I recently came across this beautiful video of Kumamoto. Enjoy. Leanne
2019-03-09 00:55 JST 2019 I recently came across this beautiful video of Kumamoto. Enjoy. Leanne ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 84 · Comments: 7 · Shares: 0 ← 2019-03-08 13:20 JST 2019-03-09 13:24 JST → Around this time … 2019-03-12 18:20 JSTThe only reason I'm reposting this ad for cheap tickets between Kumamoto and Osaka is its inadvertent culinary humor: Basashi, anyone? - William 2019-03-12 12:40 JSTJeff Cairns, a long-term Kumamoto resident (disclaimer: my daughter lost out to his for the lead role at their high school play, but I think she's gotten over it) is a talented musician, specializing in shakuhachi. A CD of his "Concert in the Woods", held recently midway up Mt. Kimpo, is now available. Jeff's message is as follows. - William Dear Friends, I am very happy to announce that my new group JECAPRO has just released its first album JECAPRO - Concert in the Woods; a live recording on December 8th, 2018 at Concert in the Woods, Kumamoto, Japan. This is a limited run CD offered to you for 1500 yen, free shipping anywhere in the world. Payment is accepted through PayPal if you aren't in Japan, and Paypal or other arrangements if you are in Japan. Please share this message and support local music. Please message me if you are interested in having this CD sent to you. I be very happy to hear from you. 2019-03-11 09:36 JSTToday marks the eight anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami resulting in 15,896 deaths, 6,157 injured, and 2,537 missing. The pastor at my church this morning struggled to find God's reasoning, but the scientist in me could only find cause: the Pacific Plate is subducting under the plate beneath northern Honshu at 8 to 9 cm per year but not smoothly, and accumulated stress resulted in a seismic slip-rupture event which was the fourth most powerful ever recorded in the world. The Earth's movement at that moment was so powerful that:ーSeismic energy sufficient to electrify a city the size of Los Angeles for an entire year was unleashed;ーHonshu was moved 2.4 m east;ーThe Earth's axis shifted between 10 and 25 cm and its rotational speed was increased by 1.8 µs per day;ーHonshu's Pacific coast sank roughly a meter.However, after about three years, the coast rose back and continues rising to exceed its original height. Japan exists due to earthquakes, not despite them. Many still struggle in Tōhoku, and time is still required, but its people, too, will eventually rise taller, as they always have. - William 2019-03-10 18:53 JSTKirk here. I hope I'm not bugging you (clever, huh?) by posting another article about the (supposedly) edible insect vending machine in Kokai. This article is somewhat unique in that it contains animation of a man's taste test, which I thought was mildly amusing. It also led me to believe that sometimes it's OK to be a prisoner of your preconceived notions, as I intend to remain in this case.Eating a bag of Rhino Beetles from Kumamoto's bug-food vending machine【Taste test】 2019-03-09 13:24 JSTLeanne shared that wonderful video yesterday, Kumamon is constantly in the news, and tourists are flooding in. Kumamoto is becoming a brand.Kumanichi has an interesting once-monthly series on castle reconstruction. I mention this for two reasons. One is the series' elegant logo, shaped like the castle but reminiscent of Kumamon - and with a heart. The other is the kanji used to delineate each article - they are written in what is called "daiji" (大字), alternative kanji used for numbers. For example, 一 can easily be counterfeited as 二 or 三, but try forging this character: 壹, which equals 一, while 貮 equals 二 and 參 三. A full list can be found at the Wikipedia link below. - Williamhttps://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%97_(%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97) 2019-03-09 00:55 JSTI recently came across this beautiful video of Kumamoto. … (this post) 2019-03-08 13:20 JSTKumamon is popular in the Chinese sphere (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong), with licensing bringing Kumamoto substantial revenue. A question has been what to call Kumamon in Chinese.Chinese usually uses phonetic equivalents of their kanji, known in Japanese as "ateji" (当て字 - perhaps the most famous is that for Coca Cola, 可口可乐, which directly translates as "drinkable and enjoyable" - good choice). Kumamon's ateji thus far has been "酷ＭＡ萌" - Kumamong. Whoever chose this should be fired; in effect, it means "Rough MA Indication." So bureaucrats got on it and have filed for trademarks in these three countries under a new moniker: 熊本熊 (Xiong Ben Xiong, literally, Kumamoto Bear). This is a good choice: rather than a nonsensical ateji, it is eloquently balanced Kanji that the locals can understand which will raise awareness of Kuamoto in these countries. Kumanichi reports that trademarking procedures may take up to two years. - Williamくまモン、中国名「熊本熊」に 「酷ＭＡ萌」から変更 ｜ 熊本日日新聞 2019-03-08 11:52 JSTParticipating in the "Three Sectors, Three Approaches" symposium last night (the event sponsored by the Japan Foundation in which prominent Japanese Americans were invited to come as speakers) was a welcome opportunity for me to meet people whose names I see here on Facebook but either have never met or don't get to see often. One of them was Taiji Matsunami, who posted the following pictures on the Facebook page of his NPO, Kumamoto Machinami Trust. Actually, Machinami Trust(a trust related to the "townscape" preservation or architectural integrity of Kumamoto) sounds a lot like "Matsunami Trust" (trust Mr. Matsunami), which, of course, having met him, I do. ;)-- Kirkhttps://www.facebook.com/kumamoto.trust/posts/2530615480300340?__tn__=-R 2019-03-08 09:06 JSTA reminder from our Irish friend, Ruth: tonight (3/8), she will hold an Irish dance lesson on the eve of the St. Patrick's Day parade (3/9) starting from Kamitotori at 2:30 (gathering begins at 2:00 - just look for the people in green), after which there will be a party at Salvatore Cuomo and Bar. Time to get your Irish on! Ruth's message is below. - WilliamCome join the 13th Annual Kumamoto St.Patrick's Day Parade on Sat., 9th March!! 🍀 The night before we'll have an Irish Céili Dance Session (Friday, 8th March) at Kumamoto International Center・熊本市国際交流会館 from 7-9:30pm, so grab a green top and get ready to toe-tap all weekend - at the céili and the parade✨🍀🎻👣🎶 Live music, easy dances and good, green genki fun 💚 Check out the details!! 2019-03-07 19:47 JSTA note from the Kumamoto International Desk of Cuisine (located near but not in the kitchen as my wife doesn't allow me entrance unless unwashed dishes await, in which case I'd better respond with alacrity): Japanese sour cream is both expensive and too stiff for most western recipes. She found that, blended at a 2.5:1 ratio (or so - experiment to your taste) with plain yogurt, which is much cheaper, the resulting consistency and taste is remarkably like American sour cream. That is all. - William 2019-03-07 13:04 JSTKumamoto has seen record numbers of visitors, particularly with recent improvements to Yatsushiro Port facilitating cruise ship arrivals. This article mentions that Yatsushirogu, the main shrine in the city, had resorted to restricting entry to non-Japanese at certain times, a policy the city opposes, but has recently tried to work out measures to accommodate both worshipers and tourists.While the article focuses on raucous behavior of visitors, my take is it's mainly a result of cruise-ship tourism rather than culture. Unleashing a few thousand tourists at once under a strict time limit is not a good idea, as even many cities in the US have found (and their customers are fellow Americans). Perhaps efforts can be made to split numbers and better coordinate movement. Yatsushiro is discussed under the "NO-FOREIGNERS POLICY SPREADING" subsection. - WilliamBad behavior forces facilities to reject foreign group tourists：The Asahi Shimbun