April 10^th: I had just finished cleaning the bio-toilet in Horoman Gorge when I looked up and saw this.

A falcon was flying in a circle around and around in the sky. They must have found an updraft and used it to soar through the sky.

Katakuri flowers blooming next to the Horoman-gawa Inari Shrine

April 24: The cherry blossoms around the Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center are blooming.

April 26^th: Lovely weather today, and the magnolias and cherry blossoms are blooming.

The KANxKAN Series are activities for local people and are a collaborative effort by the Samani Folk Museum, Samani Public Library, and Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center. It is a way to learn about the town's history and nature through a wide variety of activities such as crafts, outdoor walks, lectures, and more.

In 2024, there will be more outdoor events than ever before! Come and enjoy learning about the rich nature and history of the town. For more details, please check the "Announcements" section of the Samani Town home page.

KANxKAN Activities in May

Translucent Paper Crafts, hosted by the Samani Public Library

Date: Saturday, May 25 10:00-11:30

Location: Central Community Center

KANxKAN Activities Exhibit

A panel exhibit showcasing the KANxKAN activities will be open to the public from April 10-17 at the Samani Community Center Gallery 21.

The Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center recently held a KANxKAN Lecture Series on February 17^th (Sat) with 12 participants. An oilpaper umbrella is one type of Japanese parasol made with a bamboo or wooden frame and oiled paper. In the mid-Edo period, stores lent umbrellas to customers free of charge, with the name and number of the store written on them. These umbrellas were so numerous throughout Edo that the name "bangasa" (numbered umbrella) was widely used.

The KANxKAN Lecture Series are monthly events co-hosted by the Samani Public Library, Samani Folk Museum, and Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center that cover a variety of topics. In this event, each facility gave an explanation related to the parasol, and visitors observed thin slices of peridotite and porphyrite, rocks found in Samani, with a polarizing plate and made parasols decorated with peridotite patterned origami paper. Making the parasols was difficult, but everyone enjoyed the challenge.


Making parasols

Many participants were very interested in the "Shanshan Umbrellas" donated by San'in Kaigan Geopark in 2015.

An article about the event was published in the March Samani Koho.

http://www.samani.jp/koho/202403p12p15.pdf

〇　Upcoming KANxKAN Lecture Series Events

The events will be held every month. The next event is "Bookmark Making and Reading the History of Samani" on April 20^th (Sat) at the Samani Central Community Center

〇　KANxKAN Lecture Series Exhibit

An exhibit will be held to introduce the activities of the lecture series.
April 10-17 at the Samani Central Community Center Gallery.

On October 4-7, six members of the Hong Kong Lions Nature Education Foundation (LNEF) visited Samani Town and toured around the Mt. Apoi Geopark. LNEF has many ties with UNESCO Global Geoparks, and through a recent connection with the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark, we were able to arrange a visit to Mt. Apoi Geopark.

The tour officially started on October 5^th, at the same time that the region experienced a severe weather event. Around 222 ml of rain fell during a 24-hour period causing major flooding and landslides in the West Samani district, closing the national road that leads out of Samani.

We were able to continue the tour even with the severe weather, but we did have to adjust the schedule. We started off at the Visitor Center so the LNEF members could learn more about the Geopark. From there we headed to Cape Enrumu where we had a brief break in the rain.


Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center


Cape Enrumu

Next, we alighted at the Central Community Center where we at the Apoi Dream Bento, designed by Junior High students, for lunch. It started raining again after lunch so our next stop was the Samani Public Library to watch the Samani Folktales videos and explore the Geopark Corner.

There was another break in the rain so we were able to drive to Horoman-kyo Gorge to see the Toho Olivine quarry and enjoy a tea break at the Horoman Community Center. On the way back to the hotel we paused at the former plate boundary site, but it began to rain heavily again so we did not stay long. Dinner was at a local restaurant, Ominaeshi, which served a delicious sashimi and tempura dinner.

The schedule for the second day of the tour was also adjusted and focused on more indoor activities like stone polishing and the Ainu embroidery class where the LNEF members enjoyed trying on traditional Ainu clothing and had an introduction to the history of the Ainu people. Luckily the rain stopped for a while in the afternoon, just long enough for a Bura Apoi Nature Walk.

Bura Apoi Nature Walk


Traditional Ainu clothing

We also had a chance to drive further into Horoman-kyo Gorge and saw some salmon swimming upriver and laying eggs. At the very end of the day, there was a social dinner party held at Hotel Apoi Sanso. During the dinner, the LNEF representative gave an enlightening presentation on the Hong Kong Lions Foundation activities and collaborative work with the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. LNEF also presented Mt. Apoi Geopark with a commemorative plaque and publications celebrating the LNEF 30^th anniversary. It was a great way to end the two-day tour.

The Apoi Starry Sky Observation events are hosted by Hotel Apoi Sanso about twice a month and are led by Mt. Apoi Geopark certified guides. Here is a look at the event held on Saturday, August 12^th.

It was overcast on August 12^th when 15 participants showed up for a Starry Sky Observation event. We all sat together in a meeting room at Hotel Apoi Sanso while our guides, Mr. Shimada and Mr. Abe, gave a presentation about the night sky and what stars and constellations are visible this time of year. The explanations not only covered various constellations but also introduced the Ainu constellation names and meanings.

This event was perfectly timed during the Perseids meteor shower which is commonly seen in August.


The last part of the indoor presentation taught us how Mt. Apoi is connected to space. Mt. Apoi is made of rare peridotite rock, and samples brought back from the Hayabusa space mission contained peridotite! The guides passed around a sample of peridotite and some meteorite pieces for everyone to look at.

Mr. Shimada quickly ran outside to check the weather and happily announced that some of the clouds had parted and we could see the stars. The hotel lent small flashlights to all the participants and we headed out past the parking lot and climbed up a small hill behind the hotel to a dark and open area.

The clouds parted and the stars and Milky Way came into view. The guides used a laser pointer to point out some of the stars and constellations that were previously introduced. We saw the swan, the summer triangle, and more. We even saw several meteors from the Perseids meteor shower streak across the sky.

Please check Hotel Apoi Sanso's website for future information about the Apoi Starry Sky Observation events.

https://www.apoi-sanso.co.jp/

We look forward to seeing you!