Good news from Mr. Yagi at the International Center for fans of Vietnamese cuisine. -- Kirk
2021-03-20 20:52 JST 2021 Good news from Mr. Yagi at the International Center for fans of Vietnamese cuisine. -- Kirk ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 7 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 0 ← 2021-03-20 05:56 JST 2021-03-21 09:33 JST → Around this time … 2021-03-22 12:51 JSTIn today’s Kumanichi newspaper, there is an article about 3,333 stone steps in Misato Town which is called “日本一の石段(Japan’s No.1 stone steps in Japan)”. It says it’s been 33 years since 3333 stone steps were built this year. This year is called 令和3年(Reiwa 3-nen) in Japanese calendar.So how many “3” are there? There are 7!7 is considered to be a lucky number and I heard that 3 is also considered to be a good number in Buddhism so it’s super lucky!There is an article from Untapped Kumamoto that introduced this 3333 stone steps and its history and unknown stories. This stone steps are not just an activity but this is a path to the main hall of Shakain Temple up to the mountain.The length of the steps is about 2km and the hight from the bottom to the top is 620m.Check the article below and if you want to get good luck, try this 3333 stone steps this year!!- Chieko#日本一の石段#3333石段#美里町#3333stonesteps#Misatotown#Kumamoto https://untappedkumamoto.com/activities/1515 2021-03-22 10:10 JSTThere are two scary things about this article.1. The Ikata nuclear plant (not all that far away from Kumamoto) will come back on line2. One point of contention was whether an eruption of Mt. Aso could damage the reactor. If Mt. Aso might blow up in a way that could damage a reactor way off in Shikoku, what would that do to those of us here in Kumamoto?-- KirkHigh Court drops injunction against Ikata nuclear plant : The Asahi Shimbun 2021-03-21 14:18 JSTRevamping of Kumamoto Station has been completed, expanding the public use area by 1.7 times. Aside from an expanded shopping area and an outdoor public performance space, renovations include two fountains and 15 species of plants to emphasize two of Kumamoto's three themes, water and greenery (fire was snubbed). Kasuga, where the station is located, has long been an ignored part of our city, perhaps as it is in a nook created by Hanaokayama, long a burial ground. Its completion opens way for further rejuvenation of Shinmachi through to the castle. I recommend a walk from the castle along Tsuboi River to the station to see a little-visited side of Kumamoto and its potential. - William 2021-03-21 21:42 JSTJoe shared a Japanese-language link with us about this news. Here's an English article.As I wrote in response to Joe's post, lack of a unified approach to bus service has been an interest of mine for a number of years. In particular, I've been hoping that it would become possible to use Google maps to figure out how to get around town by bus. This can be done in most cities around the world but not in Kumamoto. I hope this joint venture fixes this problem.https://www.facebook.com/.../a.12949973.../1378028532270575/https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2021031900784/Japan OKs Joint Service by 5 Kumamoto Bus Firms 2021-03-21 09:33 JSTI thought it was interesting that the first I heard of this local artist was from the New York Times. -- KirkIn Japan, His Disaster Art Saves Lives 2021-03-20 20:52 JSTGood news from Mr. Yagi at the International Center for fans … (this post) 2021-03-20 05:56 JSTHere's something from researchers at Kumamoto University. It describes the last days of wine consumption in Kumamoto before the drink was abandoned in the 17th century. If it hadn't been for the persecution of Christians and Christianity, perhaps Kumamoto would have a tradition of wine production to complement the other local delicacies that it's known for today.-- KirkResearch finds Japanese winemaking was halted by Christian persecution 2021-03-19 20:57 JSTHere's an RKK news segment about the approaching opening of Costco:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r3kq31VvjM&t=4sIt's planned for April 1st -- no joke. There's a brief interview in English with the head of Costco Japan, who seems to be an American.-- KirkP.S. They were celebrating the opening of the roads leading to the facility. 2021-03-19 07:44 JSTHere's a bit of history from last year that I failed to share at the time. The coal mine played an important role in Japan's industrial history and its story is the story of the positive and negative aspects of that history. During the war years, Korean and Chinese people were forced to work there and many did not survive. Here's a link to a Japanese-language article about memorials to those victims that can be found at Shohoji, a temple in Arao:http://asianews.seesaa.net/article/450517107.html-- Kirk https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20201110/p2a/00m/0na/017000cCenotaph with names of 458 victims of Japan's 1963 coal mine explosion unveiled - The Mainichi 2021-03-18 19:51 JSTKirk here with news about Kumamoto's own Miyabi Onitsuka -- the snowboarder from Luther High School. I saw a report about this on Japanese TV last night. The following Japan Times article says that she is the "first Japanese, male or female, to claim a world championships podium finish in the big air event." And she did it growing up in Kumamoto -- a nice place but not ideal for snowboarders. Amazing! Congratulations Miyabi!!https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2021/03/17/more-sports/winter-sports-more-sports/miyabi-onitsuka-bronze-world-championships/ 2021-03-18 12:58 JSTKirk here, with something from Kuma Visit. When the internet is working well, Google image search and machine translation services may be even more useful that a sheet of this type. On the other hand, disasters often take out electrical power and may even disturb internet service so, if you're worried about your ability to communicate in a pinch, printing something like this out and having it with you might be a good idea. If you have any special medical needs or other concerns you'd like to be able to convey in a disaster, it might also be good to have someone help you translate that into Japanese and print that out too in advance so you can point to it easily in an emergency.