Seeking Volunteers for MAJET’s Biggest Event!

Mark your calendars! The time has come to announce MAJET’s biggest intercultural event of the year– The 6th Annual Amazing Race!

MAJET’s Amazing Race was started by a group of ambitious JETs who came together to create an event that would combine the knowledge and experience of both English and Japanese speakers by bringing together Japanese and Western culture via a yearly theme. This year’s theme will be a Ghibli-Disney crossover! Continue reading

Vegas, Baby!

Friday the 20th of January, MAJET invites you to the only (and therefore best) club in Miyazaki for our Vegas Night!

We’ll be filling Weather King with all the glitz and glamour of Vegas, as long as that glitz and glamour is available at Daiso.

We’ll also be issuing everyone chips that they can use at one of our gambling tables. The person who has the most chips at the end of the night will win a prize. Be careful however; if you bust out, you’re not going to get any more chips. Risk it all to win it all! Continue reading

Making the Most of the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

As the holiday season is in full swing, some of us are heading home to be with family or going on tropical vacations. And some of us will stay here in Miyazaki to watch the red leaves fall off the branches and warm up with a hot bowl of ramen. There is a chance it won’t be as nostalgic as your hometown traditions, but Miyazaki and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer during this season! So, we have compiled a list of ideas to battle those Japanese-shocked holiday blues. And hey, you might even discover a new tradition of your own! Continue reading

Dancing All Night: Takachiho’s Yokagura Festival

Miyazaki’s own Takachiho-cho is the birthplace of many Japanese myths and legends. These events are recreated in the form of yokagura (夜神楽), a traditional Shinto dance. The full traditional yokagura is comprised of 33 dances. Every night at 8pm, Takachiho Shrine (map) hosts an abbreviated version of yokagura which you can see for around 700円.

From November to February, however, each shrine in the village takes turns hosting all-night performances of the full yokagura! The revelry starts around sundown and doesn’t stop until the next morning, but the audience is free to wander in and out and drink shochu to stay warm (lots of layers are recommended).

To give you an inside look at this annual festival, former Takachiho JET Ellen Freeman has graciously allowed us to repost an article she wrote for the Kyushu Article Contest last year. Enjoy! Continue reading

The Miyazaki International Festival is looking for submissions and performances!

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Click to see the event flyer!

Hey MAJETers! If you read the “Plaza News” (which you should, there’s a lot of good stuff in there and Heyne works hard on it every month 😉 ), you may have already heard about this event. But just in case you haven’t, the 11th Annual Miyazaki International Festival will be held on Saturday, December 10th! There will be many events taking place, including a Japanese speech contest, a screening of the film “Hafu,” and hands-on activities. The Miyazaki International Foundation (MIF) would be very happy if MAJETers would come to the event and meet others living in Miyazaki. Continue reading

Calling all Volunteers!

As the days are getting shorter and cooler, it’s time to spread a little love and warmth where we can. Do you feel an urge to give back to the community but need a change from the usual English volunteer activities? Fear not! MAJET is excited to bring you a new volunteer opportunity where you can showcase your musical talents. Even if you feel like you are lacking in this area, join us anyway. The residents at Tano Care Home would love to meet you. Continue reading