Posts
Following Kirk's lead, I thought I should share this video from the days around the earthquake(s) of 2016.
Kirk here. We are approaching the anniversary of the 2016 earthquakes. Here's an article about kanrenshi (earthquake-related deaths that occurred after the shaking had stopped). The majority of deaths in Kumamoto fell into this category.
Wisteria viewing at Yamada shrine
William When I first came to Japan, I brought my wetsuit, which had protected me from Los Angeles' chilly seas. On my first trip back to LA, I brought it back - the warm Kuroshio current obliviates the need for wetsuits here. And, apparently, Japan (particularly Kyushu) will see some of the greatest ocean warming on Earth. (Ironically, LA's water is predicted to cool.)
Kirk here with another article about the helicopter crash in Okinawa. As I wrote earlier, the connection to Kumamoto is that the helicopter and its crew were based in this prefecture, is the home of the 8th Division (第8師団) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Wikipedia says that its "responsibility is the defense of the Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures" but I've learned from TV reports that it is considered by military planners to be very important to the defense of the islands of Okinawa prefecture (hence, its participation in exercises there).
Kirk here. The other day I shared a news article about a settlement reached between the parents of a girl who had committed suicide and her bullies. Here's a link to that article:
Kirk here. This sad national news has an important Kumamoto connection:
Kirk here reporting that 7.8% was high enough to put Kumamoto on top in the area of bicycle helmet use:
Kirk here with crime news. This is a wooden statue of Pindola Bharadvaja, known as Binzuru Sonja (びんずる尊者) in Japanese. It was located in Zenkoji (a temple) in Nagano until it was stolen this morning, apparently by a man from Mifune. The statue has been recovered with the arrest of the man and, according to reports I heard, has not been harmed.
Guided walk in Kurokawa area near Tateno
Kirk here with belated news (a few weeks old) about international high school trips resuming. This article is about students from Luther High School traveling to Korea.
Kirk with something about the Unzen-Amakusa National Park, which "sprawls across both Nagasaki and Kumamoto prefectures." To be honest, when this page came up in a search for "Kumamoto," I hesitated to share it because I thought that it was merely "near" Kumamoto. I found, though, that, as the article states, the national park actually straddles the two prefectures -- something I had missed, somehow. Most of the article is about the Nagasaki side but that is just a short ferry trip away via Kumamoto Port. I've been to the area many times and would encourage anyone who hasn't been there to check it out. :)
Kirk here, sharing a post to the "Community" side of the page.
World Gourmet FES 2023
Update from Kirk: This was an April Fools post. It originally showed an image of the famous onnagata Bando Tamasaburo in a poster calling for a ban on cross-dressing. The post received a complaint. I spoke for about an hour with a Japanese LGBTQ friend of mine about whether the post was appropriate. She thought it was funny and understood what I was getting at. She also said that she thinks it's probably true that a significant number of LGBTQ folks in Japan might not enjoy the joke -- especially because one has to read a lot of text in order to fully understand the intent. So, I decided to remove the image (it's replaced now by an image from an article about the Tennessee law).
Kirk here with a little article about the completion of a new government building in Mashiki -- another step on the road to complete recovery from the 2016 quakes.
Kirk here with an article I found to be interesting. It explains how high tech, like image processing, is being used to help sort the fallen stones so that they can be reassembled as they were before the quakes. It also explains that, though technology can help with some jobs, much of the work must be done by hand, just as it was done some 400 years ago. For that reason, estimates of how long it will take to finish all of the work have been extended:
Kirk with news of a belated settlement related to a local suicide that would probably have not occurred if it hadn't been for bullying. After five years, the bullies have all agreed to settle on terms that the parents have accepted. The article ends with links and phone numbers to help English speakers who are in crisis.
初心者サイクリングライド (Beginners Cycling Ride)
