2026-01-05 12:53 JST 2026 ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 5 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 0 ← 2026-01-01 12:06 JST 2026-01-19 19:36 JST → Around this time … 2026-01-31 11:22 JSTLiz here , with a recommendation for anyone interested in heading to Minamata for the day . A few days ago , on the recommendation of a friend , we headed to the private Minamata Disease Museum there. https://www.minamatadiseasemuseum.net Sorry that my explanation didn't copy paste correctly as text, but became a photo instead! 2026-01-30 10:34 JSTKirk here with news about some young Indonesian women who may have saved the life of an elderly Japanese woman that was unable to get out a a drainage channel on her own. The English below was translated from the Japanese by Claude, my favorite AI service. I asked Claude to translate the article into Indonesian too. That translation follows the English. Terjemahan bahasa Indonesia dari artikel ini mengikuti terjemahan bahasa Inggris. Silakan gulir ke bawah untuk melihatnya.--------------"Help me..."On a cold January night, an elderly woman was stranded in a drainage channel.The ones who saved her life through quick thinking and teamwork were technical intern trainees from Indonesia.[Photo] Irrigation channel near the sceneA "Voice" from the Channel on the Way HomeAround 8:30 PM on January 15th, three agricultural technical intern trainees—Puji Atyun (24), Novita Rohma Danti (24), and Wivia Wati Firda Saputri (21)—were cycling back to their dormitory from their workplace in Nishi Ward, Kumamoto City.Along the way, they heard a woman's voice coming from the drainage channel.Three Who Acted Despite the Language BarrierThe three discovered an elderly woman who had fallen into the channel, approximately one meter deep. The woman, in her 80s, had fallen while out for a walk and had injured her leg.Although no water was flowing through the channel, she was unable to climb out on her own and had apparently been stranded for over two hours.The woman was calling out "Help me, help me" from inside the channel.Having arrived in Japan only in October of last year, the three women didn't understand the words, but they lifted the elderly woman out of the channel by supporting her legs and upper body.Under Cold Skies... Transcending the Language BarrierWith help from Japanese-speaking colleagues Nila Nur Marisa (30) and Erli Widiyawati (40), they called the police."Where is your home? Are you injured?"While they waited for police to arrive, with the woman seated, Nila continued talking with her.Nila Nur Marisa (30): "It was cold, and when I touched her hands, they were freezing. I gave her my gloves and hat."The woman was subsequently taken into police custody and transported to a hospital as a precaution."She Reminded Me of My Family"On January 29th, certificates of appreciation were presented to the five women at the Kumamoto Minami Police Station.Nila: "Looking at the grandmother reminded me of my own family. [About the award] I was nervous at first, but I was happy. When someone is in trouble, you have to help them. It's just the natural thing to do."Police stated, "If the discovery had been delayed, it could have become a life-threatening situation. We are grateful that they overcame the language barrier to contact emergency services."--------------Indonesian translation:"Tolong..."Pada malam bulan Januari yang dingin, seorang wanita lanjut usia terjebak di saluran air.Mereka yang menyelamatkan nyawanya melalui keputusan cepat dan kerja sama tim adalah para peserta magang teknis dari Indonesia.[Foto] Saluran irigasi di dekat lokasi kejadian"Suara" dari Saluran Air Saat Perjalanan PulangSekitar pukul 20.30 pada tanggal 15 Januari, tiga peserta magang teknis pertanian—Puji Atyun (24), Novita Rohma Danti (24), dan Wivia Wati Firda Saputri (21)—sedang bersepeda pulang ke asrama mereka dari tempat kerja di Distrik Nishi, Kota Kumamoto.Di tengah perjalanan, mereka mendengar suara seorang wanita dari saluran air.Tiga Orang yang Bertindak Meski Ada Hambatan BahasaKetiganya menemukan seorang wanita lanjut usia yang telah jatuh ke dalam saluran air sedalam sekitar satu meter. Wanita tersebut berusia 80-an tahun, jatuh saat sedang berjalan-jalan dan kakinya memar.Meskipun tidak ada air yang mengalir di saluran tersebut, ia tidak mampu keluar sendiri dan tampaknya sudah terjebak selama lebih dari dua jam.Wanita itu berteriak "Tolong, tolong" dari dalam saluran.Baru tiba di Jepang pada bulan Oktober tahun lalu, ketiga wanita ini tidak mengerti kata-katanya, tetapi mereka mengangkat wanita lanjut usia itu keluar dari saluran dengan menopang kaki dan tubuh bagian atasnya.Di Bawah Langit Dingin... Melampaui Hambatan BahasaDengan bantuan rekan kerja yang bisa berbahasa Jepang, Nila Nur Marisa (30) dan Erli Widiyawati (40), mereka menghubungi polisi."Rumah Ibu di mana? Apakah Ibu terluka?"Sambil menunggu polisi datang dengan wanita tersebut dalam posisi duduk, Nila terus berbicara dengannya.Nila Nur Marisa (30): "Cuacanya dingin, dan ketika saya menyentuh tangannya, sangat dingin. Saya memberikan sarung tangan dan topi saya kepadanya."Wanita tersebut kemudian diamankan oleh polisi dan dibawa ke rumah sakit untuk berjaga-jaga."Beliau Mengingatkan Saya pada Keluarga Saya"Pada tanggal 29 Januari, piagam penghargaan diberikan kepada kelima wanita tersebut di Kantor Polisi Kumamoto Minami.Nila: "Melihat nenek itu mengingatkan saya pada keluarga saya sendiri. [Tentang penghargaan ini] Awalnya saya gugup, tapi saya senang. Kalau ada orang yang kesusahan, kita harus menolongnya. Itu hal yang wajar."Pihak kepolisian menyatakan, "Jika penemuan terlambat, situasinya bisa mengancam jiwa. Kami berterima kasih karena mereka berhasil melampaui hambatan bahasa untuk menghubungi layanan darurat."水路から『助けて 助けて』 日本語が分からなくても 手を差し伸べたインドネシアの技能実習生たち 帽子や手袋も渡して高齢女性の命救う | 熊本のニュース｜RKK NEWS｜RKK熊本放送 2026-01-23 19:30 JSTJoe Tomei here, passing on a notice about French classes. Allons-y! 2026-01-20 20:14 JSTKirk here. It seems that a helicopter carrying two Taiwanese tourists and one pilot has gone down in the Aso crater. I just saw an image of the wreckage inside the crater on NHK's national news program. In the NHK segments I saw, the people involved in the search were all wearing gas masks to protect themselves from the intense fumes. Even if the passengers and pilot survived the crash, I doubt they would be able to remain alive for long inside the crater. NHK said that the search will resume at 7:30 AM tomorrow.Helicopter with 2 Passengers from Taiwan Goes Missing Over Aso, Kumamoto Pref., Did Not Return at Scheduled Time 2026-01-19 19:36 JSTReport on the earthquake evacuation drill.Ten years since the Kumamoto Earthquake.I believe we must widely sharewhat we experienced and learned,Atsuko (ง •̀_•́)งhttps://www.facebook.com/share/p/1a9Amzr2Vr/?mibextid=wwXIfr 2026-01-05 12:53 JSTPost (this post) 2026-01-01 12:06 JSTKirk here. First of all, happy new year! Secondly, sorry to post something that is not Kumamoto-specific. The topic is "expat-specific" and, as many expats read the page, I hope you'll agree that it's not too far off topic.In many ways, I have considered the U.S. to be more enlightened regarding issues of immigration or the treatment of non-citizens (well, that is, before 2016). And, even though Japanese politics have taken a fairly anti-foreigner turn recently, it hasn't gotten THIS bad. Once upon a time, if the Japanese government had put such a discriminatory policy in place, I would have been indignant and thought "this could never happen in the U.S.!" Well, here's hoping it doesn't happen in Japan in 2026!https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kpnxvpgy2oP.S. No explanation about how this will actually be administered. "OK. Five people in this car. So, I need to see five IDs proving citizenship. That's five passports or birth certificates, alien registration cards, or the equivalent. Driver's licenses are not acceptable because they don't show citizenship. Anyone without a proper ID will be treated as a non-resident foreigner."US hikes national park fees for foreigners to put 'American families first' 2025-12-26 07:46 JSTGot snow around Ezuko. Atsuko ☆。.:＊・゜ 2025-12-24 22:37 JSTIn Ezuko today. Even the best strike out occasionally. -- KirkP.S. Facebook made it very hard to get this video into this post. It basically tried to force me to publish it as a REEL, making me REELy unhappy. I'm wondering how to leave Facebook with Kumamoto International in tact. 2025-12-23 20:58 JSTKirk here. Munetaka Murakami has signed with the Chicago White Sox. A Japanese TV show I saw noted that he's been in pinstripes since Kyushu Gakuen High School, here in Kumamoto (his Yakult Swallows uniform also featured a pinstripe pattern). If you would like to check out how he greets fans in English, you can do that here:https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/video/munetaka-murakami-says-hello-to-white-sox-fans?t=t145-default-vtp 2025-12-21 20:49 JSTAtsuko here.(ง •̀_•́)งInformation about earthquake drills.Mizuno-san who organised the disaster preparedness drill (if you're from Kumamoto, you'll likely recognise his voice from FM radio), hopes many children, students and families with foreign roots will participate.ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーKumamoto Prefecture Prevention Training for Foreign ResidentsDisaster Prevention TrainingJapan experiences frequent earthquakes. Do you know what to do during an earthquake? participationFreeWe will be conducting earthquake drills. Participation is free of charge (¥0). For Japanese families too.You can participate with your Japanese family and friends. We speak in simple Japanese.Date and time (when)Sunday, 18 January 2026 10:00 to 12:00placeKumamoto Castle Jyo-sai-en Tourist Information Centre Kumamoto City(1-1 Ninomaru, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City) Free of charge (¥0)
