After an extreme rainy season that went on an extra 15 days, generated many late night warnings, washed out a number of bridges and killed dozens of people on the mainland, we are finally back to having sunny days. It is now in the 30s with 90+ humidity… so it doesn’t feel any drier than the rainy season. But at least we can go to the beach and cool off!
This month had a special long weekend. The Japanese government had created a special stat holiday this year in order to give the whole population the opportunity to enjoy the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympics. Since that is obviously impossible, the 4 day weekend became a way to the government to promote domestic tourism and induce consumption. Out on the edges of the country, it is relatively low risk to travel, so we took the weekend to cross over to Karatsu on the ferry, see the castle and Godzilla, and then spend a few days in Nagasaki eating lots of “Chinese” food. We spent some solemn moments at the atomic bomb hypocenter and I went back to Spectacles Bridge at night. Next month I will write up a few of these places and share the photos. Which brings me to my next point: newsletter frequency.
As you can see below, the number of posts I have been publishing have increased quite a bit, and I think the number each month will increase. This newsletter acts as a roundup for people who do not follow along with RSS or on Twitter, but I don’t think it will be very useful if I am just dumping a massive amount of reading on your desk at the end of the month (not that I expect you to read every word…). It may be better to space things out a bit. I would like to hear your thoughts. You can of course always email me your opinion, but I have also made a quick little poll (just a single question) to collect feedback:
https://forms.gle/iHFEjxyQtk1GfkJKA
Well, I have to head off. It is Friday here so we are picking the kids up from school and heading to the beach!
Have a lovely one!
/ck
🖋 From the Blog
What is the most exciting thing in publishing today?
Thinking out loud about how to get your message out.
Convenient Countryside Karaoke
Amateur singing happens here in trailers managed by convenience stores...?
Monkey Rock, a pillar of heaven
Iki Island’s premier sight-seeing destination.
Sakyōbana, crumbling pillar of Heaven
A legacy of the creator gods, at one of my favourite spots on the island
Keychron K2
Getting a new keyboard is basically the same thing as being a more productive writer, isn’t it?
Kyushu’s economic contribution to Japan
Sharing some of my research.
🧭 Elsewhere
Emotional video of how foreigners view America’s coronavirus response. Video →
There are a lot of really cool sea caves here. On a boat tour we entered the Sea Palace. Video →
Literal translations of Japanese placenames are fun and all, but Anglicizing them is hilarious! Link →
Belief in meritocracy is another of the ailments of the modern world. Link →
Long read by the eminent Jill Lepore on the history of policing in the US. TLDR: it’s f*ct due to guns and slavery. Link →
