Author: admin_goroku

August – September Digest

▼CONTENTS

Mt Aso & Takachiho

Gokanosho

Kumamoto & Gokanosho

Mt Aso

Takachiho & Mt Aso

Takachiho & Mt Aso

Around Aso

Gokanosho

Gokanosho, Yatsushiro & Kumamoto

Kumamoto & Gokanosho

Kumamoto & Gokanosho

Yatsushiro & Gokanosho

Takachiho & Mt Aso

▲Back to CONTENTS

The end of Tsuyu – Rainy Season –

JMA, Japan Meteorological Agency, announced the rainy season was over on 13 July in the southern Kyushu and 20 July in the northern Kyushu. We are happy to welcome the beginning of summer! But be careful, these days summers are getting much hotter than what they used to be. In my childhood, summers were like 30 – 32 degrees Celsius (86 – 90 F) at the highest air temperature, but in the recent years it can reach 36 – 38 C (97 – 100 F) . So those of you who are planning to visit Japan should be well prepared for the heat, you can get heatstroke. To prevent it, you should wear a hat / cap, sip water / sport drink, take a break in the shade once in a while, for example. Moreover, it’s so muggy, steaming hot until the mid September. You should also prepare spare clothes.

Tsuyu, Japan’s rainy season on Kyushu

This year’s Tsuyu was announced that it had started on 8 Jun, according to JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency). But it was so strange we were suffered of lack of rain for nearly two weeks just after the announce was made. Normally, or I should say in the past, it was quite common that we had successive rainy days starting from early or mid June to mid July. But these days, it seems we have a different situation maybe because of the climate change. When it rains it often pours down causing landslides and floods, on the other hand when it doesn’t rain we suffer from water shortages. In Gokanosho, there are some fish farmers who need a great deal of water for Yamame, river trout, farming. They said it was so close that they could have had the fish died from water shortage. The weather forecast says we are going to have rainy days again between 4 – 6 July according to JMA. I hope the rain will wet the mountains enough to cultivate the trees for beautiful couloured leaves in Autumn.

Takachiho Grand Super Cart

Now, Takachiho Super Cart has been changed its name to “Takachiho Grand Super Cart” with the new train cars of which capacity was raised up to 30 persons. We enjoyed the gorgeous landscape on the iron bridge built at the height of 105 meters above the river. Just watch the footage below on this page, and check out the timetable and fare. This is operated everyday but Thursdays.
[wpvideo jkCpruLh]

1. 9:20
2. 10:00
3. 10:40
4. 11:20
5. 12:40
6. 13:20
7. 14:00
8. 14:40
9. 15:20
10.16:00

Over 16 yo – 1,300 yen
6 – 15 yo – 800 yen
Under 5 yo – 400 yen

They do NOT accept reservations.

LINK:
https://torokko.jp/
http://takachiho-kanko.info/sightseeing/detail.php?log=1339290506

Traffic Accident

Let me report you that I got involved in a traffic accident the other day during my job with guests. I got hit by a car right behind when I was stopped for a red light at a crossing on the way back to Kumamoto. So I had no responsibility for this accident but I was worried about my guests. They said they were not injured at all but they could have had “whiplash injury” later, could be in one or two or three weeks. Actually I have whiplash injury in my neck, shoulders and back at the moment, so I am seeing my doctor regularly. But I am fine, I can walk, I can run, I can lift up heavy stuff. And also I had my car repaired already. In this case, the offender have to pay all the expenses that is required for treatment, repairs and compensation from his/her insurance. In Japan, most of the drivers buy insurance when they get a drivers licence or/and when they buy a car. It happens anywhere and anytime no matter if you don’t want. Make sure to fasten seatbelts always.

Hagi Kagura in Gokanosho

Finally, I have a chance to write about our proud ritual, Hagi Kagura. Hagi is one of five villages of Gokanosho. It’s a small populated village with 7 houses and only 11 residents, where Heike-so and Sakura-so Minshuku accommodations are located. We celebrated a Shinto festival on 11 April to say a prayer to the gods of mountain thanking for bringing peace to our life and for the safety of our every day job by performing sacred dances. The dances is said to have been handed down from Takachiho and one of the neighbouring villages Shiiba in the 17th century, so we can find some similarities between those dances. I am also a member of Hagi Kagura even though I am not a resident of Hagi village, the dancer s had to be the residents of Hagi originally. However, due to lack of residents, they asked me to join in this and I was glad to be part of them. I dance and play a drum as well depending on the dance. in this ceremony, a Shinto priest say a prayer to the gods first and we offer sacred branches of “Kami Sakaki”Kami Sakaki , then we are ready to show our dances to the gods. Ladies also perform the dances but we need to close the door to the main building where a goddess i sitting, because we believe she might feel jealous seeing ladies dancing. After the ceremony, we hold a party with all participants who are fans and friends of Gokanosho.

And please watch the digest of the Hagi Kagura as the following footage.