Kumamoto International Archive

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

I always feel "funky" in the spring - and not in that good way, like I want to disco down and check out the show. A new study shows that "Temporary rises in air pollution may impair memory and thinking in older men." Spring brings huge plumes of dust from China. That's likely the trigger. The article suggests that aspirin is effective. - William
Air pollution spikes may impair older men’s thinking, study finds
Even short, temporary increases in airborne particles can damage brain health, research suggests

The antique shop John Bull is a Kumamoto mainstay, dealing in a variety of goods from windows and doors to furniture, most sourced from England. The owner, Yoko Teramoto, speaks English very well and can aid you with purveying what you would like. Their warehouse-style shop is on Higashi Bypass. Even just for a (very expansive) glance, it is worth a visit. - William
英国アンティーク家具なら熊本市のジョンブルへ。ステンドグラス、ダイニングチェアー、スツール、ドアノブ等。アンティークを活用したオーダーやレストアなど承ります。

Summer is almost upon us. While the ghosting season in the West is generally autumn, in Japan, it's mid-summer, when your ancestors return to berate you for not regularly sweeping the family tomb or schmoozing at the butsudan (and probably other things as well, but that's between you and them). This is a useful image (a Chas Addams parody) to symbolize the season - feel free to copy-paste it under risk that it may further annoy your ancestors. - William

Kumanichi has a special photo serial section to mark five years since the quake. Ah, the memories. Check it out, at least so as to prepare for the next. - William
特集　熊本地震５年 | 熊本日日新聞社
花畑広場（仮称）で受け付けをした後、説明を受けるボランティアたち＝2016年４月22日午前、熊本市中央区

It was the cats in Minamata that first indicated something was amiss - they were going into convulsions after eating locally-caught fish. The toxin, a neurological disease caused by severe mercury poisoning, eventually led up the food chain to humans. My hometown of Los Angeles is currently facing a similar issue, with barrels of dioxin being found on the seabed. The sea is used as a dump but should not be. A ceremony was held yesterday to commemorate this deathly human error. - William
https://kumanichi.com/news/id215795

Tommy Lee Jones has long done Japanese commercials for canned coffee. I don't know why - he doesn't need the money. Likely he just enjoys them. This one is particularly good; the first is based on the Battle of Sekigahara, and the second on the Chushingura. The subtitles are hilarious. - William
Spaceman Jones Sekigahara 47Ronin - Japanese AD - Tommy Lee Jones

Interesting to think about how Edo-era Japanese considered the dog. Obviously, I have no idea - I've eaten it in both Korea and China; it's said that dogs will not approach you for several days after this as they can smell. I don't doubt it. But when and how they were introduced to Japan, and for what purpose, is interesting. If anyone has any ideas, please let us know. - William

Kengun (健軍 - think about the name!) was and remains the headquarters of the Japanese 7th Army, charged with defending Kyushu, Okinawa, and all of the miscellaneous points thereabout. Kumamoto Airport doubles as an ASDF base, though no American aircraft use it - for now. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force announced on the 30th that a total of 15 fighter aircraft of the Air Self-Defense Force conducted joint training with two B52 strategic bombers of the US Air Force on the 27th in the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan. It seems that the aim is to restrain China, keeping in mind the situation surrounding Okinawa Prefecture, the Senkaku Islands and Taiwan. Summer in Japan is hot enough - let's hope it doesn't get any hotter. - William
https://kumanichi.com/node/213882

A reycled FunkyFridayPlace.
Actually, though I've posted about this, it has not been under the high visibility of the FunkyFridayPlace™ brand. But it is "recycled" for reasons that will become apparent.
Indo Shokudo (インド食堂) is across the street from the Kumamoto Shiritsu Public Library at Oe 5 chome. The usual menu is a choice of a vegetarian or a non vegetarian curry of the day with the occasional special curry (mutton, liver and the owner says that he might have some deer meat curry, so you can get some after I get mine) They also do a nice chai, a good lassi and have home made coconut ice cream. Also the food is halal, though it is the middle of ramadan so you may have to wait. And you can order pak chi/cilantro as an extra. Yes!!
But what of the recycled part? Well, I was speaking to another fan of the restaurant and she told me that if you prepare containers, rather than get the disposable plastic trays, you can bring those in and get the curry to-go!
Here is a photo of my containers to give you an idea, the rice is 400 ml (the bottom right container) and the two side containers are 300 ml, which is good for a 2 person serving (I pick it up for me and my long suffering spouse) and are all from the 100 yen store. The curry container was a bit of splurge at 900 yen, I went to the new Home Viva store where the old Daiei at Kuhonji Kosaten was, but all you need is a 300 ml container with a good seal.
They are open for lunch and dinner, but close every Wednesday and the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. The owner posts the curries on his Twitter feed
https://twitter.com/indiandiner
The FFP google map is here
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
#kumaifunkyfridayplace

Kirk here with some news about a very well-known singer, SADA Masashi, who has written a song for Hakusui Elementary School in Minami Aso.
I remember SADA Masashi for having written and performed a song called "Kampaku Sengen" (関白宣言) -- a "declaration of a male chauvinist." It's so over-the-top as to make me think that he must have meant it as a parody -- but I'm not sure. I'll put links to the song and lyrics (with English translation) in a comment.
Singer Masashi Sada offers song to new school in Kumamoto : The Asahi Shimbun
MINAMI-ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--One of singer-songwriter Masashi Sada's newest works may never make

Thank you good information, Kuma visit, @Hiromi Chida.ーAtsuko(๑˃ᴗ˂)و

Y'know when you know a lot, but you don't know what you don't know, and then something pierces your mind like the high octave of a shakuhachi? Our local shakuhachi virtuoso Jeff Cairns has introduced us to the Shakuhachi Maker's Yakiin/Hanko Data Base. Jeeze, I'm glad to still be alive. - William https://hanko.windwheel.com/

Ariake Sea is not the place to go if you'd like to swim (for that, let's look at future posts), but it is an amazing ecosystem. A keystone species is the Japanese mudskipper (tobihaze, トビハゼ). It's not the most attractive fish, but it's adapted itself to an anoxic environment. The males dig burrows in the mud and try to attract females by acting really masculine. (See the photo for what it's like to display mudskipper masculinity. I think he's saying, "Yo!" ) Kumamoto Shinko (Port) is a good place to observe them. I was reminded of this by the Japan Today article on Saga's mudflats. - William
https://japantoday.com/category/features/travel/saga-fun-in-the-mud

Here's a thoughtful post by our friend Carlton McCycle. Carlton, you really should be an editor of this page. It would be no more work and people would actually SEE your posts without my having to share them (the Facebook algorithm deems posts from "guests" to by unimportant).
-- Yours truly, Kirkville McSkateboard ;)
PS. I thought I was sharing Carlton's post but the sharing process didn't work as I had expected. I think I needed to ad the URL. Here it is:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/5275281439211912

Kirk here. My wife and I thought of the Minamata disease issue when we heard about plans to dispose of the contaminated water. I guess we weren't alone.
Minamata disease patients oppose release of Fukushima water into sea - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- Patients and supporters of those suffering from Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome caused by mercury poisoning, in s

With Golden Week upon us, many may be wondering about how to spend an enjoyable, cheap day out. Here's an idea for the more adventurous: take a bus from Kotsu Center towards Mt. Kimpo. From a point near the peak (ask a local - they can point it out), there is a trail which leads down to Kawachi, a fishing port most famous for its mikan and nori; the trail provides superb views of Mt. Unzen across the Ariake Sea. At a certain point, the trail enters a labyrinth of tiny, paved lanes that provide access for the mikan farmers. Feel free to pick as many mikan as you'd like - the farmers don't care. And visit a nori processing factory if you have a chance (they're on the right side of the port). Don't worry about getting lost - all of the lanes eventually lead to the town. From there, you can take a bus back to Kumamoto. Adventurous level: 8.5. - William

Kirk here with some thoughts on how plastic is recycled in Kumamoto (or, more precisely, "in Japan" and Kumamoto by extension).
First, here's a quote that I think is interesting:
"According to official numbers, in 2018 Japan recycled an impressive 84 percent of the plastic collected. (The US, in comparison, recycles about 9 percent.) Japan reaches this percentage through diversified recycling mechanisms. More than half of the collected plastic goes through thermal recycling, which means that the plastic waste is burned in incinerators to generate energy. Approximately 28 percent of the plastic is either reprocessed into new products or chemically recycled — broken down into its primary components and recombined to create new products. Some sources indicate that part of these volumes end up being exported overseas. The residual 14 percent is not recycled at all and ends up being dumped or burned without energy recovery."
https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/japans-high-recycling-rate-plastic/
I hadn't imagined that burning plastic might be considered recycling if energy is harvested in the process.
I found the article I quoted from above in a round-about sort of way. I had been listening to a podcast about low levels of plastic recycling in the US and the world in general and that prompted me to want to learn more about how the plastic I go to the trouble to sort each week is being used. I found the following article in Japanese that mentioned the "thermal recycling" problem and that led me to search for "thermal recycling" and Japan in English:
世界でプラスチックのリサイクル率が低い5つの理由＆日本の現状
https://lessplasticlife.com/plastics/trash-recycle/why-are-plastic-recycling-rates-so-low/
The article basically says that Japan's recycling statistics are deceptive. Still, I'm in favor of recycling what can be recycled, even if so-called chemical recycling levels are lower than I had imagined. My take away is that we shouldn't be overly optimistic about plastic recycling and that, instead, we should try to avoid unnecessary packaging if at all possible. Maybe I need to have a little talk with someone at my nearest supermarket about their packaging practices. I'm sure that if I explain to them that recycling doesn't make everything OK they'll see the light and make major changes in their practices. ;)
P.S. I searched and confirmed that "thermal recycling" is part of the prefecture's approach to plastic recycling but I couldn't find any statistics about the percentage, even in the wonky pdfs that ordinary citizens don't bother to read. I guess it's not an aspect of the program that the government really wants to publicize.
Is Japan’s High Recycling Rate Enough?
The country has a sophisticated waste management system. But it also has one of the highest per-capita plastic consumption rates in the world.

Japan Today has an excellent write-up on Udo Shrine in Miyazaki. My only addition is to remember to bring your swim fins - but take care: the currents can be treacherous. - William
Udo Shrine – origin myths in a cliff-side cave
There are many reasons to visit Japan’s shrines. They are, of course, religious sites, often dedicated to particular guardian gods or to receiving prayers for particular purposes. The shrine structures themselves are often of architectural interest and many are located on sites of great natural be...

I clearly remember the conversation I had with my son MacKenzie about racism when he was a child, still unaware that he was different from his peers. "There are people who will assume things about you simply because of the color of your skin. Don't let that anger you; pity them, understanding they say these things from ignorance, for their world is so much smaller than yours." This is a beautiful article about how a father broached the topic of racism with his young son. - William
How racism found my son on Fortnite
My six-year-old is eating pizza and rambling about a video game friend when suddenly racial trauma rears its head

Sakurajima, a volcano in our neighbor to the south, Kagoshima, went kablooee. It is a fabulous place to visit- really, a must if you want to fulfill your Kyushu sojourn - and you can even climb up it a bit (or dangerously far, as I did), but clearly timing is important. Take the Shinkansen to Kagoshima station and then the ferry and collect a lot of pumice. - William
https://kumanichi.com/node/208609