Posts

(Douglas)
In sharing the following 360° Virtual Tour of Takahashi Inari JInja, I would like to ask for your help in providing me with some valuable feedback.
The tour should work without any problems when viewed on a computer.
In fact, I recommend that method if you want to get the real feeling of the 360° images.
The problems can arise when viewing from a smartphone or android phone.
Links may not work, videos may take ages to download, some elements may not appear at all and so on!
I do not use this method of viewing myself.
That's where you come in.
For those of you who would like to help me with feedback and are viewing on a "phone", please take some time to try the tour and report back to me with your thoughts on any problems you encounter.
When going to the link below on your phone, you may see an icon representing 3d glasses. Clicking on that icon will likely show,"Install Google VR Services?" You should do that in order to see the correct 360° images and videos.
Once at the start of the tour, I suggest you watch the left-hand-side video on Navigating the 360° Tour, before pressing the start button.
Short comments and feedback can be left in the comments here.
However if you prefer, you can email me at [email protected].
I hope you can enjoy the Tour and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback.
Takahashi Inari Jinja
Virtual Tour | 高橋稲荷神社 | Opening image wide

Kirk here. This Kumamon (the one in front of Sakura Machi Kumamoto) had his mask removed today, in keeping with the national downgrading of COVID-19.
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/stream/article/21346/

William This was behind Kumanichi's paywall, so I couldn't read the whole article, but the first sentence was sufficient: "Of the 89 civilian airports nationwide, the number of landings by U.S. military aircraft in 2022 was 56 at Kumamoto Airport (Mashiki Town), the second highest number after 60 at Fukuoka Airport (Fukuoka City)." https://kumanichi.com/articles/1039055
Photo: Osprey landing at Kumamoto-Aso Airport.
＜くまもと発　安保の現場＞熊本空港、22年の米軍機着陸　過去10年で最多56回　全国2番目　中国念頭、訓練活発化か｜熊本日日新聞社
　全国89の民間空港で、2022年に米軍機が着陸した回数が熊本空港（益城町）で56回に上り、福岡空港（福岡市）の60回に次いで2番目に多かったことが7日、国土交通省航空局への取材で分かった。過去10年で最多となり、専門....

Kirk here with with a detailed article (lots of pictures and a map) about the restoration (completion cscheduled for July) of the Minami Aso Railway.
Kumamoto: Fan of Quake-Hit Railway Aids Restoration Efforts
ASO, Kumamoto — As a teenager on an internship with Minami-Aso Railway Co. in March 2016, Yusuke Shishido became enamored with the sightseeing trolley train the company runs. He planned to work for the company after graduating from the railroad vocational school he was attending, but just a month ...

(Fiona) The Kumamoto-i inbox has a message from a British hitchhiker currently visiting Kumamoto and looking for people to view the coronation of King Charles with. He asked if there are any watch parties going on. I'm currently out of the country and unable to help, so posting here to reach a wider audience.

Happy Golden Week!! 🌳🚊🎏🐸🛫🗾
PSA: Hitoyoshi-Hinagu-Minamata (E3A) South Kyushu Expressway Night Closure later in May (15th-25th).
Ruth here! Coming back from Kagoshima, via Minamata, there were signs on the E3A South Kyushu Expressway (Minamata-Hinagu and Yatsushiro-Hinagu) stating night-time (8pm-6am!) closures for maintenance later this month, from the 15th to 25th May, excluding Saturdays and Sundays.
**Please note that is NOT the E3 Kyushu Expressway, but the toll-free E3A South Kyushu Expressway**
So, if you plan on taking that route between the 15th to 25th May, bear in mind that it'll be closed most nights from 8pm to 6am.
The images in the Japanese link below clearly show the route closures, and other pertinent info - just like the image here, taken from the link: https://corp.w-nexco.co.jp/corporate/release/kyushu/r5/0414a/

(Douglas) Saturday and Sunday, at the end of Golden Week, are going to be very wet!
Take the chance, don't sit at home looking out of the window, get out to e.g. Takahashi Inari Jinja and see it in a different light. There are many other places that you may only have visited on bright sunny days. See them in a different mood.
Takahashi Inari Shrine -Torrential Rain
Yet another rainy video.The weather forecast for the next 5 or 6 days was rain, rain, torrential rain and more rain. So, Megumi and I decided it would be a g...

(Douglas) A little addition to Kirk's post on Shiraito no Taki. I made this short video a few years ago.
Shiraito noTaki Waterfall, Kumamoto - Japan
The Shiraito no Taki waterfall south of Nishihara village, Kumamoto, Japan.Megumi and I were mainly using a Sony AX-55 4K camera and a Parrot Anafi drone. T...

Atsuko here, with information about bargains.
The TSUTAYA AV club Chikami shop in Hiyoshi, Minami-ku, Kumamoto City is having a clearance sale until May 7.
100 yen for DVDs, 10 yen for comics and 50 yen for CDs. Only 10-20% of them are left, all of them were used items from the rental shop, but 10 yen, 50 yen and 100 yen will be cheap. Nowadays, you can enjoy books, music and films on the Internet, but they are also good as souvenirs and keepsakes.(*^^*)
TSUTAYA AV Club Chikamiten
096-357-0030
https://g.co/kgs/R6Muzy

Kirk here with something about Shiraito no taki (白糸の滝), my favorite waterfall within an hour of Kumamoto. First, here's a link to a very nice article from Untapped Kumamoto that has lots of details, including a Google map:
https://untappedkumamoto.com/nature/1236
By the way, Untapped Kumamoto has LOTS of good information. Be sure to check it out.
OK, here's what I learned from RKK: Shiraito Falls now has a shuttle tuk-tuk service to make it easier for people to see the falls from different spots. Here's a link to the RKK video:
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/469634?display=1
It's interesting to me that they are called "tuk-tuk" and described in the video as being an exotic form of transport from Southeast Asia because these sorts of vehicles were originally developed in Japan:
"In the 1930s Japan, which was the most industrialized country in Asia at the time, encouraged the development of motorized vehicles including less expensive three-wheeled vehicles based on motorcycles."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshaw
Tuk-tuk seems to be a Thai expression but the Wikipedia article calls them "auto rickshaws." Rickshaw, of course, comes from the Japanese jinrikisha (人力車), meaning "human-powered-vehicle."
Sometimes the best way to get some recognition in your hometown is to leave, make a name for yourself elsewhere, and then come back. ;)

Kirk here. Thanks to Atsuko for sharing the video about Kumamoto Castle. It featured SEO Seiichi (瀬尾誠一) playing the role of KATO Kiyomasa. In the recent elections, Mr. SEO won a seat in the city council. Life imitates art. ;)
https://www.tku.co.jp/news/?news_id=20230410-00000011

Atsuko here with Kumamoto castle video.(*^^*)
Kumamoto: Castle Town Loves Its Past with Eye on the Future - Journeys in Japan
[Skip Intro] 1:34Watch more full episodes of Journeys in Japan on NHK WORLD-JAPAN!https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/program/video/journeys/?cid=woh...

Atsuko.GW has begun.
Here is one of the best places to visit in Kumamoto. This is the 上弦の月 Jhougen no Tsuki hot spring in my hometown of Nagomi.
It was ranked number 1 in the ranking of super public baths and hot springs in Kumamoto Prefecture. The owner is a childhood friend of mine. He is my older brother who lived next door to me when I was a child.
The hot spring is located in Nagomi-machi, but in the Mikawa area of Nagomi. Mikawa Onsen is a slippery hot spring.
If you ever go there, please tell the owner that Atsuko recommended it.(๑˃ᴗ˂)و♡♡♡
https://www.facebook.com/jougennotsuki
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/fbba0df5d79c2debab9d655872d6e7d5ceb77a4a
https://www.jougennotsuki.com/

Kirk here. Today is May 1st, the 67th anniversary of the first official report of the disease. So, a ceremony was held in Minamata and Minister of the Environment NISHIMURA Akihiro came to attend. After the ceremony he had to explain why it is that, even though the government wrote a law in 2009 that requires the conduct of a survey of the extent of the damage to the health of all of the people who lived near the polluted waters, the survey still hasn't even been started. Nishimura said that, while he can't promise he would like to try to set up a committee to begin studying how to actually do the survey by this summer.
It's hard to get the government to do it's homework.
Teacher: Where's your homework? It was due weeks ago!
Student's spoken words: "I hope to form a committee to begin considering how to actually conduct this homework you speak of. If all goes well, we may be able to hold our first meeting, in which we will discussion the scheduling of future meetings, as early as next week, but I can't promise. These things take time, you know. But I really do want to move as quickly as possible."
Student's thoughts: "If I can just keep stalling, this teacher may retire before she can actually make me do the homework."
水俣病 被害者団体“不知火海沿岸住民の健康調査実施を”｜NHK 熊本県のニュース
【NHK】慰霊式のあと、水俣病の被害者団体が西村環境大臣と面会し、特別措置法で定められた、不知火海沿岸の住民の健康調査を早期に実施するよう要望しまし…

Kirk here. Today I'm enjoying a tasty lunch in Spice Aroma (an Indian restaurant), which is located in the Kokai Shopping Street (子飼商店街).

Atsuko here. I'd like to introduce you to one of the best spots in GW.
This is my recommended and favorite restaurant in Misumi machi. Before Corona, I used to take a lot of students there and we had a lively time making and eating pizza.
The photo is from the last GW with my family. I waited a year to do this share as it seems they only do the GW dive without reservations.
The restaurant is on top of a mountain overlooking the sea in Misumi Town. It is interesting to hear about the owner's insistence on Kumamoto wheat and rice. We have been a big fan of this place for 15 years.
You can make, bake and eat pizza here.
Of course I plan to go again this GW.(๑˃ᴗ˂)و♡
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Date: 5 May 2023 (Friday)
Opening Hours: 10am - 3pm (orders stop at 2pm)
Menu: Pizza and soup set (700 yen), rice cooked in a hagama also available.
Number of people: 1 or more. (No reservation required)
https://taiken.miyata.mobi/

Kirk here with some last-minute information about an opportunity to do some flower arranging.
Time: 2 to 4 PM, tomorrow (Sunday, April 30)
Place: Kokai Shotengai (子飼商店街), Studio Wasou（スタジオ和創)
Fee: 2,200 yen
The flowers are included in the fee. I don't have a lot of experience with flower arranging but I think that instruction + all the materials you'll need (you can walk in empty handed) is probably a pretty good deal. The flier says that you'll be able to take your arrangement with you to display in your home.
As you can see, there's a number to call on the poster. When I spoke with the teacher the other day (we just happened to meet in Kokai), I think I remember her saying that walk-ins are OK, but you might want to call just to be sure.

Atsuko here.
GW starts tomorrow. The Kumamoto Japan Tourism Facebook page has a large number of followers, so many of Kumamoto International's readers might be following it also.
The reason I shared it this time is because high school and junior high school students in Kumamoto Prefecture have been posting recently, and I wanted to support them.
When I myself have posted on Kumamoto International, when I get responses and comments from people in different countries, I am glad that I have been able to communicate with them, or I am glad that I have posted, and it motivates me to do the next thing. So I would like to support this site and these posts by the junior and senior high school students who are the future of Kumamoto and who are trying to communicate Kumamoto to the world through English.
By the way① my surname is Kumabe and I use 隈. This Kuma means "dark circles, bags under one's eyes" or "the corner, the edge"(๑˃ᴗ˂)و♡
②My first post at the Kumamoto International was the carp streamers at Takahashi Inari.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2574567062616710&id=123734781033296

Kirk here with news about a restaurant in Tamana (Gyoto-machi) called Sri Lanka Ayurveda Restaurant. I just saw the RKK segment about the establishment. According to the program, the couple that runs the restaurant worked as physicians (MDs? Ayuveda practitioners?) in Sri Lanka and developed an interest in Japan through the Japanese patients they treated.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02zNmiriZFaXkim5XmMbJySyP9CfT9zrHMdJAicUNAxQnTx6wqNAyGbZM4gGYa6ofYl&id=100063521202572

Kirk here. Today I'm pleased to share this little article about NAKASHIMA Shin'ichiro, founder and leader of Kumustaka: "Kumusutaka-Association for Living Together with Migrants is a non-government organization to support international residents (immigrants, migrant workers, and refugees) living in Japan."
http://www.kumustaka.org/English/index.html
The article mentions the role he played in supporting Ms. Linh after she was accused of hiding the bodies of her stillborn children. As I have reported earlier, Ms. Linh was ultimately vindicated by Japan's supreme court:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0rqAhRrEV2kpD8cVquec7HyNPzmyXbfmusBEJuha7rmZQzBah4D9TUorbQjvcU7BUl
Mr. Nakashima has worked continuously to help non-Japanese people living in Kumamoto since founding Kumustaka in 1985. The article says that the words of an Irish priest led him to become active: "The problems these women face are caused by Japanese people. Japanese people need to step in to help them."
The article is featured prominently on page two of the Asahi Shimbun -- not in the "Kumamoto" section. I'm glad to see Mr. Nakashima getting the national recognition he deserves.