Archive of the Kumamoto International Facebook group, 2011–present.
Our sister page Fukuoka Now has pointed towards a survey regarding tourism in Kyushu, of which Kumamoto is the belly button. In fact, the photo chosen is of Kario Kansen (かりおかんせん、狩尾幹線), a farm road in western Aso. It was heavily damaged in the quakes, and in consideration of both restoration and maintenance costs, a decision was made to abandon it.
Please take a sec to fill it out. - William
WANTED: OPINIONS FROM FOREIGN RESIDENTS ON TOURISM IN KYUSHU ::: Fukuoka Now has been asked for advice by agencies responsible for creating strategies related to international tourism in Kyushu. So, in turn, we’re polling international residents of Kyushu (current and former) for their input. The survey takes just a few minutes and is entirely anonymous. Help us pass on some good advice! http://bit.ly/kyushu-survey
Here's something to do in Hitoyoshi.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotodiary.en/posts/2071187589624195?__tn__=-R
The Japanese cedar (sugi, 杉) is a magnificent tree. Due to the qualities of its wood - fragrant, reddish, lightweight but strong, waterproof, and decay-resistant - it has long been cultivated and is a symbol of several Japanese cultural traditions. In particular, WWII deforestation was rectified by the planting of immense sugi plantations, stabilizing mountainsides and whose wood was eventually turned into the majority of Japan's housing.
A problem with the sugi is that, like all conifers, it depends on wind for pollination, an ancient trait trees relied on before they figured out the more efficient symbiosis of flowers and insects. So sugi must produce as much pollen as possible, and this depends on the weather. Kumanichi reports that sugi thrived on the heat last summer; consequently, this year will be terrifying for those who suffer from pollen allergies. The left axis shows pollen concentration in particles per square centimeter and the right average temperatures 2014-18. Webmd offers tips on how to mitigate allergic symptoms here: https://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/pollen-survival-guide#1 Good luck, and stay healthy! - William
https://this.kiji.is/467517340030993505?c=92619697908483575
花粉２倍、対策早めに 昨夏猛暑で飛散増 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本県内でもスギ花粉の飛散シーズンが始まった。日本気象協会九州支社は今年の花粉の飛散量を昨年の２倍と...
"In 1997, it came to light that the cloth believed to have been burned had been kept by Kumamoto prosecutors."
It's good that a false conviction is going to be set right. What I don't understand, though, is why I can't find anything in the news about the need to punish those guilty of prosecutorial misconduct.
-- Kirk
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/09/national/crime-legal/kumamoto-man-convicted-murder-may-acquitted/
Kumamoto man convicted of murder may be acquitted | The Japan Times
An 85-year-old man who was imprisoned for a 1985 murder in Kumamoto Prefecture is expected to win an acquittal in a retrial of his case. In a hearing at th
Two nuclear reactor complexes exist in Kyushu. Genkai Genhatsu (玄海原発), located in northern Saga quite far from Kumamoto, and Sendai Genhatsu (川内原発), located in northern Kagoshima just on the border with Kumamoto.
All are in areas with little risk of tsunami, but as we've recently understood, the "Whoops!" factor with nuclear power plants can escalate quickly. With that in mind, Kagoshima yesterday held a drill involving some 5,000 participants which included 100 evacuated from Kagoshima's Akune and Izumi north to Kumamoto's Minamata and Ashikita. This was the third such drill held. Let's hope reality does not go beyond drills. - William
原発事故想定し防災訓練 鹿児島から芦北町などへ避難 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
九州電力川内原発（鹿児島県薩摩川内市）の事故を想定した防災訓練が９日、同県を中心に約５千人が参加して...
Olivia here,
The plum flowers are blooming. They have really fragrant smells.
Suizenji garden’s website just posted that now it’s best time to view them.
http://www.ezuko-park.com/blog/26109
Plum blossoms are stronger than Cherry blossoms. The flowers can withstand rainy days.
But viewing them during “見頃” (read: “ミゴロ“ ; Best time to view) is recommended.
An icy Kumamoto Castle has been put up as part of a winter festival in Monbetsu, Hokkaido. The image I'm sharing is from an NHK news report. You can find the video (in Japanese) here:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/sapporo/20190209/7000007755.html
-- Kirk
A note from the Kumamoto International Kumamon is Here to Save the Day desk (we've been kinda busy): Kumanichi reports on an 11-minute video produced by Kumamoto Prefecture in which Kumamon uses shogi to impart basic disaster prevention measures. His (her?) three points are: ¹ to fix household items「tomete, とめて」; ² to store provisions「tomete, ためて」; and ³ to have a plan「kimete,きめて」. I'm no mascot, but those sound logical to me.
Our friend Furue-san has kindly provided a link to the English language version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_tr9HLN2E4&fbclid=IwAR3NGhsA4Upw47UGueCtkLptOvPvOGR0eJ8UMkgy-8cUHKgcdN_hIMeyOBQ
Even in Japanese, the video is worth a look. It's validated my decision not to become a crash-test dummy. - William
https://this.kiji.is/466438509325239393?c=92619697908483575
くまモン「災害に備えて」 熊本県が啓発動画（動画あり） ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本県は熊本地震を教訓に災害時に自らを守る「自助」の啓発動画を作成し、７日から県ホームページなどで公...
Kumanichi reports that the livery of JR's 800-series Shinkansen, which run between Kagoshima and Hakata, will feature Kanakuri Shisou in a nod to NHK's Taiga Drama (Sundays, 20:00). Perhaps this will cause them to run even faster. - William
「いだてん」ラッピング新幹線スタート 博多―鹿児島中央間 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
ＮＨＫ大河ドラマ「いだてん」の登場人物の写真をラッピングした九州新幹線が７日、博多－鹿児島中央で運行...
A report on NHK's morning news show today introduced new research on the earthquake that hit Nagomi-machi in Kumamoto Prefecture on January 3rd. The rating on the Japanese seismic intensity scale was "lower 6" -- quite high on a scale that tops out at 7. The amount of damage, however, was surprisingly low given that rating. Well, the NHK report said that, according to researchers at Tokyo University, the relatively high intensity scale number was caused by the "period" (shuki; the time that one back and forth movement takes) of the quake: 0.5 seconds (fairly slow). Apparently, this kind of shaking is what people can feel most easily and the Japanese scale tends to respond more to this type. The slower rate of shaking seems to be related to the softness of the ground there.
I guess the amount of energy was low enough that, even with this kind of shaking, the damage wasn't that great. I wonder, though, if this means that Nagomi could have suffered a fate like that of Mashiki if the energy of the quake had been significantly higher. As I recall, Mashiki also had a fairly slow "period" that resulted from its own soft ground.
-- Kirk
０．５秒ほどの局期の揺れ・軟弱地盤の影響で増幅 NHK総合【おはよう日本】
Franck, of Michi No Eki Aso, reports on his 15 minutes or so of TV fame. -- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/eng.michinoekiaso/posts/2214556652093758
Fuki is known in Latin as Petasites japonicus and in English as butterbur, giant butterbur, or great butterbur (it seems to prefer the latter). Fukinotou (蕗の薹 － cool kanji! Memorize it to impress your Japanese friends as it's usually in hiragana, ふきのとう) is the flower of the plant and a local delicacy.
Spring sees the hardy, wide-spreading plant send up shoots which, if harvested before they blossom, are commonly prepared as tempura. During this season, my wife and I scour the neighborhood for them. As the plant contains alkaloids, it is quite bitter, but some (me!) love the taste. It is said to contain antioxidant compounds. Below are photos of the plant, the flower before blossoming, and the tempura my wife prepared. - William
So the Chiba-born guy pulls out a bonito (saba, 鯖) and a bag of peanuts and also proclaims his allegiance to the Nippon Ham Fighters.
If you faced a similar situation, what talismans would you produce to prove your Kumamoto heritage? Please suggest in the comments.
(I'd go with kashirarenkon, a pair of jogging-worn tabi, and a reference to the Fukuoka Hawks - no one knows the Volters or Roasso.) - William
Kanakuri Shisou, known as the father of the Japanese marathon and the subject of the NHK Sunday night Taiga drama (大河ドラマ「いだてん」, 20:00), has sparked renewed interest in this scion of Higo. Kumanichi has a cute story on kids from his home area, Tamana, who are preparing polyvinyl jackets for participants in the upcoming Kumamoto Marathon (2/17) with images and encouraging messages. As a usage of class time, I suppose it beats studying - and it is very thoughtful. - William
熊本城マラソンに防寒ポンチョ 玉名市の児童・生徒、ポリ袋で製作 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
１７日に熊本市で開催される熊本城マラソンに向け、玉名市の児童・生徒が、ランナーに着用してもらう防寒ポ...
Here's an example of a visual message and text message that say very different things. Kumamoto is mentioned in this misleading article:
Japan: Is it safe to travel to the country after third earthquake in three weeks?
https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1080302/japan-japanese-earthquake-is-it-safe-travel-Kyushu-kumamoto
After a bit of searching, I was able to identify the photo as being from January of 1995, when a huge quake hit the Kobe area:
https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/rentoku/photo_gallery/06/201501/p_0007644656.shtml
So, other than being the result of an earthquake, it has nothing to do with recent shaking. Way to go, Express journalists!! Who cares about accuracy, right? Clickbait is king!
-- Kirk
P.S. The caution mark applies to the information source, not the subject of the article.
Hi! Kirk here. Here's some information from Atsuko Furue of Nagomi Town:
-- start quote --
If you would like to visit Kanakuri Sisou museum,
I suggest to visit on next Sunday. On 10th February, the town has SAMURAI festival, 肥後国衆まつり。 http://www.tabirai.net/s/sightseeing/column/0008316.aspx
If you visit that day, you can enjoy both.✩°｡⋆⸜(˙꒳˙ )⸝
-- end quote --
熊本県玉名郡和水町（なごみまち）で、2019年2月10日（日）に開催される「戦国肥後国衆祭り」。田中城を舞台として巻き起こった和仁軍と豊臣軍との約2カ月に及ぶ壮絶な戦いを再現した県内唯一の祭りで
Here's a video about Nabegataki Falls, complete with English subtitles. It's a video on Kumamon's YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjlxrKtnopg
-- Kirk
P.S. Here's an article about the start of Kumamon's YouTube channel.
くまモンTV #10「くまモンを探せ！鍋ヶ滝編！ 」( Kumamon TV #10 )
※이 영상은 한국어 자막으로 안내하고 있습니다. 설정버튼에서 언어를 변경해 보실 수 있습니다. ※影片有繁體中文的字幕。觀看之前，請您先從設置功能設定為繁體中文語言。 ※Cette vidéo peut être vu en sous-titre français. Choisiss...
Here's another useful bit of information from Kuma Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/2222958014622499?__tn__=-R
This one should be of particular interest to people who prefer vegetarian food.
-- KIrk
A note from the Kumamoto International Desk of All Your Base Are Belong to Us (open 24/7): Our friend Matthew informs us of a Kumamoto Branch of Gaijin Gaming Brothers, which translates and publishes English info about Smash Brothers events throughout Japan. Recently an organizer in Kumamoto started a weekly Smash Ultimate meet up.
Matthew says, "Hello everyone! Myself and a few friends run a group called "Gaijin Gaming Bros" (GGB for short) and we publish information about Smash Brothers events happening in Japan in English. Recently, a tournament organizer in Kumamoto has started a weekly Smash Ultimate Meet Up at a Game Bar, and there is a semi-regular tournament series that happens in Kumamoto as well. The weekly Smash Ultimate Meetup happens every Wednesday. No pre-registration or anything is required for the weekly. The tournament series (called "Higobura") is happening this weekend (Feb 10) and on Feb 23.
Feb 10 tournament: https://gaijingamingbros.com/higobura-sp-1
Feb 23 tournament: https://gaijingamingbros.com/higobura-sp-2
The tournaments are both full at the moment, but you can register as Interested and some participants might cancel.
I hope this lets you guys get out there and connect with the local Smash scene!"
More info specific to Kumamoto can be found at the link here: https://gaijingamingbros.com/?fbclid=IwAR3G-Fp9eXsnh-Z2GOoiw5f6-mmOPbs5p7UrQG-58TuA66mhmXyZG2dlm6Q Thank you, Matthew! - William
Higobura SP #1 - Gaijin Gaming Bros - Super Smash Bros Events in Japan
A tournament with 20+ people to be held in Kumamoto City. Only 1000 yen for entry, don’t miss this chance to test out your Smash Ultimate skills in a competitive environment.
