Kumamoto International Archive

Archive of the Kumamoto International Facebook group, 2011–present.

Kirk here with a little "Help Wanted" notice from Andrew, currently residing in Tokyo but formerly a Kumamoto resident. Unfortunately, this notice is only applicable to a minority of the readers of this page: Native Japanese speakers with good English skills. But, it doesn't matter where you are located because you can work remotely.
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Hi Kumamoto people, I am looking to hire a paid intern for my company. I work for a financial UK B2B financial media company and we are looking marketing data research intern to help build out and support its work in Japan at a very busy and exciting time for the business.
The intern will play an important role in the creation of a brand-new product through actively researching new contact records, manage parts of our Japanese database to generate new business and gain understanding about how an international B2B media business develops a go-to market strategy for a brand new product.
Job Responsibilities include:
• Web research of new leads
• Excel database management
• Telephone research
• Basic marketing communications
Qualifications:
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Native Japanese and Business level English
• Strong research skills and an analytical mindset
• Comfortable speaking to people on the phone
This can be a remote role, so being based in Kumamoto is fine. If anyone is interested and would like to discuss further details with me, feel free to email me at: [email protected]
Andrew

William. A bit more news about the mudskipper ("mutsugoro"): "According to the Saga Prefectural Fisheries Promotion Center, the number of endangered mudskippers in the Ariake Sea was confirmed to be 7.7 times that of the number recorded 17 years ago." Apparently, some liked to eat them (!!), and they were fished to close to extinction, but fishing was prohibited in 2007. So they've got that going for them, in addition to their looks.
https://www.fukuoka-now.com/en/news/sagas-mudskippers-bounce-back/

Kirk here with a share from Kuma Visit. If you're not familiar with the page, please check it out, particularly if you're interested in the arts. And don't be intimidated by the Japanese text you see toward the top. If you scroll down just a little you'll be able to read English explanations.
Personally, I'm a fan of Higo inlay (Higo zogan). It has traditionally be used to decorate sword guards and other very Japanese items but I like Higo zogan necktie clasps and other accessories that men and women can enjoy in modern settings. They make great gifts.
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/2949737421944551

I've got this 78-year old friend who is very interested in Japanese history. I usually search the Net for him but thought tonight to teach him how to use the mouse. He seems to have grasped the basic concept but vastly prefers that I do it for him. This is one of the oldest photos of our castle, before the Satsuma burned it down (VERY roughly portrayed in the movie "The Last Samurai).

Kirk with a news article about a manga studies department in Takamori (Aso area). As the headline says, this is a first for Japan, not just for Kumamoto.
Japan to get its 1st high school 'manga studies' department - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- The Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education has announced that it aims to launch the first high school

Kirk here with some information about the movie "MINAMATA" with Johnny Depp.
I was about to share an article that is related to the movie but since the article said that MINAMATA would open throughout Japan on the 23rd of this month, that I should share that information first.
This is only FYI (for your information) -- not a recommendation. Actually, English-language reviews are pretty good but the reason I say that this is not a "recommendation" is that I don't know if this is a good time to go to a theatre. If you've been vaccinated and the attendance at the theatre is sparse, it might be OK but judge for yourself.
Here's the URL of the page with the theatre information:
https://eigakan.org/theaterpage/schedule.php?t=minamata

William. Just watched a TV show about the challenges non-Western foreigners face in Japan. I arrived on what was expected to be a short visit but then met my wife, and when it became clear that she wouldn't leave Kumamoto, I had to tackle Japanese from the age of 27. There are, though, many resources for those looking to learn Japanese. I learned much from a kind tutor at YMCA, and then there is the International Center. I also learned conversation from talking with my wife but realized a spouse is not an ideal tutor - things often devolve into a quarrel. I'd like to hear experiences in learning Japanese from others on this page.

Kirk here with news about a cluster at Jozan (Jyozan in the article: 城山こども園 [Jozan Kodomo-en) Nursery School in Kumamoto’s Nishi Ward.
"A total of 79 people contracted the novel coronavirus in a cluster infection at a nursery school here where staff did not wear masks in order to show their faces to the children."
See the article for details.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14436868
By the way, ever wonder why the Romanization of Japanese is inconsistant ("Jyozan" vs "Jozan")? The "jyo" style is Kunrei-shiki romanization and is promoted by the Ministry of Edcuation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunrei-shiki_romanization
"Jo" is Hepburn romanization which is required by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on passports and by other governmental agencies:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepburn_romanization
This is a classic case of what is called "tatewari gyosei" (縦割り行政; sectionalism), where the right hand doesn't know (or care about) what the left hand is doing. Naturally, there's lots of confusion in Japan about how to Romanize Japanese words. This can cause problems when you search for text. If you search for "Jozan" you may not find it if it has been rendered "Jyozan" or with some other spelling.
65 kids infected at nursery school where staff did not wear masks | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
KUMAMOTO--A total of 79 people contracted the novel coronavirus in a cluster infection at a nursery school here where staff did not wear masks in order to show their faces to the children.

Kirk here with an update on Kumamoto's "pre-emergency" measures.
"Of the 12 prefectures where pre-emergency measures are now in place, six--Toyama, Yamanashi, Ehime, Kochi, Saga and Nagasaki--will have the measures lifted on Sept. 13. The measures will stay in place until Sept. 30 for the six remaining prefectures: Fukushima, Ishikawa, Kagawa, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima."
Numbers of new cases are down in Kumamoto but there have been some instances of clusters (I'll post about that later) that may have influenced the decision.
By the way, "pre-emergency" is one way in which the Japanese "man'en boushi tou juuten sochi" (まん延防止等重点措置) is translated. 　The Japanese is sometimes shortened to "manbou" but this abbreviation has been criticized because it sounds like "mambo," a fish also know as a sharptail mola (see second url for an article in Japanese about the criticism).
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14437035
https://www.sankeibiz.jp/macro/news/210403/mca2104031738005-n1.htm
COVID-19 state of emergency to end on Sept. 30 for 19 prefectures | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s administration gave its final approval on Sept. 9 for extending the current state of emergency declared over the latest phase of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

William. Ariake Sea has a lot of crabs. Like, over a hundred, as my son as a tot would have said. It occurred to me to Google why they walk sideways, and this is what I got: "Because crabs have stiff, jointed legs, they move faster and easier walking sideways. Walking sideways means that one leg never moves into the path of another. So a crab is also less likely to trip over its feet." So now we know.

Kirk here with an article about Fiona Minami recent English textbook. As many of you know, Fiona is an editor of this page.
https://www.facebook.com/fionawallminami/posts/10159749798026660
The book is called "Escape the Classroom" and you can learn more about it here:
https://www.englishbooks.jp/catalog/product_info.php/escape-the-classroom-p-50398
Congratulations Fiona!

Kirk here with news that Yahoo Japan! erupted today with a false report that Aso had blown its top. According to this article, that led the supposed eruption to trend on twitter. As you can see, the real Aso was quite peaceful (it doesn't read Yahoo Japan! or Twitter). Quoth the Yahoo: never mind.
「阿蘇山で噴火」プッシュ通知をヤフーが誤配信　Twitterでは戸惑いの声　原因は人為的ミス
ヤフーが「阿蘇山で噴火が発生（14時59分）」というプッシュ通知を9月9日午後2時過ぎに配信。Twitterでは「阿蘇山噴火するの？」と話題になり、「阿蘇山噴火」が日本のトレンドに入ったが、実は人為ミスによる誤配信だっ....

William. A rather strong typhoon is expected to brush by to the west of Kumamoto on the afternoon/evening of the 13th. Keep an eye on it.
地図コンテンツページです。気象警報、大雨危険度、台風情報、気象情報、天気予報、季節予報、ひまわり、アメダス、ウィンドプロファイラ、海上警報、潮位観測情報、波浪観測情報、津波、地震情報、推計気象分布、震...

Chuck Waterman here:
TOPIC: Additional Required Return to Japan software for smartphone newbies like me.
Is there anyone else out there who, like me, normally avoids using smartphones? If so, be aware of two more things you'll need to prepare on your smartphone to get throught the 2 -3 hour wallk through the airport checkpoints upon returning to Japan.
1) Make sure you have downloaded a QR Code Reader!
(Yep, I'm old school and didn't have that pdownloaded before I got to the airport. Duh.) They are NOT automatically installed on all inexpensive Android phones bought in the US.
2) The Google Maps APP must be installed on your phone.
A ) Having Google with a link to Google Maps is not enough.
B ) Similar apps like "Maps Go" are also not acceptable.
( Of course, I think anyone who has read up on the apps required to be installed on your phone when returning to Japan knows that you need to have the COCOA app and the MySOS app installed. Having them ready to activate before you get to the airport will really expedite your path through the checkpoints. (my experience yesterday was only 2 hours and it could have been 95 minutes))

Kirk here with a little update on quarantine rules:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14435186
Here's a Japanese article indicating that the call for a re-evaluation of current policies from the Keidanren will be considered. However, to my knowledge, no final decision has been made at this point:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210907/k10013248031000.html
Keidanren eyes end to 14-day quarantine for fully vaccinated | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Japan’s most powerful business lobby is calling on the government to help revive the economy by waiving a 14-day quarantine period for travelers arriving from overseas if they show proof they are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

Kirk here with some information about how you can get on a waiting list to be vaccinated if someone cancels. The English information is here:
https://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/kiji003798/index.html
And the Japanese original is here:
https://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/kiji003794/index.html
The original information is from a publication put out by Kumamoto City called "Shisei Dayori" (市政だより). The International Center translates this publication into several languages, including English. They also make the original Japanese text available. The index is here:
https://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/list00067.html
The index is mostly in Japanese but you can easily find the links with the words "Shisei Dayori." Each link takes you to a collection of news on several different topics. I just chose one topic to introduce in this post. Please check for yourself to see what other information is available.
If you're interested in this kind of information, you might want to bookmark the page. I found the interface to be a bit confusing. In fact, I wound up calling the International Center to get help, which they graciously provided.

Kirk with a link to and summary about a report on RKK's evening news that I found to be interesting. It's about the rebuilding and relocation of the Janes Residence, which was flattened in the 2016 quakes. The historical building was the home of Leroy Lansing Janes who came to Kumamoto to teach various subjects in English in the Meiji period. The historic residence was first located in Suidocho, then moved to an area behind Suizenji Jojuen (the park) until it collapsed. Its new home will be another location near the park (see the X on the map).
The home is being built the old-fashioned way -- by hand. The walls will be mud that is spread over a bamboo scaffolding (see photo). This kind of work is very labor intensive, which makes the process of rebuilding expensive. The price tag is about 500,000,000 yen (almost 5 million US dollars).
Click on the link to see the TV segment. The video explains how materials from the original building are being combined with news materials.
https://rkk.jp/news/index.php?id=NS003202109071719370111

(Fiona) Costa coffee has landed in Kumamoto! The UK coffee chain, which is Europe's leading coffee house brand, now has a branch at Sakuramachi.
https://sakuramachi-kumamoto.jp/17045
And if you happen to be going for a drive in Aso as the weather cools, there is also a branch serving coffee and ice creams in the parking area by the new Aso bridge. There are also viewing platforms where you can see the progress made in post-earthquake reconstruction.
Shinasoohashitenbojo Yo Mule Parking Lot
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aAgmyyekhh6ijESdA

Kirk here. The following page is only in Japanese but, nonetheless, presents a nice visual overview of recent numbers of COVID-19 positive test results:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/data/pref/kumamoto.html

William. I know this has nothing to do with Kumamoto, but who doesn't like pandas? I checked the stats and found that a panda in the wild lives 14-20 years, but they can live up to 30 years in captivity. A panda in Wakayama recently celebrated her 21st birthday. おめでとう！https://kumanichi.com/articles/384799