Posts

Kirk here introducing an RKK news video about students at my university (Kumamoto Gakuen) who experienced zen meditation (zazen). The name of the temple is Kenshoji. I'm not sure if they provide such experiences for visitors on a regular basis but I'll append some links to information about the temple in case you are interested.

Atsuko with photos of today's snow.

Kirk here. Chilly, isn't it! The Kumanichi says that we may have as much as 25 centimeters of snow in mountainous areas and 15 centimeters in the rest of Kumamoto. I don't think I've ever seen 15 centimeters of show on the ground in Kumamoto City so I'll be quite surprised if we really do get that much -- but who knows? Take care

Kirk here with what I view as good news for human rights in Japan. This local ruling made national news today. And, there's actually a fairly direct connection too this forum. I'll connect the dots: (1) This forum grew out of a movement to help embattled non-Japanese teachers and the Prefectural University of Kumamoto (Kumamoto International started as a mailing list to help get word out to people in the community about what we were doing); (2) When that labor dispute became a lawsuit, HIGASHI Toshihiro was one of our lawyers; (3) The lead lawyer for the plaintiff in this forced sterilization case is also Mr. Higashi, who now teaches at Kumamoto Gakuen University. If you watch the NHK video you'll see Mr. Higashi sitting next to the plaintiff, also in a wheelchair.

Olivia,

Kirk here with information about a local (Arao) clothing manufacturer:

Kirk here, with some news about accidental emergency calls:

Kirk here with onsen news. I seem to recall that Kurokawa was once ranked number 1 in Japan but it's still pretty high on the list of great onsen areas to visit:

Kirk here with some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Kumamoto City is in the final stages of considering a plan to formally recognize people without Japanese citizenship as "citizens" (市民; shimin; literally "people of the city" or "members of the community"). The bad news is that they are getting significant backlash, largely as a result of disinformation and anti-foreign rants on the web.

Here's a little news item from last week about TSMC:

Retro is the new MODERN

Kirk here with another share I should have done earlier. It seems the Mr. Kahar is now well on his way to closing a deal on a house. Still, if you you have any tips on realtors, real estate agents, agencies etc. that might help other people in similar circumstances, please share them in a comment.

Kirk here with an inquiry from Julie. Do you mean metal bottle caps or plastic ones, Julie? Personally, I would assume that plastic bottle caps could be recycled with other plastics and metal ones could be recycled with cans but I'm not sure. Anyone know for sure?

Kirk here with a reminder that, to the best of my knowledge, you only have a couple more months to ride the SL Hitoyoshi before it is retired. Here's an older post about the retirement plans:

Special Events to Experience Kumamoto Samurai Culture

Sean here-

Atsuko here. This is a share for those who love Kumamoto.

William Amakusa City is a nice place to visit, even in winter. Once making the trek down there, scenic walks are aplenty. There is an islet called Kameshima (亀島, pictured) near Wakamiya swimming beach (若宮海水浴場) which is accessible on foot by a sand spit at low tide. There is the must-visit Tomioka (富岡), a stubby peninsula topped by an eponymous (rebuilt) castle which was historically pivotal several times (Japanese Wikipedia entry: https://tinyurl.com/3yzfenfv). There is also the prefecture's only pedestrian lift bridge (hōkaibashi, 昇開橋). Locals who want to cross the narrow strait had had to use the immensely tall, heavily trafficked road bridge (seen in the background) but can safely, calmly, and quickly zip back and forth.

Carlton. A few days ago here Huy Tran introduced a new pizza place on Shimotori. In the comments someone said they wished there was a place which served Calzone (a kind of folded over and filled pizza), and I found one today.

William If looking for a pleasant adventure walk in Kumamoto, you could do worse than the road behind the castle, Route 303. After crossing a bridge passing over a deep crevice to the northeast of the castle hill (called "Chausuyama," 茶臼山), you'll find a very long ridge with wonderful views of Mt Kimpo and Aso lined with condominiums and small shops. Here and there, steep staircases lead to the valley floor - they're interesting to explore.