Kumamoto International Archive

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

Kirk here with some notes on pdf publications in various languages that provide information for residents. The languages are やさしい日本語 (Easy Japanese), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), 中文（簡体字） (Simplified Chinese), 中文（繁体字） (Traditional Chinese), Tagalog, bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), नेपाली (Nepali), English, 한국어 (Korean), မြန်မာ (Burmese), ខ្មែរ (Khmer). They are available at the following URL:
http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page338.html?type=top
I recommend that you download both the Easy Japanese version and the version in your target language (English or whatever). That way, you'll be able to find the key Japanese words you will need to get Japanese people to understand what you're talking about.
A simple example is the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook" mentioned on page 16 of the English. It's possible that a Japanese person at the Shiyakusho (city hall) will understand if you tell them that you want a "Maternal and Child Health Handbook" but you are much more likely to be understood if you can say "boshi techo." And, I think it's extremely unlikely that someone who has read the Tagalog version will be understood if they tell the person at the counter that they came to get their "Talaan ng Pangkalusugan ng Ina at Anak."
So, on a positive note, I think it's great that you can use these translations in tandem with the simple Japanese. Negatively, however, I'm mystified by the lack of any Japanese terminology in the foreign language versions. A little parenthetical inclusion of key terms such as "boshi techo" would greatly enhance the usefulness of such translations, especially in languages other than English. Though it is true that foreign language translations are very useful to people from other countries, particularly people who do not understand Japanese well, I'm amazed at the extent to which it is assumed that foreigners ONLY need foreign language translations. It's as though there's an assumption that foreigners only need to be able to read and understand documents and that they have no need to talk about the information they gleaned from them with actual Japanese people! As the documents are currently being provided, someone who doesn't understand Japanese well enough to locate the corresponding section in the Easy Japanese version or to read the hiragana will have considerable difficulty actually getting a copy of their "Talaan ng Pangkalusugan ng Ina at Anak."

Here's an article on the machiya (traditional wooden townhouses) of Uki City. Kyoto is famous for such buildings but you can see them right here in Kumamoto. -- Kirk
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15230058
Here's a Wikipedia article on the buildings:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiya
‘Machiya’ still surviving 8 years after Kumamoto twin earthquakes | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
UKI, Kumamoto Prefecture—Residents paused on April 14 to remember those killed in the twin Kumamoto earthquakes on the eighth anniversary of the tragedy that claimed 276 lives and destroyed or damaged 200,000 homes.

Don't be fooled by the headline -- Kumamoto is actually recognized as one of the BEST mannered places in Japan. Of course, I can't vouch for the scientific reliability of the survey -- but I'm pleased with the result just the same. ;) -- Kirk
A Survey Ranked Japan's Most Ill-Mannered City. The Winner? - Unseen Japan
A survey asked people in Japan if their city had the worst manners. You won't believe which took first place. (Okay, maybe you will.)

Kirk here with a video report (in English) on the eighth anniversary of the quakes.
Japan marks 8 years since Kumamoto earthquake | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Sunday marks eight years since a deadly earthquake hit the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto.

Kirk here with something about Kumamoto Square. The URL of the website I took a screenshot of is here:
https://www.kumamon-sq.jp/en/
Here's a bit of news (translated from the Japanese by the Claude AI service) about it:
Headline: Visiting Japan to meet Kumamon - Visitor center sees 4-fold increase, with majority being foreigners
Text: Kumamoto Prefecture's PR character "Kumamon" is popular among inbound tourists (foreign visitors to Japan). Among the 30,000 monthly visitors to "Kumamon Square" (Kumamoto City), which was renovated in July 2023, more than half are foreign tourists, mainly from Asia. The number of visitors in fiscal year 2023 has nearly quadrupled compared to fiscal year 2022, and as of the end of March 2024, the cumulative number of visitors reached 3.5 million.
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOJC222B90S4A320C2000000/

Kirk here. It's been eight years since the 2016 quakes. In addition to being a life-changing event for everyone who experienced it, the disaster kept the volunteer editors of this page (including yours truly) quite busy. I may write a bit about that some other day.
Kumamoto Quake Victims Remembered 8 Years On
Kumamoto (Jiji Press)—A ceremony was held Sunday to remember the 276 victims of a pair of powerful earthquakes that mainly struck Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, eight years ago.

Kirk here. We need to utilize sustainable solar energy but there can been problems associated with solar panels as well.
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/science-nature/environment/20240405-178623/
To view a previous post on this topic (having to do with erosion), click or tap on the following:
https://www.facebook.com/profile/100064554018003/search/?q=solar%20panels
Solar Panels Around Southern Japan’s Mt. Aso Stoke Fears Over Landscape; Local Govt Scrambles to Preserve Nature
The increase of solar power plants in areas on and around Mt. Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture has stoked fears that the accompanying solar panels may spoil the beauty of the area, which includes one of the world’s largest calderas and Aso-Kuju National Park.

Kirk here. In keeping with the anniversary of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (the first of which was on the 14th), an article has been in published in Japanese about Andrew Mitchell and the Kumamoto Earthquake Experience Project - KEEP. Even if you don't read Japanese, those of you who know the people involved may enjoy the photos.
https://www.nhk.or.jp/fukuoka/lreport/article/001/82/
The Facebook page of the project is here:
https://www.facebook.com/kumadaiquake/

Kirk here. The new children's library has opened! Has anyone checked out the collection of books in English?
Children’s Book Forest Kumamoto, a Library Built and Donated by Tadao Ando, Opens
Sorry, this entry is only available in Japanese. For th…

Funky Friday Finds leaves Kengun and heads towards Kami Ezuko. Hop off the tram headed to the Kengun terminus at Kuwamizu kosaten and head south down Higashi bypass. The road will branch off after 100 meters, follow that road down about a half a kilometer and you'll be at one of the parking lots for Kami Ezuko. Another 200 meters down on the side where Higashi bypass runs is Yard, one of those hard to describe stores that Japan seems to specialize in. The reason I recommend it is they have a cafe with lunch dishes, coffee and deserts. More info is at their website
https://www.com-project.jp/com/
They hold events in the area next to store and have a few small jungle gyms for the kids, when the weather is nice, there is a terrace to sit on.
It's marked on the FFF Google map, located here
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
I should also note that across Higashi bypass and next to the downtown tram stop is the Ishikawa bakery, and FFF find from 2018
https://maps.app.goo.gl/u3JbHTWhbVBhZRwi7
A little more about the area. Lake Ezu is divided into Kami and Shimo, with Kami in this case meaning closer to the castle. The -ko in Ezuko means lake, so you probably want to avoid saying the tautological Lake Ezuko, which is Lake Ezu Lake. There are a few other places we'll talk about this month, but the area is quite nice, with small parking lots around the area and some bridges which allow you to walk from the Densha dori to the far side. A walk I like is to go from the City library/prefectural taikukan and walk behind the library to area. You can also walk down to the lake from the Haccho baba or Kuwamizu Kosaten tram stops. Kami Ezu always has a few people fishing (something that seems especially popular in Kumamoto) as well as photographers set up to take wild life photos. There are also the 'suwan bo-to' and other boats to rent, something which I regretfully put off until my daughters were no longer interested, so we never did it. Not being a fisherman, photographer, or a sailor, if anyone has any info on doing any of this, please share in the comments. There is also a path under Higashi bypass that goes to behind the zoo and past the Pho Time restaurant, (https://www.instagram.com/pho___time/) and goes on to Shimo Ezu, a large open park. There are parking lots around both Kami and Shimo Ezu, so if you don't live next door (like I do) you can still get there and have a nice walk and a meal.
YARD｜熊本のカフェ＆インテリア by com-haus
熊本・江津湖のほとりにあるカフェ・インテリア・雑貨「365日の衣食住遊 YARD」のホームページ。様々なシチュエーションで楽しめるライフスタイルショップ「YARD（ヤード）」で毎日をもっと心地よく。

Kirk here with a Claude (AI assistant from Anthropic) translation of the article I'm linking to. (If you are interested in AI and why I'm using Clause instead of ChatGPT, please scroll down to the bottom.)
--- start translation ---
Kumamoto University to Establish Japan's First "International Class" with New School Building for Affiliated Elementary and Junior High Schools by 2026, in Response to TSMC's Expansion
April 10, 2024 (Wednesday) 19:00
Domestic News, Life & Money
Kumamoto University has announced that it will construct a new school building for its affiliated elementary and junior high schools in conjunction with the establishment of an international class.
Hisao Ogawa, President of Kumamoto University, stated, "The international class at a national university's affiliated school is the first of its kind in Japan. We have decided to implement this and will proceed in that direction."
In anticipation of an increase in foreign residents due to TSMC's expansion and other factors, Kumamoto University plans to establish an international class at its affiliated elementary and junior high schools in April 2026.
Accordingly, the university announced today (April 10) that it will construct a new school building within the premises of the affiliated schools.
Reporter: "The new school building will be constructed within the premises of the affiliated elementary and junior high schools."
Construction site
The new three-story school building, which is expected to be used by a total of nine classes from the first grade of elementary school to the third grade of junior high school, is scheduled to be completed in January 2026. Demolition of the existing buildings will begin in June of this year.
Classes will be conducted mainly in English, and the school plans to accept not only foreign students but also Japanese students who wish to attend.
--- end translation ---
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/1106985?display=1
Regarding Claude vs ChatGPT, I'm subscribed to the paid services of both. For some sorts of tasks I find that ChatGPT does better. But, Claude is getting a lot of attention for being better than ChatGPT according to various scores. In regard to this task, I went with ChatGPT first but parts of the translation were clunky and I found myself going back to the Japanese text to figure out what went wrong. Then, I let Claude take a crack at it and found the translation to be MUCH better.
As I say, it's a task by task sort of thing; I still need ChatGPT to do certain kinds of tasks that Claude has trouble with. But, when it comes to translation, I think Claude is a step above.
全国初の『国際クラス新設』　TSMC進出などを受け “熊本大学附属小・中学校” に新校舎　2026年竣工予定 | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送
熊本大学は、附属の小中学校に国際クラスを新設することに伴い新たな校舎を建設することを明らかにしました。熊本大学小川久雄学長「国立大学の附属学校としての国際クラスは全国初。これは実施するのは決まって…

Kirk here with some news for art lovers.
--- start quote from article ---
This is a two-phase exhibition that comprehensively introduces the Hosokawa Collection held by the Eiseibunko Foundation and the collection of the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, which houses a wide variety of art objects from the East and West.
The first phase of the exhibition features the Hosokawa Collection, which includes armor and tools of the Hosokawa family, feudal lords who once ruled Kumamoto, as well as modern paintings collected by the 16th head of the family, Moritatsu Hosokawa, who was known as a collector of art objects. In addition, the museum will introduce art related to Kumamoto and modern French paintings from the museum's collection.
First period: April 9 (Tue) - May 26 (Sun)
Second period: May 28 (Tue) - June 23 (Sun)
--- end quote ---
It's interesting that we need to rely on "Tokyo Art Beat" for information about art in Kumamoto. One problem is that the machine translation service provided by the prefecture on the official website is objectively terrible. Here's the URL of the Japanese site:
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/site/museum/
If you'd like to view the contents of the site with the help of machine translation, I recommend that you go to Google translation and paste the URL in there.
https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/en/events/-/Kumamoto-Prefectural-Museum-of-Art-Museum-Collection-I/E11749E6/2024-04-09
Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art Museum Collection I （Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art）
Held at Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art. This is a two-phase exhibition that comprehensively introduces the Hosokawa Collection held by the E

Kirk here. This has been rumored but now it's official: Second TSMC plant to be built in Kumamoto.
CEO: TSMC to Build Another Plant in Kumamoto Pref.
KIKUYO, Kumamoto (Jiji Press) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. will build its second factory in Japan in the town of Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, its CEO said Saturday.

Kirk here. I had not realized that Luther was starting an English-language "international" school. The girl you see pictured is reciting a prepared statement in English.
https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/kab/region/kab-20240406-00009372.html

Kirk here. This news article says the government will spend 1.2 trillion yen or $7.9 billion to support TSMC in Kumamoto. I asked AI (I'm using "Claude" lately) to calculate how much that would be per person if distributed to everyone in Kumamoto and the answer was 690,055 yen or $4,542 per person. Sure hope I get that level of benefit! ;)
Japan PM Kishida visits TSMC's Kumamoto chip plant
Tokyo spending $8bn to subsidize Taiwan manufacturer's production site

Information about Suizenji Park guide tour in English.
Hoping lots foreigners also enjoy it⸜(ˊᗜˋ)⸝Atsuko.
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Starting in April, Discovery Kumamoto will be available on Thursdays and Fridays as a sightseeing guide at Yusui-Tei. Today was the first day.
The guides will mainly guide visitors around Suizenji Seishuen.
Guided tours will start at
9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, and 45 minutes.
Capacity: 8 people
Guide fee (English, Japanese)
1,000 yen per person (tax included)
5,000 yen (tax included) for 6 to 8 people
Reception
Yusui-tei (on the approach to Suizenji Seishuen)
We hope to see many visitors.
As in the past, free guided tours are available on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from in front of the coin lockers near the entrance of Suizenji Seishuen
(Please note that we cannot guarantee the availability of guides for free guided tours, as they may not be available.)
For inquiries, please contact Discovery Kumamoto at the following website.
https://www.dis-kuma.org/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551401303602
https://www.dis-kuma.org/?fbclid=IwAR26LNQ85VF-vWH8BVO2ZRBXaUvGkzAr_PjLlIO2hLCDAzFFoyLu5rzX1vk
ホーム | NPO法人ディスカバリーくまもと

For classic car fans. :) -- Kirk
"On April 6, the vintage automobiles will start and finish their journey at Hanabata Hiroba Square near Kumamoto Castle."
Classic car rally to raise spirits, cash in quake-hit Kumamoto | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
KUMAMOTO--The “Go! Go! Rally,” a classic car festival and charity event, will be held here for the first time on April 6, bringing together 106 automobiles produced between 1926 and 1974.

Joe with Funky Friday Finds. I realize that I said that we were leaving Kengun, but with the posts about Hanami, I thought that I should tell you about the bakeries in Kengun, all of which are nice to pick up a lunch for your explorations of Kami and Shimo Ezu parks and beyond.
So let's do the equivalent of a pub crawl (a bakery bender?) for these spots. All are on the FFF map as well.
The first one is just up from the Higashi Yuubin Kyouku and is called Dal Forno.
https://dalforno.site/ (first pic)
It is a panetteria, so you get more Italian style breads, which are a bit heavier and tend to be on the savoury side, rather than the usual French style. There are some seats and an espresso machine and parking in the front, so if you'd like to eat one of your purchases there, go for it! You can also go to the next door Nishigaoka park, which has some picnic tables on one corner and a walking track.
The next one is pretty new, next to the Jietai base, called Kengun Bakery.
https://kengunbakery.com/ (next two pics)
They are smaller, with a few parking spaces in the back, with no provision for eating in the store. More the French style, the cinnamon rolls are really nice and the sandwiches are good too.
The third one is Gochiso3 (get it?) is pictures 4 and 5 and they use a modified container shipping box for their store. They don't have a website, but it is roughly between Del Forno and the Higashi Post Office, and you can find it on the FFF google map.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
The 4th one is really brand-spanking new, called Dai-ichi to pan and is on the back street just down from the A-price. It's in an apartment block (Japanese zoning laws are a lot more relaxed, it seems) and they have a great selection. They also sell day old items at half-price, which was a first for me. Last 4 pics
I'll mention again Ishikawa Bakery
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063792870481
which is just off the Kuwamizu kosaten tram stop away from downtown.
I imagine that other neighborhoods in Kumamoto have a rich selection as well, drop a comment if there is one you want to recommend!

Kirk here. I was a bit surprised that there is actually going to be an eSports high school so I looked on the web for the main website of the school. Here it is:
https://esports-hs.com/faq/
It says that you can get certified as a high school graduate but I still don't understand the details well.
By the way, because eSports events are often held internationally, English will be stressed in the curriculum (at least, according to the school's site).
https://saiganak.com/news/esports-hs-hakata-kumamoto/amp/
Kyushu's First "e-Sports High School" New Schools in Hakata and Kumamoto! - Saiga NAK
Kyuhosha Corporation announced that on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, it will hold the entrance and opening ceremony for the first e-sports high school in the Kyushu region, "e-Sports High School Hakata & Kumamoto".

Kirk here. As I recall this is the second knifing crime in Kumamoto in less than a month. Yikes! Note that when foreigners are involved in any illegal activity some folks inevitably complain about those $#!% foreigners and all their "foreign crime." As people following events in the US know, the same sort of use of individual crimes to demonization entire populations of people occurs there too so it's not at all unique to Japan. But, just the same, posting about this incident makes me want to point out that, whereas you may occasionally hear talk of "foreign crime" (外国人犯罪) in Japanese, you won't hear discussion of "Japanese crime" (日本人犯罪), no matter how long the string of incidents like this gets.
Suspect arrested over attempted murder of man on Kumamoto street
Police in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed a man in his 40s last week. According to police, the incident occurred at around 8:30 p.m. Public broadcaster NHK reported that the victim who is in his 40s, was....