Here's a video (in Japanese) about curry served in Ashikita. http://youtu.be/ceBJbqtJQIw
2014-08-01 08:21 JST 2014 Here's a video (in Japanese) about curry served in Ashikita. http://youtu.be/ceBJbqtJQIw くまもとのカレーなる物語 ～芦北伽哩街道（あしきたカレーかいどう）～ A Great Curry Story in Kumamoto 〜Ashikita Curry Kaido Street〜2006年に芦北町で始まった「芦北伽哩街道」。毎年夏限定で、地域の飲食店では地元の食材を使ったさまざまなカレーが登場し、食べ歩きが人気を呼んでいます。地域おこしのために始まったこの取り組みには、戦後日本の家庭料理の普及に貢献した、ある女性の物語が秘められていました。 A Great Curry Story in ... http://youtu.be/ceBJbqtJQIw ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 3 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 1 ← 2014-07-30 18:50 JST 2014-08-01 08:30 JST → Around this time … 2014-08-02 13:51 JSTDue to the weather, there was some doubt about whether or not the Otemoyan Dance could go on as scheduled. The official website site says, in essence, "the dance is on!" However, they also say that there's still a slim chance of cancelation due to the weather. I hope you all have a great time and that there is little no rain. The weather forecast indicates only light rain.http://www.hinokunimatsuri.jp/contents.cfm?id=555 2014-08-01 12:17 JSTThis image shows the steep decline in smoking rates among men by age group in Japan. It comes from the following article in the Japanese version of the Huffington Post:http://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2014/07/30/tobacco-women_n_5636293.htmlI'm posting it because it's a good visual indication of trend described in the following short article:Japan smoking rate falls below 20 percent for 1st timehttp://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/108842.phpThough it's a national trend, I've seen big changes in smoking culture here in Kumamoto since the 1990s.http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1940054/thumbs/o-TABAKO-570.jpg?1 2014-08-01 11:34 JSTYesterday I wrote that "There will be a huge hanabi (fireworks) event in Tamana tomorrow (Aug 1)." Apparently due to the weather, however, the fireworks show has been postponed until Thursday, August 7.玉名市 玉名納涼花火大会 2014-08-01 11:30 JSTHere's another item that is not specific to Kumamoto, but that I hope many readers will be interested in. The article is also available in Japanese -- something that might come in handy if you have a Japanese friend who cannot believe that there is no connection between blood type and personality.http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/20140719-OYT1T50087.htmlhttp://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001458735Blood type ‘plays no role’ in personality - The Japan News 2014-08-01 08:30 JSTThis is a national issue, but Kumamoto is certainly affected by it.http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201406260058Japan's population drops for 5th straight year - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun 2014-08-01 08:21 JSTHere's a video (in Japanese) about curry served in Ashikita.くまもとのカレーなる物語 ～芦北伽哩街道（あしきたカレーかいどう）～ A Great Curry Story in Kumamoto 〜Ashikita Curry Kaido Street〜 (this post) 2014-07-30 18:50 JSTThis article talks about several famous castles in Japan, including Kumamoto Castle and Edo Castle. Though the article doesn't mention it, after Kato Kiyomasa built Kumamoto Castle he was involved in the construction of some of the stone walls (ishigaki) of Edo Castle. The following Japanese blog entry says that while stone walls in the Edo Castle complex that were built under the supervision of other daimyo (regional lords) crumbled when heavy rains hit Edo Castle, Kato Kiyomasa's walls stood firm. The blog entry also explains how Kiyomasa's engineering differed from that of his contemporaries.http://blog.q-q.jp/201203/article_13.htmlhttp://www.timeout.com.hk/travel/features/68440/castle-spotting-in-japan.htmlCastle spotting in Japan 2014-07-30 18:32 JSTGovernments, whether in Japan or in Canada, tend to use criteria that make it difficult to get certified as Minamata disease victims.This article also describes documents that indicate that the government knew that the extent of mercury poisoning in the community was greater than it would acknowledge publicly. Government mendacity and relative lack of concern for victims characterize the issue in both countries.===start quote===The report compared the board’s decisions in several cases with diagnoses made by Japanese experts on Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome caused by mercury poisoning, who examined the community between 1975 and 2004.It found the board recognized only 38 per cent of the cases identified by the experts, noting the discrepancies “are due to different criteria used for evaluations.”“The approach used by the Mercury Disability Board to assess whether or not an applicant has signs or symptoms consistent with mercury poisoning was designed based on the state of science and knowledge of the impact of mercury on human health in the 1980s,” it reads.===end quote===http://globalnews.ca/news/1477702/government-played-down-scope-of-mercury-poisoning-first-nation-report/Government played down scope of mercury poisoning: Report 2014-07-30 18:20 JSTThis article includes a few paragraphs about a ryokan in Kurokawa that has taken measures to increase it's foreign clientele.===start quote===During the symposium, the proprietor of a family-run ryokan that recently started receiving more visitors from foreign countries discussed the efforts they made to attract them.Nozomu Shiga, president of Ryokan Wakaba at the Kurokawa Onsen spa resort in Kumamoto Prefecture, decided last year that his ryokan would take steps to bring in more visitors from overseas.In 2012, foreign guests accounted for only several per cent of all his guests each month. But Shiga, 41, said this year they sometimes exceed 20 per cent per month, partly due to him and his staff taking English lessons.They also produced menus, inn guides and Kurokawa Onsen resort maps in English, and revamped the facility's English website and booking procedures.Shiga found that these measures did not cost as much as he expected. "What we should really do first is resolve to bring in more visitors from overseas," he remarked at the symposium.===end quote===http://news.asiaone.com/news/relax/ryokan-inns-continue-draw-foreigners-japanRyokan inns continue to draw foreigners to Japan 2014-07-28 21:26 JSTThis article contains news of a sad incident that occurred in Taragi-machi, near Hitoyoshi:"In Taragi, Kumamoto Prefecture, two parents jumped into the Kuma river to save their five-year-old daughter who had been playing, but both drowned in the process. A stranger nearby who witnessed the incident jumped in and saved the girl."http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/11-dead-2-missing-in-weekend-water-related-accidentsThe Kuma River (Kumagawa) has some of Japan's fastest flowing areas:"One of the main experience-based tourist attractions in the Hitoyoshi/Kuma district is going down the Kuma River, which is famous as one of the three swiftest rivers in Japan. " http://www.visitkyushu.org/2013/03/29/kumagawa-river-rafting/11 dead, 2 missing in weekend water-related accidents 2014-07-27 22:24 JSTHere's another report on Kumamoto Castle coming in first on a "how glad are you that you went?" survey.一度は籠城してみたい 行ってよかった日本の城ランキング発表
