2017-02-28 10:51 JST 2017 Director Isao Yukisada helms Kumamoto film festival：The Asahi ShimbunThe Kumamoto Reconstruction Film Festival that will take place in April will mark the first annivers https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201702210004.html?utm_i … ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 2 · Comments: 0 ← 2017-02-27 19:17 JST 2017-02-28 11:36 JST → Around this time … 2017-03-01 12:48 JSTA new kind of Onsen-hopping pass if you are planning on visiting Kurokawa Onsen in a group,substantial savings!Posted by CharmaineKurokawa-onsen.com/new-shared-onsen-hoppingNEW Shared Onsen-hopping pass for groups! 2017-02-28 16:04 JSTLocal entities wake up to needs of foreigners in a natural … 2017-02-28 15:56 JSTThe Kyushu Expressway around Mashiki is one lane in each direction now as repairs from the quakes proceed, making navigating the zone a bit tricky. An accident occurred early this morning that killed one and injured six. The expressway southbound lane remains closed. http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170228/p2g/00m/0dm/035000c1 dead, 6 others hurt in multiple pileup on highway in Kumamoto - The Mainichi 2017-02-28 19:50 JSTMore travel-related news: the "hidden Christians" of the early Edo-era Nagasaki-Amakusa archipelago were able to remain both due to their remoteness, a situation which has proven disadvantageous for modern-day tourism. Kumanichi reports on plans to connect Nagasaki Port with Sakitsu Hamlet in Amakusa by a thrice-weekly ferry which may also pass by the Goto Islands and Hashima ( better known as Gunkanjima - "Battleship Island," a now-abandoned island famous for its coal mining) - each area filled with World Heritage sites. A one-way voyage is expected to take 90 minutes. Plans are still in their early stage, but we'll keep you up to date.Photos are posted below: (1) Sakitsu Church, Amakusa; (2) Goto Islands; (3) Hashima- William http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20170228001.xhtml 2017-02-28 11:36 JSTAn article written by my go-to economist, Kevin Short, is not about Kumamoto specifically but about Japan in general. He provides a few graphs which neatly do away with the doom-and-gloomers re: the Japanese economy from a macroeconomic perspective. One quibble: he did not mention median income, which seems to me to have stagnated considerably and is a major source of sourness. The article is at the link. - William http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/enduring-mystery-japans-economy 2017-02-28 10:51 JSTDirector Isao Yukisada helms Kumamoto film festival：The … (this post) 2017-02-27 19:17 JSTHi, I'm Yuichi Yoshida, a Japanese teacher of English at Shinwa High School. I studied one year in Montana State University in Bozeman, and another year in Georgetown in DC. Mr. Masden and Mr. Tomei are good friends of mine. I will be glad if I can post useful information for you on this from now on. My first post is about Special Olympics. Since my daughter is mentally challenged, I have been involved in Special Olympics for more than 10 years.Next month, Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in Austria. 54 athletes including two from Kumamoto will attend the games. A student at Kumamoto University started a crowd-funding project for raising money to support those 54 athletes representing Japan. Depending on which prefecture an athlete is in, s/he has to pay 100,000 yen to 20,000 yen. This project aims to give 10,000 yen for each athlete. If you are interested in sports for the challenged, this is THE chance. Please give them a hand. The project page is https://a-port.asahi.com/projects/WG2017Austria/ I'm sorry it's all in Japanese. You can get English explanation at https://connect.place/ase2016/One of the two athletes is my daughter, Aya. Thank you in advance.知的障がい者スポーツの世界大会 日本選手団54人の派遣費を援助し、応援したい！｜クラウドファンディング｜A-port 朝日新聞社 2017-02-27 16:46 JSTThe Kumamoto Reconstruction Film Festival will take place from April 7-9 and will feature open-air runs of Kumamoto-themed movies at Ninomaru as well as many other events. Prominent will be director Isao Yukisada, whose movie "Utsukushii Hito" (「美しい人」 - "Beautiful People"), which was released just before the quakes, contains a bit of dialog I love:若い女は美しいでも・・・老いた女はもっと美しい ("Young women are beautiful, but old women are even more so.") My wife appreciates my appreciation of this line. Following are a preview to this movie (Japanese) and a link to more information (English). - Williamhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aojmeFsWgVIhttp://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201702210004.html『うつくしいひと』予告篇 くまもと映画プロジェクト 2017-02-26 17:38 JSTTokyo Marathon was held today with a vastly slimmed down Kumamon taking part (top right). He needs to partake of some of those 533 pieces of Valentine's Day chocolate he received, it appears.https://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/fun-run 2017-02-26 16:08 JSTThe southern portion of Kumamoto zoo reopened on 2/25 for the first time since the quakes. The area encompasses the giraffe and elephant pens, though the two are still apparently not on talking terms since that bucket of carrots incident (best not to take sides here). The main and west entrances remain closed, but two entrances from the Lower Ezu Lake side are open as indicated on the map below. - Williamhttp://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20170225006.xhtml 2017-02-25 13:02 JSTMore roadwork news: We had written recently of the grand plan for a new bypass connecting the expressway north of Kumamoto through the relatively unpopulated west to Amakusa. Kumanichi reports that one 4.1 kilometer segment bypassing Route 3 and Route 31 (which passes in front of Sojo University) - both notoriously packed - will open on March 26. The road is expected to cut 11 minutes from beleaguered morning commuters' hellishness (and these commuters include many university employees). - Williamhttp://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20170224005.xhtml
