Kumamoto International Archive

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

WING SCHOOL is the name of an alternative school that will begin in April of this year. I just saw an article about the school in the Asahi Shimbun (Japanese version) and thought I'd share the basic information here. It's not described as an international school but learning English and going abroad is an important part of the curriculum. The article I saw indicates that they can take elementary, junior high, and high school age students but that the total number of students will be small. If you are looking for an educational alternative, you may want to learn more about this school.
-- Kirk
WING SCHOOL　（熊本に理想の学校を創る会）
私たちは、子どもたちが「幸せな未来を築く力」をつけるための　理想の学校　を設立し、そこでの「子どもの事実」を全国に発信することで真に求められている日本の教育改革を目指します。そして、子どもたちが「.....

Noyaki, burning of the fields, is what gives the Aso area its unique appearance and maintains grazing pasture for cattle. It's a tradition that has continued for centuries but requires significant numbers of people to take on the work, which can be dangerous, of controlling the fires. The dearth of young people in the area who can carry on the tradition has led to volunteers being recruited to help. The Japanese article reports that this year's burning of the fields has begun and that about 40 volunteers were on hand to help.
-- Kirk
阿蘇に春呼ぶ野焼き　４月までボランティアら作業
熊本県阿蘇地方の草原で１７日、春の訪れを告げる野焼きが始まった。厳しい寒さで山間部に雪が残ったため、予定より２週間...

Today was a good day for a marathon. If you click on the link you can see a video report from RKK.
-- Kirk
RKKラジオAM1197kHz・ワイドFM91.4/92.3/94.2MHz、RKKテレビは3ch！九州・熊本のラジオ＆テレビ放送局(TBSテレビ系列)です。

Happy Lunar New Year for those who celebrate.
Today is the first day. I almost can't feel the atmosphere compared to when we had Japanese New Year (お正月). But it was good that I could call home through watsapp.
I might check good Chinese restaurant around, so far my favourites are
Dragon Kitchen, Din Tai Fung at Tsuruya, and Haruka Tei at Kikuyo.
Please feel free to share anything interesting related to this celebration in the comments 🙂
-Olivia-

Five finalists have been chosen for the name of the new Amakusa #1 bridge, and if you're like me, you don't care about this at all as long as it gets you to the beach faster.
One struck me as kinda cute, though - the Kumamon Kyo 「熊門橋」［くまもんきょう］, a play on the words of "Kumamon" and "Gateway to Kumamoto" (could they paint it black with a couple of cheek rosés atop? Please?). So that's got my vote in the unlikely case that I do (disclaimer: I won't). If you're interested in the totally lame names of the other four finalists and how to vote, Kumanichi's got you covered at the link. - William
候補に熊門･新天門･天空･天城･平成天門　新天草１号橋の名称公募 - 熊本日日新聞
上天草市大矢野町（左）と宇城市三角町を結ぶ天草１号橋（下・天門橋）の北側に建設中の新１号橋。名称は投票で決める＝２０１７年１０月１２日、上天草市（上杉勇太）　熊本県上天草市大矢野町と宇城市三角町を結ぶ...

NHK will air a documentary about Ishimure Michiko (the author and Minamata disease activist who passed away recently) in the early morning hours of Monday the 19th (late night Sunday). If you understand Japanese and would like to learn more about what made this person so famous, you might want to set your recorder or stay up to see it.
-- Kirk
P.S. Here's a link to an NHK news video about Ishimure's passing:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20180210/k10011323701000.html
ＥＴＶ特集「花を奉る　石牟礼道子」
2018年2月19日（月）午前1:15～午前2:45 [日曜深夜]（90分）
https://hh.pid.nhk.or.jp/pidh07/ProgramIntro/Show.do?pkey=001-20180218-31-33875
ＥＴＶ特集「花を奉る　石牟礼道子」午前1:15～
半世紀にわたって水俣病を書き続けた作家・石牟礼道子さんが、今月１０日、９０歳で　亡くなった。２０１２年、初のロングインタビューに応じた番組をアンコール放送。

A couple weeks ago I posted about "kimono month" in Suizenji park:
* If you're wearing a kimono you get in free.
* Each Tuesday and Saturday at 10:30 AM free classes on how to put a kimono on (kitsuke kyoushitsu) will be held. I assume you should bring your own kimono for this, if you have one.
* You can rent a kimono (and, presumably, have them help you put it on) for 2,600 yen.
* A photo contest is being for photos of kimono-clad folks in the park
* There will be a kimono fashion show on the 24th and the park will be open into the evening on that day.
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1764154500324641
Here's a poster as a reminder.
-- Kirk

A bit of good news regarding Janes Mansion, which was leveled in the quakes. First, some background.
Leroy Lansing Janes was a pioneering educator of western-style knowledge hired by the Hosokawa clan in 1871 to head what was called Kumamoto Yōgakkō (Kumamoto School of Western Studies). He was also a missionary, but consequences ranging from banishment to death sufficed for him to hug his Christ cards very closely to his chest during his time here. The original location of the school and his house were in the area now occupied by Daiichi High School (somewhat in the castle grounds, and a place I very highly recommend for a stroll, particularly during this season, when the camellias are blossoming).
Two problems existed with the location, however: It occupied valuable military space, and it housed a westerner, so in 1876, reactionary elements forced Kumamoto Yōgakkō to close, and Janes, together with several his students, fled to Kyoto, where they joined Dōshisha. Janes returned to the United States in 1878. Timing couldn't have been better for that burst of xenophobia, though, as most of the area was destroyed during 1877's Seinan War. (The Mansion miraculously survived.)
Bonus kanji time! Emperor Kōkaku (光格天皇 Kōkaku-tennō, 1771-1840, reigned 1780-1817; he retired so as "to spend more time with my family [the shogun wants to kill me!]") had a son with a name so magnificent (Arisugawa no Miya Takahitoshin Noh , 有栖川宮幟仁親王) that he in turn felt compelled to name his son Arisugawa no Miya Taruhitoshin Noh (有栖川宮熾仁親王 - remember, the kanji "noh" or "oh" 「王」meant "king" but was also reserved for close members of the male imperial line who could be drafted in the case of an emperor shortage), and it was this grandson of the now-late Emperor Kōkaku who took up residency in Janes Mansion after its eponymous inhabitant had fled to "manage" things. The predecessor of the Japan Red Cross was also founded in the Mansion during this time to care for the many injured from the war.
But then it was the mansion itself that was forced to wander, as the map included in the attached Kumanichi article shows. It first was moved to where the Central Kumamoto Police Station now is (reminder: never argue with the police), then to where Melupark (a post office hotel/event hall; reminder: never argue with your postman) now is, and finally in 1970 to a secluded spot behind Suizenji Park (you can argue with monks), where it remained until it completely fell down during the quakes.
So it is now a pile of rubble, but rubble with a history. There is a large open park space fronting the trolley street in a far more prominent location just down the lane from where the rubble now sits, and the City Government, thinking this would be ideal for its fourth location, have set a goal of 2021 for reconstruction. Others would like to see it returned to its original location, but lack of public access to the area is a major deterrent. Wherever it eventually ends up, it will be wonderful to see the rise of Janes Mansion once again. - William
https://this.kiji.is/336386661402051681?c=92619697908483575

Tani Tateki (谷干城) was a military leader during the Meiji Restoration who was for a crucial period in charge of the defense of Kumamoto. Even under mustache standards of the time (which were rigorous), he rocked world-class (see photo below). Born into a military family in 1837 in then Tosa, Shikoku - today, Kouchi - and presumably to a father with an equally impressive 'stache, though photos are sadly unavailable - Tateki was one of four sons, but as a result of his three siblings finding themselves at the wrong end of pointy objects, Tateki ended up an only child. His father decided sending him to school in Tokyo might lead to better results than the pointy-object thing, where Tateki of course then devoted himself to becoming skilled at wielding pointy objects.
Upon returning south, he took up acquaintance with several other young men skilled at wielding pointy objects in Shikoku and Kyushu (including, notably, Sakamoto Ryouma 坂本龍馬). In May,1867, he met with the military leader of then-Satsuma (now Kagoshima), Saigo Takamori (西郷隆盛) to form an agreement called the Satto Mitsuyaku (薩土密約, named after their respective domains), in order to overthrow the Shogunate. They then formed a mustachless band called the Jinsyoutai (迅衝隊, second photo - Tateki's the guy with the sword, and look closely at that photo: is that like a seven-year old kid holding a pistol?!) and subsequently succeeded at that during what is now called the Boshin War (戊辰戦争, 1868).
Sadly for their friendship, the paths of Tateki and Takamori soon parted. Tateki was given a stipend and became a general under the Meiji government responsible for the Kumamoto area, while Takamori sat stewing in Kagoshima over how disrespectful all the young kids had become (still no 'staches, see). So in 1877, when Takamori decided to march on Tokyo and set things in a way he thought right, he found himself facing a now fully mustached Tateki in his path - and he lost. That was the Seinan War (西南戦争).
Tateki continued his military career under Japan's newly-founded navy, but his efforts to bring Taiwan under Japanese control were marred by chaos, and he was effectively dismissed in 1887 (Taiwan eventually became a Japanese colony in 1895). He became a military instructor, spent time perfecting his mustache (final photo), died in 1911. Though his remains (including, presumably, the mustache) are interred in his native Tosa, a peak-mustache statue of him exists near Kumamoto Castle, where he defeated Takamori in a 58-day siege (photo below).
To mark the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, there is an exhibition regarding Tani Takeki at the Tabarazaka Seinan War Museum (田原坂西南戦争資料館). Info is at the link. - William
https://this.kiji.is/336039267737863265?c=92619697908483575

Ishimure Michiko has left us but her legacy lives on.
If you missed my remembrance of Ms. Ishimure and are interested, please see
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1778857642187660
-- Kirk
Noh play written by Ishimure of Minamata fame to debut this fall：The Asahi Shimbun
A Noh play based on a plot devised by the late Minamata disease activist and author Michiko Ishimure

Kirk had recently written about Ishimurei Michiko-san, the recently deceased, Amakusa-born, Minamata-raised author of works on the mercury poisoning known as Minamata Byo. The Kumanichi has an article with a lovely photo of her by the Minamata coast in her later years and a description of her final days (she died at 90 after a 16-year battle with Parkinson's). Poignantly, shortly before her passing, she had asked for water but was unable to drink yet still possessed sufficient faculty and grace to say, "Do not cry." - William
水俣へ、また行きたい　石牟礼道子さん　周囲に「泣かないで」 - 熊本日日新聞
水俣病多発地の一つ坪谷（つぼたん）集落を訪れた石牟礼道子さん＝２０１６年４月６日、水俣市（岩崎健示）　作家の石牟礼道子さん（９０）が１０日、亡くなった。数日前から体調が悪化していたが、８日の午前中に容...

This is from Maple Tree International School
---------------------------
Maple Tree International School is looking for full time and part time teachers starting in April!
[Full time position]
School Location: Nagamineminami, Higashi-ku, Kumamoto city
Class type: English-immersion preschool/kindergarten & eikaiwa classes
Monday-Friday: 9:00-18:00 or 19:00(1 hour or longer lunch break)
Monthly Salary: 240,000yen~260,000yen(Depending on teaching experience)
Days off: Saturdays, Sundays, other days off according to school calender
Qualifications: Native English speaker/ Teaching experience preferably at preschools, kindergartens, eikaiwa schools and International schools/ TESOL or any teaching certificates/PC skills(Word/Excel/Power point) /
Candidates must
-love working with very young children
-be hardworking and punctual
-be friendly and energetic
-be passionate about teaching
-work as a team player
-have respect for the students, parents, other teachers and staff
-have an understanding of the Japanese culture, manners and customs
[Part time position]
Saturday 9:00-15:00 (4 classes + lesson prep, 45 min break)
10,000 yen per day
Class type: Kids eikaiwa and elementary kids Project-Based Learning lessons
If you are interested and would like to know more information, please send your resume and cover letter. Please don’t forget to attach a recent photo of you.
Thank you.
Maple Tree International School
[email protected]
096-200-1352
-------------------------
-Olivia-

This is from Sean Michael Wilson
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A bit of good news to pass on, which shows we can help improve things here.
The situation: 3 or more years ago a new bridge was built over the Shirakawa river, as it joins the ‘scramble’ road crossing at Kokai Shoten Gai shopping arcade. That was good but for some mad reason they built it in a way that created a dangerous situation. The slope of the new bridge is steeper so that by the time young folk on their way to Kumamoto University or after school reach the bottom area they are going quite fast on their bicycles - right bang into the same place as people waiting to cross the road.
And as many of these people are old ladies out shopping they often wander across there without looking around them (you know they do!). A bad mixture - careless young folk going fast on bicycles and old ladies not looking out for danger. A very bad road design that seemed not to have taken the most basic aspects of civil engineering and human behaviour into account (dont they study that kind of stuff in week one of civil engineering courses? - ‘How not to create dangerous situations for your grandmother, part1’). They spent our tax money to CREATE a dangerous area that was not there before in the old bridge. Clever!
But, here is the good part: via a Japanese man I know who has a contact at the City Hall, i put in a complaint about this (quite a long time ago) and a suggestion as to how they could solve this problem easily and cheaply. I presume that various other people have also complained or that there may already have been some accidents there. So, recently the man (who perhaps prefers to be un-named) told me that the City Hall have listened and next month, in March, they intend to change the road design to make it safer.
Good news!
So, I’m waiting eagerly to see if they follow what my advice or re-design it in some other way. Either way its good as long as its safer for people using that area.
---------------------------------------
-Olivia-

Joe Tomei here, I'd like to let everyone know about a book release party for a book that gives mothers English phrases to use with their children. A former student of mine, Hiroko Ogata, did the book. Takaki sensei, the founder and director of Pigate, will be there. The book is very nice and if you are teaching mothers who are interested in providing English input to their children, I recommend it
(editorial disclaimer: I did a little proofreading of the book, but all the work was by Hiroko)

Joe Tomei here, Kumamoto Gakuen University's Green Philharmonic is having their annual concert on Sunday, 25 Feb. The program includes Beethoven's 7th, Mussorgsky's Night On Bald Mountain, Bizet Excerpts from Carmen. The concert is at Takahashi Morio Memorial Hall (at the entrance of the university, which is next to the Prefectural Theatre) Doors open at 1:30 and the concert starts at 2:00 and admission is free. If you come, please say hello, I'm playing french horn.

William just posted about a play based on a work by Ishimure Michiko:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1778828775523880/
Sadly, Ishimure Michiko passed away yesterday. She and Dr. Harada Masazumi were the leading advocates for Minamata disease victims. Ishimure fought for the victims as an activist but became particularly famous for her writings on their plight. As was the death of Dr. Harada, the death of Ms. Ishimure is a major news event for Japan as a whole, not just Kumamoto.
I once had the honor of visiting Ms. Ishimure's home to serve as interpreter for Bob Hernan, who later wrote "This Borrowed Earth: Lessons from the Fifteen Worst Environmental Disasters around the World":
https://www.amazon.co.jp/…/dp/0230619…/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2…
It was a true honor for me to speak directly with Ms. Ishimure. She seemed pleased with my interpreting and asked if I could translate a Noh play she had written. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of my PhD work and didn't feel I could take the project on. In retrospect, I probably should have just put the PhD on hold and given the opportunity to work with this literary giant priority.
William mentioned her best know work: Kukai jodo. Thankfully, this has been translated into English:
https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Sea-Sorrow-Min…/…/1929280254
There are also some excellent articles about her that you can read on the web (or download as pdfs). First, I'd recommend
Ishimure Michiko and Global Ecocriticism
Karen Thornber
July 1, 2016, Japan Focus
http://apjjf.org/2016/13/Thornber.html
Also,
Environmental Ambiguity, Literature, and Ishimure Michiko
Karen Thornber
Japan Focus, 1970
http://apjjf.org/-Karen-Thornber/3764/article.html
RIP
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201802100053.html
Ishimure, key figure in Minamata battle, dies at 90：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Japanese activist Michiko Ishimure, who won acclaim for her literary works about Minamata

"Kukai Jodo" (苦海浄土, literally, "Bitter Sea, Paradise Earth", available at Amazon), was a novel published in 1969 by then 42-year old Ishimure Michiko (石牟礼道子), who was born in Kawaura-machi, Amakusa (her surname is unusual, but the isolation of Amakusa has endowed it with linguistic idiosyncrasies). The novel (which I've yet to read) apparently centers on the rape of resources and resulting environmental harm which commonly occurs during a country's early economic development - in this case, the rape of Minamata.
Gofuku Machi (呉服町) is in what was once the commercial center of Kumamoto, though it has today deteriorated into gentile delapidation. A wattle-and-daub storehouse known as Hayakawa Souko (早川倉庫）was built there in 1915 and remains in use as an event space. On Monday, February 19 from 7:00 PM, an actor named Kawashima Kouchi (川島宏知)will present a solo excerpt of the novel entitled "Fish of Heaven" (天の魚, Ten no Iwo). This excerpt was written several decades ago, has won several literary awards, and has been performed around the globe.
So if you're free Monday night, you can acquaint yourself with an historical building and an important story in one of the best parts of Kumamoto. Take the trolley and disembark at the Gofuku Machi stop; it's a short walk from there, and while there, be sure to visit Jay and Chikae's lovely bakery, Out of Step, which is close by - https://www.facebook.com/outofstepbagels/ . - William

The government and people of Taiwan offered support and assistance after the 2011 earthquake in northern Japan and the 2016 quake here in Kumamoto. In regard to Kumamoto, see
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1093569050716526
At the moment, I haven't been able to find any good resources in English about how best to donate or help from Japan but I know everyone who experienced the quake here hopes that people affected by the quake in Taiwan are getting the help they need. If any of you have any good information about how to donate or help, please type that in as a comment to this post.
-- Kirk
Japan sends quake rescue team, equipment to Taiwan
Japan sends a team of search and rescue experts to Taiwan to help find survivors of a devastating earthquake.

Leave it to the Japanese to take the quintessential individual athletic event - running - and turn it into a team sport: Voila, the "ekiden" (駅伝, relay). Unlike the 4X100M or 4X400M relays common in the west, Japanese ekiden commonly feature legs covering kilometers. Now is the season, as the most common participants (college students) are still on winter break and the weather is sufficiently horrendous to exert maximum suffering on participants and spectators alike.The most famous ekiden is held from Tokyo to Hakone and back between January 2-3, when New Years-induced catatonia still blessedly reigns, but Kumamoto has a tolerably insufferable course as well. It will begin this Sunday, 2/11, in Amakusa City and wind its way up Route 266 to its finish at the Kumanichi Building, better known as B-Puresu. Fittingly, low temps are forecast to be 0°C, highs of 5°C, and snow. Whoever survives should begin arriving there around 2:30 PM. Enjoy! https://kumanichi.com/jigyou/event/detail/301907/
In other news of athletic self-masochism, don't forget that the Kumamoto Marathon is scheduled for February 18. Most of the local citizens who are not actually taking part enjoy lining its route to congratulate each other on their wisdom of not actually taking part and laugh at those who do. More can be read here at the link. https://this.kiji.is/333834765563102305?c=92619697908483575 - William
第44回郡市対抗熊日駅伝 | 主催事業 | 熊本日日新聞社
　郷土の期待を担う県内郡市19チームの精鋭が、早春の天草ー熊本路14区間106.9kmでたすきをつなぎ、熱いレースを繰り広げます。午前9時に天草市役所前を一斉にスタート。先頭走者が午後2時33分ごろ、熊本市のびぷれす熊日...

Talking about Strawberries since they are in season now.
Kumamoto has ゆうべに (Yuubeni) and 紅ほっぺ (Beni Hoppe)
Anyone knows any other strawberries from Kumamoto?
Hakata has あまおう (Amaou)
あーー > 甘い (あまい)
まーー > 丸い (まるい)
So far I am only seeing these three these days. And they are so far the most affordable ones.
Amaou strawberries can be pricey at certain places though.
Please feel free to share more information about strawberries 🙂
-Olivia-