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Kirk here with a new record number of postitive tests in Kumamoto: 390. (This is the highest number ever in Kumamoto since the start of the pandemic. The previous high was 317, which was marked on August 20th of last year.)
I got an e-mail today telling me that all of my classes, including seminars, should be conducted remotely beginning Monday.
By the way, as an editor on this page I can see that my post on "atozeki" (a word in Kumamoto dialect) got WAY more views and reactions, etc. than anything I have posted about COVID-19 in the past week or so. That's understandable. I'm tired of this COVID-19 thing too. I just hope you all will do what you can to avoid getting sick. :)
熊本県 新型コロナ 新たに390人感染確認 過去最多 | NHKニュース
【NHK】熊本県では14日、新たに390人が新型コロナウイルスに感染していることが確認されたと発表しました。これは、去年の8月20…
Kirk here with a little lesson in Kumamoto dialect. "Atozeki" (あとぜき) is a convenient little word used in Kumamoto to mean "close the door behind you." I'm not sure what the equivalent would be in standard Japanese but it's so compact and convenient to use that I think it would be a nice addition to the national language.
Here is a little comic that shows how it can be used in conversation:
https://www.web-nihongo.com/j_hougen/jh_p032/
Kirk here with a little attempt to put the COVID-19 spike we are experiencing in context. The image you see displays the global number of COVID-19 case (daily positives, that is) since this whole thing started. It's clear that we are entering a new phase and that what we are experiencing in Kumamoto is a rather mild case (so far, at least) of what is happening throughout the world. Taken from the WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard:
https://covid19.who.int
Kirk here. The numbers in the little graph I put together speak for themselves. I found out about this watching sumo on TV. Today's number (296) and the phone number for consultation in foreign languages was shown on the screen (in Japanese). I found the same number and the English blurb you see on the following web page:
http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html
Carlton posted at the following URL about calling this number:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/6577449135661796
Kirk here with more on COVID-19. 177 people tested positive today, prompting the governor to raise the risk level a notch to Level 2. He said that he will consider whether or not to ask the central government to declare "pre-emergency" status for Kumamoto after consulting with leaders of other prefectures in the Kyushu area. Pre-emergency status is also referred to as "quasi-emergency" status in English, "man'en boushi tou juuten sochi" (まん延防止等重点措置) in Japanese, or "mambo" for short.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75matUwntnM&t=1s
https://rkk.jp/news/index.php?id=NS003202201121757170111
Carlton. I am not trying to induce fear or depression to this forum, but I was prompted by this article in JapanToday <https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/end-of-life-conversations-can-be-hard-but-your-loved-ones-will-thank-you> to wonder if anyone knows of sources of helpful information on this subject for those not fluent in Japanese living in Japan. Thanks in advance from someone who is enjoying pretty good health but is also feeling increasing pressure by the Department of Motor Vehicles here to release my hold on my driver's license due to my aging.
End-of-life conversations can be hard, but your loved ones will thank you
Death – along with taxes – is one of life’s few certainties. Despite this inevitability, most people dread thinking and talking about when, how or under what conditions they might die. They don’t want to broach the topic with family, either, for fear of upsetting them. Ironically, though, ta...
Kirk with another share from RKK. Nothing special. Just a lot of snow in the Aso area:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S69JtrfJRo
https://rkk.jp/news/index.php?id=NS003202201111548300111
Kirk with more COVID-19 news. As you can see in the image, RKK reports that there were 109 positive test results today. The numbers of verified Omicron cases have also increased.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrWeHNuUpSA
https://rkk.jp/news/index.php?id=NS003202201111745390111
Kirk here with information on free PCR testing for people living in Kumamoto who meet the following two conditions:
1. You are unable to receive the COVID-19 vaccination due to health reasons
2. You do not have a fever or a cough
The testing site you see in the picture is very near the City Hall (Shiyakusho) building in downtown Kumamoto City. There are many other locations.
The photo is from the following Japanese news article:
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ187362Q18TLVB005.html
See the following page for an English description of the details and a list of venues:
http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html
I suspect thought that the expiration date of the program may not be correct. The following Japanese-language government website says the end of this month but the English notice says the end of March:
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/30/120272.html
By the way, the page in Japanese includes a link to a pdf with all of the available locations.
P.S. Numbers of positives are continuing to rise. I'll most more about that tomorrow.
William. When my son was young, I didn't give him a power shovel for precisely this reason: Some guy from Tamana found himself with too much time on his hands and carved the phrase "2022 Power" into a cliffside. He meant this as a sign of encouragement for our Corona-ravaged era. No word on his plans for 2023.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/522317
William. Oyster season is upon us - winter is the wise season to feast on the bivalves as the plankton they harbor which would normally kill humans is at a low level. Kumamoto is particularly famous for oysters. In fact, there is an oyster variety prevalent in Oregon called the "Kumamoto oyster" as the sea conditions there were deemed suitable for its mariculture. Find a friend with a car and head down to the Minamata region, where oyster huts are prevalent (牡蠣小屋, kakigoya), for both a gastronomical and cultural treat. Just don't mention Johnny Depp. https://travel-star.jp/items/25006?image_id=561264
Kirk here with another COVID-19 / Omicron update. Numbers are continuing to rise. As you can see in the image, 61 people were determined to have COVID-91 today and of these 19 are suspected of having Omicron.
６１人がコロナ感染 １９人はオミクロン株の疑い 熊本県｜NHK 熊本県のニュース
県内では、９日、新たに６１人が新型コロナウイルスに感染していることが確認されたと発表されました。 新たに感染が確認された人を居住地別でみ…
Kirk back with another Omicron report. As you can see in the first image, the prefecture had 59 new positives today, a major increase. Moreover, it seems that an Omicron cluster has been identified. Thirteen people who were in the chicken-wing (tebasaki) restaurant pictured on January 2nd have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 8 of them have Omicron. City officials are looking others who were there that day.
See a video report here:
https://www.kkt.jp/nnn/news100fke37irnjrymqkli.html
Kirk here with news that Omicron has arrived in Kumamoto. The Kumanichi article says that three people have been identified with the variant. They all have been in the Kansai area recently so they probably got the bug there. I suspect, though, that Omicron is already being transmitted here in Kumamoto, as it is in other parts of Japan. Good reason to mask up and avoid unnecessary risks.
熊本県内初のオミクロン感染 県と熊本市、計３人確認 渡航歴なく県外で感染か｜熊本日日新聞社
熊本県と熊本市は７日、感染力が強いとされる新型コロナウイルスの新変異株「オミクロン株」の感染者計３人をゲノム（全遺伝情報）解析で確認したと発表した。県内でオミクロン株感染が確認されたのは初めて。３人...
William. Our friend Zuzu Coco bequeathed us with these photos of Ooharaaso Shrine （大原阿蘇神社） in Kikuyomachi. As is clear from the photo, the site is accessible by rail on the JR Aso line. Disembark at Haramizu Station and turn right. Details at the link.
http://www.komainu.org/kumamoto/kikuchigun_kikuyomachi/oohara_aso/oohara_aso.html
William. A note from the "Kumamoto International Desk of Not Letting Inherent Disabilities Hinder You Desk" (we're inherently repetitive): An 84-year old blind woman, Ogawa Hatsuko, who took up sculpting in 1985 (disclaimer: the year our son was born, who now designs ￥50,00 apiece plastic models in Tokyo) will conduct a workshop on sculpting at the Kumamoto Museum of Art between the 25th and the 6th. She says she sculpts by touch. Year of the tiger: let her roar! https://kumanichi.com/articles/519221
William. A product’s quality, reputation or other characteristics can be determined by where it comes from. Geographical indications are place names used to identify products originating in and sharing characteristics of their homeland (for example, “Champagne”, “Tequila” or “Roquefort”). One wonders why "somen" is not simply termed "Kumamoto." Kumanichi reports on the winter tradition of "cold somen fabrication," when extra-fine noodles hand-rolled by craftsmen and cut to a length of about 3.5 meters and an extra-fine thickness of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm are dried in the sun, shimmering like silk thread. Kumanichi has the details. Get 'em while they're still sea-breeze tinted.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/519184
Kirk here with another COVID-19 update. 1 --> 4 --> 24. Following the national trend, the number of people testing positive in Kumamoto has increased exponentially in the past three days I don't understand the process well but apparently the authorities can determine quite quickly that people don't have the Delta variant but testing for the Omicron variant takes an extra day or two. Today, RKK report that 6 of today's 24 tested negative for Delta so more tests are required to determine whether or not they have Omicron.
https://rkk.jp/news/index.php?id=NS003202201061659420111
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/30/92000.html
Kirk here with a COVID-19 update. Four people in Kumamoto were determined to have caught the virus today and two may have Omicron. The results of tests to determine whether or not any of these cases are Omicron will be announced on Friday.
４人感染確認 熊本県内の新型コロナ 10月27日以来の複数｜熊本日日新聞社
熊本県と熊本市は５日、新たに４人の新型コロナウイルス感染を発表した。複数の感染確認は昨年１０月２７日以来。県内の感染者の累計は１万４４０１人（うち熊本市８２５２人）となった。
