(folksy guitar music)
- [Micaela] Hi, good morning!
(speaks foreign language)
- I'm here with Momoko-San.
She is a drone-jo,
and today we are going to shoot various,
sight seeing spots around Aya.
And we're going to make them look really, really cool,
and really professional.
And she's going to teach me how to fly a drone,
so I'm really excited.
(both speak foreign language)
Momoka-San is a licensed drone pilot.
Flying drones in residential areas is prohibited in Japan,
but if you're a licensed drone pilot,
you can apply for special permission to fly.
So today, thanks to Momoko-San,
we'll be able to fly our drone here
in the small farming town of Aya,
in Miyazaki prefecture.
(high pitch buzzing)
This is the Aya Teruha Suspension Bridge:
One of the most popular landmarks in Aya,
and formerly the highest walkable suspension bridge
in all of Japan.
It is a 142 meters tall, and 250 meters wide.
So this bridge is not exactly for the faint of heart
or those afraid of heights,
mainly because the flooring is grated.
(Micaela chuckles)
Grated and you can see straight down to your death,
if you were to fall, if anything were to happen.
No chance.
(speaks foreign language)
It's the bridge code,
you have to be polite to people when you are on a bridge.
I just made that up.
If you can make it to the other side of the bridge,
there's a hiking trail that weaves thought the lush forest.
This is a very popular stop for nature lovers, hikers,
and thrill seeking tourists.
Another famous landmark is Aya Castle.
It sits atop a hill and overlooks the entire town.
Alright, so here is Aya Castle.
The thing that I like a lot about Aya Castle,
I've been here a few times already,
but the thing that I like about it is that,
for a castle, for a tourist spot,
it's always very quiet.
There's never anybody else here,
and if you want to just wander around,
and admire it, and take photos,
and go inside, and go to the top,
you can,
and you don't have other tourists getting into your photos
and ruining everything.
Whether you're looking at the castle from the town,
or looking at the town from the castle,
you're sure to be treated with some picturesque scenery.
(relaxed techno music)
(water rushing)
After a busy morning of flying,
we headed to the center of town for a quick break.
They have free WiFi there.
(speak foreign language)
So we're trading data.
We're having a data transfer party here in this little cafe?
Ice cream shop?
I've got dragon fruit ice cream...
(speaks foreign language)
- It's so good. I love the colors.
Over here they have this beautiful hina stand,
but we're gonna go see more of that later.
(gentle guitar strumming)
From the end of February to the beginning of March,
Japan celebrates the Hinamatsuri,
or The Festival of Dolls.
- Come on.
(speaks foreign language)
These are so cute.
This festival is celebrated all across Japan,
but depending on where you go,
everyone seems to celebrate it a little differently.
In Aya, they hold what is called a Hinayamamatsuri
or A Doll Mountain Festival.
Traditionally,
hina dolls are displayed on red-tiered platforms,
but in the town of Aya,
they place that platform on a man-made mountain,
and they decorate it with real plants and flowers,
and display them all across town.
(trickling water)
(speaks foreign language)
Over the course of one week,
this particular event draws visitors from all over Kyushu,
and it's a really great opportunity
to explore the more traditional side of Japan.
(speaks foreign language)
Wow.
You meet some pretty amazing people here in Aya.
Finally, it's the end of the day,
and we're going out for dinner
with my friends from town hall.
I've been waiting for this dinner pretty much forever.
So tonight we are having inoshishi nabe,
which is a wild boar hot pot,
and I'm so excited.
I've actually been dying to have wild boar,
ever since I came here,
and they told me that they hunt them here.
You can't really have the wild boar coming in
and destroying crops so it's actually legal
to hunt them in this area.
We are about to have this amazing nabe dinner.
I think it's safe to say that I have been looking forward
to this dinner ever since I came to Aya.
(speaking foreign language)
Wild boar in a miso soup base
with vegetables.
- Yeah.
(speaks foreign language)
Wild boar nabe.
Mmmm.
(speaks foreign language)
It's really tough and chewing,
but it's a little bit sweet
and it has a bit of an after taste that I really like.
Hey guys, I’ll be holding a meetup in Aya,
and if you live in the area I’d love if you’d come hang out with me.
On March 12th, I’ll be at the Honmono Centre,
so come by and eat some of the local vegetables and fruits with me!
oh! and we should get the hyuga-natsu ice cream, that stuff is SO GOOD!
Sunday, March 12th, from 1:00pm! Hope to see you there!
Time is going by so fast here.
It's hard to believe my month in Aya is almost up.
I hope you're enjoying this countryside series.
If you wanna see more videos about Japan, don't forget to subscribe!
And, also check out my Instagram, cause I'm posting photos there pretty much every day.
And I'm really like my gallery and I want you to look at it.
Please, please, follow me on Instagram!