Second MAJET Sports Day!

Why should the kids have all the fun? Gather your friends and join us at Oyodo River Park across from Miyazaki City Hall on October 14th to put your speed, strength, and skill to the test!  After the rousing success of last year’s Undoukai, MAJET is excited to host another one! In 2016, Team Instinct (pictured below) took home the very first MAJET Undoukai Cup.  Will your team rise to the occasion and top Instinct’s final score?! Continue reading

Hello. Is it meat you’re looking for?

Get your tare sauce ready, Miyakonojo’s annual Yakiniku Festival is coming up on the 7th of October! The festival showcases Miyazaki beef and celebrates Miyakonojo as “the best place for meat in Japan” (which it definitely is). But instead of just telling you about it, we’ll let some Miyakonojo and southern Miyazaki locals do the talking. We’re sure you won’t want to miss the biggest fireworks and meat festival in Kyushu after you hear our seven guests’ favourite things about the event…

Yakiniku Poster When: October 7th, 11:00am – 8:00pm
Where: Kannon-ike Park, Freedom Plaza, Takajo, Miyakonojo. (map)
Cost: Reserved table and meat package tickets cost ¥2,000.
But if you don’t mind waiting for a table to open up, the event and grill use is free, and you can buy meat packages at various stalls on the premises.
Transport: There will be shuttle buses running between Miyakonojo Station and the festival grounds. A schedule can be found here, but only in Japanese. Contact MAJET at miyazakiajet@gmail.com for translation services.

Continue reading

2017 MAJET-KAJET Dragon Boat Races!

Every October, hundreds of people travel to Kagoshima’s Nejime Port for the Minami Osumi Nejime Dragon Boat Festival! Teams of 10 people board colorful, dragon-shaped boats and race down a 380m river course to claim the prize.

This year, MAJET will be collaborating with Kagoshima AJET (KAJET) to bring Dragon Boat Racing to you! This is a great opportunity to meet our neighbor JETs and build new connections and friendships, while also enjoying and participating in a unique cultural experience. It’s been a couple of years since MAJET has participated in this event, but we’ve always had a really great time, and we are really looking forward to joining KAJET this year!

While this event isn’t until October, we have to register by the end of August (yikes!), so if you are interested in participating, please review the information below and RSVP as soon as possible! Continue reading

紅葉狩り Momijigari: Autumn Leaf Viewing in Miyazaki

Wow–October is almost over already! But, where are all the autumn leaves? Those of us from more temperate climates may be thrown off by Miyazaki’s long-lasting summerlike weather, but don’t lose heart! There is a bit of fall color in our sub-tropic prefecture, as long as you know when and where to look for it. 😉

Luckily, Japan has this nifty guide to autumn leaf-viewing (because of course they do). With this guide, you can keep updated on all of the best places for fall foliage in Japan! The most ideal locations for momijigari in Miyazaki are up in the mountains to the north and west of the prefecture. The higher altitudes create a cooler climate that’s the perfect environment for changing colors.

Below are some of Miyazaki’s best momijigari spots, as well as some nearby places in other prefectures. Let us know if you have any recommendations of your own! Continue reading

MAJET’s 1st Sports Day!

Saturday, October 1st, 2016 marked MAJET’s very first Undokai! All week beforehand, we were worried that it would rain, and were even preparing to reschedule the event. We had faith, however, and when we gathered at Oyodo River that morning it actually turned out to be a beautiful, bright sunny day (albeit a bit hot for October). Everyone was pumped up and ready for the day’s activities! Continue reading

Whodunnit?

It was a cold, dark, drizzly evening when we rolled into Sakatani in late October. Our dear friend, Rick Rochester, had suddenly passed away, and his lawyer, Reilly Ravish had called us all together for the will reading.

A lovely dinner was set out when we arrived, and we spent the evening reminiscing about our friend, wondering about the circumstances of his death, and, most importantly, pondering the contents of his will.

Ms. Ravish had just read the will when, suddenly, the lights went out! A loud gunshot sounded through the darkness and a flurry of panic ensued. Once the power was restored, we found one of our number motionless of the floor, murdered. Continue reading