Snowmen at the Shiramine Snowman Festival are illuminated by candlelight at night. The process used to keep the snowmen from melting is a town secret.

The annual Shiramine Snowman Festival will be held again on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. This festival features hundreds of snowmen constructed by the townspeople that are illuminated at night using a special lighting method that is a well-kept town secret. This is a great way to escape the Ishikawa winter blues because no one can possibly be sad when surrounded by hundreds of adorable snowmen. The festival lasts from 3 – 9 p.m.

It’s easiest to get to the festival if you have a car. If you live near Kanazawa or Hakusan, you can make it to the festival with plenty of time if you leave right after work. A Google Map of Shiramine can be found here for those wanting directions. For those interested in attending the Jan. 27 festival, there will be a free shuttle bus from the parking lots to Kuwajima. If you don’t have a car there are shuttle buses leaving from Kanazawa Station at 3 p.m. on both days. A round-trip ticket is ¥2000. Also, see the jump below for an English tour with limited availability.

The Hakusan City’s Hakusan International Association (HIA) Shiramine Snowman Festival Tour

Date: Friday, January 27, 2012

Time: Bus departs Rifare at 1:30 p.m.; departs Kanazawa City Hall at 1:40 p.m.  (the bus can make a stop at Izumigaoka SHS as well)

*Notice that this is on a Friday, so you will have to take half a day of daikyu or nenkyu for this.

Place: Shiramine District’s Kuwajima Village (there are two main venues for the snowman festival and this is the smaller one)

Cost: 1000 yen (participation fee covers tour bus and insurance)

Deadline: January 20, 2012

(There will be a Japanese tour guide and PA Jeff Shieh will be going along to help interpret.)

To sign-up, please e-mail Mrs. Keiko Uno of HIA at k-uno <at > city (dot) hakusan [dot] lg <dot>jp with your name, gender, age, nationality, and the bus stop where you would like to be picked up.

Invite your non-JET friends, co-workers and students to hear some singing (and donate to charity). Everyone is welcome! If you’re interested in singing, don’t forget to contact Kathleen Robertson so there are enough lyric packets to go around.

Joanna Clark is a second year ALT in Kahoku City who will be singing her face off at Kanazawa Station on Sunday.

Cards are being accepted with no apparent deadline at the following address:

c/o Mrs. Mayumi Hoshi
Shichigahama-cho Saigai-Volunteer Center
Noyama 5-9, Yoshidahama
Shichigahama-cho, Miyagi
〒985-0802 JAPAN
ATTN: Boys and Girls

〒985-0802
宮城県 七ヶ浜町吉田浜 字野山5‐9
七ヶ浜町 災害ボランティアセンター
星真由美様 宛
少年少女達へ

For more information, check out the JET AA post on their website, http://www.jetaausa.com/2011/11/18/xmas-cards-for-tohoku-kids/.

Joanna Clark is a second-year ALT in Kahoku City. She plans to spread holiday cheer with Christmas cards and nengajō.

The carbon-offset nengajô from Japan Post.

Read on for detailed instructions on writing and addressing the perfect nengajō.

1. If you are using a postcard with postage included (a mark with the Chinese zodiac animal of the new year and 50 yen written on it), you need to add a 20-yen stamp to cover the 70-yen fee for international post card mail. If you are sending the postcard in an envelope, postage will cost 90-130 yen depending on the destination.
2. Address the card horizontally like a Western letter (see diagram), not vertically like a Japanese postcard (see below).
3. On the side with the recipient’s address, write “Air Mail” and “Post Card” in English.
4. Although people who are not living in Japan cannot participate in the annual nengajō lottery drawing, it’s not necessary to remove the lotto number on the bottom of the card.

Please note

• Nengajô design kits might not have the capacity to do foreign addresses.
• If the country to which you are sending the nengajō does not have a special system for New Year’s mail, the card may not arrive on January 1.
• If you are sending the card to China or Korea, see the guidelines for Chinese and Korean addresses and greetings.

If you are sending nengajō to recipients in Japan, there are a few customs you should know.

• Cards must be taken to a post office between Dec. 15-26. There are sometimes bins to sort them into—local (your town), prefecture, or outside the prefecture.
• The 2012 Nenjajo Lottery (otoshidama, お年玉) will be held on January 22, 2012.
• If you receive a card from someone to whom you didn’t send a card, you have until 7 January to reply.
• It’s inappropriate to send a card to families in mourning.
• How to write a card: how to address a card (Japanese only; see below for English); how to write Japanese greetings (with English instructions); how to write very formal cards for business (Japanese only).

The back of your card has room for additional greetings and the recipient’s and sender’s addresses. To ensure your card gets delivered and that you have room to write your greetings, you should address it like so:

Image from jp-guide.net.

Addresses for postcards in Japan are written from the center, and then from right to left:

1. Recipient’s name with 様 (sama) after it in the center of the postcard–中心線 (chūshinsen) on the diagram–should be written in larger script than the address. The 「様」  should be larger than the recipient’s name.
2. Red boxes on the top right-hand corner are for the recipient’s zip-code.
3. Recipient’s address–prefecture, country, city, town, then a line break for their ward or their apartment building and number–should be aligned on the right-hand red line–住所線 (jūshosen, address line).
4. Sender’s address should be written with the zip-code under the stamp.
5. Sender’s address (same format as recipient’s address) should be aligned under the zip-code.
6. Sender’s name should be written in larger script than the address.

Happy New Year!

Leah Zoller is a former CIR (2009-11) and now works for The Art of Japan: Kanazawa/Discover Kanazawa. She is making homemade nengajō this year.

November’s coming to a close, and if you feel like you’ve been seeing more mustaches around than usual, there’s a reason. In Japan, JETs and friends have been growing out their facial hair not only to show off their style but also to raise awareness for prostate cancer. Those who aren’t mustache growing enabled shouldn’t feel left out, though.

This Friday, November 25th will see Ishikawa’s first Movember to Remember party, a night of music and mustaches, at Kanazawa Event House APRE (7th floor) in Katamachi. ¥500 buys you entrance and good feelings for helping out a worthy cause.

Everyone is welcome!

Joanna is a second-year ALT in Kahoku City who is considering sporting a fake ‘stache in support of prostate cancer awareness.

Japan is famous for its cute mascots, which represent everything from blood banks to local attractions. The NTT Town Page (タウンページ協賛) is currently running a contest in which you can vote for your favorite town mascot in the Yuru Character Grand Prix 2011.

Wakatama-kun from the Yuru Character Grand Prix 2011 website.

Ishikawa has six entries:

Kappuchi from Komatsu (Entry #41)

Mon-chan from Monzen (Entry #45)

Wakutama-kun from Wakura Onsen (Entry #66)

Basshon, representing Noto Heirloom Vegetables (Entry #132)

Konmaru-kun from Nanao (Entry #156)

Nyantarou from Kahoku (Entry #250)

Voting is available until 26 November. If you click the big orange button on your preferred mascot’s page, it will open your email client and make that mascot’s number the subject line. Or, email req@yurugp.jp with the number of your favorite mascot as the subject line (e.g. 66). You can vote once a day.

Leah Zoller is a former CIR (2009-11) and now works for The Art of Japan: Kanazawa/Discover Kanazawa. She voted for Wakutama-kun.

The three Hokuriku prefectures took the top three spots in a study by Hosei University in Tokyo trying to pinpoint the happiest prefectures.

Fukui came in first place followed by Toyama and Ishikawa coming in second and third respectively. The study used 40 socioeconomic indicators such as crime rate and welfare services to determine a numerical “happiness scale” which was measured in all the prefectures. One of the things that propelled Fukui to the top spot was its low crime and accident rate as well as an excellent preschool system.

So what’s the unhappiest prefecture in Japan? Osaka! The study cited Osaka’s high crime rate as a main reason it ranked so low on the list. So what do you think Ishikawa dwellers? Are we living in one of the happiest places in Japan?

Read the article (Japanese only)

Use the Location function to find foliage wherever you are. Clicking on a red pin will give you more info about the spot, including its peak color time–apparently Kenrokuen is best viewed from mid-November to early December–public transit directions, address, contact information and a full description (Japanese only).

This fall, try using technology to guide you into the great outdoors!

Get Rurubu from the iTunes store

Find recommended foliage wherever you go!

Get more info about each spot (Japanese only).

Courtesy of http://thisjapaneselife.org

Ever wondered why your JTEs seem to start every sentence with, “Maybe,” “Probably,” or “I think”?

Eryk over at This Japanese Life has answered your curiosity with an amusing and informative article on the gap between Western and Japanese notions of surety, “On Japanese Probability.”

Check out his article and see if you can’t get a better grasp on communication with your JTEs just in time for 8 hours with them at Skill Development Conference (October 28).

The fall scenery at Natadera Temple in Komatsu.

Fall is here and Japan – never wanting to miss an opportunity to admire nature – is getting ready for the changing of the leaves. Going to a great 紅葉 spot is THE fall outing. So grab some friends, get a car (most of these locations are only accessible via car), make sure your camera has a fully charged battery and get to admiring those leaves.

白山スーパー林道

Hakusan Super Rindo Forest Road (白山スーパー林道) Hakusan-shi
Arguably the most breathtaking place for fall colors, this mountain toll road is THE destination for stunning fall views. The Super Rindo Road is perhaps one of the most scenic drives in all of Japan. At ¥3150 one-way for the toll, this is a trip best taken with as many people in one car as possible. (Note: making a U-turn and returning through the same toll gate you entered IS allowed on a one-way pass.)

Best time to visit: October through mid-November
Price: ￥3150 one way ¥4890 round trip
Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
For more information visit their website.

Image courtesy of Natadera's website.

Natadera Temple (那谷寺) Komatsu-shi
This expansive temple ground is a 20-minute drive from Komatsu and is a great place to enjoy the fall leaves. This place is a very spiritual site in Japan and was visited by many famous monks in its heyday. Numerous paths through the forests and along its rocky surfaces and into the hand-carved meditation caves mean you’ll never have to walk the same path twice. This is a top spot for tourists visiting Ishikawa in the fall. Don’t worry about it getting over-crowded with tourists—the grounds are so wide you’ll feel like you’re the only one there.

Best time to visit: November
Price: ¥600 / person
Hours: 8:30 – 16:45
Access: Take the bus bound for Natadera Temple from JR Komatsu Station or take the CANBUS from JR Kaga Onsen Station.
Website: English | Japanese

Korogi-bashi is one of the famous bridges that stretches across Kakusenkei Gorge.

Kakusenkei Gorge (鶴仙渓) Kaga-shi
The Kakusenkei Gorge has easy walking trails for those looking for a casual viewing experience. Located in Yamanaka Onsen, the walking paths will lead you along the gorge and through the historic onsen district. After you finish walking the trails, stop into one of the many onsens to admire the scenery from one of the many outdoor baths lining the gorge. This is perfect as a day trip or an overnight visit if you want to get the full onsen experience.
Best time to visit: November
Access: Take the JR Hokuriku Line to Kaga Onsen Station and board a shuttle bus from the station.
Price: free (unless you visit an onsen)
For more information visit Yamanaka Onsen’s website.

Hodatsu-san is one of the less-traveled fall spots in Ishikawa.

Hodatsu-san (宝達山) Hodatsushimizu-machi
This unassuming mountain nestled to the east of Hodatsushimizu-machi is a low-key fall viewing adventure. You won’t find any tour groups winding through the mountain roads–just local hikers and picnickers. If you want to really get out there and escape from it all this is the place to go. I’ve marked the summit of the mountain, which you can drive to, on a map here, but there is much more to see around the mountain. You can spend a whole day exploring the various roads and trails around Hodatsu-san.

Best time to visit: November
Price: free
Access: Accessible only by car from the 159. Here’s a handy Google Map.