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Article: Puppet love: up in the mountains of Kumamoto, a small group of farmers is helping to preserve one of Japan's proudest traditions. (Cultural Creators).
- Article from:
- Look Japan
- Article date:
- August 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Look Japan, Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ABOUT two hours down the road heading East out of Kumamoto city, our bus begins a jolting climb up a steep mountain road. As I watch the countryside unfold below--a broad landscape of rice fields and small farm settlements-one by one my fellow passengers, apparently coming home after a trip into town, disembark at stops along the way.
I am headed for Seiwa village, a tiny settlement of 3,300 people located near the center of Kyushu (southernmost of Japan's four main islands) in Kumamoto-ken (prefecture). Situated at an altitude of 400-800 meters above sea level, Seiwa is a true mountain village. With no railway line, it is hardly easy to reach. And yet Seiwa is a ...