A note from our shakuhachi virtuoso, Jeff Cairns.
2021-09-30 23:08 JST 2021 A note from our shakuhachi virtuoso, Jeff Cairns. ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 2 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 0 ← 2021-09-30 17:59 JST 2021-10-01 17:03 JST → Around this time … 2021-10-02 16:56 JSTYou'll remember there was a reservoir overlooking Route 57 as it threaded its way through Tateno Gap to Aso and on to Oita which ruptured in the quakes, causing landslides that cut off the route. Instead of trying to reopen that, they tunneled, opening a new route a year ago. Kumanichi reports that the smooth transportation has led to an increase in population in the Aso region as the "Silicon Island" workers increasingly choose to live there while working at the fabs in Ozu. Imagine what the trans-Kyushu highway will do for the forgotten eastern area of Kumamoto. 2021-10-02 13:39 JSTKirk here with a bit of media news. Seeing William's recent post about an article in the Kumanichi Shimbun (thanks William!) reminded me that the newspaper ended publication of its evening edition (yukan) a few days ago. The article says that the evening edition had continued for 69 years. I heard on TV that the one factor in the yukan's demise was the internet, which has reduced the need to get a second edition of the paper to learn about the latest events.I'm a fan of and moderately heavy user of the internet, but I worry about what it's doing to journalism and public culture. You may be aware of recent reports about how Facebook knew it having a negative impact on many young girls but didn't take significant action to curtail the problem. Fake news often spreads more quickly than and crowds out real news. Similar problems abound. I have very mixed feelings about this platform. 😕https://kumanichi.com/articles/415909 2021-10-02 12:19 JSTWilliam. Taniguchi Musuo (谷口睦生) is being honored with a statue in his hometown of Yatsushiro. Taniguchi was a talented sprinter in the 200 and 400 meters who competed in the Berlin Olympics (he didn't medal but competed admirably). Upon returning to Japan, he was soon drafted and sent to Bougainville in the Solomon Islands just as the US was beginning its counteroffensive. His ship was sunk, he along with it. A friend of his said, "Perhaps he had doubts about the war because he participated in the Olympics and fostered friendship across countries. Had it not been for war, he would have been a good track and field leader." Reminds me a bit of the movie "Chariots of Fire." Let us be thankful that we are in no danger of being drafted - for the moment. The article is a good read; some tricky words are translated below.https://kumanichi.com/articles/418465双璧 （そうへき）= two greatest authorities翻弄 （ほんろう）= trifling with散った （散る、ちる）= died召集される（しょうしゅう）= be drafted 2021-10-01 22:16 JST(Fiona) Local author and Kumamoto-i contributor Tristan Vick has a new Kickstarter for his latest project Daughter of Wolves. You can find out more about his comic book series here:Daughter of Wolves Issue #1 2021-10-01 17:03 JSTWilliam. The "higanbana" is so named as it blossoms at the time of the Buddhist celebration of higan, when your ancestors to whom who still probably owe money to return to remind you of that. The bulbs of the plant are very poisonous and are thus used in Japan to surround paddies and houses to keep away pests; also, their deep roots form a dense water barrier, which is why most of them are grown close to rivers, particularly surrounding rice paddy embankments. In Japan, the Red Spider Lily signals the arrival of fall. Many Buddhist will use it to celebrate the arrival of fall with a ceremony at the tomb of one of their ancestors. They plant them on graves because it shows a tribute to the dead. People believe that, since the Red Spider Lily is mostly associated with death, one should never give a bouquet of these flowers. 2021-09-30 23:08 JSTA note from our shakuhachi virtuoso, Jeff Cairns. (this post) 2021-09-30 17:59 JSTWilliam. I had thought of Kumamoto shipbuilding as only in Arao, but apparently there is a shipyard in Amakusa near Misumi of all places. It is called Shinozakizousen and produces mostly medium-sized ships for domestic freighting. It is also in charge of maintaining the gates on the seawall. Recently, as Kumanichi notes, it floated a medical ship intended for extended use in the Marshall Islands to provide dental, health, and emergency care for the islanders; it is now being fitted out in preparation for its voyage. Its name is Polynesian, "Liwatooon Moura," which apparently means, "No ship, no health."The article is an interesting read, pointing out that Kumamoto once flourished with shipbuilding until ships turned from wood to iron. Photo below is of the medical ship. The first link is to the Kumanichi article; the second, to the company's Website. Those interested in the history of maritime Kumamoto should have a look.https://kumanichi.com/articles/413881https://www.shinozakizousen.com/works 2021-09-30 16:43 JSTKirk here with some more copying and pasting:"Tests at restaurants and bars will be conducted in 12 prefectures -- Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Ishikawa, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Okinawa. Tests covering small concert venues and small theaters will take place in four prefectures -- Hokkaido, Aichi, Osaka, Kumamoto."Japan plans tests to ease coronavirus restrictions | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News 2021-09-30 16:28 JSTKirk here, demonstrating my ability to copy and paste. First, some text . . ."Kumamoto Prefecture will continue to ask eateries in Kumamoto city to close by 8 p.m. until Oct. 14 because the city’s hospital bed occupancy rate remains high. ". . . and now the URL . . .https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14450162P.S. Dear Asahi Shimbun:In the phrase "the city’s hospital bed occupancy rate" the word "city" does not need to be capitalized because it's not part of a proper noun. "Kumamoto City," on the other hand, is a compound proper noun, that is, the name of a place that is made up of more than one word, so you have to capitalize "city" in this case. You got it right with Kumamoto Prefecture so perhaps this was just an oversight. At any rate, I see this mistake a lot so I thought I'd point it out.Booze to flow again at eateries Oct. 1 as state of emergency ends | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis 2021-09-29 20:31 JSTKirk here with an election update: Fumio Kishida will be Japan's next prime minister.Here are some notes about how RKK reported the Kumamoto side of the election today. The LDP party members in Kumamoto voted as follows:Kishida: 6109Kono: 6012Takaichi: 2783Noda: 743In addition to party members, the votes of Diet politicians accounted for about half of the electorate in the national vote. Of six LDP politicians from Kumamoto three supported Kishida.As I'm not a big fan of right-wing politicians, I was glad that Takaichi (the person on the left in the picture) didn't have a lot of support in Kumamoto. Here's a blurb about Takaichi from Japan News:"Takaichi, a former internal affairs and communications minister, is known as one of the most conservative LDP members, calling for highly conservative policies, such as maintaining male-only Imperial succession, visits to Yasukuni Shrine, and Japan’s possession of precision-guided missiles and armed drones. Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class-A World War II criminals along with the war dead, is considered a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, particularly in China and Korea."https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0007776111In case there's any doubt about whether her patronage of Yasukuni has meaningful policy implications, check out this sentence from an Asahi article:"Her security policies include developing a preemptive strike capability to counter threats from China and North Korea."https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14448535The one Diet member from Kumamoto to support Takaichi was KIHARA Minoru. Here's part of a statement that appeared in the Washington Post that he signed:“The ianfu (comfort women) who were embedded with the Japanese army were not, as is commonly reported, ‘sex slaves.’ They were working under a system of licensed prostitution that was commonplace around the world at the time.”https://www.japan-press.co.jp/2007/2533/history2.htmlI won't take the time to explain how this misrepresents what has been documented. I'll just say that there's lots of evidence to the contrary.The support for Takaichi was quite high among LDP diet members (sorry, I forgot the exact numbers). I'm glad that the extreme right doesn't seem to be quite as popular here in Kumamoto.2 women, political opposites, vying in race for Japan PM | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis 2021-09-29 18:06 JSTKirk here with a photo of damage caused by heavy rains last year. The article is about what LDP politicians have to say about disaster preparedness. In that context, Kumamoto is a poster child of sorts. The photo caption reads as follows: "Buckled tracks on the JR Hisatsu Line near Watari Station in Kumamoto Prefecture after heavy rains on July 5, 2020 (Jun Kaneko)."Kumamoto also comes up in relation to candidate for party head (and, by extension, prime minister) KONO Taro:"Taro Kono, the minister of administrative reform and one of four candidates for the LDP presidential election on Sept. 29, was in charge of disaster prevention and mitigation when areas in Kumamoto Prefecture were hit by a cluster of massive earthquakes in 2016. In a book he wrote, Kono made some notable proposals, including a program to train experts in disaster risk management."EDITORIAL: How to respond to disasters key issue for LDP candidates | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis