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japan: Most InstagraMMable
1. MOUNT FUJI 2. TAIYAKI CAKES 3. MATSUSAKA CASTLE 4. KIMONO FESTIVAL 5. MISOGI FESTIVAL 6. NOH MASKS
Japan’s tallest
mountain—
and still-active
volcano—stands
at an elevation
of 3,776 metres.
The Japanese
consider it a
sacred site and
many make
annual pilgrim-
mages. Head to
the onsen (spa)
town of Lake
Kawaguchiko for
the best views. The ultimate
Japanese street
food, taiyaki
are fish-shaped
cakes with sugary
fillings. First
baked in a Tokyo
sweet shop in
1909, they’re
made of waffle
batter and are
typically filled
with sweet azuki
bean paste, choco-
late, custard or
matcha. Though it’s now
in ruins, this
historic castle
dates to 1588
when it was
built by samurai
warrior Ujisato
Gamo. The
impressive walls
still stand, as
do the Gojoban-
Yashiki (castle
guardhouses),
where its
brave samurai
defenders lived. Nagahama’s
annual Kimono
Garden Party
welcomes a
thousand-plus
robe-wearing
women, who
flock to the city
like a swarm
of fluttering
butterflies. The
event attracts
women and
girls sporting
traditional or
modern kimonos. Held every
December in
the city of Gifu,
hundreds of local
men perform the
misogi (purifica-
tion) ritual in
the Nagara River.
The cold-water
swim looks like
a Japanese ver-
sion of Canada’s
polar bear dip,
but it’s actually
a 600-year-old
Shinto ritual. Masks have been
used in Japanese
ceremonies since
ancient times.
Today, they take
centre stage in
Noh plays, a
traditional form
of theatre. There
are hundreds of
different Noh
masks, each
representing
different people,
animals and facial
expressions.
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Summer 2018
CAA SASKATCHeWAN
Cool, quirky and stunning sights in the Land of the Rising Sun