Exit?

I heard that quite a few people have exited from Kumamoto during the last few months. I'm sorry to hear that it may be because of the recent earthquakes here. I know they took their toll on many people physically. Homes were destroyed, roads were damaged, businesses ruined - but more that I think they took their toll on the spirit here. I've been to Aso many times during the last few months and it just seems to be dead. I know people are trying - the businesses that can open are open - but something in the spirit seems to have changed. This is why I want to do research on how to revamp the ecotourism industry in Aso and Kumamoto. I recently saw a show on TV that talked about the low business rates in Aso and how people were choosing to stay home and not going out. I guess it's to be expected. But how can we get people back on the lively track?

American Politics

Uh oh. We've seen it all now. An American media friendly businessman becomes President of the United States or POTUS. I guess it should be in all capital letters. I mean, we are talking about the president and all. A bunch of years ago, Ross Perot, another Texas billionaire wanted to be pres, but lost. A lot of people think a lot of things about Trump - good and bad. I think we have to wait and see!

Volcano

Just a few weeks ago we had another burst from the Aso volcano. It was pretty big actually, and shot around 11,000 meters into the sky. Ash filled the streets and landed on cars, buildings, trees, signs, and fields. Apparently, it was the biggest burst to date since the last biggest one in 1980. I tell you, the recent few years have been buregeoning with earth activity. I've lived in Kumamoto since 1994 which makes it about twenty years, and in that time we had a skant few shakes and no volcano activity at all (although the volcano was active then). I remember how interesting it was to look into the volcano and see the green magma boiling below. It was really cool then. We did have several active typhoons that ripped apart my bicycle parking cover and took down my outside storage shed. But that was about it. Right before I came Mt Unzen in Nagasaki had erupted and it was quite a big dea, although I saw nothing of it then. I tried to get ready for an earthquakes when I first came to Japan and thought I should put together a hardcover escape kit with flashlight, water, radio, clothing, my passport, money, and other stuff to keep somewhere I could grab or pull out of rubble. And time went on, and I never put it together. Suddenly three years ago Mount Aso spewed suddenly - blowing ash all around. Surprise! Then one random night I was at home fiddling with my computer and boom! The place heaved from side to side hugely. I knew it was an earthquake. My heart raced. A second one came. My house was okay. I was okay. But mentally it was strange. Roads that we knew for years vanished. Things, ideas, locations, and people changed. I learned what it's like to be involved in natural disaster. And the strange part is, I never thought I would.

Right Track to Aso

It's been about 5 months since the earthquakes in Kumamoto. Things are starting to get back to normal - houses and building are being renovated, businesses are opening again, roads are getting fixed. Speaking of roads, there is only one road open to Aso at present as far as I know, and that is Milk Road, accessible from Route 57 just out of Ozu. To get to route 57 higher (or I should say beyond) the earthquake area, you have to take MR until the first intersection, and then turn right onto that road. Continue traveling up the mountain and take the next right as well. This will take you towards Daikanbo at the intersection, but you don't want to go to Daikanbo. Instead take that right as well which will take you down the mountain again toward Aso Town. You will go down a windy road and eventually will end up on Route 57 near Akamizu Train Station. Turn left here to travel toward Aso Town, Takamori, and point beyond. I've taken this road several times, and even with a lot of traffic, it's not that bad. I've also driven behind Tokai University and to Tawarayama, where I had heard that the top of the mountain is passable, although the tunnel is of course closed. However, on the day I went, the top was impassible as well, but this could have very meant that they were working on the road. At any rate, have fun in Aso! Happy trails.

Pollution and Global Warming

This summer seems to be getting off to a warm start. Today is very sunny and bright as I write this now. It appears to be getting warmer every year, actually. This may be due to global warming. In fact, some areas must grow different varieties of food than they are used to growing. This means that food varieties might be changing slowly, year by year. Hokkaido as well is growing several different varieties of rice than they used to. Other areas are facing problems with global warming as well. These problems may catch up with humanity. What can we do to avoid the problems associated with global warming?

With the encroachment of warmer temperatures reaching further and further north, the earth may be changing before our eyes. Summers seem to be getting warmer, there are more storms, and the weather is very strange. This year the rainy season started off as usual, but we are still having rain, and are getting warnings of heavy rains. When I first came to Japan, we had a rainy season in June, and then it would stop and the weather would turn clear and hot. Now, the weather forecasting is predicting more rain this week.

However, we can still take care of the problems of global warming by being aware and using less garbage, turning of lights more, using less water, and being generally careful of the environment. Let's see what we can do!

Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are those events in nature that happen without human intervention, strictly occurring in nature, bound by nothing but the earth's natural will. During these times, the earth has movement and "growing pains" if you will. These "growing pains" may cause much destruction and many human hardships, but we as thinking beings must remember that the earth, while living, feeling, breathing, does not think, remember, react; it does not have a brain, a mind, like we humans. The earth, yes, moves. And when it wants to move, it does. Nothing can stop it. This is one of the most amazing things in life; we know the earth will move, buckle, slip back and forth, spew volcanic magma, and stretch. We know the earth will revolve around the sun, and eventually turn into a big round dead ball of rock floating forever in the universe, the endless black abyss. Yes, we know all of these things and more, but cannot predict these movements, these stretches, these burps. Nor can we prevent them. Humans have grown to realize, learn, remember, study, and speculate; as such we understand a great deal, maybe too much in the scheme of things. That's what we call life, and it in itself is strictly bound, too. Bound in the human condition.

Ambient

Ambient music is great for writing. When you listen to ambient music, you can let your mind be free and this can help your writing. I have been listening to ambient music for many years when I must write something. I can get lots of writing done! I think this is because the mind and ears can focus on something other than the task at hand, and this can allow the brain to do other things at the same time. For me, this is a method that really helps me write, and I think it can help other people too. I have played music in class many times, and I have seen how students react over time. They start out being slightly confused as to what to do, but then without knowing it they start to write more and more and really get in the mood to write. Before they realize they are already at several hundred words. I am thinking of doing some in class research regarding this point. I will take a survey in class as to how the students liked the music. Another idea I have is to check their words without music and then again with music to see the difference. I may also use this technique with tests to see if test scores improve while taking tests with ambient music. My hunch is that it does make a difference! Only in class research can tell for sure.

Back to Classes!

I didn't want to give this post a title related to the recent earthquake(s) because I think everyone who lives here has been through quite a lot. I hope everyone is safe and able to live. This semester in Writing class we will use the textbook, and possibly Manaba if everyone has computer access. If not, we will focus less on Manaba. The class will be quite flexible at any rate.

Interestingly, my last post was on tourism in Mt. Aso. I think that tourism will be quite affected, at least for some time after the earthquakes. I think my research may have to wait. The important thing, though, is to get things back to normal, especially in the quake stricken area of Minami Aso. My family has a small cottage in Uchinomaki and I took drive there last week to check the cottage. There was some damage on the base of the house, but it can be fixed. On the way back we drove through Minami Aso. I know it quite well as I used to teach at Tokai University and my office was near the earthquake zone. I was shocked at the amount of damage, especially at the loss of Aso Oohashi.

I don't want to keep talking about or bringing up the point of the earthquakes. It is finished, what happened, happened. It is important to remember but it is equally important to move one. Let's get back in action everyone!

Mount Aso Research

Greetings from Mount Aso, Kumamoto. I am staying in a lovely cottage near Aso Town until tomorrow, 3/30. It's in a beautiful location, with a beautiful view, although it's a little cloudy today. My reason for coming to Aso is to conduct research in tourism in Aso. My research entails interviewing tourism employees in English regarding their background information including years of schooling, years of English education, hours of English education, present English study, and also to obtain each person's English communication ability level by using an assessment test. Once the interviews are completed, I take this information, put it on excel, and statistically examine variables using certain statistical measures to see relationships. These relationships can help determine the effect of such things as education, English education in school, present English education, and English communication ability on income and also employment. I have found through similar research in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Nepal that English background education and communication ability can help young labor force get jobs and have better lifestyles in developing countries.

While Japan is far from a developing country, tourism is still important. My question is: will the same findings hold true? Will young labor force be able to have more stability with English education? Will background schooling and English education in employees help them get better jobs? Will heightened English ability help create better, more lively, and more unique destinations for Western tourists?

Westerners do come to Japan of course. They are able to have grand experiences in locations such as Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, and Okinawa. Well-trained and informative tourism employees can be provided who work for tour agencies. However, what about in smaller, less known locations such as Kumamoto? Perhaps many locals feel that Kumamoto is not an interesting destination. However, upon speaking to many international travelers, I have found this is not the case. In fact, many people who visit Kumamoto expect more. Some are disappointed when they cannot find or accomplish things they want to do. Some of the reasons people include are: lack of access by public transportation or inconvenient transportation, lack of available English speaking guides, and lack of adequate information in English.

Can these aspects be changed to accommodate more Western travelers? I  believe they can, and this is what I want to do with my research - investigate these aspects further and be able to train and provide more communicative guides in order to offer a more rich and worthwhile experience for international travelers.

Kathmandu

In Nepal finally - the farthest towards the West from Japan I've been. Just a stone's throw north from Delhi. Someday I'll make it there. Kathmandu though is a bustling, vivacious space, reminiscent of other developing cities I've seen - Phnom Penh, Vientiane, yet it is somehow different. Haven't put my finger on just how it's different...

Right now there is a wedding down in the yard of the hotel and I'm listening to the most interesting music...people are playing Nepalese bagpipes and percussion. It's a great treat for me seeing as how I have nothing to do with the wedding. Can't eat the buffet food though! I got already to search around the hotel...Hotel Himalaya - really nice at a really nice price. Will probably have food and drinks in the restaurant lobby tonight. Tomorrow my connection from Randall, Matrika, will come in the AM and we will begin the survey process. I'm getting ready for lots of walking around and interviewing people as usual. We'll see how it goes this time!

Snow Abounds!

Today brings with it the most snow I've seen in Kumamoto in years! I guess about 2 or 3 years ago we got a bunch of sticking snow that made Mt Aso a winter wonderland. I watched it as it started last night...when I went to bed I had lost all thought of it. When I woke up this morning, I was enthralled to see a blanket of fresh, white snow. I wished I was skiing! And his brought back mem'ries of my kidhood in Pa (Pennsylvania that is) when we would get mega days like this and canceled school. Yes! I think here classes were canceled once or twice at Tokai Uni coz of the location right at the heart of Aso.

As I look out my window I see the white wondrous curiosity...what?... of snow in Kumamoto, a place which doesn't get snow often you must understand. And here we are in the midst of it. I'M used to driving in these conditions and walking around with just my hat and NOT an umbrella (a common practice in the rising sun land)...but are the Japanese? I tend to stay away from cars on days like this just to avoid any possible problems and confrontations.

I'm about to leave here in a minute to go out and take a walk. Let's see how it is...have a nice fine view!

Movies

Movies...everybody loves them. Me too, of course. I always try to see a movie or two if I have time. While in America, I always went to movies with friends because movies are cheap there. Maybe they're about half the price of Japanese movie theaters...roughly 7 or 8 bucks (dollars). You can see a lot of movies for that price! In Japan, movies are pretty expensive. I can't pay 1,600 yen every time to see a movie. Maybe I go once every two years. I wait until the movie I want to see comes out on DVD or wait until I go to America to see it. Recently, many good movies are shown on airplanes. When I travel, I always take advantage of watching movies, as I did when I went to the US for Christmas and New Year's holidays last and this year. I watched four movies on the airplane, and saw three movies at the movie theater near my family's home in Florida. I saw, Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks, Spectre,(the new Bond film), and Black Mass with Johnny Depp. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see Star Wars! I asked my niece if she wanted to see it, but she hadn't seen any of them. Boo. I asked my mother. She didn't want to sit through an action-packed movie. My step father hadn't seen any of them either. Boo again. My sister and brother-in-law didn't want to go without my niece. My step brother was busy. What was I to do? I guess I could've gone alone, but I didn't want to try to have fun alone. Oh well, I guess I'll have to see it here in Japan, and pay that big price. I was told that it's cheaper for senior citizens. Me, a seniro citizen? I'm not that old Grimace. Wait, maybe it's a good thing...but I've heard there is a special price for over 50 people one weekend per month, I guess. Maybe I'll try that one! Hey, wait, are buses, shopping, onsens, traveling, etc. cheaper for seniors too? What? Half price off?!