Here's an eight-minute video segment from NHK World. -- Kirk
2024-03-27 16:02 JST 2024 Here's an eight-minute video segment from NHK World. -- Kirk New microchip plant energizes Kumamoto | NHK WORLD-JAPAN NewsA new plant built in Kumamoto by a Taiwanese semiconductor giant is energizing the prefecture as well as the entire country. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/2024032620445 … ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 4 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 0 ← 2024-03-26 08:46 JST 2024-03-27 18:04 JST → Around this time … 2024-03-29 16:04 JSTWilliam Heading into peak cherry blossom season this weekend, here is a suggestion to two sites to visit. The park on Shirakawa between Taikobashi and Meigobashi is interesting - it was begun by common citizens following the ravages of war, and though now maintained by the city, it retains a home-spun vibe. Convenient access by tram or bus, and you can enjoy the burbling of the stream while hanami-ing.Another is the castle's Sannomaru. A small park sunk behind the museum and baseball stadium, it is greatly overshadowed by its more expansive, famous, and (mostly) cherry tree-less Ninomaru. Take the free castle shuttle bus, alight at the museum stop, and it’s a short downhill walk directly behind.Happy hanami to all! - looks like we're in for excellent weather 'til Tuesday. 2024-03-29 10:00 JSTThe last spot for this month of Funky Friday Finds in Kengun is JiccA, a small restaurant that serves southeast asian dishes, including Green curry, Pad Thai, Ka Pao rice and Nasi Goren. The shop is just a little ways down from the Kengunko tram stop and there is some parking behind the real estate agent a few doors down.Their instagram page is herehttps://www.instagram.com/jicca0423/And now, a little more detail about the area we have been talking about. If you are into history, Kengun jinja (previously knows as Takamiya shrine) is the oldest shrine in Kumamoto. It is said to have been built in 500 AD because the Emperor Kinmei couldn't travel to Aso jinja because of heavy snow, hard as that weather may be to imagine. From this pagehttps://www.kyushu-jinja.com/kumamoto/kengun-jinja/index.php"Early in the morning, a child about three years old suddenly appeared on a stone and said, "You have come to this place out of respect for Aso no Mikami, and out of a sense of duality and out of a desire to avoid the bitter cold and snow. The Aso Palace is to the east for the protection of the imperial castle, and we are to the west for the repression of the barbarian invaders of Shilla. The local priest, astonished by what he saw and heard, immediately built a shrine, enshrined the spirit of the great god Aso, and named it Kengun Shrine..."While you may want to take that story with a grain of salt, it does seem to underline the differences between the two shrines, with Aso representing a tradition that comes down from Honshu while Kengun shows influence from Korea/Shilla and also links to discussions of Japanese prehistory, with the Yayoi people entering from Korea and moving up and mixing with the Jomon people who living in Honshu.You can also get a sense of the age of the area by the fact that the tram stop at where Higashi bypass and Densha dori intersect, (神水 or water offered to the gods), rather than being read Shinsui or Kamimizu, is read Kuwamizu, a little shibboleth for all of you.The name Kengun is said to come from an alternate reading of the original name of the shrine, Takemiya, but I wonder if the reading became enshrined when the area served as an assembly point for ex-Kumamoto samurai coming to support Saigo Takemori's siege of Kumamoto castle. This page (with an English translation link at the bottom)https://www.japanesewiki.com/jp/history/%E8%A5%BF%E5%8D%97%E6%88%A6%E4%BA%89.htmldiscusses some of the fighting that took place as the Satsuma army after failing to beseige Kumamoto castle, retreated towards Kagoshima. A lot of recognizable place names, so history buffs, take note!As the sister shrine to Aso Jinja, one of the oldest in Japan (281 BC!), there were regular yabusame contests (archery on horseback) like the ones currently held at Aso Jinja in May. These contests which were run up what is now the street leading to the jinja and the tram stop Haccho Baba was originally a point to hitch horses which was set up by Kato Kiyomasa. That's why, at the end of road, where it enters Densha dori, there is a massive concrete tori and just up the road where it crosses Higashi Bypass is a statue of Kato Kiyomasa. There is always a huge crowd at New Year's for hatsumode, but the rest of the year, it is pretty quiet. Wander around the grounds and in the back, there is a sumo doho where they have a kids sumo tournament each year. The area is a stone's throw from the Kencho, an area which we will take up in later editions of FFF., but next month is Kami Ezuko!The FFF google map is herehttps://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing路家~JiccA~ 【熊本健軍グルメ】 (@jicca0423) • Instagram photos and videos 2024-03-28 12:39 JSTWilliam An earthquake occurs when some parts of a plate scream "Yikes!" and skedaddle in one direction while others stay put. Kumanichi posts that the Kumamoto Disaster Prevention Center in Suizenji has an earth cut displaying the fault rupture. Yikes.世界初、地震前後の「ずれ」展示 熊本地震前後の布田川断層、標本に 熊本県防災センター｜熊本日日新聞社 2024-03-28 11:41 JSTKirk here. In my view, the arbitrary drawing of lines is part of what is behind this disappointing decision in the Minamata disease saga. Another issue is the argument that "symptoms could have been caused by something other than the condition." Even though it is acknowledged fact that Chisso poisoned the fish that the plaintiffs consumed and that mercury poisoning can cause the kinds of symptoms the plaintiffs are suffering from, the plaintiffs are still forced to prove that their illnesses could not have been caused by something else. Such logic protects the polluters and puts an unfair burden of proof on the victims. :(Japan court rejects redress claims by unrecognized Minamata victims 2024-03-27 18:04 JSTIt's getting to be that time of year. The cherry trees in my area are not in full bloom yet but some branches are looking very nice. -- Kirk 2024-03-27 16:02 JSTHere's an eight-minute video segment from NHK World. -- …New microchip plant energizes Kumamoto | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News (this post) 2024-03-26 08:46 JSTGoodbye, SL Hitoyoshi! Well done! -- KirkFinal Run of SL Hitoyoshi; Farewell Signs Along the Line, ‘Until We Meet Again!’ 2024-03-25 10:59 JSTKirk here. Kumamoto Kokufu plays Ananhikari of Tokushima today at 2PM. We're already in the second round of the Koshien Tournament. If Kumamoto Kokufu win today, they will be one of eight teams to move on to the next round. 2024-03-24 21:25 JSTKirk here. It seems Mr. Kimura has won the governorship. I have nothing against him personally but I was rooting for Mr. Koyama (former Kumamoto-city mayor), in part because I know him but also because Mr. Kiyama campaigned with the support of the LDP and the LDP has given me numerous reasons to dislike them (connections to the Moonies, recent financial scandals, xenophobic and nationalistic stances of various individual politicians, etc.). The race was seen as a sort of referendum on the LDP and, sadly, it looks like the response from the people of Kumamoto was "no problem."The article doesn't share any details about how Mr. Kimura managed to win but I suspect that a combination of LDP organizational power and low voter turn out (apathy) had something to do with it.P.S. The gentleman you see in back of Mr. Kiyama is NAKAYAMA Mineo, president of Sojo University. I've posted about his connections to the Moonies in the past in the following posts:https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0EnCZVjEtP616xUKFJB91DUV2VPdVnnPG95wPF2xEy6XSo54VZYz9YV8pUNxNFwPalhttps://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid02BPjJMuaAp766ERJL785dsVhmyp3hEo1Ubok8cU2jVj43beYGAYRWETuqHtyDamb1lhttps://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid02yTtApnRkAERsUWtPokKE1yoJbXHSNzjxzQ6os22Ea3E1rkWS6VBn4GL7rFiqK2NSlhttps://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0uU2kbk2NfRmedSTBgSmzvmNWr9R1LKjdJx5mmud2iKUnqfjMQPaARFJCTcK5uLMil熊本知事 前副知事・木村氏が当確 - Yahoo!ニュース 2024-03-24 21:14 JSTKirk here. This isn't local news but there is a Kumamoto connection. On this evening's NHK news, Takerufuji's mom said that she frequently sends him basashi. The people of Kumamoto are the leading consumers of basashi but the delicacy is also enjoyed in Aomori, Takerufuji's home prefecture, Fukushima, and Nagano.By the way, we're approaching sakura (cherry blossom) season and "sakura niku" (cherry blossom meat) happens to be a common euphemism for basashi. There seem to be at least a couple of theories about the reason why but I'm pretty sure that the pink or red color has something to do with it.Takerufuji becomes first top-division rookie to win a sumo tournament since 1914 | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News 2024-03-24 12:56 JSTKirk here with a must-read for train fans:JR Kyushu Ready to Restore the Hisatsu Line | JAPAN Forward
