Kumamoto International Archive

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

Long ago, during the Edo era, the sankin-kōtai (参勤交代) system required that either the local lord or his wife be present in Edo at all times - y'know, just in case. The Higo (Kumamoto) lords made this trip by travelling overland to Bunzen (now Oita) and catching a boat, kind of a long trip overland, and the route still exists. It passes by a spot known as Sanrigi (三里木) - "trees at the third ri.".
Here, the matter of "ri" 「里」 becomes a bit complicated. It is a unit of distance, but in China, the kanji indicates 500 meters, while in Korea, it's about 400 meters, and in Japan, the same kanji indicates a distance of 3.9km, meaning that Sanrigi is about 11.7 kilometers from the castle - a good place to take a snack break. Currently, the area is popular as the gateway to the Hikarinomori shopping mall.
The reason I mention this is that JR and Kumamoto Prefecture are looking into rail service to the airport, and three stations on the Bizen line are being considered: Sanrigi, Haramizu, and Ozu. The candidate Sanrigi station would include a stop at the KK Wing area. JR is willing to pump money into this. Access to the airport is easy for me as I live downtown and can bus, but for those in that burgeoning area of Kumamoto, access is currently nil. Kumanichi has data at the link. - William
豊肥線空港延伸三里木ルート、県試算で380億円　JRにも負担求める - 熊本日日新聞｜ This kiji is
　熊本県は１２日、熊本空港（益城町）へのアクセス改善策として実現を目指すＪＲ豊肥線三里木駅からの分岐・延伸について、概算事業費を約３８０億円とする試算を明らかにした。既存路線の増収が見込まれるＪＲ九州...

We are having the local NanKyu JALT Chapter Conference together with JASAL (the Japan Association for Self Access Learning) at Sojo university tomorrow If you are interested, please come on by!

Kumanichi offers two interesting statistics. One is that there are 45 political entities in the prefecture comprised of towns, wards, and villages; I assume that this number does not include the prefecture itself. This has always struck me as excessive: Kumamoto's massive city hall, within a short trolly ride from the more massive prefectural hall (two buildings!), should be a symbol of government waste.
As one ascends the flanks sloping up towards Aso, where the automotive and hight-tech companies are located, one will notice a plethora of staffing company offices whose mission is to enable local companies to employ workers with zero benefits or job security. The second statistic Kumanichi reports is that such disposable workers now make up almost one-third of the Kumamoto workforce.
This problem is not limited to Kumamoto; it has been ongoing nationwide for quite some time. One may wonder why the excessive number of public employs enjoy job security and benefits unavailable to those whose labor actually benefits the prefecture. - William
非正規職員、３人に１人　熊本県内４５市町村 - 熊本日日新聞｜ This kiji is
　熊本県内４５市町村職員に占める非正規職員の割合が、今年４月１日時点で３分の１に上ることが１２日、熊本日日新聞社のアンケートで分かった。厳しい財政状況下で正職員数を抑える一方、地方分権やニーズの多様化...

The Kumamoto Animal Welfare Center (Kumamoto Doubutsu Aigo Senta - 熊本動物愛護センター, reknowned throughout Japan for its no-kill policy) is facing a quandry over surplus kitties. Kumanichi reports that its capacity of 32 felines has swelled to 80 (58 adults and 22 kittens), with surplus mousers being caged in spaces meant to isolate infectious pets. The increase is attributed to "cat hoarding"; cases in which the center has taken custody of over ten cats has recently numbered three, with one managing to accumulate an astonishing 26 pusses, about 24 more than anyone really needs.
Nueter or spay your pet - and if you adopt one from the center, that procedure will have been complete. Tabbies make wonderful Christmas presents. Contact info is at the link. (Pictured below: option to cats, also available.) - William
http://doubutsuaigo.hinokuni-net.jp/index.php

If you're ever out driving and don't pull over to ask for directions because that's more embarrassing than accidentally ending up in Hokkaido (hey - it happens), drop by Biei-cho to see the Blue Pond (Japanese, aoi ike, 青い池), whose photo, which might make a good Christmas card, won an award from National Geographic. Below is the artist's description. Google it for more fascinating photos. - William
"Japan’s Blue Pond in Biei-cho, Hokkaido, has become very famous for attracting tourists from around the world. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees. This pond, frozen during winter, was artificially made to prevent river contamination from the nearby active volcano, Mount Tokachi. The accumulated pond water contains high levels of minerals, such as those containing aluminum. The alluring view of the blue pond can take one’s breath away. To make this image, I made the exposure longer to capture the way the snow was falling. At the same time, I lit up the strobe for a moment to capture the snowflakes that are reflecting in the foreground. I took as many photos as I could and chose the one I thought had the best balance of the falling snow and the unfocused snowflakes. I wanted to express how time is created in just one moment and, by tying together these moments, history is made."

Hi joe tomei here. This job announcement was recently posted to the yahoo groups (which was the original Kumamoto-i and is still open, though not very active) and I wanted to pass it on.
I wanted to add a bit more than the usual 'please contact the address below directly'. I've recently been engaged in debates about the use of 'native' in the context of job postings. I'm coming in contact with more and more English teachers who are very fluent non-native speakers who have a "High level of proficiency in written and verbal use of English". Yes, they may have a slight accent, but they often bring some interesting skills and abilities that should be considered. This is not to call into question this job posting or other job postings, but I think, as a linguist, I believe this question will become more and more central in the coming years.
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OWLS Co., Ltd. is now looking for an energetic and enthusiastic native English-speaking Instructor to work at Senior High Schools in Kikuchi near Kumamoto City.
Compensation: Competitive Wage
Working Days and Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:15 am to 5:00 pm
Contract Term: Immediate – March 2019 (Renewable)
Required Qualifications:
Must have at least 1 year ALT experience in Japan in junior or senior high school.
Native English speaker.
Valid working visa
Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Two references from a previous or current employer.
High level of proficiency in written and verbal use of English.
Must have basic Microsoft office or equivalent skills.
Basic Japanese language skills or higher.
Advantageous Qualifications:
TESOL/TEFL certification
Teaching license
Valid driver’s license (International or Japanese)
Duties:
To prepare instructional plans and lesson outlines for teacher approval
To support instructional plans by preparing and developing teaching aids and materials
To implement lessons as a main teacher in class
*To attend school events
Please contact us at [email protected]

Hi everyone, joe tomei here. There's an event tomorrow that may be of interest at the Goshi Manga Museum. The first part is a talk from Hiroyuki Suzuki on 50 years of Ge Ge Ge Kitaro, an anime (2-3:30 pm) and the second part is a talk from Patrick Iijima-Washburn about the manga BILLY BAT by famed manga creator Naoki Urusawa (3:30-5 pm)
https://www.facebook.com/events/658191357916169/

Our friend Evan James Gowan pointed out a German-style Christmas market held at the pop-up center at Hanabata Hiroba, the square across Densha Dori from Shinshigai. Your intrepid correspondent tracked it down (albeit from the comfort of his own desk) and found a list of Christmas-related events to be held there in December. The site is in Japanese, but you can see the photos and figure out the dates. メリークリスマス, and tip o' the hat to Evan-san! - William
https://kumamoto-guide.jp/hanabata/

Joe Tomei here, on the yahoo mailing list, this job ad appeared, if you are interested, please contact using the mail below
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Apple Bee International School is currently accepting resumes from experienced English teachers interested in part-time positions.
Established in 2007, Apple Bee continues to focus on a challenging, hands-on approach to learning. Children cover topics and engage in activities that allow them to explore and understand their world in an atmosphere that promotes curiosity, creativity and confidence. Classes are mixed-age and have an ideal student-to-teacher ratio, which allows the teaching staff to work closely with each child.
To learn more about employment at Apple Bee International School or to request an interview, please send your resume by e-mail ([email protected]) or give us a call at 096-311-7117. Please ask for Maeda.
Thank you very much,
Maeda
Apple Bee International School
TEL/FAX: 096-311-7117
Apple Bee International School

If you want to see some good DIY tunnage then head out to this event. It’s a mixture of genres from the awesome garage surf of Fukuoka’s The Whys,Indie POP Punk of The Nied,Kitakyushu’s melodic hardcore Slydingman with some crossover hardcore of Kumamoto’s lillail and finally topping off the bill my sloppy Lofi effort.January 18th (9pm)at Navaro which is close to the Kamitoricho shopping area. Gumby core presents will be looking for other local bands,artists to do events once or twice a month.Let’s get creative Kumamoto. Whoops! I forgot to add the amazing pyschobilly antics of Kumamoto`s own P-Cons!!!

A note from the KI Difficult Stuff We're Glad We Don't Have to Decide by Ourselves Desk (merged with the Laziness Desk due to budget cuts): Japanese treatment of those suspected of a crime but not yet charged nor under trial has received much attention as former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn is investigated for alleged financial irregularities.
Japanese law sets detention limits for a suspect of 23 days. However, authorities can add further charges with fresh warrants, meaning a person can be detained indefinitely if a court approves it, which they usually do, so prosecutors string out charges one by one. This means that most arrested in Japan are incarcerated until their trial (a period during which stress has likely led to a guilty plea).
Kumanichi reports that Kumamoto has in the past few years quite diverged from national trends as local courts are more willing to allow those under charge to be released from detention while awaiting trial. The article notes that this trend has not been without harm - some released have committed further crimes while awaiting trial. The counter argument is how many innocent languish in jail while awaiting trial (and, this being Japan, is invariably a long time).
This article contains much interesting vocabulary, so fire up your Google Translate and Weblio. The blue line on the graph represents an all-Japan average of those released from jail while under investigation, and the yellow that of Kumamoto. And, as much as we all hate the uber-rich, give a thought to Gohsn. What if he's innocent? - William
容疑者の勾留却下率、初の１割超え　熊本県内の裁判所、全国で突出 - 熊本日日新聞｜ This kiji is
　警察や検察が逮捕した容疑者を取り調べるため、検察が容疑者の身柄を拘束するよう裁判所に求める「勾留請求」を、熊本県内の裁判所が認めなかった「却下率」が２０１７年の１年間で１０・６７％と、全国平均の４・...

A reminder about the collaboration concert of several Kumamoto musicians, "Concert in the Woods", to be held near the home of our friend, Jeff Cairns, near the entrance to the Kimpozan hiking trail, on Saturday, 12/8. A collaborating organizer, Richard Gilbert, posted recently of a donated piano. I'll コピペ his post below:
"Ahead of our upcoming Concert in the Woods (December 8), we were propitiously (and gratefully) donated a 38-year-old Kawai Diapason upright, through a lengthy search by Jeff Cairns (many pianos were destroyed, sold or given away after the Kumamoto earthquakes a couple of years ago). "Dia" has now been lovingly and expertly maintained and tuned by Furusyo Syoryu, and will be played by Keiko Shiga in our first live and recorded event. There is a feeling of our piano as a living being. In the event, the Greek goddess Dia ("heavenly," "divine," "the heavenly one") seems suitable. Our thanks to all involved in making this happen. Our Dia lives."
The weather is forecast to be cool but clear. If you do not have a car, quickly make friends with someone who does. This is not to be missed. - William

Earlier today I was looking at some TV shows I had recorded and saw a report about Chris Broad, a popular vlogger, coming to Kumamoto. As far as I can see, his video about Kumamoto hasn't been uploaded yet but I found his YouTube site (Abroad in Japan), which has over a million (!!!) subscribers:
https://www.youtube.com/user/cmbroad44/videos
While I was looking for Mr. Broad's video about Kumamoto I came across this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JjjfsicBvY
This video by Feel Fukuoka Japan hasn't had a million views but it's had over 100,000, which is pretty darn good.
If I ever find the Chris Broad video about Kumamoto, I'll try to post about it. Or, if any of you happen across it before I find it, I'd appreciate it if you'd post about it here.
-- Kirk
Trip to Kumamoto in Japan
Kumamoto City, situated roughly in the center of Kumamoto Prefecture, is the government and economic center of the prefecture. It has a population of over 73...

Anchorage, Alaska saw quakes similar to Kumamoto's this morning except reversed - a M7 followed by a M6.5. Froｍ the photos, I realized how lucky we were in comparison: look at that snow! This poor guy will require some time to recover his car. Our thoughts go out to them - William

Here's a bit of news (with a video in Japanese) about the activities of the Kumamoto Jikei Hospital, which is known internationally for the "baby hatch" it has established to save the lives of babies that might otherwise be abandoned by their mothers. First of all, if you are unfamiliar with what the people at Jikei Hospital have been doing, here's a link to a set of Japan Times articles to help you catch up.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/jikei-hospital/
Now, here's the news. A variety of Japanese media are reporting that an international association (The IABB --> International Association of Baby Boxes) has been established and that a web site ("HP") has been built for the association. Though nothing is said in the reports that I've seen about the site being multilingual, I thought that the site might have an English side that I could introduce on this page.
So, I searched, and searched, and . . . well, you get the idea . . . I came up more-or-less empty handed. I was able to find lots of web-based articles that introduce the new web page as their main story -- but NONE of them include a URL! The failure of Japanese news organizations to provide links -- even when the whole point of the news article is to introduce a web site -- never ceases to amaze me.
It was just last month when I had a similar problem finding the web site about tattoo-friendly onsen in Oita that was discussed in an NHK news report:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2168270769913010
I was ultimately able to get the URL by sending an e-mall to the organization that was mentioned in the story.
Sigh . . .
-- Kirk
P.S. Here's a link to an NHK article about the new baby box website (which doesn't contain a link to it, of course):
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20181121/5000003947.html
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20181129-00000005-rkkv-l43
ベビーボックス国際団体がＨＰ開設（RKK熊本放送） - Yahoo!ニュース
親が育てられない赤ちゃんを預かる「ベビーボックス」いわゆる「赤ちゃんポスト」の国 - Yahoo!ニュース(RKK熊本放送)

When my kids were growing up, we were blessed with who we called "tonari no ojisan" (the old guy next door). My kids being bereft of grandparents in Japan, he fulfilled that roll to such an extent that I rigged a calling system between our houses so that he could just push a button and I'd be there to help. He became family.
He had a fascinating history. A whiz at mathematics, he was dispatched during the war to the commissary division, but eventually found himself outflanked by allied forces. He talked about how he had to survive on an island by eating insects while isolated as the war enveloped all north of him. (My kids are good at the abacus thanks to him.) He later became a guard for the emperor.
As part of that personality trait, he was a compulsive gambler, and I'd oft see him heading for the keirin (競輪、bicycle racing) bus. Along with pachinko and a few other exotic species, keirin is one of the myriad of ways Japanese can gamble.
Kumanichi reports that repairs to the Kumamoto velodrome, located in the Suizenji athletic park area, have commenced, but will cost ¥ 2.9 billion. That's about ¥ 2.8 billion more than I have. This includes shrinking the veledrome's stands to add more greenery and parking. This Kumanichi article gives details. Tonari no Ojichan always knew his gambling habit was problematic (when he won, he'd give us a melon, but that was rare). I think he would have approved of this. - William
熊本競輪場、再開は21年末以降　雨水処理が検討課題に - 熊本日日新聞｜ This kiji is
熊本地震で被害を受けた熊本競輪場。２年が経過してもバンクにはひび割れが目立っていた＝５月、熊本市中央区　熊本市は２８日、熊本地震で被災した熊本競輪場（中央区水前寺）の事業再開が２０２１年１２月以降にず...

New Years is fast approaching, and with it market festivals. Here are two that are musts.
Most are familiar with Kokai Shotengai. It began as a market for lower-class samurai in the Edo era (Kokai Bridge didn't exist then, but it was a "watariba" (渡場 - a location for poled ferries) connecting their lower-class housing with the higher-class east side of Shirakawa; it then thrived as a black market during the rationing period following WWII as a place where farmers could evade price controls by selling directly to the masses. The street maintains that scrappy atmosphere. Their festival will begin from 10:00 on Saturday, 12/1.
Tasaki Market （田崎市場, Tasaki Ichiba - photo below), the main market for produce and fish in Kumamoto, will hold their annual "Thanksgiving Fair" this Sunday, 12/2. As is usual with this market, it begins early, from 06:30, but will continue to the early afternoon (hint: be there at 06:30). If you've never visited this hidden gem, this is the time to do so. It's a rather lengthy but doable walk from the Tasaki terminus of the streetcar. Dress warmly. - William

Wow! There's a halal-certified food-processing facility in Amakusa! -- Kirk
Japanese firm tapping halal Japanese dishes in Singapore
Curetex Corp., a Japanese firm producing halal food at home, is using Singapore as a testbed to promote Japanese cuisine permissible under Islamic law as part of its efforts to expand sales of such food products in Japan and Southeast Asia.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is something I'd always associated with military veterans and thus far removed from my life, but my response to the quakes has provided me an inkling as to the phenomenon. It is of course triggered by ground movement such as nearby construction that shakes the house. This morning, though, I noticed it could be triggered by mere sound: a vehicle producing sound in the same frequency as that preceding a large quake caused my arm hair to rise.
My response is subdued - I don't panic, my pulse rate doesn't rise, but I become instantly, intensely aware of my surroundings.
I'd like to hear similar stories from those who experienced the quakes. Please comment below. - William

This is not about Kumamoto but Takachiho is right on our border with Miyazaki. -- Kirk
Body found in river after 6 people killed at Miyazaki house：The Asahi Shimbun
TAKACHIHO, Miyazaki Prefecture--Police are investigating the deaths of seven people here as a possib