Kumamoto International Archive

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

This video about the Minamata disease ruling is in Japanese but quite good. It was broadcast by NHK on their 7 PM national news show.
http://youtu.be/7kd3hgkPxQk
水俣病裁判 16日最高裁判決

Landmark Minamata disease ruling: The Japan Times published the Kyodo article on the ruling that I posted yesterday. There's a great photo on the web page (different from the one you see here).
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/17/national/supreme-court-recognizes-woman-as-minamata-victim/
Supreme Court recognizes woman as Minamata victim
The Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday a high court ruling that posthumously recognized a woman as a victim of Minamata disease, an industrial-related malady caused by mercury poisoning. The top court's ...

This landmark Supreme Court decision underscores the lack of a reasonable basis for the strict Minamata disease certification criteria: ". . . the court noted there is no scientific proof that all Minamata disease sufferers have developed a combination of the disorder of sensation plus separate symptoms."
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130416p2g00m0dm081000c.html
Top court recognizes woman as victim of Minamata disease
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday a high court ruling that posthumously recog...

In the case of a deceased woman, Japan's supreme court ruled today that the Japanese government's certification criterion were excessively stringent and that the woman should have been recognized as a Minamata disease victim. Kumamoto Prefecture and the Japanese government have long been criticized for establishing excessively demanding criteria and thus unfairly failing to compensate many victims. Today, I think the supreme court's decision validates those criticisms and reflects very badly on the approach taken by the prefectural and national governments.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20130416/t10013953751000.html
最高裁水俣病と認める判決　NHKニュース
水俣病の認定についての裁判で、最高裁判所は、行政の審査では認定されなかった熊本県の女性を水俣病と認める判決を言い渡しました。

"On the 3rd Saturday and Sunday (eve of the festival on Friday) of April, all Ushibuka citizens participate in the festival, and the whole city is enveloped in a festive mood for 3 days. The Haiya Dance is particularly breathtaking, with about 5,000 people, young and old, divided into groups and dancing throughout the city, wearing individual Japanese summer kimonos or happis. In addition, various events such as local performing arts and a marine product fair are held."

http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003562.html

"Two buses, both carrying South Korean tourists, have collided in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, injuring 27."
http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/101990.php
This occurred in Aso. The part of the road where the buses collided had been washed away in last year's heavy rain. According to one report I heard, one of the drivers failed to notice a man at the road who was signaling him to stop. Fortunately, the injuries seem to have been minor.
http://youtu.be/M4UnunYDRBk
熊本・阿蘇市で大型観光バス同士が正面衝突　27人病院に搬送(13/04/11)
熊本・阿蘇市で11日午後2時すぎ、大型観光バス同士が正面衝突する事故があった。 http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00243910.html

The other day I posted about the RocketNews24's article on bee shochu. Now, it's been picked up by the Huffington Post. I think it's interesting (and disappointing) that the most trivial topics get picked up like this while other more important issues are ignored.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/wasp-infused-shochu_n_3061735.html
PHOTOS: Wasp-Infused Liquor Might Be The Grossest Thing Ever
The intrepid folks over at RocketNews24 recently trekked out to Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture in search of a huntsman they'd learned was whipping up batches of wasp-infused shochu, a clear liquor similar to vodka. Not only did they find him, they decided to sample his wares.

The man interviewed in this article lives and hunts in Kumamoto.
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/04/10/the-best-way-to-kill-bambi-an-interview-with-one-of-japans-few-gun-owners/
The Best Way to Kill Bambi: An Interview with One of Japan’s Few Gun Owners
In Japan it is a crime to own a gun; simple as that! …Okay, not quite. It’s not an easy task, but with proper training and a hard-earned permit, it is possible to become a legal gun owner in Japan. Down in Kumamoto Prefecture, we managed to share a word with one such gun owner. This 68-year-old man…

Here's a screen shot from March 6th's RKK news. The point is made here (as in the Kumanichi article I introduced this morning) that the number of days over the officially designated limit have been about the same this year as last year. That doesn't mean that there isn't a problem, but just that it's not necessarily a new problem.

The media frenzy about the PM2.5 issue is new this year, but the air quality problem itself has been around for a while. This graph from a Kumanichi article on the issue shows similar levels in the past few years.

http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20130402003.shtml

Hmmm. It seems that the author of this article was sent to Kumamoto from Tokyo by RocketNews just to look into this. I can think of more important topics to investigate but, since the article has been published, here you go:
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/04/06/alcohol-made-with-fermented-wasps-gives-new-meaning-to-the-phrase-get-your-buzz-on/
Alcohol Made with Fermented Wasps Gives New Meaning to the Phrase “Get Your Buzz On”
By all accounts Japan’s giant wasps are dangerous creatures. And yet, our team recently learned of one huntsman from Kumamoto Prefecture who has a hobby of fermenting these monstrous bugs in batches of shouchuu (Japanese liquor similar to vodka). It merits saying that even in Kumamoto, selling this…

If the weather is good, this might be a great opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunset walk:
Date: April 14
Time: 4:40 PM to about 7 PM
Where: Uto-shi, Ouda (網田) Shimin Ground parking lot
Web page with more info:
http://kumanago.jp/topics/?mode=detail&id=904
Thumbnail photo:
http://kumanago.jp/thumb.php?mw=300&mh=240&path=./topics/photo/1365062802.jpg

The page now has 400 likes! Thanks for your support! And, if you don't mind, please "share" an occasional post from this page with your friends in Kumamoto so that more people can join in!

This event is in progress: "In Tsuetate Onsen, the Koinobori (carp streamer) Festival is held from April to the first week of May. About 3,500 koinobori swim above the Tsuetate River to the flow of a refreshing spring breeze. This Koinobori Festival has been celebrated as a seasonal tradition in Oguni-machi for over 30 years."
Web page with Google map:
http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003646.html
Photo:
http://kumanago.jp/thumb.php?path=./photo/430000003646/1332750820.jpg&mw=346&mh=246

I went to see this exhibit in March.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/04/national/minamata-exhibition-honors-doctor/
In addition to Dr. Harada's role as a leading advocate and researcher here in Kumamoto, he was also very active internationally:
"While conducting research on mercury-poisoning victims in Brazil, Canada, China and other areas of the world, he also contacted those who suffered carbon monoxide intoxication following mine accidents in the 1960s, according to the exhibition."
The exhibit is fairly small so I'm not sure I can recommend making a special trip to Minamata just to see it. On the other hand, if you are in or near the Minamata area, I recommend that you pop in to take a look at the photos.
Minamata exhibition honors doctor
Masazumi Harada was not only a doctor but also a humble individual, who offered sacrificial support to sufferers of Minamata mercury-poisoning disease and learned from them. An exhibition at Kumamoto Gakuen ...

There'll be a festival in Yamaga this weekend:
http://kumanago.jp/topics/?mode=detail&id=903
The following pdf (in Japanese, sorry), has more details:
http://kumanago.jp/topics/photo/1364886014.pdf
山鹿温泉祭が4月6日～7日に開催されます。旬便り熊本県観光サイト　なごみ紀行　くまもと
「火の国」くまもとの雄大な自然の中でゆったりのんびりくつろぎませんか。くまもとの多彩な観光地、美味しい特産品や伝統ある工芸品、イベント、キャンペーン、グルメなど盛り沢山の情報をご紹介した熊本県観光サイト・なごみ紀行です。

One of Kumamoto's outstanding features is its groundwater. It's my understanding that Kumamoto City is the only major city in Japan that relies entirely on groundwater. This year, Kumamoto has received a United Nations award for its efforts to maintain and conserve its groundwater resources.
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/winners2013.shtml
The article is quite detailed and worth reading. I first learned about the award here:
http://www.waterworld.com/articles/2013/03/world-water-day-2013-japan-groundwater-recharge-project-praised.html
The article seems to be a shorter version of the one I've introduced above.
2013 edition: Winners | 'Water for Life' UN-Water Best Practices Award
Kumamoto City is located in the center of Kyushu, the southern major island of Japan. The city is blessed with rich greenery and abundant groundwater in the volcanic pyroclastic aquifer created by Mt. Aso.

'Another organization was started by Christina Tashiro, who comes from Argentina, in Kumamoto Prefecture. Her group has no membership fee and includes Japanese men and singles who are interested in international exchange.
“I have never given much thought to people’s nationality because I always want to say ‘I am a global citizen who loves Kumamoto,’” Tashiro said.'
http://www.tokyotimes.com/2013/ngo-tries-to-make-life-easier-for-foreign-wives-in-japan/
NGO tries to make life easier for foreign wives in Japan - Tokyo Times
Foreign wives may often have difficult times in Japan due to the problem of language and cultural differences. However, some Japanese organizations are trying to help foreign women solve this issue.

Designer of Yatsushiro Municipal Museum wins Pritzer Prize.
Pritzker Prize winner Ito seeks ideas in nature
When he says why he especially likes Sendai Mediatheque, the public library that ranks among his most famous works, Toyo Ito, the Japanese architect awarded the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize, says...

The English side of the Kumamoto Airport web site seems to have been improved considerably (good information of incoming and outgoing flights, facilities, etc.). Have a look!
http://www.kmj-ab.co.jp/eng/index.html
Kumamoto Airport Official Website