Just like Mexico is beginning to celebrate Halloween, I noticed much more Halloween activity here in Kumamoto this year. Most of it seem to have the commercial angle. Most of the convenience stores have a Halloween corner when you walk in. Our favorite cake shop was all decked out in decorations and most of the cakes on sale had a Halloween angle. All the department stores I went to in the past month had Halloween cakes and food of some kind for sale. Even the ¥100 stores were selling something to play with or wear.
I did not see any full costumes being worn outside of any of the stores, but there was a local news report showing a Halloween parade downtown in the big shopping arcade. I saw a group of four students below my office having a picnic; they were trying on each others’ masks and having a fun time. Four of my students came to my office saying, “trick or treat,” and they got some of my stash of Hersheys dark chocolate—smiles all around.
I hope some of the commercial aspect wears off and people can enjoy the day dressing up as their favorite characters (or even teachers! 
)
) I stuck my head out to see if there was anything going on, and heard the sound of very heavy rain IN THE BUILDING! I looked out the window and saw no rain (although it had been raining on and off all morning). When I walked around the corner, I saw the scene seen above. I ran down to a couple of professors offices and they made some calls. Since it was Sunday, the tank drained before any of the heating guys could come by. The next 3-4 hours were interesting as several students, teachers, and researchers pushed and guided all that water down the stairwell.
