William Live in Kumamoto as an American long enough and talk will eventually turn to the “Kumamoto Band.” In a nutshell, an American educator, LL Janes, arrived in Kumamoto in 1871 to establish the first school of foreign learning, the Kumamoto Yogakko (熊本洋学校). The first three years saw instruction in topics such as mathematics and English, mostly to sons of former samurai, but in his fourth year (and due, apparently, to curiosity of his students), Janes began to teach (not proselytize) Christianity. On January 30, 1876, about 40 of these students gathered at Hanaokayama to hold a prayer meeting and declare their determination to devote themselves to Christianity and serve the country. They became known as the “Kumamoto Band” (熊本バンド). Many of them later played very important rolls in the Meiji-era government and the establishment of modern education and democracy in Japan. (Janes also introduced the YMCA to Japan and had trouble translating the word “youth,” which did not exist at that time.) A ceremony is held every January 30 at a small memorial park on Hanaokayama to commemorate this event. The hill is a repository of Kumamoto history; if you haven’t explored it nook and cranny, you should. Kumanichi has the story of this year’s event. https://kumanichi.com/articles/544085