Another essay for Kurokawa Onsen fans: http://kurokawa-onsen.com/onsen-hop-9-genryunoyado-hozantei/
2015-05-23 23:43 JST 2015 Another essay for Kurokawa Onsen fans: http://kurokawa-onsen.com/onsen-hop-9-genryunoyado-hozantei/ Onsen-hop # 9 `Genryunoyado Hozantei`Another Friday afternoon,another outdoor onsen ;-) .....this week I chose to pop back to visit one I had noticed towards the end of my hike around Kurokawa earl http://kurokawa-onsen.com/onsen-hop-9-genryunoyado-hozantei/ ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 2 · Comments: 0 ← 2015-05-23 09:52 JST 2015-05-24 10:07 JST → Around this time … 2015-05-31 18:09 JSTHere's another video by long-time Kumamoto International participant and videographer Douglas Bruce. Enjoy!https://vimeo.com/126226639 2015-05-30 12:43 JSTImmediately after the huge eruption on Kuchinoerabu Island, the claim that "Japan’s most-active volcano is Mount Aso" doesn't ring true. "There is some concern that Mount Fuji is showing signs of eruption in the near future, but as things stand, Japan’s most-active volcano is Mount Aso, in Aso Kujū national park on the southern island of Kyushu. It has one of the largest calderas in the world, offering myriad viewpoints over its twisted, pitted landscape." On the other hand, with a qualifier such as "one of the most," I think the statement is eminently defensible. I saw a local news broadcast recently in which an expert pointed out that the volcano is likely to become more dangerous in the rainy season (June to early July).By the way, here's a link to a news article about the eruption in Kuchinoerabu Island, in Kagoshima Prefecture:http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/29/national/volcano-erupts-isle-kagoshima-prompting-evacuation-order/#.VWkvumCyu0wPosted by Kirkhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/27/top-10-active-volcanoesTop 10 active volcanoes to see up close 2015-05-29 10:15 JSTUnfortunately, Kumamoto seems to be the home of the poorest region in Japan. The Kuma area is beautiful but I guess the natural beauty of the area doesn't necessarily help people earn money. "The Gini coefficient for them rose from 0.083 to 0.088, and the difference in the average income between the highest ranking, Minato Ward in Tokyo, and the poorest, Kuma village in Kumamoto Prefecture, jumped from 4.7-fold to 6.5-fold."I think that the average age of the residents is a factor here. When young people leave a rural area in order to move to an urban area, it leaves a higher proportion of elderly people, who tend to have very modest incomes. If you click on the following link, you'll find a chart comparing the age distribution in Kuma Village with that of Japan as a whole (the graph on the left side of the page). The graph shows that the age distribution in Kuma Village is heavily skewed to right (the elderly). http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:Demography43513.svgHere's a map showing the location of Kuma Village:https://goo.gl/maps/2JnvDhttp://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/05/24/commentary/japan-commentary/piketty-boom-fading-too-fast/#.VWMexVmqqkoPosted by KirkPiketty boom fading too fast | The Japan Times 2015-05-25 21:32 JST"The companies inked a collaboration agreement in December 2013, under which they will jointly investigate whether there is geothermal potential for the construction of a plant in Minamiaso village. On Thursday, Mitsubishi and Kyushu Electric were given the green light by the local evaluating committee, after submitting a proposal on January 14 this year."http://renewables.seenews.com/news/mitsubishi-kyushu-electric-get-nod-for-geothermal-investigation-in-japan-477640Mitsubishi, Kyushu Electric get nod for geothermal investigation in Japan - SeeNews Renewables 2015-05-24 10:07 JSTHere's another video by long-time Kumamoto International participant and videographer Douglas Bruce. Enjoy!https://vimeo.com/126708855Koi nobori 2015-05-23 23:43 JSTAnother essay for Kurokawa Onsen fans:Onsen-hop # 9 `Genryunoyado Hozantei` (this post) 2015-05-23 09:52 JSTWalking and bathing . . . sounds like a relaxing way to spend a weekend. :)http://kurokawa-onsen.com/walking-around-the-kurokawa-onsen-area/Walking around the Kurokawa Onsen area 2015-05-23 09:47 JSTKumamon at the Cannes Film Festivalhttp://www.france24.com/en/20150522-cannes-film-festival-japan-asuna-android-kumamon-fuchikoCulture - Robots, teddies and tiny drink buddies: It’s Japan in Cannes! 2015-05-22 16:07 JSTOn April 15, NHK's local Kumaroku (クマロク！) news show included a story about Sozankyo (蘇山郷), a ryokan in the Uchinomaki area of Aso. It has succeeded in getting lots of foreign business. One key to its success has been its presence on Booking.com http://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/sozankyo.en-gb.htmlwhere it has earned an extremely high rating. You can see notes about some of the scenes in the show if you click on the images shown below. 2015-05-22 09:39 JSTIt has been eight years since the start of the so-called "baby hatch" in Kumamoto. It is the only such facility in Japan. Here's a paragraph from the Wikipedia "Baby hatch" page:"In Japan, abandoning a baby is normally punished with up to five years in prison. In 2006 officials at Jikei Hospital applied to Kumamoto Prefecture government, Kumamoto city and other offices before opening a baby hatch were told that it would not count as abandonment, as the baby is under the hospital's protection. However, the Japanese ministry of health, labour and welfare would not comment on the issue, apart from saying that there was no precedent."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_hatchhttp://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/21/national/social-issues/11-babies-left-hospitals-baby-hatch-fiscal-2014/#.VV55gGCyty411 babies left in hospital's 'baby hatch' in fiscal 2014 | The Japan Times 2015-05-20 13:00 JSTThe photo shows a confection called "Chosen ame" or literally "Korean sweet." The name derives from the carrying of this food into Korea as one the provisions for Kato Kiyomasa's troops at the end of the 16th century. It does not spoil easily and as such was an appropriate food for traveling troops. Despite the rather problematic origin of the name, the confection itself is one that I can recommend without reservation. As a matter of fact, I am writing this today because, after sharing some with my students, I got requests for information about where to buy it. The following url has a Google map that shows the location of the store. Enjoy!https://plus.google.com/107820237593090316375/aboutPosted by Kirk http://www.okashi-net.com/mall/sonodaya/朝鮮飴 柿球肥のお取り寄せ 老舗園田屋：熊本県熊本｜和菓子モール
