Kumamoto International Archive

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

Hi! I wasn't able to watch the marathon but I was interested in the results I saw on the news. I know that some athletes with national reputations (notably, Yuki Kawauchi) participated in the 30 kilometer event but I was interested to see that both the male and female winners of the full marathon were local folks: Hiroaki Furukawa (古川大晃, a student a Kumadai, who won for the second year in a row) and Seika Iwamura (岩村聖華, of Hikawa). I haven't heard anything about participation in the full marathon being restricted to local people so I'm impressed at how well hometown athletes have done.
-- Kirk
熊本城マラソン、１万４千人早春駆ける　熊日３０キロ、片西Ｖ｜熊本日日新聞
今年で８回目となる熊本城マラソン（熊本市、熊本陸上競技協会、熊本日日新聞社でつくる実行委員会主催）は...

An attraction of Kumamoto is its safety, particularly for children. When my kids were growing up, even though their cram school abutted Kumamoto's red-light district, I had no qualms about their commuting alone. They could roam the entire city freely.
But that doesn't mean the city is entirely risk-free. Sadly, a Kumamoto government worker has been arrested for sexual relations with a 16-year old girl. Talk with your children. (Tip o' the hat to Jay Onyskin, and visit his cafe/bakery, Out of Step! - link here: https://www.facebook.com/outofstepbagels/ ) - William
Kumamoto: Government staffer accused of paying high school girl for sex | TokyoReporter
Kumamoto police have arrested a 52-year-old staff member for the prefectural government for allegedly paying a high school girl for sex last year

Check out the dorayaki (a kind of cake) event scheduled for the 23rd.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/ywcakumamoto/posts/2033824670033938?tn=-R

Five minutes until the 9:00 start of the Kumamoto Marathon on a crisp, sunny morning - perfect weather! Good luck to all. - William

>>Tristan Vick (resident behind the scenes Kumamoto International editor/moderator) here.
I don't post much due to my busy schedule, but I wanted to present a friendly offer to any and all book aficionados and fellow writers out there (and especially in the Kumamoto area).
I just finished up the third installment of my sci-fi/fantasy space opera series The Chronicles of JEGRA.
My editor is doing a second pass before the book heads off to my proofreader and beta team.
I was wondering if anyone here was interested in meeting up and having me do a first page (first 3 pages actually) critique of any current work in progress you might have.
I’ll give you my professional and honest opinion and give you tips on writing and answer any questions you might have.
If there’s enough interest I’ll name a time and place in Kumamoto.
Why am I offering a free critique?
Because I firmly believe authors helping other authors is vital to find even a modicum of success as a writer.
A rising tide lifts all ships, after all.
Also, I like coffee.
Who am I to think I'm such hot stuff to be giving people advice?
Well, to those that don't already know me (or of me) yet, I've lived in Kumamoto for 10 years and have been in Japan for over 15 years.
I studied at KGU back in 2003 -- a requirement to finish my Japanese cultural studies degree from Montana State University. I graduated with that degree and another in English Literature back in 2005 before arriving in Japan in the summer of 2006 on JET Programme, where I lived and taught in Hiroshima for 5 years.
At that time I began writing and working on nonfiction books. I've published several books in religious philosophy with the British philosopher Jonathan M.S. Pearce and a work of my own which was edited by Biblical historian and New Testament scholar Robert M. Price.
I later shifted gears to writing fiction, as that was my passion -- telling stories.
And my debut series, a zompoc that pitted zombies against superheroes, got bought by Permuted Press in 2014. That jump-started my writing career and convinced me I had what it took to become a full-time author.
After my stint with real-world publishing, I decided to dive into the Indie and self-publishing scene, as there was more freedom and opportunity to be found there than with traditional publishing.
I created my own imprint Regolith Publications to publish all my own work and switched from using Amazon's CreateSpace (now KDP Print) to Ingram Spark earlier this year.
For the past five years, I've made enough off of my writing to help supplement my teaching salary. This has allowed me to teach part-time and stay at home part-time raising my three children.
As many of you know, I really don't get out that much. But I need to start making more connections in the Kumamoto area and felt I should at least give back.
Kirk Masden and Joe Tomei have cheered me on and have always been extremely supportive of my endeavors. Now, I want to try and support others in some small way too.
So, folks, let me know if anyone would like to meet in the next couple of weeks for coffee and a critique.
If we generate enough buzz, we may make an event out of it.
Cheers!

A note from the Sad Day for Kumamoto Desk (we have much tissue): Charlie Nakatani is a Kumamoto fixture. He owns a western-themed bar off of Shimotori (Good Time Charlie, グッドタイムチャーリー, 下通１丁目７−２４) and, perhaps more importantly, organizes the Country Gold music festival, AKA "promise day" (約束の日), which has been held at the Aspecta venue in Aso each autumn for 30 years.
Kumanichi (sweet how the article refers to him as "Charlie-san") reports that, sadly, this year's Aspecta festival (10/20) will be the last. A quote from the article: "In 2003, when Kumamoto Prefecture decided to eliminate financial support to Aspecta in line with reform of the national special corporation laws, Charlie-san and others gathered signatures nationwide to enable survival of facilities and events. When Minamiaso Village was seriously damaged in the quakes, the event was dedicated to reconstruction aid, with donations gathered from the fans given to the village."
At 82, Charlie-san is no spring chicken. The article notes he intends to continue inviting American country music acts to Kumamoto, but to smaller, indoor venues. I've only attended the event once but greatly enjoyed it, though my wife has never forgiven me for making her boot dance. Mark your calendars and, in the meantime, visit his bar with a hearty "arigatou." The loss of such a great Kumamoto tradition is indeed sad. - William
https://this.kiji.is/469111121913070689?c=92619697908483575

As I understand it, A2 in the CEFR system is the equivalent of low 400s in the TOEFL paper test. I have mixed feelings about this. Any thoughts as to whether it is a positive or negative development? I know it's part of a national trend.
"From 2020 to 2023, universities can choose to admit applicants based on either the new Common Test’s English section or private-sector English tests that assess speaking, writing, listening and reading — or both."
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2017/07/05/issues/spoken-english-tests-among-entrance-exam-reforms-japans-students-will-face-2020/
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/fukuokanow/posts/10156195685907810?tn=-R

Here's some information I got in an e-mail from the International Center about opportunities to study Japanese.
-- Kirk
-----------------------
KIF Japanese Classes Information
Nihongo Club
Date and Time: Tuesdays from 10:00~11:30
Wednesdays from 10:00~12:00, 14:00~16:00, 18:30~20:00
Sundays form 10:00~12:00, 14:00~16:00
Let’s study Japanese for daily life!
Feel free to contact us if you are interested.
Target Audience: international citizens of Kumamoto City
Fee: 100 yen (1 day)
Japanese class in Musashi-gaoka,Kengun and Higashiku-Nihongo Club
How about joining a Japanese language class right in your own neighborhood?
・Musashi-gaoka: Tuesdays at Kikuyo-macchi Seibu Cho-min Ceter (Near Mikari-no-Mori JrStation) from 10:00a.m. to 11:30a.m.
・Kengun: Tuesdays at Yotte kanne (at the Kengun Shopping Arcade) from 10:00a.m. to 11:30a.m.
・Higashi-ku Kurashi Nihongo Club(Starting NEW!)
1st and 3rd Sunday of every month at East Community Center from 10:00a.m-11:30a.m
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Multicultural Affairs Office (2F) at Kumamoto City International Foundation (Kumamoto City International Center).
(TEL) 096-359-4995 (9a.m.～8p.m.)
(e-mail）[email protected]

"One Piece", a popular comic created by Higokko Eiichiro Oda (born in 1975 in Kumamoto City) , was celebrated recently with a statue of one of its characters in front of Prefectural Hall. Suddenly, various towns from across the prefecture were requesting a statue of one of the seven remaining protagonists.
But news that Kumamoto prefecture had allocated 42 million yen for an additional four statues seemed excessive, particularly given that permanent housing for earthquake victims is behind schedule. The article's end, though, notes that all funding for these statues is being donated by Oda-san as a type of earthquake relief; the Prefecture is simply allocating it. A magnificent Higokko indeed.
The article does not say which characters will be placed where. I'll let you know in future. - William
ワンピース像、４体先行制作　熊本県が費用４２００万円計上｜熊本日日新聞
熊本県は２０１９年度一般会計予算案に、人気漫画「ＯＮＥＰＩＥＣＥ（ワンピース）」のキャラクター立像...

Tomorrow!
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/KUMISA15/posts/2292798311044344?tn=-R

We have been introduced to a cute Facebook page, 熊本. com. It is a Japanese-language page, but for learners, its lighthearted, vernacular tone might prove useful. We will coordinate information-sharing. - William
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotocom/
熊本県民・熊本を愛する方のフェイスブックページです。Twitterもはじめました⇒https://twitter.com/KumamotoCom

I downloaded this free app and found it to be quite good at English to Japanese translation. It also shows you how it has rendered your spoken English and makes it very easy to tweak it if necessary to get a better translation.
-- Kirk
P.S. Thanks again to Kuma Visit for this useful information.
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/2224282897823344?tn=-R

Ajisen Ramen is a global chain with some 90 domestic and 750 foreign outlets. It recently opened an outlet at the Helsinki Airport. But its history is a bit interesting.
Liú Tán Xiáng (劉壇祥) was born in Taiwan but moved to Ozu, Kumamoto, changed his name to Shigemitsu Kōji (重光孝治), and began producing wholesale ramen noodles and stock in 1968. No doubt the founder's international ... uh ... foundation was a crucial factor in the firm's success. It also explains the Chinese theme of its logo. Below is a link to Kumanichi re: their Helsinki shop which might be useful next time you're in Finland. (You can say, "This portion is too big for me to Finnish!") - William
https://this.kiji.is/466076122262635617?c=92619697908483575

A query from our friend Carlton McCycle:
"I heard Johnny Depp was in town last month for filming the Eugene Smith movie. He never called (but we were never that close). Were there any reported sightings of him?" - William

Joe Tomei here with a forward from my timeline for any US citizens who file taxes from Japan. Hope this saves some folks some headaches..

Here's an item from Kumamon. Kumamon says that the event is in progress in Yamaga but neglects to mention that it's Friday and Saturday nights (beginning at 5:30 PM each evening) throughout February.
My source:
https://www.ana.co.jp/ja/jp/tastesofjapan/kyushu/0023.html
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotodiary.en/posts/2080483568694597?tn=-R

Would you like to find a nice little coffee shop where guests can relax with cute puppies on a nice soft carpet? I would. If you find such a place, please let me know.
There may not be any puppies but there might be a person or two in a cute tie at an event to be held at the International Center this Saturday. It starts at 7 PM and the idea is to discuss and/or debate various topics:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2417661968307221?tn=-R
The discussion topics have yet to be determined but I might suggest the following:
"Is it ethical to use a photo of a puppy in order to get around the limits imposed by Facebook's algorithm?" I can think of good arguments on both sides. On the pro side, I'd say that, I've shared a post about this event twice and both times it got less than 100 views. That's almost nothing on this page. It's OK if not very many people want to go but if Facebook doesn't show the announcement to people, then folks who might be interested will miss out. This is known as an "ends justifying the puppy" argument. On the other hand, on the con side, one could argue that using a photo of a puppy on a post that isn't really about puppies is a little like crying "Puppy!" in a crowded theatre or "The boy who cried 'Puppy'" or something like that.
If there's time for more discussion on Saturday, the following age-old philosophical conundrum may be addressed: "If a puppy rolls over in a forest and nobody is there to say 'Awww' is it still the cutest little thing?"
Have I piqued your interest? If so, go the the International Center Saturday night and get a free puppy -- or, maybe, a free chance to talk with other human beings. ;)
-- Kirk
P.S. No puppies were harmed in the writing of this post.

It was a nice sunny day today so a went a little out of my way on my jog and took in the sights in the Ezuko area. If you live in Kumamoto and haven't gone to Ezuko on a nice day to enjoy the natural surroundings, I really recommend that you give it a try. It's just south (or southeast?) of Suizenji and fed by the same spring water. In fact, Ezuko is made up of the clear spring water that flows from Suizenji -- it's the same water system. Today I took a few moments to watch this heron hunt. She didn't catch anything but I enjoyed the little dances she did and appreciated her willingness to let me observe nearby.
-- Kirk

We wrote recently of an evacuation drill held at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima that would bring refugees to southern Kumamoto. Not on any known fault lines and under little threat from tsunami, reactors at Sendai and Kyushu's other nuclear plant in Genkai, Saga (photo below), were the first to be restarted after the Fukushima disaster.
Kumanichi reports on danger from a different cause: deterioration due to age. The Nuclear Commission has determined that Genkai's second reactor, open in 1980, must be decommissioned, but that the funds required to do so will be huge. As it is run by the Kyūshū Electric Power Company (known as Kyuden, 九電), Kumamoto's power prices will also likely rise to cover the costs.
I found Wikipedia has short but informative English entries on both plants that I recommend reading. These are listed below along with a link to the Kumanichi article. - William
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genkai_Nuclear_Power_Plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sendai_Nuclear_Power_Plant
https://this.kiji.is/468226926182319201?c=92619697908483575

This post from Fukuoka NOW links to a good primer, with some key terminology, on Valentine's day in Japan. One addendum I'd like to make to their chronology is that Morozoff's is a rare example of immigrant entrepreneurship in Japan: "Morozoffs confectioner family is probably the sweetest example of Russian immigrants achieving success in Japan."
-- Kirk
https://www.rbth.com/arts/2015/05/31/the_morozoffs_a_story_of_russian_confectioners_in_japan_46495.html