Green Slow Mobility (GRISLO) Demonstration Experiment - Kamitori Area
Posts
William Why camellia (椿 - tsubaki, literally, "spring tree" and also a common family name) bloom at this time of year when pollenating insects are hibernating was a mystery to me 'til I learned that they're pollenated by birds. That explains their splayed-open appearance and commodious pollen and nectar.
Kirk here. The other day I posted about the Crossroad Cafe in Amakusa (I'll link to that post in a comment). Since then, I've found a copy of the article and used ChatGPT to translate it into English:
Kirk here with news that you don't need to be able to speak Japanese to call 110. Here's a ChatGPT translation of the article:
Kirk here. The latest version of the YOKA is out. The publication is primarily for JETs and former JETs but is published on the web for all to read and enjoy.
William Many unfamiliar foods introduced to unsuspecting populaces during the Age of Exploration acquired names of their supposed location of origin, often wildly off the mark (particularly those from the Americas or from along the Silk Road - turkeys are no more native to Turkey [North America, actually - even Turkey is now insisting that it be known as Türkiye - try finding "ü" on your keyboard] than tangerines are to Tangiers [look to China] - the latters were just a more proximate stop along the way).
William with a message from reader Greg Howes:
Film Screening of Imprisoning a Generation with Director Discussion
William The Asahi provides a heart-stopping and heartwarming video of a man rescuing his elderly neighbor from an impending tsunami during the recent Noto quake.
Kirk here. An article was published in the Kumanichi news paper about the opening of Crossroad Cafe in Amakusa. The cafe is run by World Friends Amakusa. Their Facebook page is the second URL listed. The third URL is their website. The fourth URL is their Instagram page, which has the address of Hondo. If you're in the area, you might want to check it out.
Kirk here. The images you see are made with folded oak leaves. The artist is a local man, Yoshihiro Watanabe, who, according to the article, is autistic.
Kirk here with some sad news about the death of Yashiro Aki. Her stage name was an adaptation of the name of her hometown, Yatsushiro. :(
Kirk here with another story about MATSUNAGA Genrokuro (松永源六郎), who has, for many years, been educating groups of foreigners as well as Japanese about traditional sword-making methods and swordsmanship. In this picture, the woman attempting tameshigiri (the art of target test cutting) is from France. Unfortunately, this article is behind a paywall but I'm glad to see Mr. Matsunaga getting recognition in the media nonetheless. The headline points out that he has been doing this for 40 years now. I have enjoyed visiting him, as I know that many other readers of this page have.
William here with a note from "'Sup?" corner. In the runup to Valentine's Day, Daiso is selling bitter chocolate. Intended for baking, it is fabulous as is and the only time of year you'll find my favorite snack available anywhere, and at a bargain price. (Dark chocolate is said to be rich in plant chemicals called flavanols, antioxidants linked to a lower risk of heart disease.)
Kirk here. It was a nice day today so I enjoyed a stroll in the Ezuko area, which is a great place to observe waterfowl. I know that this is a heron and not a swan (the music I set it to) but I enjoyed the dance nonetheless. The heron didn't catch a fish while I was watching but I saw a cormorant (u or kawau in Japanese) dive down and then come up with a fish. Unfortunately, that was so unexpected that I didn't have time to pull out my phone.
William Semiconductor manufacturing requires a tremendous amount of pure water, something Kumamoto is famous for and a main reason why TSMC chose our town as location for its new fab. But pure water is not an unlimited resource. Kumanichi points out several steps planned to be taken to ensure resupply of Kumamoto's aquifers and aspects of its use. A few take-aways:
William I live in a house which my wife's uncle built. Long ago, I had to pull up the tatami to install a satellite cable to my TV and found that he built like this: a frame atop multiple stones rather than atop a complete concrete floor. This allows the building to flex during an earthquake rather than collapse. All of the older shrines in your neighborhood likely incorporate the same principle: that's why they are old.
William Kumamoto received an unfortunate mention in a Kyodo article: "The earthquake is the first tremblor to kill more than 100 people in Japan since the 2016 Kumamoto quakes in the country's southwestern region that caused 276 deaths including those related to the disaster." https://japantoday.com/category/national/refiling-update4-woman-rescued-5-days-after-japan-quake-as-death-toll-tops-120#comment-4013232
Atsuko with lots of useful survival information.
Yatsushiro Festival
