Posts

Kirk here with some information about how to enjoy floating down the Kumagawa River (Kuma River) in the Hitoyoshi area. The picture you see on the top is of traditional "kawakudari" ("going down a river"). As you can see, these boats are controlled by two men, one at the back with a sculling oar and another man at the front. The tourists just sit in the middle of the boat to enjoy the ride. This type of kawakudari has a long history on the Kumagawa and in Japan in general. The image you see comes from the following site:

Kirk here. Those of you who weren't able or (like me) were too tired to go see the fireworks Saturday night can get a sense of what the event at Ezuko was like from the following video news report:

Kirk here with some notes about a relatively new bicycle sharing service in Kumamoto: Charichari. The image you see with English is from the following page:

Kirk here with something I've had on the back burner since July -- a post about solar farms in rural Kumamoto. The picture you see is from the following Japanese news article:

Kirk here with an article that introduces folks to Aso. Check it out to see photos of other iconic scenes.

JR Kyushu WAKU WAKU SMILE Shinkansen

William A longtime Kumamoto resident (name redacted) has returned to her native Maine and sent me a photo a Maine restaurant (clearly not the photo shown). Personal note: I am from California, renowned for its fusion cuisine (in fact, many Nissei of Kumamoto extraction have made their home there), but went to college in Maine. I found the food there unbearable.

Kirk here with an inquiry that was directed to the page:

William Kirk Masden founded Kumamoto International originally as a Yahoo Groups page (ha ha!). It has since grown to 5,000 members. To know Kirk is to understand that he hails from Wisconsin, from whence the polite and understated derive. All of us foreign-derived Higokko are in his debt.

Atsuko here.

Kirk here with a report about a problem I encountered using my Japanese driver's license with an international license (issued in Kumamoto) to rent a car in the U.S. Hertz refused to issue the car I had reserved to me. They said that if I wanted to use a Japanese driver's license, then I would need a Japanese passport. Or, if I had maintained my U.S. license for the whole time I was in Japan, that would have solved the problem. But, alas, my U.S. driver's license expired many years ago.

Ezuko Fireworks Festival

Liz here, Annet asked me to share this to the group. Disclaimer : I haven’t read it myself , but have been observing the progress on the reconstruction of the Building each time I pass on my way to water up in Nishihara. I don’t know if there is information in English or not. Looking to Annet to follow up in the comments.

Atsuko here, sharing the goodness of Kumamoto.

Fireworks

Kirk here with a note about the upcoming fireworks show in Ezuko (Lake Ezu). The following is an explanation that has been published on the International Center's website:

Kirk here. This news report about the Yamaga Lantern festival is in Japanese but the main thing you need to know to understand what you are seeing is that the miniature buildings and bridges, etc. that you see are all made of paper. The same techniques used in making the paper lanterns can be used to make lots of stuff.

Kirk here. This information about Japanese classes is from the International Centers website. The English is the results of Google translation service. You can click on a button on the page to see the original Japanese. Much of the Japanese is "easy" ("yasashii Nihongo") so if you've already good a "foot in the door" with Japanese, you might want to take a look at it.

Kirk here. A protective structure is being built around Uto Yagura, a 400-year-old turret (yagura) that stands next to the main castle building (tenshukaku). Uto Yagura: "Please excuse me while a slip into something more comfortable." She's expected to emerge looking great in 2032.

Kirk here. The Ushibuka Lantern Festival is underway. I've never gone to see the festival but Ushibuka is a special place -- the farthest point from Kumamoto City in Amakusa.