***The Grand Prize Winner of our first Japan in Tandem give away is Youtube account Loc Duong!!! Congratulations!!!
**The small prize winners are Lacey Jade and Jacen Faust, congrats guys! You will both get 1 random item from Tokyo!!!
*Be sure to comment on this video so YOU can have a chance to win also! 😀
SUBSCRIBE here ➤
And, ring that bell like it’s Christmas morning! (Also, because I hear they don’t celebrate Xmas the same here . . .)
You ever have something super hectic happen, even though you had a plan, but then your plans change, and yet the gods that control the Japanese weather decide mortals need another reminder of their feebleness?
Well, that’s pretty much what happened here!
We had heard, literally the day before, confirmation that this day was going to be THE LAST EVER Sunflower Festival held in Takanabe. Like. Ever. Like ever, man.
So, we rushed up there all the way from Kushima (where we live now, and very nearly almost biked the 100km+), in order to beat the Category 2 Hurricane equivalent Typhoon that was blowing in the next day. Not wanting to die, we got a ride from our new friend Gaku, who was kind enough to take us.
And, when we arrived . . .
We discovered that all the PREVIOUS typhoons that have been wrecking southern Japan with weeks worth of nonstop torrential rains, heavy winds, and dark skies have caused this year’s sunflower crop to be a bit down in the dumps. Seriously, apparently this season has been exceptionally, uncharacteristically rainy and storm filled, and has caused some notable landslides in the Kumamoto area. Now, this place is known for having weather like this, but it’s also known for being THE sunniest place in Japan, hence the sunflowers.
Yet, I’m glad we made it! And, I’m even more glad to discover that the festival WILL BE CONTINUING! Yippee! So, now all of us will have many more chances to see the sunflowers in their full, turgid glory.
But, wanting to make a day out of our roadtrip through Miyazaki Prefecture, we also made a stop at one of Gaku’s favorite udon restaurants. This was my first time ever trying udon, but I’ve always wanted to taste the cold variety!
Just as well, on our way back, we made a nice long stop at the Summer Night Market in Aoshima, just south of Miyazaki city proper. This Night Market is a gorgeous affair, lined with candle-lit lanterns across a seaside park, speckled with local vendor booths, and sporting plenty of live music. Plus, it’s near some top-notch botanical gardens that are worth browsing. Though I suspect, unless you can read Japanese halfway decently, you may have some difficulty. But, if memory serves, there are English accommodations as well!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this shorter video and are excited for more to come! Thanks for watching, and experiencing Japan in Tandem.
Credit, where credit is most definitely due:
Music:
Music: « E.R.F. » from Bensound.com
Music: « Enigmatic » from Bensound.com
Awesome photo of previous years’ sunflowers, credit to Simone Armer:
(BTW, she’s got amazing photos and content when it comes to this area of Japan. Check her stuff out! It’s more than worth it.
Alo Japan.