Posts
Storytelling in English and Japanese at YWCA Kurokami this Saturday, May 12.
From 10-12pm
(We received a Facebook link previously but the link was not there anymore. Hope the poster helps.)
-Olivia-
Our friend Julie Waterman asks two questions. Advice from our readers will be appreciated. The questions:
1. If earthquake relief donations are still being received somewhere in Kumamoto? If so, where?
2. How we can help people still impacted by the earthquake in terms of housing, food, or ......?
"Among people affected by the Kumamoto quakes, 38,112 people were still living in facilities such as temporary housing complexes and private housing rented out by local governments as of the end of March, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government."
http://www.the-japan-news.com/news/article/0004387071
-- Kirk
Zoom UP / Couple still living in cowshed 2 years after Kumamoto quakes
KUMAMOTO — In a shed in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, Izumi Imayoshi recalled how his life was suddenly changed by two powerful earthquakes — measuring the maximum of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale — that hit the town in succession in April 2016.
A note from the Tangentially Related to Kumamoto Desk: Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, one of the world's most active, has erupted again to no one's surprise. It differs greatly from Aso in that it is caused by a hot spot in the mantle so extrudes iron-rich magma, whereas Aso is due to subductive activity so emits igneous rock and ash (a lot of ash). We talked recently about the black color of Aso's emittances; those in Hawaii, due to the iron content, tend to be red (and thus so is most Hawaiian dirt). Below is a photo of a smoke plume from Kilauea: It's pink! Aso would be so much cooler if it emitted pink ash! But you live within the ash color spectrum of the volcanoes you're given, not that of those you might prefer. - William
For a couple of weeks now, tourists have been able to peer down into the mouth of the Aso volcano to see the emerald green caldera pool shown in this photo (posted May 1).
At the moment, however, the level of noxious gasses being emitted from the volcano is high and tourists are not being allowed to go up to the lip of the volcano:
http://www.aso.ne.jp/~volcano/
My understanding is that levels can change fairly quickly so you can never be 100% sure that you'll be able to look into the volcano.
By the way, I'm sharing the address (above) of the Japanese web page, which has a link to the English information. The reason is that that once you get to the English page, there's no link to the Japanese information (in case you want to compare expressions in the two languages or double check the meaning of an English expression that strikes you as odd, etc.). This is a pet peeve of mine. People in Japan who make English-language web pages often seem to assume that English speakers couldn't possible have any use for the original Japanese information. :(
-- Kirk
http://tomonao201505.seesaa.net
トヨタ８６に乗っています。 ８６の良いところや悪いところ、メンテナンス方法などをお伝えします。 ８６を所有しているからこそ、お伝えできることもあると思います。 トヨタ８６の魅力を発信していきます。
いよいよゴルデンウィーク
Long weekend starts from tomorrow.
The poppies are blooming now. You might want to check out these two Parks.
http://www.hanakoen.com
https://kobayashi-machi.com/1953
Have a wonderful long weekend
-Olivia-
Our friend Yoshiko Toyama is back with a photo of the black sand produced by Mt. Aso. Wikipedia's introductory sentence to the subject is (seriously), "Black sand is sand that is black in color," a type of sentence that causes my students to scribble furiously in their notebooks and my dog to give me a blank stare. Fortuitously, the entry grows more specific: "(A) type of black sand, found on beaches near a volcano, consists of tiny fragments of basalt." Basalt is a common igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava (generally, a 50/50 mixture of silica and feldspar) exposed at or very near the surface. When formed in the presence of water, the crystalline basalt lava fractures into tiny pieces - sand; and the sand, being highly mobile in geologic terms, quickly relocates itself to a beach (Google "leisure class, Martha's Vineyard " for another example). You'll see the lil' granular guys on their journey creating the black sandbanks along Shirakawa.
The banks of the Ariake Sea are formed from black sand mixed with a large percentage of mud (which makes bathing icky), as seen below. My favorite black sand beach in Kyushu is around Mt. Kaimon (開聞岳、かいもんだけ) at the southern tip of Kagoshima's Satsuma peninsula (also shown below). The area makes for a wonderful summer vacation. If you'd like more details, please let us know. - William
This NHK article is good but leaves out much of the information shared in a segment on NHK's morning news show on the same topic (4/17).
https://www.nhk.or.jp/ohayou/digest/2018/04/0417.html
Here are some key points of the segment:
*** There were more than four times as many deaths that were deemed to be caused indirectly by the quake (211) than those directly caused by it (50).
*** The high "indirect" death rate in Kumamoto was caused, in part at least, by overcrowding in evacuation centers.
*** The overcrowding in Kumamoto's evacuation facilities made them worse than refugee camps in many troubled parts of the world.
*** Administrators of refugee camps follow guidelines laid out in the "Sphere Handbook," which outlines "minimum standards in humanitarian response." These guidelines stipulate minimum standards for per person space and toilet facilities, among other things. When toilets are bad or insufficient people avoid going to relieve themselves, or reduce their liquid and food intake in order to avoid doing so, and that can lead to series health complications. Conditions in many of Kumamoto's evacuation centers where far below the minimum's outlined in the handbook.
http://www.sphereproject.org
*** Though Japan is an economically advanced country, a culture of "gaman" (the idea that it's a virtue to grit your teeth and suffer through without complaining) may have been part of the problem.
-- Kirk
https://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGoda5EumI1fwA0NucEzcBmauDPOg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=vxHkWojEIIOi4QKU1YaIAg&url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180417_11/
Poor conditions led to more Kumamoto quake deaths- News - NHK WORLD - English
An NHK survey suggests that poor living conditions may have caused the deaths of nearly 100 people who survived devastating earthquakes in southwestern Japan 2 years ago.
This article is about the family of Hikaru Yamato, whose car seems to have been on the Aso Ohashi Bridge at the moment of its collapse, April 16, 2016. His parents continued to search for his body for more than three months. Their efforts, which continued after the official search had ended, ultimately led to the discovery of Hikaru's remains, inside the mangled car. Search efforts had been hampered but rugged terrain, the location of the car (significantly downstream from the collapse site), and the boulders and other debris that concealed it.
-- Kirk
Kin of last confirmed victim of Kumamoto quakes mark second anniversary of disaster | The Japan Times
The family of the last confirmed victim of the powerful earthquakes that rocked Kumamoto Prefecture in 2016 marked the second anniversary of the main quake
Joe Tomei with the slightly late Friday Funky place.
Today's place, Araki, might not meet all the definitions of funky, but it is certainly worth a trip out to Jonan machi as it is a very well stocked liquor shop with a cafe in the back. I stopped there on the way to Yatsushiro and was astonished to see some single barrel Scotch Whiskeys. I believe they were from the Scotch Whiskey society, which purchases individual barrels of single malt scotch (most whiskeys are blended to produce a relatively uniform taste). Their website is here
http://www.araki-vino.co.jp/
A friend told me that the owner organizes events and organized several events after the earthquake featuring chefs with food and alcohol pairings.
You can find it on the FFP map at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
Heads up!
-- Kirk
SDF chopper part likely to have fallen in Kumamoto
KUMAMOTO (Jiji Press) — A part is believed to have fallen from a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter in Kumamoto Prefecture, a local JGSDF division has said.
Regular readers of this page may remember other posts we've made about Kumamoto's own Kimiko Nishimoto, the elderly, but very young-at-heart photographer:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1703987643007994
Well, today I saw a very entertaining TV commercial that promotes a magazine issue. After a little searching, I found the video on the web. Enjoy!
-- Kirk
自撮りのキミちゃん【通販生活公式】 30秒 CM | CM Fun
カタログハウス(通販生活)が広告主のCM動画です。 出演者:西本喜美子 概要原文: 自撮りのキミちゃんご存知ですか。 キミちゃん傑作展、『通販生活・夏号』で開催中。
Here's a news item from nearly a month ago that I seem to have forgotten to share.
-- Kirk
Kumamoto Castle restoration plan decided- News - NHK WORLD - English
Kumamoto Prefecture and the central government have officially decided on a 20-year plan to restore an iconic castle in southwestern Japan. It was severely damaged by a series of strong earthquakes in 2016.
For those who love flowers.
These flowers are blooming now.
Tulips and Nemophila (ネモフィラ)
(Two parks near Kumamoto grow them. One is Kuju Hana Koen in Aso, and another one is Uminonakamichi in Fukuoka)
http://www.hanakoen.com
https://uminaka-park.jp
Azaleas (つつじ)
(One Park is in Mifune, and another one is in Ozu)
http://www.mifuneyamarakuen.jp/spring/
http://www.town.ozu.kumamoto.jp/kankou/kiji0036604/index.html
-Olivia-
大津町 おすすめスポット
Here's an article from Monday's anniversary that I wasn't aware of at the time:
"The Kumamoto prefectural government carried out a disaster drill on Monday. All its about 3,800 employees were required to go to work on the presumption that an earthquake measuring a lower six on the Japanese seismic intensity scale occurred at 6 a.m."
-- Kirk
Kumamoto quake victims remembered in Minamiaso
KUMAMOTO — Bereaved friends and others commemorated the dead on Monday, the second anniversary of the main tremor of the Kumamoto Earthquake.
Joe Tomei here. While second hand/recycle shops are, by definition, funky, Japan has a way of de-funkifying things. Hard-off, 2ndstreet are recycle shops, but they fail to get the true atmosphere of funky place vibe I used to seek out when I was a college student and and visited these places out in the boonies of Hattiesburg, MS. Fear not, FFPites, this is a recycle store just like those, with funkiness to spare. I hesitate to list what they have cause one never knows. It's a couple of kms before the Uki Youme Town in Matsubase Takezaki and marked on the Friday Funky Place map at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
"For those with more time on their hands, traveling west to the onsen village of Kurokawa in Kumamoto is a must: the moss-covered haven, near Mount Aso, has not one single high-rise or street sign in sight."
This article has already been shared on other Kumamoto-related pages (e.g. Kuma Visit and Explore Kumamoto). I'm sharing it here too for anyone who has not seen it yet. If you've never been to Kurokawa, I highly recommend it.
-- Kirk
5 Japanese Hot Spring Baths to Put on Your Bucket List
A guide to the best Japanese hot springs, a centuries-old wellness practice with antiaging and detoxifying benefits, also known as onsen.
Attn: Cyclists, wannabe cyclists, or anyone who can ride a bike: Mr. Itoh at the Kumamoto International Foundation asked me to share this. I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Personally, I'm tempted but I suspect that I'll wind up sitting this one out.
-- Kirk
P.S. The leader of the tour only speaks Japanese. So, it'll be better if you can speak a little Japanese or if you can go with a partner who understands the language.
A note from the Tangentially Related to Kumamoto Desk: US Senator Tammy Duckworth has introduced a bill which would allow Senate members with children up to the age of one permission to accompany their child to session. The article notes her bill has received unusual wide bipartisan support. A tendency exists for American mores to trickle down to Japan. We'll soon see how the Kumamoto government reacts. - William
Tammy Duckworth Offers Resolution To Allow Newborns On Senate Floor
She recently became the first senator to give birth while in office.
