I'm sharing this so more people can see it.
2015-01-10 16:44 JST 2015 I'm sharing this so more people can see it. ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 1 · Comments: 0 ← 2015-01-10 11:40 JST 2015-01-11 17:03 JST → Around this time … 2015-01-13 17:00 JST"For example, if you want to go from Hakata to Kumamoto by Shinkansen you’d normally have to pay 4,610 yen (39 US samoleans), but with a “gachi” ticket any bohemian, beatnik, or hippy can ride for only 2,570 yen (22 US clams). That’s a 40% discount, daddy-o!"I assume most readers will be interested in the prospect of cheaper travel. On the other hand, some Japanese-language students out there might be more interested in mastering the usage of "gachi" in modern Japanese. In that case, seehttp://zokugo-dict.com/06ka/gachi.htmhttp://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/01/11/aw-snap-yo-jr-kyushus-really-cheap-gachi-ticket-is-in-the-hizzouse/Aw snap yo! JR Kyushu's really cheap "Gachi Ticket" is in the hizzouse! 2015-01-13 11:33 JSTThis page now has 1,000 likes. Thanks to all of you for your support and thanks to Jessie for being number 1,000! 2015-01-13 21:31 JSTRKK has a live camera showing what Mt Aso is doing at any given moment. This is the live image from a minute ago. Recently, the volcano has been very active.http://rkk.jp/livecamera/aso_live.phpRKK熊本放送 http://rkk.jp 2015-01-12 09:42 JSTThis is the winner of a poster contest in nearby Fukuoka. Hats off to the junior high school student who came up with this. It's a very clever way of making the point and the execution is outstanding. But, perhaps unintentionally, does the poster also equate bad manners with Americans and/or foreigner culture? Note the contrast with the kimono, a symbol of traditional Japanese culture. If you are interested in this and similar issues (views of non-Japanese living in Japan), have a look at debito.org.http://www.debito.org/?p=12953debito.org » Blog Archive » Fukuoka Subway Poster Contest winner: Rude Statue of Liberty... 2015-01-11 17:03 JSTThis article includes several paragraphs about the Shinpuren Rebellion (神風連の乱) of 1876. Here's one of those paragraphs:"Kaya Harukata, a Shinto priest, and his former classmate Ōtagurō Tomō founded a new Shinto faction, called Keishin-tō, the Party of Divine Reverence. It became more commonly known, however, as Kumamoto Shinpūren, the Kumamoto League of the Divine Wind. Harukata and Tomō recruited the sons of samurai families and students from the Shinto schools, many of them teenagers. Others were men outraged by what they saw as the decline of Japanese culture. In the end, the force was less than 200 men strong, but they decided to attack Kumamoto, where an Imperial Japanese Army was stationed. It was 173 samurai against some 2000 armed troops. And, to make the odds even worse, the Shinpūren fought only with swords, a symbol of their commitment to the samurai way of life."Along with the famous Satsuma Rebellion (西南戦争) that began just a few months later, the Shinpuren Rebellion was one of the last samurai rebellions. Samurai were angry about the decline in their status but also believed that the process of Westernization was a threat to Japanese culture. In that sense, Japanese nationalists continue to pay homage to what they see as their valiant attempt to preserve Japanese culture or the "Japanese spirit." Here for example, is a video (in Japanese) by Mizushima Satoru (水島総) of the ultra-conservative "Japanese Culture Channel Sakura" (日本文化チャンネル桜) praising the spirit of the Shinpuren:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTRFbyQQqRUThe Shinpuren Museum (資料館) is very close to Kumamoto University:https://plus.google.com/111091052965827466630/about?gl=jp&hl=enI've never been there but writing this has piqued my interest. Perhaps I'll stop by one of these days.http://io9.com/why-did-japanese-people-stop-performing-seppuku-1678549063Why Did Japanese People Stop Performing Seppuku? 2015-01-10 16:44 JSTI'm sharing this so more people can see it. (this post) 2015-01-10 11:40 JSTI don't know if any of these authors worked as JETs in Kumamoto. If any of you happen to know, please post a comment. Also, I think there are others who could be added to the list on Amazon (the page to which this link takes you has a link to the Amazon list). If you are a former JET and have published a book, why not add your work to the list or post about it here?https://www.facebook.com/JETAAInternational/posts/877811262240888The JET Programme, Japan - Books by former JET's 2015-01-09 21:16 JSTInfluenza is on the rise in Kumamoto. Here's a link to an English article about the recent increase in flu cases in Japan:http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/110927.phphttp://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20150109002.xhtml県内インフル患者増、注意報に 山鹿など警報－熊本のニュース│ くまにちコム 2015-01-09 12:25 JSTEven if you are not interested in the discussion to be held in Japanese starting at 2 PM, you may enjoy the Tsugaru-jamisen performance that starts at 1 PM on Sunday the 11th at the Bipuresu Hiroba (near the entrance to the Kamitori Arcade).https://www.facebook.com/kumamotokibiru/posts/984084864952963[熊本市]１月１１日(日)熊本市のまちづくりについてのトークライブ及びまちづくりＰＲイベント開催のご案内 | 大学コンソーシアム熊本 2015-01-08 19:00 JSTKumamoto is No. 3 when it comes to the number of inpatients per 100,000 in the population."According to some observers, this reflects the fact that some hospitals intentionally fill their existing beds with such inpatients from a business perspective."http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001808274Nationwide survey finds large regional gaps in inpatient rate at recuperation facilities - The... 2015-01-08 09:22 JSTA new video of people in Kumamoto dancing to Pharrell Williams' "Happy" has come out. Enjoy!http://youtu.be/zyo77vqg3R0HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015 in Chuo-ku,Kumamoto,Japan