(Douglas here) The following link is to an article on BBC News. Although it is not Kumamoto specific, it is an interesting description of something that affects us all in Japan - Kumamoto included.
Posts
Kirk here with another Kumamoto-related news item. This is very positive development, I think:
Kirk with some news about some really horrible behavior on the part of an "educator" that seems to have led to the suicide of a boy in Kumamoto three years ago:
Kirk here. I posted about this the other day but that article I referenced was in Japanese. This article is in English so I'm posting again.
William My liberal arts college forced me to take a laboratory science class, so I took the easiest: Geology. Turns out I'm glad I did. Sometimes one encounters a rock (or many) which shouldn't be there. In Maine, they were mostly moraines, which are piles of rocks, the tail ends of long vanished glaciers. In Kumamoto, they tend to be astonishingly large boulders of granite, intrusive igneous rock which Aso burped up over unimaginable distances in ancient eruptions. (Keep your eyes open: they are scattered throughout the city.) Ancient people not versed in geology attributed their existence to the divine - hence, the Shinto stuff.
SL Hitoyoshi steam engine final rides
Kirk here reporting that the Kumanichi kindly printed my request that they refrain from calling us "YOU" and just use a straight-forward "外国人" (gaikokujin) if it's necessary to refer to our identity as foreigners. Thanks Kumanichi!
William Every Japanese city worth its salt has a festival. In Kumamoto, it is the Fujisaki Hachimangu Shuki Reitaisai (Autumn Festival https://fujisakigu.or.jp/reisai/index.html), or as we call it, the "horsey festival." The final day of the three-day festival is when the mikoshi (神輿, portable shrines) are trundled through the streets, allowing the gods enshrined within to bestow benevolence. The mikoshi are preceded by zuibyo (随兵, warrior entourage) and riderless horses intended to seat the gods; they are followed by some 60 groups of raucous celebrants chanting "Dokai, dokai" which, in Kumamoto dialect (higoben, 肥後弁), means "'Sup?" while manhandling decorated horses called kazariuma (飾り馬).
William A reminder to Americans living in Kumamoto: TODAY, 10/24, is the last day to register to vote. If you haven't registered, you can do so here: https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/voting/
Fiona here sharing an informative post about Kumamoto city's many attractions and recommended spots for visitors.
Kirk here reporting that the Fujisakigu Reitaisai Festival was held today -- first time in three years. I had mentioned that it had been scheduled for today (the 23rd) but that was several weeks ago and I forgot to post a reminder. Sorry. I check local TV news (RKK) everyday and I don't think they mentioned it there. Maybe they didn't want the crowds to get to be too big so they kept it quiet. At any rate, the three-year hiatus has ended. :)
Kumamoto Railway Festival
Kirk here with a share from Kuma Visit:
William Sunglasses are a must for me: not only are my blue eyes susceptible to Japan's strong glare, but hiding behind them gives me a sense of comfort when out and about.
BAZAAR & KID'S SWAP SHOP EVENT
Kirk here sharing an event from Sean Benward. Sean mentions that the fee is a donation. I would like to add that the Japanese text says that all of the funds collected will be donated to the YMCA. The poster is in Japanese but Sean has provided a detailed explanation in English so please scroll down for that.
William I once had a gig teaching at the Japanese Self Defense Forces (SDF = Jieitai 自衛隊), mostly at their Kengun base but for a short time at their Kitachutonchi camp on the northern side of Tatsudayama. From my reading, I immediately recognized it as Camp Wood, as the Americans called it while occupying Kumamoto after WWII.
William An aspect of Kumamoto horticulture I appreciate is its seasonal variations. Winter blooms the camellia (tsubaki, 椿) - as insects are hibernating, they spread their flowers wide to allow birds to drink their nectar and thus are pollinated by avians; spring of course is cherry blossoms (sakura, 桜 - the bees are awake by then); hydrangea (ajisai, 紫陽花) symbolize rainy season; summer sees the higotai (globe thistle), a symbol of Kumamoto (very rare; if you're lucky, you can spot it in the highlands around Aso) and lotus (hasunohana, 蓮の花), which can be found aplenty in the marginal land near Ariake Sea, where it is cultivated for its root, a Kumamoto delicacy. The gentian (rindō, リンドウ), the Kumamoto Prefecture flower, blooms in autumn.
Kirk here with what I think may be my third post on this topic. I should point out that the problem occurred in Fukuoka but the women is receiving support from people in Kumamoto. Go Kumamoto!
Hi Atsuko here.
