This is a follow-up to a topic that William posted about the other day. -- Kirk
2021-08-01 23:29 JST 2021 This is a follow-up to a topic that William posted about the other day. -- Kirk Kumamoto Prefecture Unveils One Piece Bronze Nami Statue as Part of Revitalization ProjectKumamoto Prefecture has unveiled a new statue of Nami from One Piece, as part of a collaborative effort with Shueisha to revitalize the area. https://www.siliconera.com/one-piece-kumamoto-statue-nami/ ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 12 · Comments: 5 · Shares: 0 ← 2021-08-01 17:35 JST 2021-08-02 18:21 JST → Around this time … 2021-08-04 07:09 JST"Cicada" (a loan-word from a Mediterranean substrate language - that's when you realize people really look down on you) in Japanese are called "semi." Perhaps they have identity issues: "Are you an insect?" "Well, semi." They kind of have a bummer of a life, living seven years underground to emerge expecting a semi-orgy (never done one of those but I've put it on my list) only to caught by some kid with a net and a plastic box. Just leave them alone and allow them to fulfill their lifespan. - William 2021-08-04 05:52 JSTSummer is shoe season! Japan offers a wide variety of shoes quite adapted to the season. Attached is a quick guide to traditional Japanese footwear. I generally go with the geta 下駄 - the wood is quite comfortable in the summer heat, and the raised height makes them convenient during deluges. Kokai Shopping Street has several marvelous shops that sell traditional footwear. They're all about the same; just choose a pair of geta that suit you. - William 2021-08-04 04:48 JSTI was just chatting with Katarina Maria Mantzas about ロバのパン - "donkey bread." So very long ago that it was even before my time, actual donkeys were used to draw the carts; they later became motorized, but the song they broadcast maintained the donkey theme. Sadly, they've all but disappeared; I suppose they could no longer compete with modern convenience stores. But this is what convenience stores were like back in the day. You can enjoy the song at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ck5JKVaGRM - William 2021-08-03 07:26 JSTJoe Tomei here. If anyone hasn't gotten their jab, the prefecture has opened a vaccination center (Moderna) at Gran Messe (near the airport expressway entrance) for anyone who has a couponThis is the reservation linkhttps://www.covid19-vaccine.mrso.jp/kumamoto/VisitNumbers/visitnoAuth/The hours are weekdays 6pm-9pm and weekends noon- 6.Mike Rupp, in the comments, writes about the Vaccine Passport=====You go to the Kuyakusho, and they can give it to you at the window where they do Japanese passports. You need to bring your passport, the proof of 2 shots (the sheet with stickers) and you must write down a date for which you plan to travel on the form. It took about 15 minutes for me [Mike] and I was the first foreigner. ===Mike's timeline has a photo of his document but unfortunately, I can't add it to this post ($%&'&$ Facebook) and we've blocked photo comments ($'%&#%& trolls on the Internet), but if you ask him nicely, he may help. If you aren't sure of your Japanese (or even if you are!) having a photo of the object of your desire can really help things along. 2021-08-02 18:21 JSTSeems like rainy season has finally caught up with us. I'm not sure how my plants feel about it - it's always too little or too much. - WilliamThe Rain Rain Rain (came Down Down Down) English 2021-08-01 23:29 JSTThis is a follow-up to a topic that William posted about the …Kumamoto Prefecture Unveils One Piece Bronze Nami Statue as Part of Revitalization Project (this post) 2021-08-01 17:35 JSTCongratulations to local author and Kumamoto International participant Sean Michael Wilson on his most recent publication. It's in English and available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats:https://www.amazon.com/Minamata-Story-Sean-Michael-Wilson/dp/1611720567https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/72c464265b666a622d193b0ea4cc2849eed3fc45-- KirkＭＩＮＡＭＡＴＡに関心を 英語の漫画本、米で出版 原作者・ウィルソンさん「多くの人の目に」（熊本日日新聞） - Yahoo!ニュース 2021-07-31 23:34 JSTWords, created by people, are much like their creators: One never knows how they'll morph or where they'll end up. For example, "monsoon" comes from Dutch monssoen, from Portuguese monçao, from Arabic mawsim "time of year, appropriate season" (for a voyage, pilgrimage, - but not for shopping), according to etymonline. Keep a folding umbrella in your bag at all times just in case, Kumamon says. And check JMA before you go out. http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/index.html - William 2021-07-31 18:44 JSTI like Nishiharamura. It's a good day trip if you have a car. There's a 道の駅 selling all-local produce directly from the farmers - they have the grower's name on the packaging , which gives it a very personalized feeling. They're having this event now based on the TV show "One Piece," which I was into when it was new and original but quickly lost interest in when it began coasting on its own success (tell me about it!). I also objected to their sexualization of women (once I became the father of a daughter, that is. It's never too late to learn.) The point appears to be to attract more tourists to the area- I don't think there's any other connection. If I'm wrong, please let me know. The link to the event is below. - William https://kumanichi.com/articles/337432 2021-07-31 08:15 JSTI knew about Kumamoto's reputation for having excellent water (especially ground water) and I also knew about semiconductors being manufactured in this area. Until I read this sentence, however, I hadn't put the two together. "Kumamoto is known for having an abundance of water, necessary when manufacturing semiconductors."-- Kirk https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/28/business/corporate-business/tsmc-taiwan-chipmaking-kumamoto/Another article:https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/48a21b9f9c7e-taiwans-tsmc-eyes-kumamoto-as-site-for-1st-japan-chip-plant.htmlTaiwan's TSMC considering building first Japan chip plant in Kumamoto Prefecture 2021-07-30 17:22 JSTI think I've posted about this issue before. As before, the City of Minamata doesn't want to support a showing of the film. My take is that it's still too hot to handle in the area where everything happened. -- Kirk‘Minamata’ film starring Johnny Depp fails to gain city’s support | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
