William A bit of private stuff but maybe of general interest
2023-12-04 13:40 JST 2023 William A bit of private stuff but maybe of general interest ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 6 · Comments: 1 · Shares: 0 ← 2023-12-04 10:59 JST 2023-12-05 12:25 JST → Around this time … 2023-12-05 22:10 JSTKirk here. I learned recently that there was a murder earlier this year in which, according to reports, both the victim and the suspect are foreigners. I'll refrain from going into details but I can say that reports indicate that "equal work, unequal pay" may have triggered the incident.I'll put a link in a comment. 2023-12-05 20:00 JSTKirk here with something for history buffs. I'll append a ChatGPT 4.0 translation, which I think is pretty good.https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/874059?display=1--- ChatGPT 4.0 translation of article ---New Documents Discovered Related to Hidden Christians: "Retaliation against the Village Headman for Leading Christian Hunts" DescribedDecember 4, 2023, Monday, 15:24New documents related to hidden Christians, previously unexplored, have been discovered in Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture.The newly found documents pertain to hidden Christians following the "Amakusa Collapse" (Amakusa Kuzure). The Amakusa Collapse refers to an incident in the late Edo period where many Christians were captured.The documents reveal that, six years after the Amakusa Collapse, there was turmoil in a village where the community sought the dismissal of the village headman of Imatomi Village (current Imatomi, Kawaura Town, Amakusa City). The headman is believed to have led the search for Christians, and the turmoil was considered retaliation against him for these actions.From these documents, it can be understood that the faith of the hidden Christians was preserved even after the Amakusa Collapse. It also sheds light on how the village headmen, including other locals at the time, perceived the existence of hidden Christians. The discovery of these private documents, apart from official records, is said to be very rare.Professor Keimei Ando, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kumamoto University: "A comprehensive analysis of these documents may reveal a new image of hidden Christians in Amakusa."Starting December 7, an exhibition interpreting these ancient documents will be held at the Amakusa Christian Museum and Amakusa Rosario Museum.キリシタン探索を主導した “庄屋への報復 ” など記述 『潜伏キリシタンに関する新たな資料を発見』 | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送 2023-12-05 12:57 JSTWilliam I first came to Japan by ship (!!) - from Taiwan via Okinawa to Osaka. Without a word of Japanese and no knowledge of the culture, I spent a lonely week in Naha. Yet shop after shop offered what I termed "banana fish" - see, they were shaped like bananas but smelled like fish.Turns out they were katsuobushi 鰹節 - smoked bonito Later, I spent time in Kagoshima and visited facilities where they are made. (if you visit the area, you'll see pile upon pile of wood for smoking). It is a lengthy process. But if you are a katusobushi fan (which I have become), Kagoshima is your Jerusalem. PM us for info - touring a factory is a wonderful experience.Katsuobushi flakes are available pretty much anywhere. They are good on anything - heck, put them on your toast! - and are healthy and nutritious. (If you're a hardcore traditionalist, you buy a cutting board box specifically designed to shave katsuobushi.) 2023-12-05 12:43 JSTJoe Tomei here, passing on a post by Ruth Maruki Kai. The fundraiser is for Christmas gifts for the orphanage. An onegai, if you do donate 2nd hand items, you should try and swing by at the end and pick them up if they haven't been bought. ======12月10日（日）10～16時、砂取公民館で開催されるバザーにぜひお越しください!!!!! 🎅中古品やハンドメイドアイテムをお持ちの方は、寄付金として販売することもできますので、たくさんの品物をリホームしてみましょう ✌ 👒🖊📚💖 Come to our bazaar fundraiser this Sunday, 10th December (10-4pm) at Sunatori Community Center. If you've second-hand items which can also be sold for donations so let's try rehome many items! 🎨🪘 🫰 また、お菓子や飲み物をご持参ください!! 子供たちのクリスマスプレゼントのための信金繰りも兼ねて、楽しく交流しましょう。Bring baked goods and drinks to share if you can! Let's enjoy mingling and putting the FUN back in FUNdraising!!!!! ☕🍪🍩🎁🎁✨Address: 神水本町6-29 (Limited parking at the center! Please consider park at the gymnasium!) ナースパワーアリーナ(熊本市総合体育館・青年会館)から歩いて２分!!!! 2023-12-05 12:25 JSTKirk here with news about an Indian restaurant I've posted about in the past. On RKK last night, I learned that the restaurant is located in the the area near the new TSMC facilities that has increased in price the most in the last year. In fact, the rate of increase the highest of any place in Japan. This has led to additional publicity for the restaurant. I'll put some related links in comments to this post.https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid067SgvWoaXCQCdFambqrvcpzaAqB8sum9mX2Nd5N5pX5ZsU4FVNZYNfqYYbkduNJ5l 2023-12-04 13:40 JSTWilliam A bit of private stuff but maybe of general … (this post) 2023-12-04 10:59 JSTWilliam I used to run along Shirakawa, passing a group of homeless living under a bridge. They seemed to be doing quite well - they had pallets for flooring and even furniture that they'd scavenged. They always offered me sake, which I declined.And then, one day, their settlement had vanished. I hope that they had been moved into more suitable quarters, but I don't know - they could have been just shunted off.There was an elderly man, a jieitai vet, who slept rough in our local park. My wife and I would feed him with bentos and allowing him in our house for food and sleep when it was particularly rough outside. He was found dead in the park from exposure.Maybe you notice someone like that. Extend a hand. 2023-12-03 17:00 JSTKirk here with something about what is called "kanten" in Japanese (寒天) and "agar" in English. Here's a quote from the article, which explains why it came up in a Google alert about new articles about "Kumamoto":"Ai Hosokawa, who grew up in Tokyo, has lived in Kumamoto for 14 years and is fascinated by its rich natural environment and clear water. Her house and atelier stand in the historical remains of Taishoji temple that used to be the family temple of the Hosokawa Clan, which once ruled the Kumamoto Domain."The article is interesting but it's a good example of a pitfall in translation: using an English word that many native speakers are not likely to know: agar. Of course, it's a perfectly good word. I found lots of information about in on the web. But there are two problems as a see it:1. English-language speakers who live in Japanese may be even more likely to recognize the word "kanten" than "agar" -- even though "agar" is an English word. That was this case with me. So, I would have like them to identify "agar" as what is called "kanten" in Japanese at the top of the article.2. "Agar" is very similar to "kanten" but, according to information I found on the internet, they are made from different kinds of seaweed. So, "Japanese agar" is probably more accurate.Fun fact from the Wikipedia page on agar: "Once ingested, kanten triples in size and absorbs water. This results in the consumers feeling fuller."TASTE OF LIFE/ Water-based agar jelly: Fragrant citrus fruits from garden hold key to iced dessert | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis 2023-12-03 13:58 JSTFlights between Kumamoto and Hong Kong have resumed after a 7 year hiatus. I'll put citations to the English and Japanese articles in comments. -- Kirk 2023-12-02 17:35 JSTKirk here with a post about a little place I found in Ezuko. The entrance is about halfway between the Shimo Ezuko parking lot and the part of the zoo where the giraffes and the elephants are. The sign says that there's a free gallery in the back. I'll add some notes to each picture. 2023-12-02 09:52 JSTHere's an article about the Kumamoto Earthquake Disaster Museum KIOKU in Minamiaso Village. -- KirkBuilding back better