Episode 69 – Natsu Matsuri
Japan has some of the best summer festivals, especially the ones involving fireworks. This week I talk about some life lessons I’ve learned from attending these festivals over the years, that can be applied to day to day life, outside Japan too. I also share the fantastic sangria recipe I talked about last week, look at a Brazilian language school that has a unique project involving seniors in the U.S., and finally, another tip on how to get out of a fitness rut. All that on this week’s Happy Road Ahead show.
Podcast available via direct RSS feed –> HERE, or via iTunes –> HERE.
Show Notes:
Japanese summer festivals are pretty awesome. Here are some links to get you started if you’re interested in knowing more or perhaps making a trip to coincide with one of them.
JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) keeps a good list. The Japan Times also has a list, but this one is mainly modern stuff, like music festivals, food and drink festivals, and so on.
If you want to catch one of Japan’s renowned fireworks festivals, there is a master guide that lists all of them in the entire country. It gives descriptions, dates, locations, and even how long the show is, start and end times, and the number of fireworks used. Sorry, the link is only in Japanese, though.
Are you looking for a reason to celebrate? Here’s a good resource to help you out: http://on-this-day.com which outlines events that happened on each day of the year throughout history.
Alternatively, if you’re feeling a bit pious, just choose a saint from the saints’ day calendar and celebrate your favourite saint!
How a Brazilian language school is benefiting both ESL students in Brazil and seniors in retirement homes in the U.S.
Interested in making some sangria? If you didn’t catch the recipe I gave on the show, here are a few more that you can try out as well.
Credits:
Music beds courtesy of Music Alley from Mevio and the Free Music Archive. Thanks to artists: ZeroV, Duane Carter Band, Gepel.