Kumamoto International Archive

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

Here's a bit of old news that I never got around to posting. The good news is that many people took exception to this kind of behavior. By the way, there's a YouTube video on the news page.
-- Kirk
Horse whipping at Kumamoto shrine festival blasted as cruel
A video tape showing a horse getting whipped at a traditional festival held last month in the city of Kumamoto has caused a public outcry, with many people calling it a form of animal abuse.

Hi everyone! Robert Remmerswaal posted this on the visitor's page. (Thanks Robert!) I'm reposting it in the hope that doing so will allow more people to see it.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2239080742832012

Joe Tomei here. This just in, please contact the person listed.
Saturdays Part Time Teacher
A small eikaiwa requires a native English teacher for Saturdays.
There are seven one hour kid classes available. Pay is from 2,500 to 3,000 yen per lesson.
Other days possible to if desired.
Please send resume to
[email protected]

The other day William posted about Johnny Depp coming to Kumamoto to make a movie about Eugene Smith:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134/2196194160454004/
If you are interested in the work that Smith did in Minamata and understand Japanese to some extent you may enjoy the ETV special about him. I was able to record it when it was first shown over the weekend and am very glad I did. It will be rebroadcast Wednesday night / Thursday morning from midnight to 1 AM.
I wrote "Wednesday night / Thursday morning" because the schedule says "Thursday morning" but it really means "Wednesday night" after Wednesday becomes Thursday. I have missed a show or two in the past because I was confused by this way of referring to the date and time. It's technically correct but nonetheless confusing for me -- like referring to an event that will happen tomorrow as "next week" because tomorrow is the official start of another week. Or, like calling the south side of a house the "front side" even though the opposite side faces the street and the south side doesn't. Or . . . well, you get the idea. ;)
-- Kirk
https://www.nhk.or.jp/docudocu/program/20/2259630/index.html
NHKドキュメンタリー - ＥＴＶ特集「写真は小さな声である～ユージン・スミスの水俣～」

Hi! Kirk here. I used post Kumamoto-related news pretty regularly but haven't been able to do that as much as I would like in recent weeks. Here's one of several items I hope to post over the coming week.
Many of you are probably familiar with the local delicacies described in the article but you may not be familiar with the restaurant: Susaki. I haven't been there myself but it's probably worth a visit if you're interested in trying the dishes described in the article but not sure where to go.
Blessings of nature enrich Kumamoto cuisine
Located on the rich soil between the East China Sea and Mt. Aso, one of the largest active volcanos in the world, Kumamoto boasts cuisine featuring fresh seafood, meat and vegetables.

I had the pleasure of seeing a portion of this ensemble recently, and their beauty literally brought me to tears. A more expanded cast will perform on Mt. Kimpo on December 8. If you have a mode of transportation, you should be there. Info at the link. - William

Hi there! JHS Info Sessions/Entrance Advice - Do you have kids heading into Junior High School in the near future? If my memory serves me right, about this time last year people were asking about JHS Open Days and info seminars in Kumamoto. Well, the free-sheets we got this past week have had such adverts - see images attached. I don't know much about the schools in question, but hopefully this information can be useful to some of you with kids, especially those in upper primary - Ruth

The slopes of Kumamoto Castle are termed "mushagaeshi" 「武者返し」as they were designed to deter invaders, which is kind of the point of a castle. A mathematical analysis of the physics is shown below. I don't understand mathematics, but apparently it worked until someone (Satsuma!) discovered cannon.
Kumanichi reports that deconstruction of the current Shinkansen station has begun, with the new station slated to be complete next March featuring a mushagaeshi motif. The article notes that castle walls are visible in the background. - William
https://this.kiji.is/433823596219860065?c=92619697908483575

joe tomei here passing on a call for auditions. I recently met Takuma Matsuda and Mari Miyamoto, who are making a short film for the shotengai in Shinmachi, (renamed Shinborimachi in 2009) that will be entered in a short film festival and they are looking for people to fill several roles. Please check out their website at
https://dokkoishofilmcasting.weebly.com/

Just was informed about this workshop, entitled Perspectives on International Cooperation and Development: JICA, Palestine and Personal Experience: A discussion with Dr. Iyas Salim
Hosted by Dr. Joshua Rickard at Kumadai on 7 Dec. For more details, contact Joshua Rickard.

If one marries one with long Kumamoto history, one also marries the history. Tsunoda-san, our neighbor, had been friends with my wife's mother, who died before I met her. New to Kumamoto, I helped with the convalescence of Tsunoda-san's husband - I built them a wheelchair ramp to their genkan - and then watched over her after her husband's demise. She came over most daily with one request or another, and fulfilling them was good study for me.
She passed away recently, and her son demolished her ramshackle house, replacing it with an ill-advised, very cheap structure. (Our neighborhood sits on a fault, and I doubt it will survive the next quake.) This morning, the workers began installing roof tiles, and I had a chance to ask what one of those ladders which act as an elevator is called. Turns out it's "niageki" (荷揚げ機). So you can add that to your vocabulary. And take care of your elderly neighbors. - William

joe tomei here with a phunky phriday photo post here. Unfortunately, a need for a bit of dieting has reduced the food funkiness, but I recently needed some passport photos, and Liz Suenaga (who often provides the photos for William Baerg's) son has a phunky photo studio, located near Shinai, located in a sufficiently funky building, with 2 sweet cats (one pictured below). I had often driven by and wondered about the building and now I (and you!) know.
The location is on the FFP map at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
And some sad news, Sunny Place hamburgers in Kengun (NOT the place downtown) has closed. Tempus just keeps fugiting and fugiting...

November is here, and the orange season has slowly started. Japan guide gave better description for this fruit, and they are actually called “Mikan” (Mandarin Orange) in English.
I went to Mount Kinpo to freshly pick them. They were sweet and delicious.
The details of the Mikan farm is in my Facebook page below:
https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Personal-Blog/Kumamoto-and-Beyond-699941546778813/
And the description of Mikan was taken from japan guide link below:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2347.html
Mikan (Mandarin Orange)
Mikan are the most popular type of Japanese oranges, which are generally known as kan (some other orange varieties are iyokan, ponkan, etc.). Mikan peel easily and do not have seeds and are widely popular as a dessert or snack when they are in season in early winter.
-Olivia-

Our sister Facebook page Explore Kumamoto has recently posted some gorgeous photos of Kumamoto autumn (there's a pun in there). One article they recently reposted entitled "30 pictures that will make you want to visit Kumamoto" is useful not only for your own travel plans but to introduce Kumamoto to your friends and family. That post is at the link below. - William
https://itsyourjapan.com/kumamoto-travel/?fbclid=IwAR15ttFwH6qCDHO_MRmxsRTUc4ICD6wf7iY6_gj6Voj6aKXsrVLqMsJUE-U
https://www.facebook.com/explorekumamoto/
Explore Kumamoto

This, from Greg Lambert, may be of interest to folks here. -- Joe
======
Hello. There is a touch rugby day on November 25th if anyone wants to join our Kumamoto team. It’s non-contact and we have two co-ed teams with the majority of players being ALTs. It’s perfect for beginners who would like to have a run around with the rugby World Cup approaching
Just comment here if you would like more details.
Thanks.

Good morning! Here's a bit of news from the Japan Times. -- Kirk
Quake-hit Kumamoto looks to reopen access to tourist attractions in time for Rugby World Cup | The Japan Times
The city of Kumamoto plans to take advantage of next year's Rugby World Cup to revive its struggling tourism industry by offering visitors special access t

Kirk here. I was bundling up some old newspapers yesterday when I noticed that the cover story of the October 6th edition of "Living Kumamoto" was about foreign residents. I've attached some photos but they don't show all of the articles. If you'd like to have pdfs of the two pages that contain the relevant pictures and articles go to
http://www.livikuma.com/2018年10月6日号/
The first two pages of the publication are what you need to look at or download.
By the way, I have some misgivings about the use of the word "YOU" in the article. The word is used to mean "foreigner" and the usage follows the TV Tokyo program "YOUは何しに日本へ？":
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/youhananishini/
At best, this program is a light, humorous approach to learning about people who come to Japan while, at worst, the "light humor" devolves into looking for opportunities to laugh at crazy foreigners.
The use of the word "YOU" on the program has its origins in a quirk of the famous talent producer, Johnny Kitagawa. Mr. Kitagawa is known for using the English "you" when speaking Japanese in order to avoid having to choose between the various second person pronouns that one finds in the Japanese language (あなた、君、お前、お宅など）.
https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Real_Live_32492/
Regardless of the gag's origins, however, on the TV Tokyo program, "YOU" means "gaikokujin" and is used in a light, playful and/or comedic way.
Now, here's where I start to have a problem. Are there similarly light, comedic expressions that can be used to refer to other ethnic identities? Would "ANTA" or "ANATA" be acceptable ways to refer to Japanese people on an English-language TV program (e.g. "Look! I think I see an ANTA coming this way!")? That is exactly what is being done here. The second image asks "How many YOUs are there in Kumamoto?" and such usages are very common on the TV Tokyo show.
The articles themselves are very innocuous and I'm sure that no harm is meant. I just wish that they would not have followed in TV Tokyo's practice of using "YOU" as a "light" way to refer to foreigners. In my life in Japan, I have generally not enjoyed situations where people (usually young people or drunks) took my foreign identity as their cue to try to be funny and so I'd prefer that my identity as a foreigner not be tied to some low-level comedy show.
I suspect that my discomfort with this may not be shared by many others. I'll be curious to see what, if any, thoughts you have about this. Feel free to tell me if you think I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, so to speak.
Thanks for reading. :)

Sometimes you see something flying that looks like a stick, and, not feeling particularly creative that day, call it a "flying stick." That is the etymology of "tonbo" (always katakana - トンボ, but which derives from 飛ぶ棒; I just looked it up), and what the English, who, when they invented English and were busy fighting dragons (double tasking!), termed "dragonfly."
They are a symbol of autumn in Japan and are quite carnivorous - if you were small and flying, you probably wouldn't be anymore by this time - but I had no idea of life cycle details until I watched this video. (Note: the creator, zefrank1, is famous for being risque but scientifically accurate and very funny. Do not show this to your children.) - William
True Facts : Dragonflies
What animal should we do next? Special thanks to the following: FOOTAGE: Andy Holt Shutterstock Linda Bower, Nature in Motion Getty Images Luca Sabatino Anth...

Hi! Kirk here. I'm sharing a message from Mr. Itoh at the International Center about beginning Japanese classes. An English summary follows the simple Japanese, so please scroll down if you would like to refer to the English.
--------------------
日本語（にほんご）を勉強（べんきょう）しませんか？】
12月（がつ）から初級日本語集中講座（しょきゅうにほんごしゅうちゅうこうざ）がはじまります！
日本語（にほんご）を初（はじ）めて勉強（べんきょう）する人（ひと）、初級（しょきゅう）の文法（ぶんぽう）を復習（ふくしゅう）したい人（ひと）、日本語（にほんご）の先生（せんせい）がわかりやすく教（おし）えてくれます。
参加（さんか）したい人（ひと）は、下（した）に連絡（れんらく）してください。
[申（もう）し込（こ）み・問（と）い合（あ）わせ]
電話（でんわ）096-359-2121
メール [email protected]
【Seven days of basic Japanese lesson】
We are now offering an intensive 2 + 5 days Basic Japanese Class for people who want to study the fundamentals of Japanese grammar. The class is for 10 people.
First lesson will be 5th Dec.
Feel free to apply now at the International Center!
[Contact]
TEL: 096-359-2121
E-mail: [email protected]

We've discussed recently the pervasive creep of loan words in Japanese with the example of "inbound" being used as a noun. Kumanichi reports polling results on their usage in local government documents, noting that 83.5% of residents have trouble understanding such terms.
Some terms have clear Japanese translations, such as "redundancy," while others, such as "cloud computing," do not. In the former case, they're often followed with a parenthesized kanji term, leading one to wonder why the katakana was used to begin with. The article also notes that borrowed terms can carry different nuances depending on locale, and that, while many prefectures have guidelines regarding their usage, Kumamoto does not. The article also includes a rather amusing list of such commonly-used terms. - William
わかりにくい行政のカタカナ語　“役所では普通”…ずれ実感 | 熊本日日新聞 - This kiji is
カタカナ語について話す熊本大学の茂木俊伸准教授〈こちら編集局　増刊号〉　何でもカタカナで表現する風潮に物申したいです。例えば、テレビのニュースなどで「訪日外国人客」を「インバウンド」とカタカナで、よ.....