been on my radar, I look forward to expanding my knowledge of Japan and the language.

I'm sure you are highly anticipating your arrival. What is one (or more) thing(s) that you are looking forward to about moving to Japan/Fukui?

I'm looking forward to exploring the country. I love nature and it looks like Fukui has plenty of it! I am also a huge fan of Japanese food

and drinks, so I am looking forward to stocking up on all of the goodies (I'm forever thankful for the great cultural achievement of the Konbini).

I look forward to a good bowl of noodles, some seafood, and a cup of tea. And of course, getting to know new people.

Two Truths & One Lie. Can you guess which one is the lie?

I ate ostrich My favorite cereal is lucky charms.

I broke my arm skateboarding on a halfpipe.

Tell us your best joke!

A boy with a monkey on his shoulder was walking down the road when he passed a policeman who said, "Now, now young lad, I think you had better take that monkey to the zoo." The next day, the boy was walking down the road with the monkey on his shoulders again, when he passed the same policeman.

The policeman said, "Hey there, I thought I told you to take that monkey to the zoo" The boy answered, "I did!

Today I'm taking him to the cinema."

I love nature and Fukui looks like it has plenty of it.

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z u r C e i n a h Step a From: USA, Florid JHS in Mihama ma ha Mi t: en em ac JET Pl

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Tell us a bit about your hometown? What is famous? Is there anything unique?

I've lived the past 7 years of my life in Orlando, FL. As many of you know, this is the tourist capital of the world with Universal and Disney World theme parks bringing many people from around the globe. The best part of the area though are the delicious eateries and food trucks in the Winter Garden Historic District outside Downtown Orlando.

What were you doing prior to coming to Japan? Why did you decide to join the JET Program?

Before coming to Japan, I worked from home teaching and tutoring English online to children and to adults wanting to learn. Before working from home, I had worked in hospitality as a concierge and my favorite aspects of my job were when I got to help my guests and help my guests and

help my co-workers through teaching and training which led me to begin teaching from home. I learned about the JET Program through friends also on the program and thought it was the perfect opportunity to do what I love in a country I wanted to learn more about and experience. I visited Tokyo in 2016 with my husband, and we both fell in love wit the city, the food, and the friendliness of those we met. We both knew we only scratched the surface of what Japan had to offer and are very thankful we got this once-in-a-lifetime chance with the program.

I'm excited to see snow for the first time!

Two Truths & One Lie. Can you guess which one is the lie?

I love crafting I have tried every dessert in Disney World I met Doc Crown from back to the Future

I'm sure you are highly anticipating your arrival. What is one (or more) thing(s) that you are looking forward to about moving to Japan/Fukui?

Oh dear, I could probably fill several pages answering this.

I'm looking forwards to actually experiencing seasons, not just Summer, Extra Hot Summer, Rainy Summer, and Slightly Breezy Summer in Florida. I've never seen snow before so I'm very excited to be in Fukui where I've heard there's plenty of snow to go around. I can't wait to be able to enjoy the outdoors in Fukui, eat Japanese-style curry, go to pop-up cafes, and see Cherry Blossoms bloom in Spring, just to name a few things.

Tell us your best joke!

Q: How did the cat get 100 treats from the owner?

A: the cat was very purrsuasive.

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Brett Casserly From: USA, Pennsylvania Tsuruga JET Placement: Tsunoga JHS in

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Tell us a bit about your hometown? What is famous? Is there anything unique?

I'm originally from York, Pennsylvania, which acted as the nation's first Capital and is the birthplace of the Articles of Confederation... boring stuff, right? That's why I've spent the last three years living in Philadelphia. I can't say enough good things about Philadelphia! It has a great local art community, and the Philly music scene has a talented niche of local bands.

A wonderful city to go see a live show.

What were you doing prior to coming to Japan? Why did you decide to join the JET Program?

After graduating college at Penn State, I started a Finance role at JP Morgan. For the last three years, I've been managing a small team near Philly that works with a derivatives trading desk in New York.

Rewinding to my final year at University, I needed to take an extra class, so I decided to take Japanese due to my nerdy interests. The sensei was really inspiring and I fell in love with the class. At that point I knew I wanted to live and experience Japan for couple years, but I was already committed to JP Morgan at the point. I thought I would transfer years, but I was already committed to JP Morgan at that point. I thought I would transfer to the JP Morgan Tokyo office, with JET as a back up plan... but when JP Morgan finally offered me the position in Tokyo, I had a change of heart. So here I come JET Program!

Tell us your best joke!

Q: How do you catch a unique bird?

A: Unique up on it.

Q: How do you catch a tame bird?

A: Tame way...lol

I'm sure you are highly anticipating your arrival. What is one (or more) thing(s) that you are looking forward to about moving to Japan/Fukui?

From the point I decided I wanted to live in Japan, I've avoided researching too much. To me, Japan is such a unique country with a culture all its own... I kind of don't want to spoil anything. So without sounding too corny, I'm most looking forward to the unexpected food, places, and experiences I'm not yet aware of!

I had a change of heart, so here I come Japan!

Two Truths & One Lie. Can you guess which one is the lie?

My favorite movie is Howl's Moving Castle I worked in Argentina for a month I traveled to the Netherlands to see my favorite band JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 89

Laura Campbell From: USA, New York in Ono City JET Placement: Yomei JHS

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Tell us a bit about your hometown? What is famous? Is there anything unique?

I moved around a lot while growing up, but I spent most of my childhood living in suburban town in northern New Jersey called Mahwah, which is where I graduated from high school. This town wasn't famous for much, but it had a really nice view of the NYC skyline in the most random spots of town. Even driving down some small, suburban roads, you could look up and see the skyscrapers in Manhattan. It's been a while since I've lived there, but they also had amazing French toast.

What were you doing prior to coming to Japan? Why did you decide to join the JET Program?

Before coming to Japan, I was interning in New York City at Japan Society for a year after I

graduated university. Japan Society is a nonprofit, cultural organization in Manhattan that acts as a major bridge between both Japan/American cultures.

Here, I helped research, organize, and run several events about Japan, art, food, and traditions. In college, I focused my Anthropology degree on Japanese art & language, so I always knew I would want to continue my path doing cross-cultural exchange, especially in an educational setting.

I'm excited to see snow for the first time!

Two Truths & One Lie. Can you guess which one is the lie?

I've worked at two different museums I prefer paperback books over hardcover.

I really love monkeys & apes

I'm sure you are highly anticipating your arrival. What is one (or more) thing(s) that you are looking forward to about moving to Japan/Fukui?

I've been interested in traditional Japanese art and theatre for a while now, and would love to explore more of that in Japan. I took Shodo (calligraphy) classes in college & after, so it's something I want to work towards advancing in more immersed settling, as well as learn more about Japanese theatre. I also want to eat a lot of takoyaki in Japan, and try all the seafood in Fukui (I've heard about crabs & I'm excited).

Tell us your best joke!

I actually do have a favorite joke, so I'm glad this was a question...

"What did the left eye say to thje right eye?"

"Between us, something smells."

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COMMUNITY

SOCCER TOURNEY HALLOWEEN

CHAMPIONSHIP

Each year, a rag-tag group of players come together to compete in the harrowing games of the Halloween Soccer Tournament. This year, just like every other, players were randomly assigned to their teams with a total of 7 teams planned to compete.

On that day, a mist quietly had descended on to the playing field as players proudly strutted into the stadium, donned in the colors of their respective teams. A small crowd of family and friends quickly filled the stadium seats. With a growing anticipation of how the day's events would unfold, the games began with a blast.

Despite the autumn chill in the morning air, the players were burning with spirit and played to win. Bets were placed, cheers were shouted, and foreigners and Japanese people alike competed side by side.

THE TEAMS DEVILS MOONS

PUMPKINS CATS GHOSTS GOBLINS CORPSES

THE COMPETITION IS ON Evenly Matched Despite the matches continuing well into the afternoon, excitement remained high. Teams furiously battled it out on the field with scrapes and bruises and sweat-stained uniforms.

Breaking for lunch, the first round of matches were complete. A few games were met with close calls and even draws, with at least two matches finishing with neither team scoring a goal.

Once the players' energy had been restored, they were back out on the field for the Crossbar Challenge.

The Crossbar Challenge would determine which

teams would be playing whom in the finals.

The Finals Finally, it was the finals. All but one team, The Devils, had survived to the last matches.

Each final respectively pitted the Corpses against the Goblins, the Ghosts against the Pumpkins, and the Cats against the Moons - with the last team competing for all the marbles!

In the Halloween final, both the Cats and the Moons were tied up until the last 10 minutes, creating a nailbiting finale.

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THE FINAL RESULTS And just like that the games were over and a winner had been declared. The Cats just barely defeated the Moons while the other matches were a quick and easy defeat.

Overall, everyone had fun and good sportsmanship was shown all around. The winning teams each took home some very interesting prizes (you'll have to ask Simon) and the games came to an end... that is until next year.

The Cats

The Moons

The Pumpkins

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COMMUNITY

Social Let's Get

With everyone hunkering down inside as the weather turns colder, many of us are spending more time online. Whether it's following travel accounts on Instagram wishing you were somewhere else or planning your next winter escape in Japan, it seems we are all seeking a virtual escape from reality. If you're looking for new accounts to follow, why not check out these accounts from your fellow expats?

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A Saffer in Japan Aimed at both sharing the beauty of Japan and the ups and downs of living in it. My channel is a mix of me trying to be a cinematographer (with little avail) and just a regular vlogger. I try to share as much as I can about life as an ALT throughout my videos and simply hope that I can help people wanting to come to Japan as best I can.

A_Saffer_in_Japan

Experience Fukui

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Located in central Japan, Fukui is Japan's happiest prefecture.

Through #Experience Fukui, I hope to share Fukui's hidden secrets and many charms with the world!

Niko Niko Always We're an international family (American and Japanese) living in Ishikawa Prefecture. Join us as we visit our favorite local spots and talk about our life in Japan.

Niko Niko Always

Corny Eel My own little diary about life in Japan. From the sights and food to rare animals, join me as I explore Fukui Prefecture!

Especially the "way out there" hikes & Instagram worthy spots of the Okuetsu area. Let me be your informal guide to the not-so-easy-in-thesnow life of rural Japan!

Corny_Eel

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One Oclock_ Jump

One oclock_JUmp

Here is a collection of highlights from my daily life in Fukui, and the little things that bring me joy. It mostly involves pictures of food, because that is my favorite way to travel. I also pin all the food locations I post so others can enjoy them, too.

Away With Wind

I am a vlogger, attempting to be a videographer, documenting my travels around the world and providing travel advice.

From off the beaten path secrets to world famous locations, I share all that Japan has to offer.

Wondering where to go to next? Check out my channel!

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Awaywith_Wind

SarahGoesDOKOKO

Sarah goes Dokodoko I love to find beautiful spots all over Fukui that most may miss.

I'm also always looking for the next great place to grab a bite... though I may or may not feature way too many burger spots!

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LIFESTYLE

LIFESTYLE

The Exhibition of Three: My First Art Exhibition

by Catherine Cornelius I never imagined my first art exhibition would take place in a small gallery space in a rural Japanese town's civic hall, or that I would ever publicly display my art in any physical capacity (as opposed to digitally on one of the dozens of art sites I occasionally browse while desk warming). Aside from the one time when my art was displayed in my small rural town's local history museum for a high school art contest, I've never had my art on display in any sort of physical gallery.

That is, until this year, after my Japanese friend asked me if I wanted to display my art alongside her own, since she wanted to, in her own words, "show my art to as many people as possible because it's so interesting." As many people as possible? A bit of a daunting task, and even more outside of what I would have ever imagined!

Now, to be completely honest, I actually avoided answering her the first time she asked me, since what with the Coronavirus "new normal", I wasn't sure I would have

the energy to be in a gallery space to explain my creative process again and again. Especially when more than half the time the explanation would have to be given in a second language. Not to mention I hadn't painted or drawn since February.

After former Prime Minister Abe gave out the order to close down schools, I just lost all creative drive and kind of hit a wall. But even though I had avoided her, once everyone had settled into the flow of life in the new normal, she asked me again if I'd like to display my art. This time I told her I was all in - I needed something to kick me back into being artistically active again, and trying to explain my artistic process in Japanese would make for good language use practice after months of barely speaking Japanese at all. So, after inviting one more artist to show with us, our little group gathered our best pieces and set about putting together The Exhibition of Three.

Preparing the Gallery The first few weeks of November leading up to the actual exhibition dates were filled with constant group chat notifications; answering a plethora of questions about scheduling and preparations.

hanging the first piece to determine what level all the other pieces should be displayed at.

What days and times would folks be able to be in the gallery? How many pieces did we want to exhibit? Did we want to have small collectible art books printed out for our guests? How much

should be charge for an art book if we printed one?

The list of discussion topics goes on and on, but we managed to sort out every singe thing that came our way. By day one of the exhibition, all our pieces had been arranged (and rearranged) to our liking and we were ready for any guest that might come our way.

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Live Painting Experience I ended up going to the gallery space every day after finishing up teaching, and spent a little bit of time each day - when I wasn't interacting with the visitors who came into the gallery - working on the same piece. By Saturday, I had sketched and transferred my inks to watercolor paper and was ready to spend my entire day in the gallery painting. It was actually quite relaxing to just sit and paint while answering questions about my art on display, as well as questions about the tools I was using while I was painting. In the morning, I was working on the background of the piece, so I was busy applying masking fluid to protect the parts of the paper I didn't want to get stained. While I was doing this, a few members of the JET community came by the gallery, and a little while later on an older Japanese women who used to be a Geisha also stopped by to look at the art!

Since most of us artists would not be able to attend the gallery during the daytime, we had a sign out letting folks know taking pictures was 100% okay, as well as a guestbook for those who wanted to write down their thoughts on the exhibition and the pieces in it.

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Preparation complete! The exhibition as seen from the hallway outside the gallery space.

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Once I finished the background of my painting, I took a small break for lunch then got back to work on painting the main details of my piece.

Over the next few hours, we had many guests stop by to look at the art and talk, while I focused on finishing my painting. By the end of exhibition hours on that Saturday, I had finished the piece and hung it in a frame alongside all the other pieces on display to be viewed the entire duration of the following day - the last day of the exhibition.

The last day went without a hitch, and even more folks stopped by to browse our art and talk.

All in all, my first exhibition ever went better than I could have hoped, and I truly enjoyed talking to the guests and reading all the comments folks left in our guestbook! So many comments in the guestbook about my art mentioned how the pieces had tarot card vibes to them, so who knows?

Maybe I'll spend 2021 working on a tarot card deck, or a few tarot inspired designs!

We're actually hoping to hold another exhibition in Ono sometime in 2021, so look out for it, and stop by if you've got time!

From start to finish, this piece took the entire week-long duration of the exhibition to complete. During the final day, this painting was framed and hung with the rest of my artworks that were on display.

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Live Painting: on Saturday, November 21st, I spent the entire day from open to close in the gallery space, painting a piece I had worked on throughout the week.

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The Artwork

Tools of the trade: using a lightbox and inking pens to transfer my initial sketch to watercolor paper.

The Tools of the Trade Tools of the trade: the blue on the painting isn't actually paint! It's a tool known as masking fluid, and is used to preserve the color of paper when painting - it's typically used for creating details like stars or lines, but since I often use color wash backgrounds that have a high risk of staining a piece in places I don't want it to be stained, I use masking fluid to keep my foreground characters and details safe!

The Artists The artists, from left to right: Chiemi, myself, and Otani. This photo (which is meant to mimic our exhibition teaser poster) was taken on the last day of the exhibition, after we had cleared out the gallery space.

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LIFESTYLE

Learn How To

Stay Motivated WITH 6 EASY TIPS

"Practice beng relaxed.

Don't press or tug.

Take it in your stride."

- NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

6

Strategies

TO STAY MOTIVATED

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BY KARIM MOHANNA

The year 2020 has become synonymous of living with advisable changes in our lifestyle habits. The reason of course is the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has not only taken a toll on the world but I'm sure it's also taken a personal toll on all of us, too. I, for one, am one of the many people around the world suffering from pandemic fatigue.

And overcoming that fatigue is no easy feat. So, how am I coping with the situation?

perspective and that's okay. However, I have decided to share a few of my own ideas of what you can do for yourself to live a good life - with all things considered - and to enjoy the times you spend with yourself!

Well, the recent changes have certainly had a huge impact on our work environment, our daily tasks and responsibilities, and mental wellbeing. We have all learned to cope with the situation in our own ways. Each person will have a different

And without further ado, here they are...

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While my ideas may not work for everyone, I have really found solace in mixing up my usual routine. Hopefully, you will also be able to find some consolation from these ideas in this time of distress.

Try Something New These days, most of us are spending a lot of time at home, which means the same day-today routine - go to work and come home. And while routine is great, I need a little spontaneity in my life. I understand that trying new things during a global pandemic may present it's own challenges but bare with me here.

Trying something new doesn't just mean going out to a new restaurant, attending a ceramics class, or testing out a new gym. It can be something simple that can be done from the comfort of your home. For example, you can finally pick up that Japanese kanji textbook you bought last year or purchase food from you local grocery that you have always been curious about but never tried. In my case, I took up drawing or painting in my free time which I have found to be quite relaxing.

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Start a Reading Routine The real world sucks. So, why not escape reality and mentally teleport yourself into a whole new world - maybe one that's not quite as stressful as the one we are currently living in? I personally love a good fantasy novel with magic, adventure, and little romance sprinkled in. A great book that completely captivated me from beginning to end was "The 7 1/2 deaths of the Evelyn Hardcastle".

Teach Yourself a Skill

Learning new skills increases your motivation, and makes you more adaptable. And while it's certainly not easy learning a new skill... that's kind of the point. Learning a new skill takes a lot of mental focus - mental focus that won't be spent on worrying about things you can't control. So teach yourself how to knit, make bread, or even how to hit those high notes on that one karaoke song.

Work Out Be physically active! Exercise is a great coping mechanism in which the impacts on your mood and outlook are usually immediate. You don't have to go to a germ-infested gym either! You can stay home and do some simple workouts like doing a set of crunches.

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Stay Positive These sudden, rapid changes in the way we live, coupled with uncertainty, can feel overwhelming. While we may know that it's helpful for everyone to stay positive, it's sometimes easier said than done. Try to remind yourself that things will not be this way forever. This is a difficult time, but it is just that - a time. Find things that make you happy and focus your energy on that. Whether that be watching hours of funny Tik Tok videos or talking with family back home. Do what makes you happy and do it often.

Simply Unplug The bombardment of negative and sensational headlines can be overwhelming. You do not need to worry yourself with the daily tally of coronavirus infections and deaths. The political discord will continue whether you follow the news or not, so take a break!

Turn off your news notifications, stop goggling things that give you anxiety, and instead take a step outside and take a deep breath. Your mental health will be better for it.

Don't get the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. Don't strain so hard. Don't take yourself so seriously."

- Charles Stanley JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 113

LIFESTYLE

VEGAN KITCHEN GUIDE TO VEGAN COOKBOOK ESSENTIALS

BY KHENSANI MALULEKA

BETTER THAN CARBS

PERFECT MEAT-SUBSTITUTE

Four Bean Chili

Chickpea Quinoa Burger

JUST DESSERTS

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

FOUR BEAN CHILI

The Hearty Vegan Classic: FOUR BEAN CHILI Chili may not be the first that comes to mind when thinking about classic winter time meals. However, chili is as much of a winter classic as drinking a hot beverage by the fireplace.

Chili is a warm and cozy comfort food that is sure to make you feel full. One of the best things about chili is how versatile it is. You can throw almost anything into the pot, mix... and voila! You have a hearty and delicious meal that's perfect for any winter occasion.

Now, to get into the recipe! This particular chili recipe is among one of my favorites to cook during the "chilly" season.

Ingredients: 1 small yellow or red onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 small green or red bell pepper, diced 1 small zucchini, grated 1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes 2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, drained 1 (15-ounce) can of pinot beans, drained 1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans, drained 1 (15-ounce) can of garbanzo beans, drained 1/2 cup of frozen corn 3 tablespoons of cumin 1 teaspoon of chili powder 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste 1/2 cup of water salt, to taste

Method: Throw all the ingredients in a crock pot and mix thoroughly, Cook on low for at least four hours, stirring occassionally (every hour or so).

Alternatively, if you don't have a crock pot and you have an hour or so to watch the pot, you can saute the vegetables and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on medium heat stirring frequnetly to avoid burning.

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Chickpea Quinoa Burger Craving a juicy burger but don't want the meat? Well, look no further than this homemade chickpea quinoa burger. They have all the makings to satisfy your burger craving without the guilt of murdering animals in the process.

These homemade patties are also an excellent alternative to store-bought versions because their fresh, easy to make and don't fall part during the preperation or cooking process.

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HEALTHY MEATSUBSTITUTE Chickpea Quinoa Burger Ingredients: 1 cup of cooked quinoa 1 cup of cooked chickpeas 1 cup of finely processed veggies (I used kale, onions & carrots) 1/4 cup of chickpea flour (or flour of choice) 1 teaspoon of curry powder 1/2 teaspoon of cumin 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper salt and peper to taste

Method: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients to form the burger mixture. (add a dash of water to help incorporate mixture if needed). Form into 6-8 patties.

In a skillet heated over medium heat, add a dash of cooking oil/spray and cook burgers untl each side is golden brown.

Place finished burger on your favorite toasted bun, load on the toppings (lettuce, tomato, avocado, hot sauce, etc... and ENJOY!

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SIMPLE VEGAN DESSERT BANANA BLUEBERRY PANCAKES Feeling the dessert blues? Nothing satisfies a sweet tooth more than a batch of decadent banana blueberry pancakes. Whether you like to treat yourself to a delicious pancake breakfast in the morning or prefer to serve it as a dessert, this recipe doesn't disappoint.

Often times when making vegan desserts, the flavor or consistency is sacrificed to keep it animal-cruelty free. However, this pancake recipe could not only rival it's non-vegan counterpart but also flip it on it's head!

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of non dairy (something thick like almond milk works well) 2 1/2 tablespoons of coconut milk 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 medium bananas mashed 118

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2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave (or sugar is you don't have those) 3 tablespoons coconut oil +more for cooking 4 tablespoons water 1-2 cups of blueberries.

Method: Combine milk, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl and set aside to let it curdle.

Then sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a seperate bowl combine mashed bananas, vanilla, agave, coconut oil, and water. Add milk mixture to banana mixture then add that to the dry ingredients. Don't over mix! Fold in blueberries in a heated pan add some coconut oil and pour in batter to the size of pancakes you want to make. I used two pans at once to speed things along. CHOW DOWN!

N A C I R E S M A ASSIC L 2C LIFESTYLE

E M O H AT

Fast-food copycats

kin o o C

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ic s s a cl

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ica r e m

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es p i c re LOR

TAY RAH A S BY

INTRODUCTION

Do you ever come home after a long day of work and find yourself craving some homegrown comfort food?

I think I speak for all of us when I

After a few years of living in Japan, I

say, I've been there. When the

can confidently say that I have

American within me comes out,

figured out how to replicate some

sometimes all I can think about is

of my favorite comfort foods from

eating a juicy burger or extra

back home. And now I'm going to

cheesy pizza. And while I know that

share my secrets with you.

I can find those things in Japan, it's just

not

the

same...

and

it's

significantly more expensive , too!

FLATBREAD CHICKEN PIZZA Why is it that I find myself missing a good (affordable) pizza more often than any other food? Maybe it's because of the ooey-gooey cheese or the savory sauce hidden underneath? Or perhaps it's the endless variety of toppings?

Either way, I'm done with emptying my wallet over a "large" pizza. it's time to bring a slice of happiness into your home. This flatbread is one of the easiest pizza recipes around. So do your self a favor and get cooking.

Flatbread ingredients 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup warm water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3.4 cup of flour

Method Allow yeast to activate in warm water and mix in the rest of the dough ingredients, leaving the flour for last. If it isn't doughy enough, add a slight amount of water until it comes together.

Work into a ball and allow to rest, covered, for 1 hour. After 1 hour, spread out the dough thinly onto a baking sheet and poke holes in it with a fork. Bake at 190 C for 12 minutes BEFORE adding toppings.

When finished, brush top with melted butter & garlic powder. Add the toppings and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Choose your toppings You can do anything you want here, but this is what I do: pan-seared chicken breast, cut into small pieces (seasoned to taste with salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder) cooked, chopped bacon sliced brown button mushrooms quartered cherry tomatoes shredded parmesan and cheddar cheese (from Costco, but any kind works) sliced avocado honey mustard drizzle

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JETFUEL MAGAZINEÂ Â

Ingredients

TACO BELL QUESADILLAS

For Sauce:

For quesadillas:

1/4 cup mayo

1 chicken breast

2 teaspoon minced

shredded cheese to your

jalapenos

liking

2 teaspoon jalapenos juice

sliced cheese

2/3 teaspoon sugar

four tortillas

1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Need to add a little spice to your cookbook? Or want a taste of a different culture ? These Quesadillas might be what you've been looking for.

1 dash of salt

Method Salt and pepper chicken bread and cook until done in the center then remove and slice thinly.

Place a tortilla on a hot skillet. On half, put shredded cheese and 1/2 slice of cheese. place chicken on top of the cheese, adding a little more cheese on top and another layer of chicken. Spread the sauce on the other half. Flip when the cheese if melted and remove when both sides are crispy. Cut to serve.

JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 121

LIFESTYLE

Sudoku Challenge © MEMORY-IMPROVEMENT-TIPS.COM. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION .

Easy

Hard

Medium

Very

Hard

ANSWERS IN CREDITS- PAGE 125 122

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JETFUEL MAGAZINE

Q I J N A K T SW AN

S ER

he following are Kaniji

featuring two or more

characters that have been separated

and

translated

into English. For anyone who correctly kanji

answers

question

receive

a

Cheaters rewarded.

you

small will

not

each will prize. be

Z I U

ON

S IT ED R C

GE PA

5 12

A. Bug Tooth B. Release Send C. Draft Outside D. God Experience E. Mouth Seat F. Machine Meeting G. Dream middle H. Resignation Book I. Most End Electricity Car J. Public Peace Bonus prizes available for comedy answers and/or a story using as many of these words as possible!

© KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI: HOBBY REPRINTED BY PERMISSION .

JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 123

C R E D I T S JETFUEL MAGAZINE

Magazine Front Cover Photo by Megan Luedtke Letter from the Editor Photo by Upsplash & Leah Burkett Table of Contents Page Font by Canva.com Edited by Leah Burkett Credits & Answer Pages Photos by Megan Luedtke Edited by Leah Burkett Font by Canva.com Back Cover Photo from Nikkole Martin Edited by Leah Burkett Font by Canva.com

Travel Travel Cover Page Photos by Megan Luedtke Font by Canva.com Travel the World Without Leaving Home Written by Natasha Taliferro Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Natasha Taliferro & Upsplash Font & Animations by Canva.com Beware the Bear Written by Ariel Montemayor Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Ariel Montemayor & Canva.com Font by Canva.com Abandoned Places in Japan Written by Charlotte Coetzee Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Charlotte Coetzee, Upsplash & Canva.com Font by Canva.com Another Year of Fukui Fun Written by Pierre Leroux Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Leah Burkett & Pierre Leroux

Font by Canva.com Island Travel: Becoming Local Written by Jake Gertz Edited by Leah Burkett

Photos by Jake Gertz, Leah Burkett, & Upsplash Font by Canva.com

Culture Culture Cover Page Photos by Megan Luedtke Font by Canva.com Echizen's Sharpest; Takefu Knife Village Written by Emma Williamson Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Emma Williamson & Takefu Knife Village Font by Canva.com A New Leaf: Making Traditional Paper Written by Megan Luedtke Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Megan Luedtke Font by Canva.com The Kani Experience Written by Nyssa Giangregorio Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Fukui Tourism Board & Google Maps Background & Font by Canva.com Making Mochi: Pounding in the New Year Written & Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Leah Burkett Font by Canva.com

Community Community Cover Page Photos by Leah Burkett Font by Canva.com Welcome to Fukui Written by Raylene McComb, Vincent Carloni, Miranda Pasquarella, Dan Headrick, Stephanie Cruz, Brett Casserly & Laura Campbell Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Raylene McComb, Vincent Carloni, Miranda Pasquarella, Dan Headrick, Stephanie Cruz, Brett Casserly & Laura Campbell Background & Font by Canva.com Fukui Halloween Soccer Tournament Written by Charlotte Coetzee & Leah Burkett

Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Charlotte Coetzee & Canva.com Font by Canva.comt Social Media Highlight Written & Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Charlotte Coetzee, Pierre Leroux, Ashley Hirasuna, Catherine Cornelius, Nyssa Giangregorio, Leah Burkett, Sarah Uzl & Canva.com Font by Canva.com

Lifestyle Lifestyle Cover Page Photos by Megan Luedtke Font by Canva.com Exhibition of Three: My First Art Exhibition Written by Catherine Cornelius Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Catherine Cornelius Font by Canva.com 6 Strategies for Staying Motivated Written by Karim Mohanna & Leah Burkett Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Canva.com Font by Canva.com Vegan Cookbook Essentials Written by Khensani Maluleka & Leah Burkett Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Khensani Maluleka & Canva.com Font by Canva.com American Classics at Home Written by Sarah Taylor & Leah Burkett Edited by Leah Burkett Photos by Canva.com

Font by Canva.com Sudoku Reprinted by Permission © MemoryImprovement-Tips.com.

Edited by Leah Burkett Background & Font by Canva.com Kanji Quiz Written by Leah Burkett Edited by Leah Burkett Photos Reprinted by Permission © Katsushika Hokusai: Hobby Font by Canva.com

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SUDOKU CHALLENGE ANSWERS Easy

Medium

Hard

Very

Hard

© MEMORY-IMPROVEMENT-TIPS.COM. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION .

KANJI QUIZ ANSWERS

⾍歯(Cavity) 放送(Broadcast) 案外(Unexpectedly) 神経(Nerve) ⼝座(Bank Account)

A. B. C. D. E.

機会(Opportunity) 夢中(Absorbed) 辞書(Dictionary) I.最終電⾞ (Last Train of the Day) J. 公平(Impartiality) F. G. H.

JETFUEL MAGAZINE | 125

This Issue is Dedicated to

Dawn Mihulka-Martin

Fukui Prefecture fukuijetfuel@gmail.com

www.issue/jetfuel.com #ExperienceFukui