Letter from Kyoto

Typhoons in Japan

The number of typhoons which hit Japan annually is increasing. The word typhoon is said to be derived from the Chinese word taifung, which means big wind. The nature of typhoons and hurricanes is basically the same. Hearing the news of Katrina I remember how long it took my family to restore the normal life. My house was flooded every time a typhoon hit the region we lived. We used to live in the house near the river. Though it leaves Japan behind soon the damage it caused remains long after the flood. This is the problem. I hope that the flood victims will resume normal life as soon as possible.

Hurricane Katrina

The news that New Orleans disaster caused by hurricane Katrina was great distressed me. It is understandable that New Orleans disaster be likened to tsunami but when I read the remark by Mississipi governor Haley Barbour I cannot agree with him. He said after touring the destruction by air, "I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago." The release of atomic bomb could have been avoided. The governor cannot have seen the picture of Hiroshima on the morning of August 6, 1945.
I do hope the prompt recovery from the disaster.