2020-04-29 13:20 JST 2020 ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 7 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 0 ← 2020-04-29 11:48 JST 2020-04-29 16:25 JST → Around this time … 2020-05-01 12:49 JSTJoe Tomei here. A good friend of mine highly recommends this and it sounds like just the thing for these lockdowned times!Experienced and passionate Japanese Chef Shuji Ozeki offers hands-on cooking classes in English. 2020-04-30 12:40 JSTA note from the Kumamoto Desk of Sheltering In: You can get out if you self-distance. Kumamoto Castle recently launched a new route on their elevated walkway around the main keep from the south side of the castle tower, connecting the north side of Bizen moat to the south side of Honmaru Goten, allowing a novel perspective of the castle. - William特別見学通路、熊本城に新たな視点 新型コロナで一般公開延期 ｜ 熊本日日新聞 2020-04-30 21:11 JSTJoe Tomei here. This is an English translation of the Japanese information located at https://note.stopcovid19.jp/n/n47f8a80f5967How to spend time with childrenWe are doing this in order to pass on the information that is coming out in Japanese. While the translations are done to the best of our ability, please be aware that we take no responsibility for any issues that may arise based on actions taken on account of these translations. We are doing this in English, but would welcome help not only for that, but also for translations in other languages. Contact me off list if you can help.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sQtsOV7z_hF4mY__LXaNcqKGfds241Wp/view?usp=sharing_How to have a time with children .docx 2020-04-29 20:48 JSTA note from the Kumamoto International Meanwhile Life Goes On Desk (we look for sparks): Rice is grown in three stages: vegetative, reproductive, and ripening. The first is usually done in greenhouses, from which the seedlings are transplanted to a paddy. I always notice because the planting results in much sediment, making Shirakawa muddy in color. Now is that time. - William「実り多い年に」 阿蘇谷で田植え始まる ｜ 熊本日日新聞 2020-04-29 16:25 JSTThere are festivals that you're cool with, and then there are those that you're not. The main shrine in Kumamoto, Fujisaki Hachiman Gu, which holds that festival where they drive horses through the streets to celebrate Kato Kiyomasa's victory over Korea, is arguably the latter. The shrine has cancelled the festival for this year, much to the relief of the horses. - William＜速報＞「神幸行列」中止へ 藤崎八旛宮秋季例大祭、新型コロナ影響 ｜ 熊本日日新聞 2020-04-29 13:20 JSTPost (this post) 2020-04-29 11:48 JSTTraditional Japanese buildings are roofed with very heavy tiles. The advantages are that they are typhoon-resistant and long-lasting; the disadvantage is that they put a disproportionate amount of weight at the top of the building, leading to danger of collapse during earthquakes.Here is a fascinating, short video on the restoration of Kumamoto Castle focusing on the roof tiles. I was out there the other day and saw crate after crate of roof tiles waiting for re-installation. After watching this video, I learned why they would reuse them. Tip o' the hat to our reader, Masaki Koreishi. - WilliamRestoring a Region’s Symbol – Kumamoto Castle 2020-04-28 18:43 JSTOur friend Sean Benward recently forwarded this stunning photo of the castle. Sadly, reconstruction efforts have been suspended during the pandemic. But a walk through the grounds yesterday reminded me that the keep (tenshukaku, 天守閣) reconstruction is a piece of cake compared to the walls. We've got a long, tough slog affront of us for several areas. However, noting beauty is good for health.. - William 2020-04-28 18:04 JSTWe're supposed to stay home but Suizenji jojuen (the traditional garden) is open -- and you're more likely to meet wildlife there than other humans. I enjoyed watching these hunters today. Unfortunately, I don't have any footage of either of them catching their prey but I can assure you that they are not starving. -- Kirk 2020-04-28 17:30 JSTI read this article about a festival in Yamaga called "Ingo Hyotansai" (犬子（いんご）ひょうたん祭). It means "puppy gord festival", and they don't use the kanji for "hyoutan" (gord) because it's written so: 瓢箪 (it may be on the test). As a dog lover, I had to check it out.It turns out that it refers to a festival about a gourd containing a thumb-sized amulet made of a rice grain held by a puppy. The story is this: a puppy came out of nowhere to the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto during a plague of the Edo period. When a priest gave the tired puppy sake from his gourd (my dog's ears just perked), the pup recovered, and the plague subsequently subsided. Obviously, this quickly became a symbol of plague recovery. Generally, the festival is held on June 15, but the Yamaga festival has been cancelled this year due to the corona virus.Kinda ironic. - William「犬子ひょうたん」にコロナ終息祈願 山鹿市 ｜ 熊本日日新聞 2020-04-28 17:21 JSTJoe Tomei here with another update from Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott, the Prefectural JET advisors. =======more updates:Kumamoto Prefecture extends school closures Kumamoto Prefecture has extended the closures of prefectural schools until 31 May, and is requesting private and municipal schools to do the same. The prefecture is allowing schools to put in place special designated days on which students can come to school "登校日" (toukoubi) if necessary, but attendance days are to be restricted to the smallest number of days possible.The prefectural board of education has also released model timetables/examples of home study tasks using textbooks, encouraging the proactive use of school webpages and submission of assigned homework on designated school attendance days. https://kumanichi.com/news/1445101/Stricter health observation to be enforced for recovered patientsEarlier this week, it came to light that a previously discharged individual was confirmed to be positive again for COVID-19. As a result, Kumamoto City has decided to study options for strengthening health observations of patients even after they test negative and are discharged, due to the possibility of the virus remaining in the body for extended periods of time.Patients are to be observed continuously for 4 weeks after discharge, and will be required to fill out a check sheet of symptoms including fever, cough, malaise, sore throat, etc, as well as answer phone calls from health care workers once or twice a week during the 4 week period. Patients are being asked to stay at home for at least one week after being discharged from the hospital.https://this.kiji.is/627686027436885089Kumamoto City announces new testing centreKumamoto City announced plans to open a "Regional Outpatient Testing Centre" (地域外来検査センター, Chiiki Gairai Kensa Sentaa) in order to expand testing capacity. Some tests are to be outsourced to private inspection companies contracted by the city.The City Medical Association is planning to rent land from the city for construction. The location and the start of construction remain undecided, but drive-through sample collections are being considered. Patients will be able to undergo tests at the Regional Outpatient Testing Centre without going through their public health center (保健所) as long as they have a referral from a medical doctor.https://this.kiji.is/626017519394538593?c=92619697908483575&fbclid=IwAR1dKZPr679YO2BrfRQnPrNvxLeBUzUf1fUuokYb3qJbv2kMQpyHle57kzYNagasaki cruise ship situationThe number of cases reported in Nagasaki increased to 164. This large increase in confirmed cases is attributed to an outbreak on a foreign cruise ship. The number of cases in Nagasaki, excluding those on board the ship, is 17.The cruise ship, called the Costa Atlantica, arrived in Nagasaki at the end of January for repairs and maintenance (even before the infections on the Princess Diamond cruise ship at Yokohama Port came to light). There are 632 people on board, and a request was made for those on board to avoid leaving the ship and going into Nagasaki City.However, 40 new passengers boarded the ship beginning on 15 March, and it has been acknowledged that there were instances in which crew members left the ship. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is currently conducting an investigation on the movements of all crew members, as well as on taxi companies which are believed to have accepted passengers from the ship.It's believed that someone aboard the ship was infected in late March. So far, 148 people on board are confirmed to have been infected. Severe cases are being treated in hospitals in Nagasaki Prefecture, which has asked the national government for additional support. Everyone else on board is currently staying in a single-occupancy cabin, while crew members delivering food and medical services to cabins are required to wear personal protective equipment. The government is currently trying to arrange for crew members who test negative to return to their home countries.https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200426/k10012405981000.html https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN4W6R93N4WTOLB001.htmlMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare to permit dentists to conduct PCR testsThe Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has announced a new policy in which dentists will be allowed to collect PCR test samples in order to expand test capacity.https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200426/k10012406561000.htmlMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare informs local governments that mild cases should be put in hotels The national government has instructed local governments that, if hospital beds are unavailable, mild or asymptomatic patients should be put in hotels with 24-hour health monitoring in place by default. This decision came following the death of a man in Saitama Prefecture who had tested positive but later died in his home after being told to convalesce there. https://www.sponichi.co.jp/society/news/2020/04/24/kiji/20200424s00042000292000c.htmlIn the case of parents who must look after children, self-isolating at home remains possible. Some local governments are rolling out "home-care packages" (自宅療養セット) with food and supplies so that patients do not need to leave home during their isolation. https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN4T73QWN4SUTIL045.htmlSome businesses introducing new measuresWhile a small number of non-cooperative pachinko parlours have flouted closure requests (https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO58529350X20C20A4AC8000/), other businesses are introducing stricter measures to control the spread of COVID-19. For instance, convenience store Lawson will no longer be allowing customers to use in-store toilet facilities (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/shutoken-news/20200428/1000048115.html) and McDonalds will be closing in-store dining nationwide, not just in large cities where the state of emergency was originally declared. (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200428/k10012408481000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_001)Stay Home Video WebsiteThe Tokyo Metropolitan government has launched a website with many free videos for people to keep themselves entertained while at home over Golden Week. Many of the videos have English and Chinese subtitles. Governor Koike also announced that a collaboration video with Marie Kondo will be released and distributed through the Tokyo Douga website.https://tokyodouga.jp/https://www.koho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/diary/news/stay_home.htmlhttps://www3.nhk.or.jp/shutoken-news/20200424/1000047967.htmlMEXT considering shift of Japanese school year to begin in SeptemberAt a press conference earlier this afternoon, the The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said that MEXT is currently entertaining the option of shifting the beginning of the school year to September. Currently, 90% of schools across the country remain closed. With the co-operation of local governments, school closures could be extended to September to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and re-open in September, potentially creating a new school year system for Japan. The minister said that this had been considered internally for some time, and making the change now would bring the Japanese school year in line with many other countries, potentially making international exchange easier. However, he explained that any such change could not be implemented from within the ministry itself, and would require the widespread co-operation of the entirety of Japanese society.https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200428/k10012408711000.htmlhttps://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO58570110Y0A420C2MM0000/【新型コロナ】県立学校の休校延長を決定 熊本県教委 | 熊本のニュース | ニュース | 熊本日日新聞社