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	<title>The Japan Times &#187; Mandy Bartok</title>
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	<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp</link>
	<description>News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More</description>
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		<title>Tracing the path of history in northern Nagasaki</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/07/travel/tracing-the-path-of-history-in-northern-nagasaki/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=tracing-the-path-of-history-in-northern-nagasaki</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/07/travel/tracing-the-path-of-history-in-northern-nagasaki/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Sep 2013 14:00:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Japan travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nagasaki Prefecture]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The horn blast from the incoming ferry echoes clearly through the top-floor hall of Hirado Castle. From the donjon&#8217;s vantage point, my husband and I can clearly see the large passenger ship as it enters the sheltered bay of Hirado&#8217;s port, marking the end of its route between this small city on Nagasaki Prefecture&#8217;s northwestern [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Treats galore in summertime Sapporo</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/08/31/travel/treats-galore-in-summertime-sapporo/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=treats-galore-in-summertime-sapporo</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/08/31/travel/treats-galore-in-summertime-sapporo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Aug 2013 14:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hokkaido Historical Village]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odori Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Picchu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sapporo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shiroi Koibito Chocolate Factory]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I barely recognize Sapporo&#8217;s Odori Park clothed in its summer coat of flowers. The last time I journeyed north to Hokkaido, this dozen-block strip of land running straight as a die through the middle of its capital city was sporting massive artistic creations fashioned for the annual Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival). That February, the lush [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Theaters of war and peace in Kumamoto</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/20/travel/theaters-of-war-and-peace-in-kumamoto/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=theaters-of-war-and-peace-in-kumamoto</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/20/travel/theaters-of-war-and-peace-in-kumamoto/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jul 2013 14:20:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Kikuchi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yachiyoza Theater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yamaga]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The pamphlet tells me this is a &#8220;castle&#8221; — but the structure in front of me defies that description. Granted, my frame of reference is greatly informed by the impressive edifices of Kumamoto, Himeji and Matsumoto that date back to the gory Sengoku (Warring States) Period spanning some 150 years from the mid-15th century before [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>On the trail of ninja in Iga&#8217;s shadowy past</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/12/travel/on-the-trail-of-ninja-in-igas-shadowy-past/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=on-the-trail-of-ninja-in-igas-shadowy-past</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/12/travel/on-the-trail-of-ninja-in-igas-shadowy-past/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 May 2013 15:06:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Akira Kurosawa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Basho]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bushido]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iga-Ryu Ninja Museum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mie Prefecture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ninja]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The bright-pink ninja-emblazoned train isn&#8217;t exactly the epitome of stealth as it cuts through the forested hills and rice paddies of Mie Prefecture. Neither are visitors&#8217; pint-size offspring who race excitedly up the paths of Ueno Park in the city of Iga shrieking their excitement at the prospect of getting up close and personal with [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Toddler-toting invaders no match for this castle&#8217;s defenses</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/03/17/travel/toddler-toting-invaders-no-match-for-this-castles-defences/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=toddler-toting-invaders-no-match-for-this-castles-defences</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/03/17/travel/toddler-toting-invaders-no-match-for-this-castles-defences/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:14:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Japan travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japanese gardens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kumamoto Castle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kumamoto Prefecture]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Most visitors are awed by Kumamoto Castle's imposing walls; myself, I am more preoccupied with the stairs. According to the map board just inside the Hazekata Gate, there are many of them, tracing a convoluted path up to the raven-black donjon.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Winging along to marvel at Izumi&#8217;s wintering cranes</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/02/10/travel/winging-along-to-marvel-at-izumis-wintering-cranes/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=winging-along-to-marvel-at-izumis-wintering-cranes</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/02/10/travel/winging-along-to-marvel-at-izumis-wintering-cranes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:00:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[cranes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Izumi]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[My eyes have been carefully trained on the barren fields outside Izumi Crane Park Museum for at least 20 minutes, but I've yet to spot any of the locality's most famous feathered friends.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Diving into Ise-Shima&#8217;s ancient womanly traditions</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/08/12/travel/diving-into-ise-shimas-ancient-womanly-traditions/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=diving-into-ise-shimas-ancient-womanly-traditions</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/08/12/travel/diving-into-ise-shimas-ancient-womanly-traditions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The hut of the pearl divers is more modern than I&#8217;d expected. Here, in the village of Osatsu along the craggy coast of the Ise-Shima region in Mie Prefecture, the small concrete building named Hachimankamado blends in with its 21st-century surroundings. But inside the hut the traditions are age-old, as a group of Japan&#8217;s storied [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Bash&#333;fu culture weaves its spell in Kijoka</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/06/03/travel/bashfu-culture-weaves-its-spell-in-kijoka/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bashfu-culture-weaves-its-spell-in-kijoka</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/06/03/travel/bashfu-culture-weaves-its-spell-in-kijoka/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[White-caps beat steadily against the northwestern shore of Okinawa&#8217;s main island. Winds have stirred up the seas, yet the water looks as cerulean and inviting as ever. I should be paying more attention to this enviable vista but I&#8217;m preoccupied, indifferent. The circuitous coastal road requires more of my attention, lest I run our car [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Dazaifu&#8217;s rich past still delights today</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/03/18/travel/dazaifus-rich-past-still-delights-today/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=dazaifus-rich-past-still-delights-today</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/03/18/travel/dazaifus-rich-past-still-delights-today/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The gravel of a path in the garden at Komyozenji Temple has been swirled into the shape of the kanji for &#8220;light.&#8221; It&#8217;s a bit of an ironic choice for the fall day I visit, as only a few of the sun&#8217;s rays have managed to penetrate the dense growth surrounding the rear of the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Exploring Yanagawa&#8217;s watery world</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/12/04/travel/exploring-yanagawas-watery-world/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=exploring-yanagawas-watery-world</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/12/04/travel/exploring-yanagawas-watery-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The boatman sings a low-pitched, wistful air as he poles our craft down the watery freeway. Some of my fellow passengers obviously know the melancholic song, and join in on what passes for a chorus as we&#8217;re propelled otherwise noiselessly down the wide canal. I recognize only a handful of words, though the two that [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Castles and Crafts on the Yomitan Peninsula</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/09/18/travel/castles-and-crafts-on-the-yomitan-peninsula/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=castles-and-crafts-on-the-yomitan-peninsula</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/09/18/travel/castles-and-crafts-on-the-yomitan-peninsula/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Most people come to the Yomitan Peninsula on Okinawa&#8217;s main island for the sand and the scuba opportunities. I, however, am one of those island residents on whom paradise is wasted &#8212; I like neither a sweltering day at the beach nor an afternoon spent exploring the intimidating world beneath the waves. I&#8217;m more of [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Beat the heat in the green hills of Izu</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/07/17/travel/beat-the-heat-in-the-green-hills-of-izu/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=beat-the-heat-in-the-green-hills-of-izu</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/07/17/travel/beat-the-heat-in-the-green-hills-of-izu/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Nobody likes Japan&#8217;s cities in the summertime &#8212; at least not those south of Hokkaido. With heat rising off the tarmac and radiating from the concrete, and humidity that clings like a wet towel, thoughts of escape come readily to mind &#8212; and there&#8217;s no better tonic than getting up into the hills and mountains [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Strawberries and shoguns in Shizuoka</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/05/15/travel/strawberries-and-shoguns-in-shizuoka/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=strawberries-and-shoguns-in-shizuoka</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/05/15/travel/strawberries-and-shoguns-in-shizuoka/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s a clear spring morning and the view over Suruga Bay just outside of Shizuoka City is captivating. At least, that&#8217;s what my travel companions say. As our car hugs the coastal road known as Ichigo Kaigan-dori, my husband and our friends are admiring the water. I, on the other hand, am more intrigued by [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Hiking on Kyoto&#8217;s doorstep</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/03/13/travel/hiking-on-kyotos-doorstep/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=hiking-on-kyotos-doorstep</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/03/13/travel/hiking-on-kyotos-doorstep/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:01:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The Eizan Electric Railway serves a sparsely traveled route &#8212; or so I infer from the dinky two-carriage train we board shortly before it lurches out of the terminus at Demachiyanagi Station in Kyoto heading for the mountains on the city&#8217;s northeastern outskirts. Certainly, there are a fair number of travelers packed into the few [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Roads less traveled on Okinawa Island</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/01/23/travel/roads-less-traveled-on-okinawa-island/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=roads-less-traveled-on-okinawa-island</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/01/23/travel/roads-less-traveled-on-okinawa-island/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:01:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m normally intolerant of Sunday drivers, but as our little car winds its way up the two-lane coastal roads of eastern Okinawa Island, I find myself pleasantly inclined to just that kind of unhurried progress. The motorcycle riders who have suddenly appeared in our rearview mirror, however, seem less enamored of our languid pace. &#8220;Stop [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Exploring historic Nagasaki</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/12/26/travel/exploring-historic-nagasaki/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=exploring-historic-nagasaki</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/12/26/travel/exploring-historic-nagasaki/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The gate in front of me once opened to the world. Steps &#8212; now long gone &#8212; formerly led down from there to a quay in Nagasaki&#8217;s sheltered harbor where, in centuries past, visiting trading ships tied up. It was here that European mariners &#8212; many malnourished and sick from the four-month voyage to the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Taking a tea break in Shizuoka</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/08/15/travel/taking-a-tea-break-in-shizuoka/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=taking-a-tea-break-in-shizuoka</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/08/15/travel/taking-a-tea-break-in-shizuoka/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s no secret what the cash crop of Shizuoka Prefecture is: tea. Green and generally reckoned to be healthful, this brew has fueled Japan for close on 1,500 years since being introduced from the Asian mainland. Now, as my Hamamatsu-bound train winds its way from Tokyo through the Makinohara district in the west of this [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Brides, boats and blooms</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/06/13/travel/brides-boats-and-blooms/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=brides-boats-and-blooms</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/06/13/travel/brides-boats-and-blooms/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The bride in the garden is a vision in white, her snowy dress contrasting sharply with the brilliant purple of the irises around her. &#8220;Beautiful!&#8221; sighs the gaggle of Japanese women around me, with that classic, high-pitched exhalation of breath and wistful looks in their starry eyes. The bride herself smiles little, her face serene [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Warming to Ryukyu culture</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/04/04/travel/warming-to-ryukyu-culture/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=warming-to-ryukyu-culture</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/04/04/travel/warming-to-ryukyu-culture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The air is stifling in the cement interior of the Ishikawa Dome, despite the sides being open to the weather. I shift my limbs, in danger of losing circulation on the unforgiving benches, while my right arm furiously works my paper program as a fan in a desperate effort to gain respite from the Okinawan [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Go to where your cup runneth over</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/02/07/travel/go-to-where-your-cup-runneth-over/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=go-to-where-your-cup-runneth-over</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/02/07/travel/go-to-where-your-cup-runneth-over/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The green and white taxis are lined up outside Katsunuma-Budokyo Station like the stripes on a holiday peppermint stick. I readjust the contents of my daypack after the 90-minute train trip from Tokyo, take out my map, and hop into the back of the first cab in line with my husband in tow. We clue [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Shades of Greece on the Inland Sea</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/11/15/travel/shades-of-greece-on-the-inland-sea/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=shades-of-greece-on-the-inland-sea</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/11/15/travel/shades-of-greece-on-the-inland-sea/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The windmill is the first thing I notice, its delicate white blades gleaming against the cloud- flecked sky. Nearby, a semi-circle of polished Doric-style columns occupies prime position overlooking the glassy sea. As a breeze blows gently through olive trees on the shady hillside, it&#8217;s easy to imagine I&#8217;ve landed on some idyllic Greek isle. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Diving with dolphins in the Izu Islands</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/10/04/travel/diving-with-dolphins-in-the-izu-islands/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=diving-with-dolphins-in-the-izu-islands</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/10/04/travel/diving-with-dolphins-in-the-izu-islands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s Saturday morning and I&#8217;m sitting on the beach, struggling to strap on a pair of oversize flippers. When they are securely in place, I waddle down to the water&#8217;s edge and gingerly step into the sparkling, crystal ocean lapping Miyake Island. &#8220;Ready to go?&#8221; asks Shuichi Taguchi, the owner of Dolphin Club TAG and [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Serving up soba and shrines</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/09/13/travel/serving-up-soba-and-shrines/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=serving-up-soba-and-shrines</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/09/13/travel/serving-up-soba-and-shrines/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The lump of dough in the large mixing bowl in front of me doesn&#8217;t look like much, but soba-making instructor Hatuko Tokutake isn&#8217;t concerned. &#8220;You have to knead it at least 150 times,&#8221; she coaches me, confident in her 10 years experience as a soba maker. &#8220;Then you will see it start to take shape.&#8221; [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Striking it rich on the Izu Peninsula</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/08/16/travel/striking-it-rich-on-the-izu-peninsula/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=striking-it-rich-on-the-izu-peninsula</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/08/16/travel/striking-it-rich-on-the-izu-peninsula/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Gold may be heavier than water, but all that&#8217;s rattling around the bottom of my panning bowl are lots of multicolored pebbles. &#8220;Slowly, very slowly, or you&#8217;ll shake the gold out,&#8221; says my instructor Noriko Yamamoto, a seven-year employee of Toi Kinzan, a restored gold mine outside Toi on the west coast of the Izu [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/08/16/travel/striking-it-rich-on-the-izu-peninsula/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>All aboard for Saitama&#8217;s splendors</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/06/07/travel/all-aboard-for-saitamas-splendors/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=all-aboard-for-saitamas-splendors</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/06/07/travel/all-aboard-for-saitamas-splendors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Get ready!&#8221; comes the call from Kato, our river guide who is standing at his post in the stern of our wooden longboat. My gaze snaps forward, scanning the waterway. Up until this point, our cruise on the Arakawa (Ara River) in Saitama Prefecture has been an idyllic outing. Floating past imposing limestone cliffs set [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Slow train coming in Shizuoka</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/04/12/travel/slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka-2</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/04/12/travel/slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Standing on the platform at Kanaya Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, the enthusiastic crowd &#8212; myself included &#8212; watches with fascination as the train pulls in. Because this train is different. It&#8217;s not a sleek, aerodynamic bullet train; nor is it one of the ubiquitous, striped JR jobs. Rather, the tar-colored engine that&#8217;s creeping ever closer [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/04/12/travel/slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Slow train coming in Shizuoka</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/04/12/travel/slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/04/12/travel/slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/04/12/%life_category%/slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Standing on the platform at Kanaya Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, the enthusiastic crowd &#8212; myself included &#8212; watches with fascination as the train pulls in. Because this train is different. It&#8217;s not a sleek, aerodynamic bullet train; nor is it one of the ubiquitous, striped JR jobs. Rather, the tar-colored engine that&#8217;s creeping ever closer [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/04/12/travel/slow-train-coming-in-shizuoka/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Uncovering an ukiyo-e master in Obuse</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/03/29/travel/uncovering-an-ukiyo-e-master-in-obuse/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=uncovering-an-ukiyo-e-master-in-obuse</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/03/29/travel/uncovering-an-ukiyo-e-master-in-obuse/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandy Bartok</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The small town of Obuse nestles quietly in the foothills of the Japan Alps, a 30-minute ride on a local rail line from the prefectural capital of Nagano City. Known locally for its apples and sweet chestnuts, this rural community would likely have remained in wider obscurity were it not for the retirement plans of [...]]]></description>
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