Here's a news item from nearly a month ago that I seem to have forgotten to share. -- Kirk
2018-04-25 19:01 JST 2018 Here's a news item from nearly a month ago that I seem to have forgotten to share. -- Kirk Kumamoto Castle restoration plan decided- News - NHK WORLD - EnglishKumamoto Prefecture and the central government have officially decided on a 20-year plan to restore an iconic castle in southwestern Japan. It was severely damaged by a series of strong earthquakes in 2016. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180329_06/ ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 6 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 1 ← 2018-04-25 12:29 JST 2018-04-25 20:36 JST → Around this time … 2018-04-30 17:25 JSTThis NHK article is good but leaves out much of the information shared in a segment on NHK's morning news show on the same topic (4/17). https://www.nhk.or.jp/ohayou/digest/2018/04/0417.htmlHere are some key points of the segment:*** There were more than four times as many deaths that were deemed to be caused indirectly by the quake (211) than those directly caused by it (50).*** The high "indirect" death rate in Kumamoto was caused, in part at least, by overcrowding in evacuation centers.*** The overcrowding in Kumamoto's evacuation facilities made them worse than refugee camps in many troubled parts of the world.*** Administrators of refugee camps follow guidelines laid out in the "Sphere Handbook," which outlines "minimum standards in humanitarian response." These guidelines stipulate minimum standards for per person space and toilet facilities, among other things. When toilets are bad or insufficient people avoid going to relieve themselves, or reduce their liquid and food intake in order to avoid doing so, and that can lead to series health complications. Conditions in many of Kumamoto's evacuation centers where far below the minimum's outlined in the handbook.http://www.sphereproject.org*** Though Japan is an economically advanced country, a culture of "gaman" (the idea that it's a virtue to grit your teeth and suffer through without complaining) may have been part of the problem.-- Kirkhttps://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGoda5EumI1fwA0NucEzcBmauDPOg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=vxHkWojEIIOi4QKU1YaIAg&url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180417_11/Poor conditions led to more Kumamoto quake deaths- News - NHK WORLD - English 2018-04-28 15:33 JSTThis article is about the family of Hikaru Yamato, whose car seems to have been on the Aso Ohashi Bridge at the moment of its collapse, April 16, 2016. His parents continued to search for his body for more than three months. Their efforts, which continued after the official search had ended, ultimately led to the discovery of Hikaru's remains, inside the mangled car. Search efforts had been hampered but rugged terrain, the location of the car (significantly downstream from the collapse site), and the boulders and other debris that concealed it. -- KirkKin of last confirmed victim of Kumamoto quakes mark second anniversary of disaster | The Japan Times 2018-04-27 22:16 JSTJoe Tomei with the slightly late Friday Funky place. Today's place, Araki, might not meet all the definitions of funky, but it is certainly worth a trip out to Jonan machi as it is a very well stocked liquor shop with a cafe in the back. I stopped there on the way to Yatsushiro and was astonished to see some single barrel Scotch Whiskeys. I believe they were from the Scotch Whiskey society, which purchases individual barrels of single malt scotch (most whiskeys are blended to produce a relatively uniform taste). Their website is herehttp://www.araki-vino.co.jp/A friend told me that the owner organizes events and organized several events after the earthquake featuring chefs with food and alcohol pairings.You can find it on the FFP map athttps://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing 2018-04-25 20:36 JSTRegular readers of this page may remember other posts we've made about Kumamoto's own Kimiko Nishimoto, the elderly, but very young-at-heart photographer: https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1703987643007994Well, today I saw a very entertaining TV commercial that promotes a magazine issue. After a little searching, I found the video on the web. Enjoy!-- Kirk自撮りのキミちゃん【通販生活公式】 30秒 CM | CM Fun 2018-04-26 07:17 JSTHeads up!-- KirkSDF chopper part likely to have fallen in Kumamoto 2018-04-25 19:01 JSTHere's a news item from nearly a month ago that I seem to …Kumamoto Castle restoration plan decided- News - NHK WORLD - English (this post) 2018-04-25 12:29 JSTFor those who love flowers. These flowers are blooming now.Tulips and Nemophila (ネモフィラ)(Two parks near Kumamoto grow them. One is Kuju Hana Koen in Aso, and another one is Uminonakamichi in Fukuoka)http://www.hanakoen.comhttps://uminaka-park.jpAzaleas (つつじ)(One Park is in Mifune, and another one is in Ozu)http://www.mifuneyamarakuen.jp/spring/http://www.town.ozu.kumamoto.jp/kankou/kiji0036604/index.html-Olivia-大津町 おすすめスポット 2018-04-21 16:25 JSTHere's an article from Monday's anniversary that I wasn't aware of at the time:"The Kumamoto prefectural government carried out a disaster drill on Monday. All its about 3,800 employees were required to go to work on the presumption that an earthquake measuring a lower six on the Japanese seismic intensity scale occurred at 6 a.m."-- KirkKumamoto quake victims remembered in Minamiaso 2018-04-20 09:06 JSTJoe Tomei here. While second hand/recycle shops are, by definition, funky, Japan has a way of de-funkifying things. Hard-off, 2ndstreet are recycle shops, but they fail to get the true atmosphere of funky place vibe I used to seek out when I was a college student and and visited these places out in the boonies of Hattiesburg, MS. Fear not, FFPites, this is a recycle store just like those, with funkiness to spare. I hesitate to list what they have cause one never knows. It's a couple of kms before the Uki Youme Town in Matsubase Takezaki and marked on the Friday Funky Place map at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing 2018-04-20 08:28 JST"For those with more time on their hands, traveling west to the onsen village of Kurokawa in Kumamoto is a must: the moss-covered haven, near Mount Aso, has not one single high-rise or street sign in sight."This article has already been shared on other Kumamoto-related pages (e.g. Kuma Visit and Explore Kumamoto). I'm sharing it here too for anyone who has not seen it yet. If you've never been to Kurokawa, I highly recommend it.-- Kirk5 Japanese Hot Spring Baths to Put on Your Bucket List 2018-04-19 20:44 JSTAttn: Cyclists, wannabe cyclists, or anyone who can ride a bike: Mr. Itoh at the Kumamoto International Foundation asked me to share this. I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Personally, I'm tempted but I suspect that I'll wind up sitting this one out.-- KirkP.S. The leader of the tour only speaks Japanese. So, it'll be better if you can speak a little Japanese or if you can go with a partner who understands the language.
