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As a kid, I was a star runner in my school district (#2!) in California, but I did it for fun. For example, as I went through three coaches in four years, I became the team's de facto coach and came up with the pool run, where runners had to see how many condominium pools we could swim through (it involved leaping a fence, swimming through pools with shoes on, leaping the opposite side fence, and continuing on - we kept a record of the amount of pools swum year-to-year; the record when I left was 17). I had hoped for a similar experience for my son at Kumamoto's Kyushu Gakuin, one of the premier distance running schools in Japan, but I guess there's a reason why they're premier: it is not fun (note: it is otherwise a wonderful school, and I highly recommend it to children of international background). So, to my disappointment, he quit the team - but I understood why: they're militant. Take care to understand the training regime of your kids in schools and how they truly feel about it. If they're receiving more stress than joy, let them leave. - William
42 Runners Under 2:10 at One Japanese Marathon – PodiumRunner
What the Lake Biwa Marathon’s incredible results reveal about Japanese marathoning today.

Lovers of the great outdoors might want to keep ASO Nature Land in mind when making plans for activities. This post is just one example of what they do. The Facebook page is in Japanese but the pictures tell most of the story. -- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3957747474302209&id=224189814324679

June marks the beginning of rainy season. Prepare to be perpetually soggy. Here is an informative article on the phenomenon. - William
https://blog.gaijinpot.com/japans-rainy-season-called-month-no-water/

Hello friends.
It was the 10th Anniversary Day of being fair trade city, Kumamoto, yesterday.
I impressed I listened some presentations which introduced some products like BABANA paper, reasonable T shirts, coffee ... at international center before.
Knowing well and feel other country closely are the first step of fair trade, I think.
明石san Akashisan is the representative of Fair trade Kumamoto Promotion Committee. She runs a fair trade shop ''loveland''.
https://www.facebook.com/loveland.ft/
https://lovelandkuma.wixsite.com/home
Go, Go fair trade city, Kumamoto!!
ーAtsuko(*´▿`*)

This article in Japanese is about plans to go ahead with a public viewing event in Kumamoto-jo Hall (downtown, near the International Center), despite Tokyo's cancellation of a similar event that had been planned for Yoyogi Park. See the second URL is for an English article on that topic.
Personally, I prefer to stay at home and watch on TV. Medical expert Shigeru Om has been testifying in the Diet recently that the real danger from the Olympics is not interaction between athletes and staff but the moving, intermingling, and celebrating of the fans. (See third URL for that.) -- Kirk
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/148c0d55e2f7d7f4318d4db7c684185b83c000d4
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Tokyo-2020-Olympics/Olympics-latest-Mental-health-experts-to-join-UK-team-in-Tokyo
https://www.business-standard.com/article/sports/olympian-yamaguchi-says-japan-cornered-into-holding-tokyo-games-121060400597_1.html
東京五輪ＰＶ　熊本城ホールで実施予定（RKK熊本放送） - Yahoo!ニュース
東京都が突然、ワクチン接種会場とすることを表明し、注目される東京オリンピックのパブリックビューイングですが、熊本県では、予定通り実施する方向で調整が進んでいます。 東京都によりますと、パブリックビ

An effect of the coronavirus is that part-time jobs for college students have vanished, leaving them pinched for cash. Kumanichi reports on this. Pictured is the shopping basket of a student who managed to buy a week's worth of vegetables for 548 yen. - William
バイトない、食費ない…コロナ禍で生活切り詰め　熊本県内の大学生　 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
新型コロナウイルスによる度重なる飲食店の時間短縮要請や外出自粛要請。アルバイトで生活や学費を賄ってい...

I recently posted about the busting of a marijuana growing operation in Yamaga:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/5458758834197504
On last night's RKK news, they said that there have been a number of marijuana-related arrests in recent years and that police think that the legalization of marijuana in the U.S. has led to increased demand here:
https://rkk.jp/news/backno_page.php?id=NS003202106031532190111
They cited a robbery that occurred in the parking lot of HIrose, a supermarket near my workplace of Kumamoto Gakuen University, as another crime involving marijuana. It was initially reported that the two assailants had used a knife to force a man in his car to hand over his phone and cash. Later, however, one of the suspects said that they were actually after his weed. The police then searched the victim's residence and found the drugs.
This is also reported in the following video:
https://www.tku.co.jp/news/?news_id=20210524-00000007
-- Kirk

Joe Tomei here. We've got a standing offer here on Kuma-i to post blurbs about local businesses in Kumamoto and I've just been asked to pass this on. Thanks Claire!!
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Hello from Tamana, Kumamoto! My husband has a liquor shop which, as you can imagine, has been suffering almost non stop since last February. He has his staff on furlough in order to get the 60% wage assistance from the govt so although the shop is really quiet, he’s pretty busy doing everybody’s work. And stressed and fed up. So .....I gave up waiting for him to make an English language website and made one for him! It is simple but I’d love it if people could take a look. There aren’t that many bottles in the online shop but he can get just about anything. The shop in Tamana also has an extensive choice of sake, shouchu, spirits and wine!
What he lacks in tech, he makes up for in service, knowledge, and helpfulness so please drop him an email in English or Japanese through the website if you have anything you’d like to buy that you can’t see.
Wine shop | Sezaki wine | Tamana, Kumamoto
ワインショップ | 酒のセザキ | 玉名市|wine in Japan| Tamana| Sezaki Wine|wine selections|kumamoto|熊本県|whisky|single malt|shouchu|ウイスキ－｜ウイスキ－検定｜ワイン｜熊本ワイン｜recommend sake|sommelier|saga sake|tenguzakura|nihonshu|日本酒　熊本｜.....

Weed recycling? A dangerous business in Kumamoto. -- Kirk
Kumamoto: President of recycling firm nabbed for growing marijuana
Kumamoto Prefectural Police have arrested the president of a recycle firm over the alleged cultivation of marijuana in Yamaga City

I've been surprised during my recent commutes to Yatsushiro at Kumamoto's vast number of rivers, many of which I didn't know existed. They fill with sediment, which must be removed or the rivers will overflow. There are few, narrow timespans during relatively dry periods when this is possible, and the engineers are out working like crazy from dawn to dusk to get it done. Pictured: a whole lotta sediment to remove. I have no idea what they do with it. - William https://kumanichi.com/articles/253846

If you've never heard the sublime sound of our friend Jeff Cairns on shakuhachi, you are missing out on infinite sublimity. He will play on June 6 at the Kumamoto City Theater; doors open at 10:00 AM. PM for details. - William

Following the wonderful Facebook page, "Ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world)," I wondered if there was an ukiyoe of Kumamoto. I think this is one: apparently, it is a depiction of the Hōgen Rebellion, when various groups dissatisfied with the dominance of the Fujiwara clan sought to overthrow it (hint: they lost). Apparently, there were really big fish those days. But seriously, the painting shows the terror Japanese held of the ocean in the 12th c. - William
https://www.facebook.com/groups/121576588004753/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1948189622010098
https://www.touken-world-ukiyoe.jp/mushae/art0015080/

I'm teaching at an all-female high school in Yatsushiro now. It suits me as I grew up in an all-female household - even my cat was female. Perhaps that is why my marriage is successful: I am the only male able to understand my wife. This video has nothing to do with Kumamoto other than it features a bear: in my hometown of Los Angeles, a bear appeared atop a wall, seeming to threaten a few small dogs, and a 17-year old girl thrust him away. Never, ever underestimate girls. Video at the link. - William
Shove off: California teen pushes away bear on top of backyard fence
Hailey Morinico, 17, sprang into action when she saw a large bear facing off with her family dogs at her home near Los Angeles

I’m all for truth in advertising but just maybe, in the case of this delicacy at your nearby Seven 11 store, a little white English lie might advance this product‘s prospects better? At least translate the “30% reduced salt” part for the heart healthy-conscious. —CM

My grandfather was an arachnologist (someone who studies spiders - kind of a niche field), so I grew up around a lot of spiders. Tarantulas are tame (I had one as a pet. His name was Chewie, after the Star Wars Chubaka); black widows, though small, you ignore at your peril. Now is spider season in Japan. My strong suggestion is to allow spiders free-reign, particularly the big guys. There are no dangerous spiders in Japan. Which do you prefer, spiders or cockroaches? - William

I'm teaching four and 1/2 hours in a row at a local high school and have assistant teachers who assist, two hours each at a time. It occurred to me that perhaps teaching four hours in a row is illegal under Japanese union rules. I don't mind it - I love my students, and my fellow teachers are very helpful, and I wouldn't change it anyway - once one gets the ball rolling, it's best not to halt it. But just out of curiosity, does anyone have any info about the legality of the situation? - William

I'd written that post about how my wife, Sawako's, ancestors were 山伏 (yamabushi - mountain samurai), and she got angry: "No! They were true samurai!" Perhaps she's correct, but either way, I've learned not to argue with her. (Pictured: yamabushi and samurai. Hard to tell which was more bad-ass.) - William

I never had the pleasure of meeting my wife, Sawako's, mother as she'd died before I'd arrived on these shores, but I showed Sawako the post I'd written about the bus connecting the city and Yabe, and she exclaimed, "Oh, that's the 赤バス (red bus)! It's the one that goes to Yabe! Every time my mother saw that, she was filled with a yearning to go home!" People from Yabe are called 浜っ子 (hamakko -the historical name of the town was 浜町, hamamachi), and their denizens draw a great line between themselves and those who live in the city. Sawako's mother, from what I hear, never got over leaving the town. Hamakko have VERY long historical memories, particularly regarding genealogical lines, are extremely stuck in their ways (if you're a farmer, I suppose that makes sense - try something new and you could lose a year of income), and are suspicious of outsiders (but I have an in: I'm Kikukawa-san's daughter's husband, as everyone knows, even though she's been dead for 40 years). - William

Our friends at KumaVisit are in the news!
https://kumanichi.com/articles/251884
The article is about this "Point & Speak" sheet:
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/2865918093659818
Good work!!
-- KIrk

The "diamond Fugendake" 「ダイヤモンド普賢岳」is an atmospheric phenomenon in which atmospheric moisture creates a halo-effect around the sun as it sets behind Mt. Fugen. It seems to have occurred the other day. Kumanichi reports on it. - William
https://kumanichi.com/articles/251016