Do you know Yatushiro city?? It is my
hometown. I was born and I have lived there for
19 years.
Yatushiro is not an urban city, but it is
not in the countryside. Yatushiro is the second
biggest city in Kumamoto, but few people
know that. In August 2005, Yatsushiro shi,
Kagamimachi, Sencho, Touyouson,
Sakamotomura, and Izumimura were united, so the
area became bigger.
Yatushiro faces the Yatushiro Sea, and was
made by land reclamation during the Edo
Period, so the area of old-Yatushiro was
almost plain, and people raise many crops like
igusa, banpeiyu, and salty-tomato. I
studied about that when I was an elementary
school student. Igusa is raw material of
tatami, and in Yatsushiro, the production was
the highest in Japan, but the production
has been reduced in recent years. Banpeiyu is
a kind of citrus, and it is the biggest in
the world, it is also recognized in the Guinness
book of world records, and its flavor is
like a grapefruit, and it is so delicious.
Salty-tomatoes are raised near the
Yatsushiro sea, which was under the sea before land
reclamation, so the tomato became salty,
but the flavor is not salty but sweet, so I used
to eat them as a snack when I was a child.
I want to recommend these specialties.
This city is a famous industrial area as
well as being famous for agriculture. There are
industries such as a paper mill and a pulp
mill and a sake brewery. When I was in
elementary school, I went on a field trip
to the paper mill next to the elementary school.
I still remember that I was surprised at the
size of the plant.
The big event of this city is the Yatushiro
national fireworks Games, and firework
makers from all around Japan come to Yatushiro,
and they compete to show their
technology. Over ten thousand high level
fireworks are launched, and about thirty
thousand people come to watch them, so the
roads become jammed with traffic. But I
can watch the fireworks from my house, I
watch with my family and relatives while we
do barbeque on our terrace every year. That
is so great!
In the fall, Yatushiro Myoukensai held, it
is one of the three major historical festivals in
Kyushu. We gather at my grandparents’
house, the mothers make a feast with sekihan,
nimame, andkonoshiro-susi. At Myouken
Shine, horses, games and shishimai run. We
can enjoy it.
In March 2004, Shin Yatsushiro Station was
built along with the Kyushu Shinkansen
opening. In March 2011, the whole Kyushu
Shinkansen line was opened. This was a big
event for this country city. I often use
this Shinkansen when I return home. Please come
to Yatushiro some day!!
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