In college, I had to take a laboratory science, so I took geology - so called “rocks for jocks” as it was considered the easiest. But as with many things in life, it took a felicitous turn, spurning a life-long love of all things rock. Kumamoto is a paradise for geologists, and I’m not exaggerating here: many from around the world come to study the tortuous contusions that created our world. The best place to check this out is Amakusa. You can find pretty much all of every rock kinds there - igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic - you name it, they’ve got it. I mean, look at the photo below: you could spend a lifetime studying this! Geology is fundamentally a window back in time, a lot like reading tree rings. Take your opportunity during the summer holidays to check out the geology of Amakusa (Aso is too recent). My habit angers my wife as I spend so much time analyzing rocks, but I think it secretly pleases her (geology is, like marriage, complicated). - William