Susono July Report - Yoshio Noda (FSFA Committee Member)

Our Susono-based FSFA committee member Yoshio Noda presented the following report and slideshow at our July meeting held on Monday 6th July. By clicking on the first slide you can view a larger image of all 14 slides.

Yoshio takes an image of Fujisan almost every day, but the recent typhoons have inundated Susono with so much rain that it was not possible to see or photograph - hence Yoshio's most recent photo was taken on 17th June!

Today (7th July - or 7/7) is the much-celebrated Tanabata Festival! This is one of many Japanese folk tales FSFA uses as the set piece for our Japanese Speech Contest which is held on the first Friday evening in September each year. This year's contest is scheduled for Friday 4th September 2026!

Yoshio's Frankston friends arrival in Susono coincided with the arrival of the double typhoon and much rainfall. FSFA Life Member and Treasurer Bev Hannan, committee member Therese Sakamoto, and Mick Collard visited Susono after competing in a Ground Golf tournament in Yurihama, Tottori Prefecture. Mick finished second in his age group, the first Australian to medal in a Japanese tournament, and also scored a hole-in-one during the competition which included 380 competitors from 7 different countries.

Yoshio travels to the Sendai region of Japan twice a year to deliver lectures and classes to under graduate and post graduate students at Tohoku Gakuin University.

Hydrangeas (called Ajisai in Japan - hence the mascot pictured above is called Ajisai chan) typically bloom during the rainy season in June and July, making them a symbol and the most popular flower of the season.

The Lily Garden Festival in Fukuroi City, Japan, takes place at Kasui Yuri no Sono (Kasui Lily Garden). The festival runs every year from late May to early July, featuring over 2 million lilies of 150 different types.

As many of us will know from Yoshio's previous reports, food and seasonal dishes are very important in Japanese culture!

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi uses the Toyota Century SUV as her official state vehicle. The luxury chauffeur-driven car acts as a "moving office" for her busy political schedule. This upgraded vehicle replaced her previous Toyota Century sedan, carrying on a long tradition of utilizing premium Japanese cars for the nation's leaders.

Susono June Report - Yoshio Noda (FSFA Committee Member)

Our Susono-based FSFA committee member Yoshio Noda presented the following report and slideshow at our June meeting held on Monday 1st June. By clicking on the first slide you can view a larger image of all 8 slides.

Yoshio keeps us up to date with regular photos of Mount Fuji. The most recent was taken on Thursday last week with the increased warmth decreasing the snow coverage. At 3,776 metres the temperature is still very cold near the summit, hence there is still some snow remaining despite the 30°C plus days and humidity.

Bear sightings continue to be a problem throughout Japan and specifically in the Susono area! Those who are able to read the Japanese text will note that the sightings on the 21st & 22nd were located near 2 Elementary (Primary) Schools and a Middle School, while other sightings on the 20th were close to Fuji Safari Park, Fujisan Children's Land and Toriki Plateau parking lot. 

While there have been no reported attacks or deaths in Susono, climate change and rural depopulation have resulted in an alarming increase in the number of attacks and deaths throughout Japan!

Yoshio's work with the scouting movement continues as noted in his previous reports.

This UNESCO World Heritage site is about 40 minutes by car south of Susono on the Izu Peninsula and is a well preserved iron smelting facility. Two sets of furnaces were constructed, as the facility was intended to cast both bronze and iron cannons and mortars.

Yoshio travelled to Sendai by shinkansen (2 bullet trains), a journey of about 400 kilometres in around two and a half hours to deliver his lecture and visit friends.

Yoshio has embraced AI to produce his lecture materials and slides, a number of the pictures used in this report and other aspects of his work and life. There is much debate about the pros and cons of using AI!

Yoshio's report concluded with a number of images reporting on the live fire activities of the locally based Japanese Defense Forces at the base of Mt Fuji, the need to protect from the sun on hot days, Susono Mayor Harukaze Murata's speech at the Susono Chamber of Commerce and Industry's AGM, and finally his beautiful sunset image of Mount Fuji.

And with thanks to AI:

Mount Fuji’s exceptionally symmetrical, near-perfect cone shape is one of the most recognizable natural landmarks in the world. Standing as Japan’s tallest peak at 3,776 meters (12,389 feet), this iconic silhouette is actually a geological illusion. While it appears to be a single, flawless mountain, it is a composite stratovolcano built from three separate, stacked volcanoes that formed over hundreds of thousands of years.

Susono May Report - Yoshio Noda (FSFA Committee Member)

Our Susono-based FSFA committee member Yoshio Noda presented the following report and slideshow at our May meeting held on Monday 4th May (Star Wars Day!). By clicking on the first slide you can view a larger image of all 12 slides.