Here's a blog post from our friends at the Kumamoto Islamic Center. -- Kirk
2017-10-05 09:26 JST 2017 Here's a blog post from our friends at the Kumamoto Islamic Center. -- Kirk Initiate collaboration, KIF visit Kumamoto Islamic Center to discuss some opportunityKumamoto (28/7). A meeting between Kumamoto International Foundation (KIF) and Kumamoto Islamic Center (KIC) was held on Friday 28 July 2017 at 11.00-12.00 am. From KIC, Br Rahmat , Br Imam Sheeraa… http://www.kicjapan.com/initiate-collaboration-kif-visit-kum … ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 20 · Comments: 2 · Shares: 2 ← 2017-10-04 18:28 JST 2017-10-05 22:45 JST → Around this time … 2017-10-08 17:58 JSTHello all - I just wanted to piggyback on Mark and Kirk's posts and share a bit more information about the Kumamoto Mizuakari festival with you, as it's an event that's very close to my heart (and I'm sad not to be in Kumamoto this year to experience it). If you're in Kumamoto and didn't get to see all of the lights and lanterns yesterday, please think about going today!The festival was started in 2004 as part of an effort to celebrate the unique beauty and heart of Kumamoto and the diverse people who live there. In recent years it has featured over 50,000 candles, thousands of lanterns, and the hard work of thousands of craftspeople, volunteers, and organizers. I first saw it in 2012 only a few short weeks after arriving in Kumamoto. It was my first time living in another country, and to say that I was stressed is an understatement. The Mizuakari festival was one of the first events that made me feel like I was living as part of a community, and it will always be one of my dearest memories.This year and last year, though, it's taken on a deeper meaning as a symbol of support and perseverance in the face of the damage caused by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. Not only does it show the creativity and dedication of the crasftpeople and volunteers who make the festival possible (not just in Kumamoto but also around the world - thanks, Mark!) - it's also a way for people to come together and express hope for the future. Working together is what makes us strong.I wanted to share a short video with you about last year's festival. If you can read Japanese, you'll note that many of the lanterns are decorated with messages of love and support in face of the earthquakes.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MhyGvI3u24I also wanted to share one of my Mizuakari photos from when I was living in Kumamoto. If you were able to go this year, please think about sharing some of your photos with us!-Grace 2017-10-07 11:46 JSTHi everyone, joe tomei here. Apologies for the slightly selfish post, but it is less than a month to The Sinfonietta concert, a all Brahms concert featuring the Brahms Double Concerto and Brahms 3rd Symphony. The concert is scheduled for Sun Nov 5th doors open at 1:45, concert starts at 2:30. I do have tickets for pre-purchase. Feel free to contact me at tomeiter (at) gmailThe Sinfonietta is a local orchestra so if you play an instrument (especially strings) and would like to join, please let me know. We play one concert a year and you can see the rehearsal information and previous concerts at this websitehttp://www.the-sinfonietta.org/ 2017-10-06 15:14 JSTThis images shows the morning route for Monday's festival parade. Personally, I'd recommend the beginning at about 6 AM that day. That's when everyone is fresh, sober (for the most part) and looking their best.-- KirkP.S. I took the image from a pdf put out by the police to show areas where traffic will be restricted that day:http://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/police/page1060.html 2017-10-06 09:13 JSTI don't share all of the news leads that I get about medical research at Kumamoto University but this one is especially intriguing. In this and other articles, research at Kumamoto University is cited as having the potential to lead to an actual cure -- not just a treatment -- for HIV infections.The first article I saw on this topic (which I'm not sharing this time) sounded a bit sensationalistic so a did a little more digging on the web and found the following article on a medical website:A new method for removing cells infected with the AIDS virushttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-10-method-cells-infected-aids-virus.htmlIt looks like the claim of "promise" is legit.-- Kirkhttp://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/new-breakthrough-could-one-day-lead-to-aids-cure/New Breakthrough Could One Day Lead To AIDS Cure 2017-10-05 22:45 JST"Born in 1954 in Nagasaki but educated in Britain, Kazuo Ishiguro is known for, among other things, his lyrical prose, his acute sense of place and for his masterful parsing of the British class system."https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/books/nobel-prize-literature.html"He earned a Master’s degree in 1980 and became a British citizen in 1982, the year he published his first novel, 'A Pale View of Hills,' which is set in Nagasaki after the atomic bombing."https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/kazuo-ishiguro-wins-nobel-prize-in-literature/2017/10/05/c9869a30-a91b-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.htmlNagasaki isn't Kumamoto . . . but it's pretty close! :)-- KirkKazuo Ishiguro Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature 2017-10-05 09:26 JSTHere's a blog post from our friends at the Kumamoto Islamic …Initiate collaboration, KIF visit Kumamoto Islamic Center to discuss some opportunity (this post) 2017-10-04 18:28 JSTThe article doesn't mention it, but I think they'll probably train at the Aqua Dome:http://kc-sks.com/aqua/floor.htmlIt's a 50 meter long, 10 lane pool -- probably the most suitable pool in Kumamoto for olympic athletes. -- Kirkhttps://swimswam.com/germany-make-training-camp-kumamoto-tokyo-2020/Germany to make training camp in Kumamoto before Tokyo 2020 2017-10-04 11:14 JSTApparently, Mashiki's earthquake data may have been fudged (falsified). I think the "jury's still out" on this one but questions have been raised.-- KirkResearchers' work questioned after errors discovered in Kumamoto quake data | The Japan Times 2017-10-04 10:58 JSTFish kanji demonstrate deep imagination. Below is a link to a Japan Times article explaining the etymology of a few. One (or two, actually) refer to the Pacific saury (sanma, 秋刀魚 - yes, they've managed to use 3 kanji to make a 2-syllable word. This is called gikun 義訓, a reading of kanji that has no correspondence to the characters' individual on'yomi or kun'yomi). As you can see, it literally means "autumn sword fish" as it is caught in autumn, is shaped like a sword, and is a fish. The season's first saury catch, which occurs as they migrate from their summer waters north of Hokkaido into waters off Tohoku, is called "shin sanma" and is written 鰶 (here, 3 syllables with 1 kanji!), literally meaning "festival fish".The Oe chapel of the Japan Lutheran Church will hold its annual sanma festival to benefit both Tohoku, which has graciously provided the sanma, and Kumamoto disaster victims, after services (noonish) this Sunday, 10/8 (take home or eat there; the chapel has a cafe cozily decorated with English antique furniture). The chapel is behind Kyushu Gakuin, everyone is extremely friendly, and all are welcome. - Williamhttps://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2009/05/20/language/fish-kanji-help-you-hook-the-perfect-meal-2/#.WdQ6zlS0NEE 2017-10-03 18:13 JSTJoe Tomei here, we've been asked to post this job notice. Please contact the person listed below. ThanksHello. Maple Tree International School in Higashi-ku is looking for fun, energetic and dedicated teachers who love working with very young children. Our main students' age groups are from 1.5 year-olds to 6 year-olds. We offer different types of positions below and competitive wages.(Contact us for more details) **Part time position(starting as soon as possible) ①Mon~Fri.15:00-16:30 (1.5h ¥3,750) *Approx. monthly wage:¥75,000 ②Mon~Fri.9:15~11:45 (2.5h ¥3,750) *Approx. monthly wage:¥75,000 ③Mon~Fri.9:00~14:00 (5h ¥7,500) *Approx. monthly wage:¥150,000 ④Tue.17:00~18:00 (1h ¥3,000) *Approx. monthly wage:¥12,000 ⑤Thu.18:00~19:00 (1h ¥3,000) *Approx. monthly wage:¥12,000 ⑥Fri.17:00~18:00 (1h ¥3,000) *Approx. monthly wage:¥12,000 **Full time position(Staring from April 2018 or earlier) ⑦Mon~Sat.8:30~18:00(Sat.9:00-17:00) Please send us your resume and a recent photo of you to [email protected] Thank you in advance, Kenshi Narimatsu 2017-10-02 15:00 JSTHere's something for the academics among our readership. Sorry to be late to share this. Fortunately, there's still some time before the submission deadline.-- Kirk
