Kumamoto International Archive

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

Here's a little something about an exhibit that is in progress at the Contemporary Art Museum in Kumamoto.
https://hypebeast.com/2018/12/takashi-murakami-bubblewrap-contemporary-art-museum-kumamoto-exhibition
After you see the exhibit, if you're in a mood for more bubbles, you may wish to consider the bubble tea that Oliva introduced last month:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2302660859807333
The two venues are very close to each other.
-- Kirk
Takashi Murakami Explores Traditional Japanese Art Movements in "Bubblewrap" Show
Practices that spurred his 'Superflat' practice.

Here's a little something from Explore Kumamoto for albino snake fans:
https://www.facebook.com/explorekumamoto/posts/2225305387493680?tn=-R
-- Kirk
P.S. Or, as William might say, "Here's something from the albino snake desk." ;)

At 12 years of age, my whippet has settled into a routine sufficient that I can walk him off-lead, but not on the road between our house and the park. A fault runs directly underneath that road; the asphalt is still fractured after the quakes as the eastern side has been raised. My dog's behavior is peculiar - tense - there. Perhaps he feels some type of magnetism created by tectonic strain that humans cannot.
The catfish is a symbol of earthquakes in Japan as behavioral anomalies supposedly predict imminent temblors. Another fish with supposed similar properties is the oarfish. Normally a deep-sea dweller, its appearance in shallow waters has traditionally been a harbinger of quakes. CNN writes that two have recently been netted in the northern prefecture of Toyama. It's probably nothing but worth keeping an eye on if just to judge how well non-human species can sense seismic activities. - William
Sightings of rare oarfish in Japan raise fears of earthquake and tsunami
Fears of an incoming natural disaster in Japan are swirling online after sightings of a deep-water fish believed to be a harbinger of earthquakes and tsunamis.

I don't have any details about this event. If any of you know more about the topics, who can participate, series schedule, etc., please post that information in a comment. -- Kirk

Eugenics has cast a dark shadow on Japan (not just Kumamoto) that has yet to clear.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190129/p2a/00m/0na/032000c
-- Kirk
Woman forced to abort 2nd child, be sterilized under eugenics law files suit - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- A woman filed a lawsuit at the district court here on Jan. 29 seeking compensation from the government, saying she was forced under the eu

From the Kumamoto International Desk of Things You'd Rather Not Know: The sea cucumber (ナマコ, namako) defends itself by expelling sticky fibers from its anus. As a diver, I've learned to avoid them, but one man's gross-out is another's delicacy. (My son loves namako.)
Kumanichi reports that namako processing in Ushibuka is peaking. Guts are pickled and bottled, while the flesh is served as sashimi. "There is not one part of the namako which is disposed of," the chairman of the Ushibuka Fisheries Cooperative said. Comforting about this is the fact that you won't encounter various namako parts while out and about. - William
ナマコの加工ピーク　天草市｜熊本日日新聞
熊本県天草市の牛深近海で水揚げされたナマコの加工作業が、同市牛深町でピークを迎えている。ウニ、からす...

According to this post from Explore Kumamoto, Aso Farmland is in good shape again.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/explorekumamoto/posts/2221002411257311?tn=-R

Today, a colleague mentioned to me that the Faculty of Foreign Languages at our university (Kumamoto Gakuen U.) is in a hurry to fill a full-time position in English that has just opened up. I just checked the formal announcement on the web and found that the deadline is TOMORROW (Feb 1). Sorry for the super late notice but I wasn't aware of it until today. If you happen to be in town and to have materials that you could deliver to the university by the end of working hours tomorrow, it may be worth applying. Or, perhaps they would accept electronically sent documents (but I'm not sure about that). They are particularly interested in finding someone with good Japanese skills -- someone who can handle the committee and other assignments and read the Japanese documents that such assignments entail, in addition to teaching. If you are interested and think you may be qualified, it may be worth hurrying to meet the deadline. -- Kirk
http://www.kumagaku.ac.jp/files/document/jinji/20190201_gai-english.pdf

The agricultural festival held along Shirakawa straddling the bridge to Kumamoto Station is prepared for its 2/1 start, says Kumanichi. The festival was moved to Toshima during reconstruction of the riverbank, a location everyone hated, so it's nice to have it back. I recommend a warm bowl of horumon (horse tripe stew) on one of the riverside prefabs where you can watch the seagulls, inland at this season, flight back and forth. Don't forget a generous portion of shichimi (七味, a powdered spicy condiment) - not for the seagulls but for your horse.
An 80-year old horticulturist was gifted the lovely name of 米山學 - literally, "Rice Mountain Scholar." He's lucky to be 80 as finding the kanji 學 on a PC is really hard, but he probably doesn't need to. He was quoted: "When the venue was returned to the riverside last year, participation soared, so I have high hopes for this year." Take the trolley to the station and it's a short walk. - William
春の訪れ、もう間近　「くまもと春の植木市」あす開幕｜熊本日日新聞
開幕に向けて準備が進む「くまもと春の植木市」の会場＝３０日、熊本市中央区　熊本市に春の訪れを告げる「くまもと春の植木市」が２月１日、中央区本山の白川河川敷左岸で開幕する。３月１１日まで。市と主催する、...

Here's a little tip from Kuma Visit about what to do if you find yourself in downtown Kumamoto with a lot of stuff you don't want to lug around.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/2210829005835400?tn=-R

Kumanichi notes that Kumamoto leads the country in the rate increase of non-Japanese workers at 31%, an increase of 2,412 with the total number exceeding 10,000 for the first time. Of these, the majority (6,295) work in technical fields, with the remainder in agriculture and part-time employment by university students.
The absolute increase was led by Vietnamese at 50% to 4,260, followed by Chinese and Filipinos; in terms of rate, Indonesians led with a 92% increase to 268 and Nepalese by 50% to 301. - William
外国人労働者が熊本県内で１万人突破　増加率は全国１位｜熊本日日新聞
　熊本労働局は２８日、県内で働く外国人労働者が、２０１８年１０月末時点で１万１５５人と過去最多を更新し、初めて１万人を突破したと発表した。前年同期と比べ３１・２％（２４１２人）の増で、増加率は全国の都...

It's interesting that an image of Kumamon is no good but that commercial advertisements, such as for Hakutake (a brand of shochu), are still OK. By the way, I checked the new uniforms and, yup, Kumamon is gone but Hakutake is still there.
https://qoly.jp/2019/01/25/roasso-kumamoto-2019-puma-home-away-kits-lfb-1
So, let me get this straight -- advertisements for an area in Japan are no good because they're "political" but advertisements for a strong form of alcohol that young sports fans are not allowed to drink and that can cause fatal accidents if adult fans consume before driving are just fine because they're not political. Hmmmm.
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201901260029.html
Soccer team drops ‘political’ Kumamon image from uniforms：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Kumamon may be the most popular prefectural mascot in Japan, but the cuddly creature is ap

The polar vortex is consists of two layers: one, the polar jet stream flowing at the height of an airplane and normally contained at the pole by the second layer, a higher frigid system called the stratospheric polar vortex. But when the stratospheric polar vortex is warmer than usual, the polar jet stream may go nuts, hurling frigid weather in random directions.
The image below shows global temperatures relative to the past four decades for this time. The warm winter we're enjoying explains why plums are blossoming so early here and why now is not a good time to visit North America. (Though my California surfing friends tell me the water is toasty and the air balmy.) - William

This Japanese language post has a link to information (again, in Japanese) about renting a sea kayak in the Amakusa area. A phone number is listed so if you or a friend can speak Japanese and are interested in sea kayaking in the Amakusa area, you might want to give them a call.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1919257411457407&id=212870155429483&tn=-R
-- Kirk

Spring is creeping in, as always shy but resolute and inevitable. She whispers her advent with the honey fragrance of plum blossoms. Kumanichi reports that plums (technically not plums but the Japanese apricot, or Prunus mume - "ume" ～梅) are blossoming 25 days earlier than usual. Feisty flowers, ume are more compact than the cherry and far more fragrant, and their trees tend to be stunted and gnarled. They are the national flower of Taiwan.
Many private gardens host ume to enjoy. The castle has a magnificent orchard in Sukiyamaru (数寄屋丸 from which Kumamoto International's banner photo was taken), but it is sadly still off limits. Instead, the plum blossoms at the Hosokawa Mansion (Hosokawa gyōbutei 細川刑部邸), located within the walls next to the science museum, give reason for visit. Also boasting sublime ume is Suizenji Shrine. The Kumanichi article suggests Taniosaki Bairin Kōen (谷尾崎梅林公園), on the eastern flank of Mt. Kimpo across from Hanaokayama. Respective photos snatched from the Net are below. Other suggestions are welcomed. - William
https://kumanichi.com/news/819685/

If you speak Spanish, you likely are well-versed in Portuguese. A Website I stumbled across, Portal Mie (as in the prefecture), provides Portuguese- and Spanish-language news regarding Japan. For those who want to read about Japan in either of those languages or who enjoy reading humorous headlines such as "Viaje do Aeroporto de Kansai em Osaka a Quioto em um vagão de trem colorido da Hello Kitty," this site is where to go. - William
Portal Mie - para o Japão e para o Mundo
O melhor conteúdo para os brasileiros no Mundo! Notícias, cobertura de eventos, fotos, vídeos, informações e mais. Simplesmente sua melhor fonte de informações.

This article cites research on the decline in the proportion of boys born after the 2016 earthquakes. It says that, even when such measurable changes in birth ratios occur, they don't last long.
I posted about this research once before:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2336449343095151
-- Kirk
Climate change will affect how many boys are born worldwide, scientists say
Worldwide, the sex ratio at birth averages between 103 to 106 males born for every 100 females; however, climate change and its effects on the environment in which pregnant women live will alter this ratio, research suggests.

Today is January 27, meaning sans severe orbital disruption, next Sunday will be February 3. The next day, 2/4, is officially known as "the beginning of spring" (risshun, 立春), a remnant of when Japan followed the lunar calendar and the Asian New Year.
Seasonal changes were thought to bring the netherworld closer to the temporal, for good or bad, and were termed "Setsubun" (節分 - recently, the term refers only to the day before risshun), so driving off evil spirits and beckoning benign is important on that day. This is done in two ways: by scattering roasted soybeans in front of one's abode while crying, "Evil, out!" (onni ha soto, 鬼は外 - sort of like shouting "Squirrel!" at the devils) and "Fortune, in!" (fuku ha uchi, 福は内). Results may vary.
Most major shrines will hold events next Sunday. The main venue would be at Kato Shrine in the castle (photo below), supposed to be where the tradition first appeared in Kumamoto via Kanto and Kansai in 1871. If you desire to partake in the tradition, I recommend a trip to Daiso. There, you can buy beans and the two types of masks representing evil and prosperity (photo below - wear the red one leaving and the white entering; your neighbors will understand). If you're hardcore, place a garland of holly and sardine heads outside your door - the sharp edges of the holly will deter demons, and dried sardine heads are kind of yucky (known as "hiiragisasu" ひいらぎさす、this is more of a Honshu tradition and is uncommon in Kumamaoto). For Japanese readers, more is here: http://kumamototeshigoto-labo.jp/feature.php?id=6 - William

Here's something about an event (Jan 29, 8 PM, which would be Tuesday). The announcement says "Absolutely No Japanese の1月の開催です," which strikes me as a bit of an oxymoron. But then again, come to think of it, I never end an English sentence with Japanese だもんね。So, I think I understand where they're coming from. ;) Some rules are meant to be broken.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=927909500748929&id=480509432155607&tn=-R

Here's some information from Kuma Visit about traffic in Kumamoto City and on the route to the airport tomorrow morning:
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/2217923788459255?tn=-R
-- Kirk