If one marries one with long Kumamoto history, one also marries the history. Tsunoda-san, our neighbor, had been friends with my wife’s mother, who died before I met her. New to Kumamoto, I helped with the convalescence of Tsunoda-san’s husband - I built them a wheelchair ramp to their genkan - and then watched over her after her husband’s demise. She came over most daily with one request or another, and fulfilling them was good study for me.
She passed away recently, and her son demolished her ramshackle house, replacing it with an ill-advised, very cheap structure. (Our neighborhood sits on a fault, and I doubt it will survive the next quake.) This morning, the workers began installing roof tiles, and I had a chance to ask what one of those ladders which act as an elevator is called. Turns out it’s “niageki” (荷揚げ機). So you can add that to your vocabulary. And take care of your elderly neighbors. - William