#kiyama sensei

[mutsurrinik]

One of my favorite scene in to aru kagaku no railgun series

So hello y'all welcome back myself after a while hahaha. I've been busy with this mobile game lately (Mobile Legends) so i don't get to update/open my tumblr much hahah. Anyway, i would like to thank those who liked and reblogged my past posts. Huhu. I really appreciate it.

Anyway, imma share to you one of my fave scene in to aru kagaku no railgun anime. This is actually in the first season aftermath the level upper arc.

Why is it that I CAN ONLY POST 10 PHOTOS HUHU. I'd really like to post all of their conversation. Well anyway, here is my take to as why is this mu fave scene. As you all know, Academy City is known for esper abilities and all. Preponderance of the population is students because they wanted to have powers by undergoing certain procedures. But, there are people who are biologically resistant to that certain procedure, thus making them level 0/no esper.

I really can feel those who used the level upper because of their everyday struggle as an average/below average people. Also, angst is dominantly prevalent in any teenager's life because in that phase, jealousy and related kinds of emotion arises. They tend to question their worth as theirselves bc after all, the reason why they came to academy city is because they wanted esper powers but unfortunately, they werent granted/they werent too strong.

Saten may had been fallen into the trap but her redemption in this scene makes me feel relieved towards her. I appreciate her for seeing uiharu's struggle in order for her to be saved and eventually, she shrugged off the concept of being powerless again and apologized to uiharu. I freaking love this episode. The power of their friendship rules. I love their relationship to each other.

I don't judge those who wanted to cut lanes in order for them to obtain something easily. We've been in that phase wherein we had our angst, insecurities that boosts us to cheat . I understand their struggle to live with those baggages. Eventually, fate will help them realize that nothing is easy in the first shot. Or should i say nothing is easy in the process. But as they work on it, it should get fine. Fine as it goes.

Anyway, that's my ted talk regarding the scene. Woooh. Way to go saten. I luv u!! ❤

[targentis]

Character Opinion on Kiyama sensei

First impression: woah anime woman with dark eye circles

Impression now: woah SEXY anime woman with SEXY dark eye circles 👀💦

Favorite moment: HOW can i choose. ok how about her sexy evil monologue when she looked like this

Idea for a story: this is hard because like as much as i love her i think her story was really neatly wrapped up in the events of railgun season 1. like...she was an unwilling participant in unethical human experimentation and in the end she freed its subjects and they celebrated her birthday <3 but idk i think it would be nice to see a series of little mini-stories where she returns to teaching the students she freed and idk maybe she can adopt that girl with the headband...maybe... 👉👈

Unpopular opinion: she's the best character in railgun and she's also the best character in anime. like, period. ever. you literally cannot beat this exact combination of traits, both physical and personality wise. she is the perfect character. unhinged. innovative. devoted. sleep deprived. etc

Favorite relationship: her and her students (PLATONIC) (FAMILIAL)

Favorite headcanon: i think she really Is an esper. i want to believe. i think maybe even if her powers were from hooking up into the esper hivemind with the level upper it had some residual effects so shes like a level 1 telepath now or something.

[lekopoofball]

Kiyama: What’s the big deal? There’s no men here to get turned on by my body.

Kuroko:

[mihotose]

youth training camp! (source)

[skittlesskittycat]

A certain scientific railgun ep 11

Kiyama sensei

[engekihaikyuu]

Haikyuu Finale

The members of Gekidan Haikyuu share their thoughts after reading the final chapter of Haikyuu!  They were also all given special commemorative shirts to congratulate the series!

Kiyama Ryuu (Hoshiumi) Haikyuu has taught me so many important lessons about life Even if I’m small, even if no one was looking for me, I’m going to keep challenging myself and make myself better in order to make them want me.* I’m so happy that I was able to meet Hoshiumi Kourai!  Furudate-sensei, thank you so much for all your hard work these past eight and a half years!! #HaikyuuFinale #EngekiHaikyuu

*A reference to lines from the end of Ch385 Please do not repost my translations

(x)

[joyfuladorable]

< Vol. 8 | Vol. 10 >

Rereading Oresama Teacher Volume 9

Okegawa continues to not quite believe that Natsuo is Mafuyu but automatically protects her because FRIENDSHIP

Ohhh Mafuyu, so weak for cute girls

Yay!  The Maid Cafe teens!

I won’t deny that this kinda stinks with transphobia, but it does subvert expectation with Natsuo helping to make them shine in their roles

Mafuyu… your charisma is off the charts!!

I love how Tsubaki-sensei draws narrowed eyes

Of course the Maid Cafe wins!  Maximum charm!

Fuck!  This is such a good arc!!  The build up is really good.  Sparked by Okegawa’s defeat and stoked by a dissatisfied Kawauchi and scheming Kosaka.  An underlying sense of unease during the festival prep due to the string of disappearances, to the lack of delinquents, and then the growing aggression from Kiyama.  All to get to this point where the Disciplinary Club plus Okegawa and Goto have to frantically defend the school and make sure the festival succeeds

Okegawa’s stressed expression is so so good

And he still acts calm and collected like a leader!  I love him!!

Hayasaka’s hair attracts delinquents to him like bees to honey

It’s such a smart plan to disguise fighting Kiyama as skits. Also, Natsuo - I mean Sebas-o, lol - looks so sharp in a butler outfit

Hell yeah, Hayasaka!  Make Usa Chan proud!!

Guys who start fights get no rights (or pants), regardless of which side they’re on

Poor, Kangawa, he just wanted to see Mafuyu in a maid outfit

Woo!  Maid Cafe takes the win as the most popular!!

ohh FUCK it’s this goddamn story

EEESHHH the transphobia…

On the brightside, Natsuo trying to give the Bancho title back to Okegawa through silly competitions instead of an all-out fight is very cute

Wig… SNATCHED!!

Okegawa still feeling the same way about Mafuyu regardless of knowing her identity makes me (and Mafuyu) happy beyond belief

Goto continues to ruin the mood, but nothing’s a bigger mood ruiner than a challenge letter from the entire delinquent population of Midorigaoka

*tosses Natsuo* Alright, I’m Bancho again, so my fight now

Oh, I didn’t realize Goto and Kawauchi were middle school (boy)friends, too

That mood when you decide not to be a regular high school student because this really strong dude is cool and you want to see him succeed

That BIG mood when you decide to wreck your own plans to ruin the school and your former leader because you want to fight him so bad and also be by his side

Friendship ended with Kawauchi.  Now, Morse Girl is my new best friend

It’s so cute that Okegawa asks Mafuyu for praise; and even though she’s confused, she praises him because she is good friend

Finally revealing that Kosaka is a high Intelligence but low Wisdom AND low Charisma character

He’s such a disaster.  Poor kid

Alice!!!  Alice, you’re wonderful please don’t run!

Baseball-pitching someone’s cellphone into a tin full of pie creme is pretty good revenge

Go Crazy, Kosaka!  Go Stupid!

RIP Disciplinary Club, pummeled by whipped cream

I really like Minato’s personality.  She knows what she wants, and she goes for it.  The ‘it’ being playing the horse in a play to have the least taxing role, which is so valid

[ayoda]

We’ve arrived!

Our team is now in Kumamoto, Japan -- largely uneventful flights and arriving at our home for the next ten (10) days thanks to two very courteous taxi drivers who patiently helped us find our accommodations after 10 p.m. on a Saturday night.

We visited Kiyama Christ Church, where Oda Sensei (no relation) is the Pastor. She has been a great supporter of disaster relief work in Kumamoto, and was very accommodating to us during our last visit. It was a real pleasure to attend her church this morning.

And here’s the team! Back row: Jorge, Jessey, and Gio. Front row: Drew (many of you know him as Andrew) and Tom. 

We came on a special day. Hayashi (toward the front of the group in a yellow short-sleeve shirt) was leaving for Tokyo. He specializes in making gourmet cheese. Belgian born, he spent time in England and France learning his craft. He also is a true blessing to the Kiyama Church, helping people learn the guitar (he’s a very talented classical guitarist) and helped teach English to many in the congregation. We were invited to join the luncheon in his honor. Given they weren’t expecting the six (6) of us to be present, I was a bit worried about both imposing on the congregation and whether they had enough food. Not only were we generously welcomed, there was more than enough food, including leftovers. Yes, it reminded me of the five loaves and two fish -- even Oda Sensei said our visit was provided for by God.

The gentleman in the orange shirt is Joshua. With his wife Jessica, they serve as missionaries with Oda Sensei’s church. We had a great discussion about how the church plans to continue serving the residents of Kumamoto who will be moving from the barrack-type temporary shelters in March to apartments which will still be interim housing, but much more accommodating than the current shelters. Already many of the residents are concerned about being separated from those who they’ve bonded with in the new neighborhoods created in the temporary shelters. 

I’m having a difficult time trying to explain why community is so important, other than people who lost their neighborhoods after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake and other disasters are vulnerable to further loss. That may be why the thought of losing another community -- formed in the crowded kasetsu jyuu-taku (the aforementioned temporary housing) -- is such a concern. Our job this week is to help the church build and facilitate relationships within these communities so that one experiences abandonment. Or more simply put, we want these residents know they haven’t been forgotten.

My apologies for being a bit fuzzy, I’m still adjusting to this new time zone. More to come. And the blessing continues.

[the50-person]

Fortuna no Hitomi (2019) starring Kamiki Ryunosuke and Arimura Kasumi

Kamiki Ryunosuke and Arimura Kasumi have been cast in the film "Fortuna no Hitomi" (Fortuna’s Eye), which is based on a book by Hyakuta Naoki. They will act as lovers. 

Kamiki plays Kiyama Shinichiro, a lonely man who mysteriously gained the ability to see through the bodies of those who are about to die. Arimura plays Kiryu Aoi, the lover of Kiyama. However, Kiyama is able to see through Kiryu’s body one day.

Dir. Miki Takahiro (Solanin, Control Tower, Ao Haru Ride, Aozora Yell, Sensei、、、Suki ni Natte mo Ii Desuka?, Sakamichi no Apollon) will direct the film. The film is slated for a 2019 release. 

Kamiki and Arimura have previously worked together in:

SPEC franchise (no scenes together, Kamiki as a major villain, Arimura as a side character on the protagonists’ side)

11 Nin mo Iru! (Kamiki as main character and older brother, Arimura as one of his younger siblings)

Sangatsu no Lion duology (Kamiki as main character and younger brother, Arimura as older adoptive sister)

Judging from their interactions, they are close enough to be playfully rude, so at least I’m not worried about them having to adjust to each other since they have worked together many times. The only thing I’m more worried about is Arimura’s acting, which is rather average. The situation might end up with Kamiki steamrolling her once again like he did each time he acted with her.

Last but not least, the joke about this film is that Kamiki has finally gotten a romance project that he has been wishing so hard for. 

https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/280980

https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0100574

[shutupdia]

inazuma eleven and one punch man for the ask meme :)

send me an anime

One Punch Man

haven’t heard of it | absolutely never watching | might watch | currently watching | dropped | hated it | meh | a positive okay | liked it | liked it a lot! | loved it | a favorite

don’t watch period | drop if not interested within 2-3 episodes | give it a go, could be your thing | 5 star recommendation

fav characters: Genos my robot husband

least fav characters: Ehh wasn’t a fan of that Speed’o’Sound sonic guy

fav relationship: Err, don’t really have any ships in this show?? But I really like the dynamic Saitama and Genos have. It’s cute how he calls Saitama ‘Sensei’ lol.

fav moment: The little sparring match Saitama and Genos had, and then Genos is just constantly getting upset because Saitama wasn’t using his ‘full strength’ x)

headcanons/theories: Saitama probably gets jealous of Genos having hair

unpopular opinion: Ehh well, I don’t really know. I guess I didn’t really find speed’o’sonic cute, especially with that frightening smile of his.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

how’d you find it: I pretty much kept seeing it on my dash when it first aired, and didn’t ACTUALLY watch it till’ like a year later.

random thoughts: where the fuck is season 2 i miss my robot husband :(

Inazuma eleven

haven’t heard of it | absolutely never watching | might watch | currently watching | dropped | hated it | meh | a positive okay | liked it | liked it a lot! | loved it | a favorite

don’t watch period | drop if not interested within 2-3 episodes | give it a go, could be your thing | 5 star recommendation

fav characters: Haven’t seen this show yet but I have a feeling Kiyama would be my favorite lmao.

least fav characters: Idk man... Just by looking at Tobitaka I just feel like he’ll be my least fav, it’s hard to say.

fav relationship: don’t know much about this series but they all seem to be very good friends.

fav moment: That one episode where they played soccer lol

headcanons/theories: all of them seem to be VERY close friends 

how’d you find it: i think one or two people that I’m following reblog content from it sometimes, was considering checking it out.

random thoughts: these kids seem to have very... unique hairstyles lolol

[targentis]

i hate a lot of things about the railgun dub, but i can appreciate that they gave kiyama a doctorate.

[targentis]

twelve years. TWELVE years it has been since a certain scientific railgun came out and yet there is STILL no fan content for kiyama-sensei. do i have to do everything myself? must i? must i? i don’t want to i’m starving

[joyfuladorable]

< Vol. 13 | Vol. 16+17 >

Rereading Oresama Teacher Volume 14

Fujishima must be a broom made of steel.  That’s a terrifying crater

I like when the story decides to break the bounds of reality to showcase some cartoonish levels of violence

I really like that trope of a party splitting itself up bit by bit to handle enemies as they come and let the protagonist advance

Everyone gets a cool moment!  Even Yui! (I’m sorry Yui, but you’re absolutely the most ridiculous person in the club)

“Go Prince!” YEET!!

God, Kiyama is full of idiots.  Love them

I’ll end you myself, Nogami!  1V1 ME!!!!

Tsubaki-sensei is wonderful at setting up cool moments and then cutting to a goof (i.e. “A prince will come to save you.” *cuts to Natsuo running away from a hoard of guys* AND *Natsuo enters the classroom and then immediately slams the door and calls for a timeout from the guys on the other side*)

The guardian spirit bit is wild

“Are you all right?!” AHHHHH!!!

*takes Kanon’s hand* “Sorry… I was late.” ALDJALSDKJLSLF!!!  NATSUO IS HER PRINCE AND WOW I LOVE THEM!!!

Mafuyu’s figured it out!  Nogami’s a stupid ass clown who let things get way out of control because he didn’t know how to get the attention of his crush!

God, you stupid ass clown, Nogami, how lucky for you that Kanon is forgiving

Ayaben hiding behind Natsuo so his secret doesn’t get found out is pretty cute

Saeki helping from the shadows is pretty cool (the only time he’s cool actually is when he’s fighting to help the others or figuratively fighting to help the school)

Aww, thanks for the explanation of what was happening behind the scenes, Tsubaki-sensei!  Nogami is still an absolute stupid ass clown

Omake of Kanon continuing to be tsundere with Natsuo is good.  Mafuyu is LOVING it

Saeki pretending to be (and succeeding at) being a first year high schooler makes me WHEEZE

A bored Mafuyu and Akki get a free and terrifying car ride from a suspiciously kind Saeki

OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED WHAT STORY THIS IS HELL YEAH!!

Gonna infiltrate the school for some treasure!  Akki continues to be the best fashionista and gives Mafuyu a lovely disguise

“Do you… think you look beautiful?” BITCH OF COURSE SHE IS!!!  God, Akki, have confidence in your makeup skills and also compliment Mafuyu because she deserves it!

Akki’s got a good memory if he can remember the exact wording of a legend he probably heard months ago

“Mafuyu Kurosaki, Age 16.  Favorite type of girl… A proud, rich girl.” Hell yeah it is!!

Their Art Club should’ve been changed to the Arts and Traps Club

Goddammit Maizono

Heeheehee, Kangawa you in love

Oh, wig

Mafuyu’s going down memory lane with a very drunk Saeki

He did an Eight Foot Vertical Leap for that bouquet, and I can respect that

Oh shit, I forgot that Saeki made the Peter Pan connection with Miyabi.  Oh SHIT

Motivating your class with a school trip is pretty smart.  Mafuyu’s brain is like a sponge that gets squeezed out after exams

Mafuyu and Okegawa, kindred spirits who have no idea what a non-delinquent school life is like and are just faking it til they make it

NOGAMI, WHAT THE FUCK!?  Don’t stalk her you CLOWN!

Just keep a better handle on your guys, and also don’t threaten the school that beat your ass??

Thank you for the reassurances, Okegawa.  Your time with the club is short, but we still love you for it

Saeki’s rules for the kids are honestly valid.  Any amount of trouble could cost the school its reputation

Three different boys with ridiculous packing ideas.  Even Mafuyu (who’s usually pretty clueless) knows how to pack for a short trip!

Heart boxers time

And Volume 15!

*chanting* Parfait Girls!  PARFAIT GIRLS!! (they’re playing cards)

Photo boy Yui!  If he wasn’t such a ninja, he’d make for a great photographer

Mafuyu’s heart goes doki doki for a chance to interact with girls

It also goes doki doki when her best friend protects her

Goddammit narrative, why do you thwart just about every chance Mafuyu has in having girl friends??

Air pillow fighting

Everyone deserves a friend who will tackle hug you because they love you so much

Wuh woh crossing paths with Sakurada

Cute omakes!  Hojo’s crush on Yui continues to make her angry.  Kanon is thinking about Natsuo~!

Oh shit, now I’m thinking about writing a canon divergence fic where Kanon and Mafuyu have to share a room!!  OH SHIIIIITTT!! (I’ll write it probably maybe)

Gag a boy with a popsicle and run away

Tsubaki-sensei drawing shiny-eyed Mafuyu like Usa-Chan’s eyes is a top notch expression decision

Welcome to the Ninja Forest! “Isn’t this fun?’ “I’m so excited.” SHUT UP I’M CRYING

Just let her have fun, Sakurada!  Go away!  Why do you need to ‘confirm’ anything about her?

Uttering the word ‘bancho’ means instant death

BUNNY BOXERS!!  Don’t snap a photo of that, Yui, wtf??

Saeki can just come flying in from the sky and do a mean three point landing.  Badass… and then he bonks two teens’ heads together and drags them around by a rope…

lol, the fucking baths scene.  Yui, your gonna die

Arisugawa can see the power of FRIENDSHIP that has been growing inside of Yui since he met Mafuyu and Hayasaka!!

If I had a free day with a chance to go to an amusement park, I’d absolutely go

Yui greatest weaknesses: Rides, Haunted Houses, and being left behind by his friends

Just kidding!  His friends went back and found him!

It’s really cute that their classmates took photos of them because of the absolute power of their FRIENDSHIP

Yukioka’s here to seduce Akki!!  … By seducing everyone else around him! (with her cuteness)

Akki’s terrified of Yukioka’s ability to speak without words

First time you’re afraid of a girl?  What about Mafuyu??

“Kyon-Kyon!!” Risking bodily harm to escape the enemy

It’s an interesting subversion to have a female character be kind of a perv, but I don’t appreciate how that trait has been given to the most baby looking character…  I could do without the perv trait entirely, honestly.  At least she asks for permission to touch (the butt)

No one can resist feeding this gremlin

The only cute thing Okegawa likes is Nekomata

Oof, these two kids have some PROBLEMS (both of them have tied their self-worth to how they seem to other people)

Fate (the author) has decided none of the trio will have their phones and save Akki from his predicament

Saeki is terrifying regardless of what he’s doing, be it going swimming with a cute inflatable tube or wearing a yukata and playing pingpong

A challenger approaches!  Paper Bag Komari VS Usa Chan Man!! (it’s a tie because they both cute)

Akki and Yukioka have an interesting dynamic, I’ll give ‘em that.  At least they can be open to one another, which is a key component to any good relationship

Omake has sleepover shenanigans with the Saitama boys + Minato.  Minato continues to score those good shoujo moments with her crush

[ayoda]

Rain is a good thing

(Quick note: If you're rading this blog, can you post something under the comment section, a simple "hello" will do. Just trying to gage our readership.)

Tuesday:

We started doing our share of odd jobs, many for the Kiyama Church and Pastor Oda (no relation). Jessey and the team helped gather garden debris which we disposed of at the local dump. I had the privilege of driving the small truck to the dump, it was my first real drive in Japan. Did I mention I finally got an International Driver’s License? I did OK, given the driving is on the left hand of the road, though I did switch on the windshield wiper more than a few times instead of the turn signal (yep, that’s also on the opposite side of the steering column).

Carrying one refrigerator down the stairs, hauling a new one up the stairs.

That’s Andrew with an old-fashioned broom, helping clear out the yard. We also moved / hauled away old furniture, a less-than-efficient washing machine, and the aforementioned refrigerator.

Now it was time for us to start our “official” duties with the Kyushu Christ Disaster Relief Center (KCDRC). We split the team up, Andrew and Tom went to share and practice English with kids at a middle high about 30 minutes away. Sorry, no pics (yet) but the kids were surprised (and pleased) that Andrew was fully bilingual, so they had a good time chatting with him. The other part of the team traveled a few miles down the road.

As I’d mentioned previously, the kasetsu jyuutaku (temporary housing) residents are not more than a few hundred square feet in size, housing entire families and sometimes multigenerational households. There are about four to five residential units per building. The kasetsu we visited today has 75 units, about half are still occupied.

At least once a week, the KCDRC coordinates a tea and social time with the residents at the different kasetsu locations they serve. It’s been going on for the past three (3) years, again they’re overdue in moving all of the residents out of the trailers and back to their neighborhoods, or whatever it is that remains. We did many activities besides serving tea, though Jorge is doing a fine job!

Our team consists of a couple of guys who are “healthy looking male specimens” (OK, I’m taking liberties with the translation, but you get the idea). The residents (mostly senior women) wanted Jorge, Gio and Jessey to show their strength. They set up Masako-Sensei to arm-wrestle Jorge (he claimed he was left-handed, so that made the match even). Masako-Sensei won this round.

Jessey demonstrated he’s a man of many tricks, specifically card tricks. He did a really nice job entertaining the residents, the mini-performance needed little translation.

As we prepared and coordinated our efforts with the KCDRC, they said they wanted us to provide activities that offered examples of American culture. So what could be more American than seniors playing Bingo? But we offered a bit of a twist. For the first game, we called out the numbers in Spanish, the second game in English, then the last game in Japanese. Of course, there were prizes. We also had Gio play a card, if he won everybody got a prize. That happened after the third game, the residents were quite pleased.

In addition to the emotional issues associated with loss, some of the residents become a bit apathetic about caring for their health, particularly when it comes to exercise. Consequently, it was another perfect “American” activity for Jessey to help teach the residents the Texas Two-Step. They also had a Spanish selection where we danced the same moves, but the music was twice as fast. After a certain point, the residents sat back and had a good time watching us try to keep up with the music. Jessey was great. I did try myself, at least I didn’t run into Jessey. Well, not too many times.

Jessey brought along a portable printer, so we were able to take pics of the residents with the various props and make photos available to the residents. This group shot was as popular as the individual shots. 

This young lady -- Jessey’s new buddy -- is the granddaughter of one of the residents -- remember I mentioned that there were multi-generational households here. She wrote ありがとう (thank you very much) along with drawings of faces and stars. You’re welcome, young lady -- and the residents of the kasetsu who blessed us as much as we tried to bless them.

=============================================================

Wednesday:

When we were meeting back in L.A., I cautioned the team we would sometimes not know what we’d be doing on a given day until the morning of, and that could also change. I suppose for once I was prophetic.

Originally we were booked to move some residents out of the kasetsu to apartment units recently constructed. It’s still not exactly permanent housing, but it’s more accommodating than the cramped barrack-style kasetsu units. That changed. Then we were booked to go cut overgrown weeds starting in the morning. That was postponed to the afternoon. Finally there was a relocating resident who needed furniture and a refrigerator moved. That became a two-man job for Eiichi-Sensei and Andrew.

Which meant the rest of the team was given a new assignment -- visit a local preschool to interact and practice English with the kids there. We actually didn’t do much with the English dialogue, as the oldest child there was two years of age. But what we did do was help with lunchtime. Tom is clearly a trouper when it comes to kids. Gio claimed he had no idea what to do, but he got his little guy to eat -- quite a bit, actually -- four (4) bowls of rice. Sorry for the less-than-ideal angles, but we want to protect the identity of the kids.

They did get a little bit of English interaction with our team. Here’s Gio, Jessey and Tom leading the kids in a chorus of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” I think we have video, if interested.

As we saw in previous years, there’s a number of tracts where homes once stood and / or were used for local gardens and farming. These tracts become overgrown with weeds. This location probably is big enough for more than two (2) homes. We were asked to clear the property of these weeds, much of the growth taller than me. OK, I realize that’s a rather low standard, but nonetheless.

It rains a lot during the Kumamoto summer. We experienced a brief downpour before we arrived at the tract. Did I mention it rains a lot here in Kumamoto? Because of the precipitation, we couldn’t use our gas-powered weed whackers. Instead, we were instructed to yank the weeks out of the ground. Remember I mentioned it rains a lot here? Although it made a bit humid in the hot weather (all right, REALLY humid), it also softened the ground so weed pulling was made a lot easier.

Eichii-Sensei is the director of the KCDRC. He still puts in a lot of physical labor. A lot of us got mosquito bites, sorta inevitable. Eichii-Sensei mentioned he almost died two (2) years ago when he had an allergic reaction to a wasp sting.

We cleared about three-quarters of the property. The guys wanted to finish the rest of the job, but the local dump could only accept a certain amount of vegetation on a given day (only so much can be burned each day) so we ended the day’s work. Several times Eichii-Sensei and others remarked about how our team members work really hard and efficiently. These gentlemen are making me look good. More importantly, they’re really helping out the KCDRC in their efforts to reach out to the local community.

It was time to go home after a productive day. You’ll note there are a few individuals who aren’t part of our team in this pic. They’re with another volunteer organization. Eichii-Sensei has built partnerships with a number of resources, both faith-based and non-faith based, because it’s more productive to coordinate with others, offering both manpower (and womanpower!) as well as avoiding redundancy in relief efforts. I’ll offer more about the partnerships and their goals, particularly in helping residents maintain the communities they’ve built over the past three (3) years while residing in the kasetsu centers. Tonight will be laundry. I hope there’s not going to be anything living and / or creeping that’s stuck to the clothing. Thanks for reading this long posting, again give us a “hello” just to give us an idea about the blog’s audience. And the blessings continue.

[ayoda]

Weekend update

Sundays are spent at church, while our headquarters take Monday as their day off. After spending Friday whacking weeds and Saturday digging mud, the team was ready for the weekend.

Oda-Sensei (again, not a relative), has been hosting the female members of our team, as well as offering her church as a hangout. She’s a widow who’s been pastoring the Kiyama Christian Church for (I think) 14 years. Oda-Sensei has been a true joy to get to know and work with. She has gone out of our way to accommodate our team as well as the efforts of the Kyushu Christ Disaster Relief Center.

The Praise song “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” was offered in Japanese, until Carla, Jenna, and Emily responded to Oda-Sensei’s request to sing English verses during the service. Later that weekend, they helped out Oda-Sensei, more on that in a moment.

We were taking a bus trip to visit a local mall to do some shopping, so we took a walk through the neighborhood. I think there’s a family living in the tent on the left. Unfortunately, this is not a unique situation. Other families still live in homes red-tagged (unsafe for occupation) and yellow-tagged (damaged but perhaps repairable).

In the “what’s wrong with this picture” category, note the well-maintained lawn at the foreground of the photo. What’s missing is the house -- the structure was demolished and cleared, leaving behind the empty lot. Unfortunately, this is also also not an uncommon situation.

The next day, we went to visit Kumamoto Castle. Used in the 15th through 19th century, it had been destroyed and rebuilt a couple of times, most recently restored in 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of the Castle. The Castle is a major tourist attraction, but is currently closed as the structure was heavily damaged during last year’s earthquake. Tom and I pondered how the Castle could be so severely affected since the epicenter of the quake was several miles away, while buildings closer to the epicenter were left mostly intact. We were again reminded of the randomness of natural disasters. It happens to anyone at anytime.

Of course, it’s always important to support local businesses (note our faux benevolence). Tom and I found a ramen shop called Okada-Ya where we found our bowl of Kumamoto’s kontotsu-style ramen, a rich pork broth noodle dish. It was amazing. Hey, someone has to make the sacrifice.

Oda-Sensei’s church was presenting a mini-concert that evening featuring Japanese Christian singer Keiko Tanaka. The team was asked to help out by distributing flyers, help prepare food, arrange the room and assist with the set-up. Although this was their day off, the team agreeably helped out. There were about a dozen older visitors who delighted in both Tanaka-San’s performance as well as the many sing-alongs offered during the program.  She was energetic and a joy, with a wonderful voice singing traditional and some newer songs. Language was hardly a barrier. Jenna said she had far more fun than she expected. It may have been a smaller crowd, but they truly enjoyed the experience.

After Tanaka-San’s performance and some of the eats prepared by the team (home-made french fries, snow cones, and fresh-cut watermelon -- an odd combo that actually worked), we were given an unexpected treat. Oda-Sensei and two of her congregants enjoy Texas line dancing. They led us in learning (I think) the Texas Two-Step, with Peter being among the most enthusiastic (he also wanted people to know he fried most of the potatoes, and wants to do this again when we get back home).

Summertime in Japan is about fireworks. Unlike the U.S., fireworks are available at numerous retailers throughout the summer. Andrew is having fun as a two-fisted pyromaniac.

We ended the evening with a late dinner of curry (including fresh tomatoes -- never had that it curry, but it was good!). Again, my credit to the team for stepping up even during their weekend break.

The forecast is a 90-percent chance of rain for the beginning of the week. But as a preview, weather didn’t keep the team from doing the job. Stay tuned. And the work continues.

[ayoda]

A flashback to 3.11

Five of our team -- Emily, Carla, my sons and me -- have been to the Sendai area after the March 11, 2011 tsunami and earthquake, working with CRASH Japan, Ishinomaki Christian Center, and the Nozomi project. We saw firsthand devastation, missing homes, and ever-so-slow signs of recovery during our visits.

Saturday, we drove an hour-and-a-half to Fukuoka, which was hit by torrential rains and mudslides a little over a month ago. Two were killed, 25 missing, 500,000 people needing to evacuate, some now in temporary shelters.

There were still houses full of mud, while we also saw vehicles which were likely washed away, to be stuck and yet to be dug out.

Another damaged auto we saw, it looked like mud washed through the interior.

We saw numerous empty lots where homes once stood.    

I’m not the tallest person in the world (those who know me can stop smiling now) but nonetheless, you can tell the height of the mudslide was about five (5) feet. Most of the mud inside this building had been removed, but outside the building was another story.

There was still lots of mud around the building to be removed. Emily took a short break from shoveling dirt into wheelbarrows (that’s Peter on one of his many trips with the wheelbarrow) and dumping the contents into dirt piles. Big dirt piles.

This photo represents one of many piles of dirt we saw, mud and dirt removed in earlier efforts. I think this pile was at least 25 - 30 feet tall.

Mud was coming up from the foundation, so the flooring was disassembled to dig out even more dirt and debris. Somewhat ironic: The building where we were working housed the Nakagawa Pump Co., who sells pumps and other plumbing to deal with flooding.

Six (6) years ago we saw what a 30-foot tsunami could do to destroy everything in its path. Here in Fukuoka, it wasn’t a big tsunami but it was still a big mudslide, triggered by nine (9) hours of non-stop heavy rain. Once again we saw how random the damage happens. One house was completely unharmed, while another house suffered irrepairable damage.Witnessing this neighborhood definitely left a mark on our team.

We were told we could quit after lunch and go back to the Kumamoto headquarters, but the team decided they had enough energy left to keep digging for another couple of hours. Like our work in Kumamoto’s Mashiki City the day before, it was easily 90+ degrees and over 90+ percent humidity. 

As it turned out, back hoes arrived an hour later to remove large rocks, tree stumps, and other debris making it hazardous for us to continue working, but our team’s willingness to keep working humbled me. 

Did I mention I work with a great team? Our female team members have a shower where they’re staying, we waited until the evening to travel to the local onsen to get our (much needed) bath, but no one really complained. 

Sunday is our day off as we prepare to attend church services at the Kiyama Christ Church where the Pastor is Oda-Sensei (not a relative, but I wish she was). Hope all of you have a great weekend. And the work continues.