Kirk here with more TSMC news:
Posts
Kirk here. In response to Joe's post about Charichari (the bicycle rental service), Atsuko shared this link. Thanks Atsuko! Thanks Joe!
Kirk here with an AI translated article on the election that I tweaked slightly:
Kirk here. This item, which came to me via a Google news alert for "Kumamoto," made me smile. I imagined an intrepid explorer and his expedition party, trudging through the "unexplored regions" of Kumamoto in search of liquid gold -- honey. 😉
William If you've got a car, a tent, and a bit of cash, you could do worse than to visit Toimisaki 都井岬（といみさき） in Miyazaki Prefecture. The location is famed for its native breed of horse called "Misaki uma" 「御崎馬（みさきうま）」. They're a unique example of dwarfism, when an animal migrating to an area with minimal resources evolves to a smaller size. https://www.tabirai.net/sightseeing/tatsujin/0000480.aspx
Kirk here looking forward to delicious watermelons arriving in my local supermarket! :)
Joe Tomei here. It's Friday and you know what that means! Another Funky Friday Find! This week, I'd like to introduce Kanelujah, a newly opened coffee shop. It's a short walk from the Dobutsuen mae tram station. There are two parking spaces just down the street.
Kirk here. The image you see is of a newspaper (Asahi) article about KDS (Kumamoto Driving School) classes in various languages for foreigners. There have been several Japanese-language media reports about such classes, most or all of which are indexed on the school's website at the following address:
William I eat at McDonalds maybe twice a year when my daughter returns from America. It always reminds me of why I don't eat there more often. Kumanichi points out that their largest US competitor, Burger King, will make Higo inroads with a stand in Yatsushiro, maybe targeting the cruise ship crowd. There are, really, very few reasons to visit Yatsushiro, and this has made it one fewer.
NHK WORLD TV Direct Talk - CHIKAKEN Introduction
Kirk with a note on the governor's race. The gentlemen in the picture is MOHRI Hidenori (毛利秀德). The bad news is that he's taking an anti-foreign stance. The good news is that I don't think he has any real change of winning.
Kirk here sharing this nice post from Michi No Eki Aso. Reading the post made me want to visit Tarutama Onsen, in part because I'm particularly interested in facilities with private baths.
Kirk here, forwarding information from an e-mail I received from the Prefectural Advisors.
Joe Tomei here, apologies is this has been posted before but I picked up this English postcard for the red Charichari bikes that have popped up around town explaining the process. I've never used one so anyone who has experiences with the bikes, please comment!!
William The history of the Buddhist temple (and former Shinto shrine) Honmyoji is complex. It got its start in 1585 - in Osaka, actually - to pray for the repose of the soul of Kato Kiyomasa's father, Kiyotada. In 1600, after Kiyomasa became the lord of Kumamoto Castle, it was moved to within Kumamoto Castle grounds. Kiyomasa died in 1611, and according to his will, a statue of himself was enshrined at Jochi-byo Mausoleum on Mt. Nakao, to which the temple and shrine were relocated and co-occupied from 1614. Due to the Separation of Shinto and Buddhism ordinance during the Meiji period, the temple and shrine were separated, with the shrine moved to Kumamoto Castle to become Kato Jinja and the temple remaining as we know it today.
For Kumamon fans who might need to rent a car in Kumamoto. -- Kirk
Won't be long until the cherry blossoms start to pop! :) -- Kirk
Children's Book Forest Kumamoto Opening Ceremony
Oshiro Matsuri
Kawashiri Kuramae Street Festival
