Posts

Kirk here with some business news:
TSMC to increase investment in chip plant in Japan's Kumamoto - The Mainichi
TAINAN, Taiwan (Kyodo) -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said Tuesday that it will increase its capital spending for a plant to be built in Ja

Kirk here with news of a truck that had some trouble crossing the Shirakawa River to leave the downtown area. In the video, it doesn't look like it's going that fast but, with the very heary load it was carrying, I guess it was fast enough to lose control on the curve before the bridge. Check out the video for yourself. Fortunately, no one was injured but similar accidents have caused fatalities in the past. This happened a couple of days ago on the Choroku Bridge (see map) near the downtown area.
https://rkk.jp/news/backno_page.php?id=NS003202202141529510111

Kirk here with an olympic update. ONITSUKA Miyabi didn't medal but she was clearly going for gold. First, here's a quote from the article:
"Miyabi Onitsuka had a heavy slam on her first jump and had to be assisted off the landing area, walking under her own power but clearly shaken up.
She bravely faced up to her second jump and threw a 1260 but over-rotated on the landing and was punished by the judges, giving her no shot at a medal in a competition in which the riders' best two scores count.
Another heavy crash on her third jump just compounded her pain. She finished in 11th place out of 12 finalists."
If you open this links to the two articles, you can see rather painful photos of her falls.
I don't know the names of the individual tricks but she was clearly not playing it safe. She was attempting tricks that even I could tell were a lot more difficult than those MURASE Kokomo did (not to denigrate MURASE's achievement -- just to note that different tricks were being attempted).
The Japanese article I'm linking to said that her fall caused her to bleed. I could see that her lip was swollen when she reponded to the interview. What heart!
I'm sure that for Miyabi the difference between a good day (a day when she sticks these tricks as she has done so many times before) and a bad day is the difference between medaling and coming in 11th. Despite the numeric result, my respect for her courage, determination, and sportsmanship grew watching this event.
One last note: On the evening news (national), NHK didn't even mention her performance, though it did mention the two others. :(
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/61ffdb3eae1fb5fb57d8f280d2c84963839098c3
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/02/dc2d2a5d2cf4-olympics-murase-takes-womens-big-air-snowboard-bronze-in-beijing.html
Olympics: Kokomo Murase takes women's big air snowboard bronze in Beijing
Japanese wunderkind Kokomo Murase wins the bronze medal in the women's snowboard big air event at the Beijing Olympics, with veteran Anna Gasser of Austria defending her gold with an incredible final jump.

William Our friend Yagi-san at the International Center provides links for information regarding COVID.

Kirk here with some news and thoughts about the near exclusion of newly arriving foreigners from Japan. This is not an issue that is specific to Kumamoto, but it is certainly affecting Kumamoto as it affects the nation as a whole.
First, the news. Last night, I saw the following survey results on NHK's evening news. Asked if restrictions should be relaxed or kept the same, 57% of those surveyed said "kept things as they are."
I have some problems with this survey that I'd like to lay out here. First, the wording "mizugiwa taisaku" (水際対策; "measures to defend the coastline") tends to reinforce the impression that non-Japanese are a threat to public health. My Japanese-Japanese dictionary defines a similar mizugiwa expression, "mizugiwa sakusen" (水際作戦; coastline strategy) as "defending the coastline against enemies attempting to land" (上陸してくる敵を水際で防ぎ守ること). During the past year, I suspect that the constant repetition of the "mizugiwa taisaku" phrase and other characteristics of media coverage have ingrained an association of "foreigner" with "threat to public health" in the minds of typical media consumers. This kind of mentality was, in my view, deeply related to the exclusion of non-Japanese permanent residents of Japan who happened to be caught outside of the country when all of this started.
My second problem is with a lack of thoughtful consideration of the effectiveness of such measures. Back in November when Omicron was starting to spread, NPR (public radio in the U.S.) published the following:
As omicron spreads, studies suggest that travel bans alone don't do much good
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/11/28/1059619823/omicron-travel-bans-covid
Here's another related article:
Are travel bans effective?
https://deohs.washington.edu/edge/blog/are-travel-bans-effective
"Some of the evidence suggests that a travel ban may delay the arrival of an infectious disease in a country by days or weeks. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that a travel ban eliminates the risk of the disease crossing borders in the long term."
Still, at the time I thought "Omicron isn't here in Japan yet. Travel restrictions may help to delay spread in Japan." But what is the value of such a ban now? Omicron has taken root and we don't know of a new variant from which Japan needs to be defended. I have not heard this issue discussed on NHK. It may be getting some attention in some media I'm unaware of but my impression is that most Japanese people aren't getting much expossure to thoughtful considerations of the limited value of travel bans. NHK's asking for opinions in a survey without bothing to present both sides of the issue really rubbed me the wrong way.
The third problem I have with this is the lack of consideration of the circumstances and value of longterm foreign students in Japan. Even with concerns about the spread of COVID-19, students planning to study here for a year or more could be let into the country under a strict quarantine protocol. This way, they would not begin to interact with the general population until it's clear that they are not harboring disease. From that point, their presence in Japan should pose no more risk than that of any Japanese person studying and living in Japan. Moreover, the losses suffered by students and Japan as a whole by pursuing an irrational mizugiwa policy are significant. The letter described in the following article outlines some of those loses:
US academics pen letter to Japan PM Kishida calling for border reopening to int. students
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220121/p2a/00m/0na/049000c
The survey that got my dander up was occasioned by Kishida's talk of loosening restrictions. That would be a move in the right direction. But so far, the proposed increases have been mere token measures as far as I can see. Politicans are surely afraid of backlack from the public and unless the media back off the "foreigners = healthrisk" theme and help the public understand that the current mizugiwa measures are not in the interests of the country (not to mention young scholars of Japan), I suspect that politicians will continue to be circumspect.
P.S. Here's an article from the Asahi that is just the kind of thing I would like NHK to present to its viewers. Even though we get the Asahi at home, I missed the vernacular article. So, some people in the media are saying what I think needs to be said. I think Japan needs more such discussion to make the poll numbers change.
VOX POPULI: Cut foreign students some slack and ease border controls
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14535082

William Thank you to Kirk and KumaVista for that beautiful photo of Unzen seen across from Aso Kusasenri. A bit of poking about found that this string of volcanos is part of the Beppu-Shimabara graben, a rift which is widening at a rate of 1-2 centimeters per year. Rifts often result in volcanic activity; this rift also results in the numerous springs for which Kumamoto is world-renowned. Info is hard to find, but for us amateur geologists:
https://twitter.com/VolcanoMagma/status/1274102236910481408/photo/1

Chuck Waterman here:
Attention fellow 60-64.5 year olds:
I hope lots of you in our age bracket got your Vaccine VOUCHER in the mail yesterday. WE DID!!!
If you haven't gotten yours yet, hang on - it may arrive this week!

Kirk here reporting that Kumamoto's Miyabi Onitsuka has qualified for tomorrow's finals:
"Kokomo Murase, Reira Iwabuchi and Miyabi Onitsuka took three of the top five slots at the spectacular Big Air Shougang venue, with New Zealand slopestyle gold medalist at the Beijing Games, Zoi Sadowski Synnott, leading the way."
The competition will last from about 10:30 to 11:30 tomorrow (Tuesday) according to the schedule on the following page:
https://olympics.com/beijing-2022/olympic-games/en/results/snowboard/olympic-daily-schedule.htm
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/02/2c710dee42c5-olympics-japanese-trio-impress-to-move-into-big-air-snowboard-final.html
Olympics: Japanese trio impress to move into big air snowboard final
Japan's three high-flying medal hopefuls safely negotiate the women's snowboard big air qualification round at the Beijing Olympics to progress into the final.

Kirk here with a share from Kuma Visit. I'm amazed that Unzen-Dake (way on the other side of the Ariake Sea in Nagasaki Prefecture) could be seen so clearly from Kusasenri. Perhaps the cold weather cleared the air. I would have loved to be able to take the sight in with my own eyes. :)

Kirk here with some information from the Kumamoto International Foundation (the people at the International Center near the castle) about money for kids, filing taxes, etc. Here's part of the text of an e-mail I received:
--- start quote ---
【Kumamoto City News】
Kumamoto City News was uploaded on the website. Please visit “Multicultural coexistence: Information on daily life, Kumamoto City News” on our website.
https://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/kiji003965/index.html
・【①Information on COVID-19】
・【②Temporary Special benefits for resident tax-exempt households】
・【③Temporary Special benefits for households with children】
・【④Please finish declaration of municipal and prefectural tax by March 15th.】
・【⑤Acceptance of large-sized waste at the East Environmental Factory will be suspended】
・【⑥Exemption system of national health insurance】
--- end quote ---
If you click on the URL you can choose to view a pdf file that has the details.
By the way, these e-mail are called the "Anshin-Anzen disaster prevention and daily life information e-mail magazine". If you would like to receive them directly, please contact the Kumamoto International Foundation:
4-18 Hanaba-cho Chuo ward Kumamoto 860-0806
096-359-2121
[email protected]
By the way, these e-mail come with the original Japanese after the English translation, which I think is nice. Here's the Japanese:
【市政だより情報】
熊本市からのお知らせ「市政だより」の情報をホームページにのせました。
ホームページの多文化共生「生活情報・市政だより情報」を見てください。
https://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/kiji003965/index.html
・【①新型コロナウイルス感染症に関する情報】
・【②住民税非課税世帯等臨時特別給付金】
・【③子育て世帯臨時特別給付金】
・【④市・県民税の申告は３月15日（火）までに】
・【⑤東部環境工場の大型ごみ受け入れを停止します】
・【⑥国民健康保険料の減免制度】
熊本市の市政だよりを翻訳しています。 / （一財）熊本市国際交流振興事業団

Kirk here. Personally, I don't happen to be a fan of pro wrestling but I thought I'd share this for any wrestling fans who might be out there.
Japan pro-wrestling 'hall of fame' museum opening in Kumamoto Pref. on April 9 - The Mainichi
AMAKUSA, Kumamoto -- A private museum exhibiting professional wrestling memorabilia collected by its director over more than 50 years is set to open i

Hi friends, Atsuko here.
In order to get Ms. Lin acquitted, they need more signatures and to create an even bigger groundswell of public opinion than before. Please sign the petition and help them spread the word about the petition drive so that more people will know about it.
Lots readers might have joined it and I also participated in signing the petition before the District Court, but more signatures are needed to appeal to the Supreme Court.٩(°̀ᗝ°́)و
https://www.facebook.com/156151361702786/posts/951008242217090/
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
On January 19, 2022, the Fukuoka High Court reversed the original sentence of "eight months imprisonment and three years of probation" for Ms. Linh, a Vietnamese technical intern who gave birth to a stillborn baby in an isolated birth. On January 19, 2022, the Fukuoka High Court annulled the original sentence of eight months imprisonment and three years of probation, but reduced the sentence to three months imprisonment and two years of probation. Ms. Lin, who maintains her innocence on the grounds that "I did not throw away, hide, or neglect the body of my child," appealed to the Supreme Court for a judgment of acquittal.
The total number of signatures submitted to the Fukuoka High Court on the day of the appeal hearing on January 19 amounted to 60,687. We will continue our signature drive for the acquittal of Ms. Lin in the Supreme Court.
In order to get Ms. Lin acquitted, we need more signatures and to create an even bigger groundswell of public opinion than before. Please sign the petition and help us spread the word about the petition drive so that more people will know about it.
https://bit.ly/3k0hEU9
English page
https://www.change.org/p/%E6%9C%80%E9%AB%98%E8%A3%81%E5%88%A4%E6%89%80%E5%BE%A1%E4%B8%AD-%E5%AD%A4%E7%AB%8B%E5%87%BA%E7%94%A3%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%BB%E7%94%A3%E3%81%AE%E5%BE%8C%E3%81%AB%E6%AD%BB%E4%BD%93%E9%81%BA%E6%A3%84%E7%BD%AA%E3%81%AB%E5%95%8F%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9F%E3%83%99%E3%83%88%E3%83%8A%E3%83%A0%E4%BA%BA%E6%8A%80%E8%83%BD%E5%AE%9F%E7%BF%92%E7%94%9F%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%81%95%E3%82%93%E3%81%AE%E7%84%A1%E7%BD%AA%E3%82%92%E6%B1%82%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99-d1164daf-5e0a-449f-8f84-568d8d03f921

Kirk here with a little response to William's post about the brown-eared bulbul (hiyodori):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-eared_bulbul
I'm a big fan of the white eyes (mejiro) and I'm glad to be seeing a lot of them recently. They love the tsubaki (Japanese camillia) blossoms this time of year and usually come in pairs (rather romantic little critters, actually).
As you can see from Wikipedia's pages about the two birds, both are quite common and, here in Kumamoto, we are right in the heart of the preferred habitats of both. Personally, I pay a lot more attention to the white eyes though I'm not bothered at all by the bulbuls. Come to think of it, I like it when they come to bathe in the little tsukubai (a kind of Japanese washbasin) by my window. It's nice to have visitors, even little brown-feathered ones. ;)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warbling_white-eye
Warbling white-eye - Wikipedia
The warbling white-eye (Zosterops japonicus), also known as the Japanese white-eye and mountain white-eye, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. The specific epithet is occasionally written japonica, but this is incorrect due to the gender of the genus. Its native range includes much of...

William A note from the Kumamoto International Ornithology Desk (we're birds of a feather): The only type of bird one needs to be aware of at this season (aside from crows, all of which are actually cats in disguise) is the bulbul (ヒヨドリ, hiyodori). They are not cute. They are not friendly. They screech annoyingly as they eat whatever berries remain on shrubs. Fortunately, being migratory, they will soon be gone.

Kirk here an update on Dr. HASUDA Takeshi's efforts to prevent infant abandonment and some genealogical information about him. First, the news:
Japanese government stays silent on legality of confidential births
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/.../kumamoto-confidential.../
As there is a risk that Dr. Hasuda might be held legally responsible for not following current Japanese law regarding the registry of births, he submitted an inquiry to the Ministry of Justice about "whether submitting a birth notification without the mother's name would violate the Penal Code." But, the government refused to give a clear answer. In effect, they said "we might arrest you or we might not. Have a nice day!" The Kumamoto city government is supporting Dr. Hasuda, but I don't know how much that will help if the government decides to charge him with a crime. I guess this is the kind of thing people have in mind when they say "No good deed goes unpunished."
Now, here's some genealogy that I think is pretty darn interesting. I was prompted to look into Dr. Hasuda's family background because Anett mentioned that there are lots of Babyklappe (baby hatches) in Germany but only this one in Japan. I was able to confirm that Dr. Hasuda's father, Dr. HASUDA Taiji, visited various Babyklappe in Germany in 2003, long before beginning his baby hatch here in Kumamoto in 2007:
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/蓮田太二
And then, somehow (I'm not really sure how myself), I stumbled upon the Wikipedia page of Dr. HASUDA Taiji's father (the grandfather of the current head of the hospital), HASUDA Zenmei. During his time, Grandpa Zenmei was even more well known than his progeny and was a quite a character, it seems. Here are some highlights:
* his father owned a sword that once belonged to KATO Kiyomasa
* was a big fan of the Shinpu rebellion that occurred in Kumamoto (modern right-wing nuts tend to idolize participants in this radical uprising)
* wrote a ton of books (amazingly prolific)
* was one of the first to recognize the literary talent of a young MISHIMA Yukio
* killed his commander when he attempted to surrender at the end of WWII and then committed suicide
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/蓮田善明#家族・親族
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasuda_Zenmei
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinpūren_rebellion
One thing I see that Grandpa Zenmei had in common with his son Taiji was the courage of his convictions. Zenmei took decisive, if ill-conceived, action against his commander and Taiji was willing to stand alone to do what he felt needed to be done. But, despite that common thread, it's the differences that surprised me and prompted me to put this post together.
I wish I had a little pot of gold for those of you who have read this far. I know from experience that long posts such as this one don't get many eyeballs but I couldn't resist sharing what I learned today. Thanks for reading!

William Reading the inestimable Mark Twain (this time, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court,") it occurred to me that the book might be available online. Sure enough, it is, at Gutenberg.org: https://gutenberg.org/files/86/86-h/86-h.htm
Twain was a periplectic guy. He traveled and lived across the country, particularly in the "west" (when the "west" meant anything to the west of the Ohio river), and the characters he met had great influence on his works. In this novel, characteristics of gender, educational level, social status and wealth embody each character. The reason I am bringing this up on this page is that a read gives insight into the rubric with which Japanese - Kumamotoites - might view non-Japanese (and vice-versa). It is worth a read - and it's free! (though non-native English speakers will find his "local" dialects - those of a 19th C. New Englander and a 9th C. Englishwoman - difficult to parse).
A CONNECTICUT YANKEE, COMPLETE, By Mark Twain
The ungentle laws and customs touched upon in this tale are historical, and the episodes which are used to illustrate them are also historical.  It is not pretended that these laws and customs existed in England in the sixth century; no, it is only pretended that inasmuch as they existed in the Eng...

William　Dominos Pizza has a shop around the corner from my house. They have an annoying practice of stuffing my mailbox with "Half Price!" advertising whenever cruising by. But an angle occurred to me: If I brought in TWO half-price coupons, shouldn't the pizza be free?
So I gave it a try. The guy at the counter eventually judged the request above his pay grade so called for his manager, and after I had slowly and patiently explained the loophole for the third time, he slowly shook his head and told me that's not how it works.
I am simply posting this in case our readers have a similar experience with the same or different result, in which case, please let us know.

Hi friends, Atsuko here.
It's cold every day, but spring is just around the corner.
It's time of NOYAKI for Aso to prepare for spring.
The beautiful grasslands of Aso are protected by wildfire. The bracken, Warabi sprout, after the wild fires are also my favorite spring flavor.
(๑˃ᴗ˂)و
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Aso City has announced the schedule for wild fires.
Aso City HP
https://www.city.aso.kumamoto.jp/
Schedule of wild fires
《Aso foot area (around Yonezuka, etc.)
Date and time
Sunday, February 27, 2022
From 9:00 a.m.
Preliminary date
March 6 (Sunday)
March 13 (Sunday)
March 13 (Sunday) ・March 20 (Sunday)
March 21 (Monday, National Holiday)
March 27 (Sunday)
North Outer Rim Area (Daikanbong Area)
Date and time
March 6, 2022 (Sunday)
From 9:00 a.m.
Preliminary day
March 13 (Sunday)
March 20 (Sunday)
March 21 (Monday, National Holiday)
March 27 (Sunday)
Prohibited items
Entry into the wilderness
(It is dangerous. You will get caught in the fire.)
Parking your car on the road
(It is dangerous. You may get caught in the fire.)
Parking and stopping on the road
(It may obstruct the traffic and cause an accident.)
Please note that
The time for lighting the fire differs depending on the pastoral association.
If the weather is bad, the event will be postponed to the above date.
(Depending on the wind direction, flames may approach and melt or burn your car.)
Please follow the instructions of security guards or local wildland firefighters as they may restrict traffic.
For inquiries, please contact
Agricultural Policy Division, Economic Department, Aso City
TEL 0967-22-3274
I hope that the fire will be finished safely.

William An update to Kirk's post regarding Jikei Hospital, which continues its lead in dragging Japanese sexual and reproductive health issues into the 21st C. At issue is the "shussan todoke" (出生届, report of birth), which by law must list at least on parent in order for a child to be registered as a Japanese citizen under the koseki (戸籍) law - more here about that: https://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00385/.)
To those familiar with the biology of reproduction, the maternity of a child is quite more easily ascertained than the paternity. As such, children born with either uncertain or unstated paternity are included only on the mother's koseki - and, once listed, the fact that that woman has had a child of unknown paternity can only be erased by adoption of a later male spouse. This info is available to anyone willing to cough up a fee at city hall for a copy.
This not only grossly violates rights of the mother; it also does that of the child, as those with no registered paternity often find their opportunities restricted. Furthermore, children with no parental registry may even have their right to education curtailed.
What Jiseki Hospital has done is to supply a certificate of birth with the names of both parents blank. The ball is now in the hands of prefectural officials - and ultimately the courts - to determine whether this is legal, and, if not, whether they have determined the child to be stateless or whether the law should be rectified.
(This is rather a complicated topic, and if I have errored in my comprehension, please inform me.) Link to Kumanichi article and image of Jikei Hospital: https://kumanichi.com/articles/555437

Kirk here with some news on Jikei Hospital's continuing efforts to prevent tragic cases of infant abandonment. It you are unfamiliar with the background of Jikei Hospital's "baby hatch" (the only such system in Japan), please see the following article:
https://metropolisjapan.com/the-controversy-of-japans-baby-hatch/
To understand the background of the latest news, it might be best to start with this quote that comes toward the end of the Asahi article:
"In December last year, a teenage girl gave birth at the hospital, after telling it that she wanted to give birth anonymously.
She was released from the hospital after disclosing her identity to a staff member and preparing a document for a special adoption, on the promise that her baby would be registered without her name listed."
The decision made by Kumamoto's city government was occasioned by this baby's birth and the decision of the mother not to acknowledge the birth publicly.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14544529
Kumamoto to allow hospital’s confidential birth system | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
KUMAMOTO--The city government here has decided to allow Jikei Hospital to proceed with its confidential birth system, which lets a baby be registered without the mother's name.