Better Know a Ken: Mie
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Better Know a Ken: Mie

ByCheryl Dicello

Opening my mail box to discover that I’d been accepted to be an ALT by the BOE of Kuwana in Mie, I was very happy. Yay, I have a job! But, where is Mie? I did as many recently accepted JETs probably did, and googled the location of my future home.

There wasn’t much about Mie on the internet, but I did find a map, information about the former asthma capital, Yokkaichi, and the mythical birthplace of Amaterasu, Ise…

Travel Japan: Ise
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Travel Japan: Ise

ByLauren McRae

Ise may be a small town, but it is home to Japan’s most sacred Shinto shrine, Ise jingu.

Ise jingu (shrine) dates from the third century. The shrines are rebuilt every 20 years on adjacent sites using ancient techniques where the wood interlocks rather being nailed together. The Sengu No Gi festival is when the God is transferred from the old shrine to the new one…