Record setting heat (38.8°C or 101.8°F!!!) in Kumamoto today. -- Kirk
Posts
Here's a newspaper article about the reopening of the bike racing stadium (Kumamoto Keirinjo) that I posted about the other day. -- Kirk
takigi noh performance - Tamura
Artwork Exhibition
Are you enjoying your summer holidays?
Tis the season!! 🤽🏼♀️ ⚽ 🥇 Some new Kumamoto residents are asking about casual, local sports teams and social gatherings 🎲 🏀 🤸🏼♀️ If any of you sporty folk know of soccer kick-abouts or casual basketball meetups, please post the details! - Ruth
Fiona here, with a recommendation for delicious ways to cool off during these hot summer days. Kumamoto Gelato is located in Koshi city, offers a wide variety of flavours and it's possible to have up to six in a cone or cup if you are spoilt for choice. As the reviews on Google Maps suggest, the owner can be quite pushy in the flavours he wishes you to try - I ended up with a weird combination of mango, matcha and Hawaiian blue in my cone, but it made for a funny and memorable experience.
Kirk here with Kumamoto City tram (shiden) news. The latest is a derailment.
Kirk here with news about collective punishment in Hitoyoshi.
"According to data from the Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade, and Industry, from April 2021 to June 2024, there have been 100 new semiconductor-related investments announced or reported, covering areas such as semiconductor materials and logistics. Among these, TSMC's investment in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, stands out as the largest."
Another Suica and Pasmo article. -- Kirk
According to this news report, the foreign population living in Kumamoto was 25,121 residents in January of this year -- 4,891 more than the previous year. This represents a 24.2% rise -- the largest rate of increase for any prefecture in Japan. -- Kirk
Parutama (that big stone ball in front of what used to be Parco) is back. [It had be wrapped up for a while because it was in need of repairs.] -- Kirk
Kirk here. On the one hand, I wonder how long this "history" might be, since all of the earthquakes listed are in fairly recent memory. On the other hand, I think it does show how the Kumamoto earthquake was very notable, not just within Japan, but internationally as well. I was also interested to see that 4 of the top 10 occurred in Japan and that the 2024 Noto earthquake isn't even included (too recent?).
Fiona here, getting excited about the Paris Olympics which will be starting in just a few days. One Kumamoto-born Olympian to watch out for is Ryotaro Araki from Yamaga who formerly played football for Kumamoto Roasso. Check out his stats and match schedule below.
Hitoyoshi's recovery from the 2020 floods continues. -- Kirk
For Tonkotsu Ramen Fans.
Kirk here with a fairly extensive article about the internationalization of Kumamoto that is being accelerated by the arrival of TSMC. Here's a quote that I found particularly interesting:
Attn Keirin fans: Bicycle racing has returned to Kumamoto for the first time since the track was damaged in the 2016 quakes. -- Kirk
I used to work near Ezuko (Lake Ezu) and noticed many banana trees whose bananas never seemed to ripen. Curious, I asked an older employee why they never ripened, and he said it was because the soil was poor - but that answer didn't satisfy me, so I researched it and found that they are fiber bananas, raised not for their fruit but for their stalks, which could be harvested yearly and turned into cloth. (This is called "seni banana" - 繊維バナナ - and clothing made from the fiber can still be found online.) The Hosokawa lords, who had a summer house nearby (still marked by a plaque), raised them mostly as a vanity project.
