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Shiga Prefecture

Witness the stunning hues of red and blue with Lake Biwa views at Mt. Hakodate’s Kokia Park

Looking for a scenic outing this month? This lakeside park in Shiga will leave you transfixed with all of its autumn glory.

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Koka City’s municipal workers transform yet again into ninja for Ninja Day【Video】

Move right along with your business–there’s nothing out of the ordinary going on at the city hall.

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We visit a train station in historical ninja town, see ninja trick art, and become ninjas ourselves

Koka City was once home to the legendary Koga Ninja Clan, and the local station pays homage with some fun trick art! 

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Stinkiest sushi in the world is now an ice cream flavour in Japan

Is decayed fish still as pungent when it’s turned into sweet ice cream? 

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New laws could inadvertently ban Pokémon GO in some areas of Japan

Soon it may become illegal to take any photos from “hidden cameras” in Shiga Prefecture, which may mean a ban on catching Pokémon with your smart phones – Nooooo!!!

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If you have official city business in Koka City this week, a ninja will gladly help you!

Every day leading up to Ninja Day (February 22), Koka City public servants will come to work dressed as the secretive badasses!

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Deer overpopulation in Shiga Prefecture brings special-edition venison curry to restaurant chain

When people think of Japan, they often think of towering buildings, tons of traffic, and commuters being packed in trains like sardines into cans. But you’ll find that if you travel outside of the city center, Japan also has a plenty of nature and wildlife to be enjoyed as well.

One of the more well-known sights to be seen are herds of wild deer found in areas like Nara Park and Miyajima. Without any predators or hunters to worry about, the deer can breed freely and herd numbers can get quite high. Overpopulation can become a problem, not just for farmers and people living in the area, but for the surrounding wildlife as well. So what can be done when wild deer numbers get out of hand? Well one solution could be to do as Shiga Prefecture did, and cook up some special venison curry.

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These scarecrows look so human, they belong in an art museum【Photos】

There’s no doubt that crows are some of the smartest animals on the planet, so we have to admit that we’ve always found it kind of funny that they’re fooled by something like a scarecrow. Silly birds, those things look nothing like real humans! Unless you’re out driving around Japan’s Shiga Prefecture and happen upon Nobuou Onishi’s farm. Then even careful humans might be fooled by his incredible scarecrows.

In fact, Onishi’s scarecrows are so realistic–and have captured so much attention–that he’s been requested to create an installation for the Borderless Art Museum NO-MA in Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture. Check out some of the photos from Onishi’s farm below to see if you can believe your eyes!

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