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William. Hospitalized due to the flu, I searched desperately for reading material and found this Japanese-language book which coincidentally whose English version was recently reviewed on Amazon. Reading a Japanese novel for the first time is a challenge, but this was, like, my tenth. I'd skip the English version but would highly recommend it as a starter novel in Japanese. It is unusual.
Convenience Store Woman: A Novel

William. Kumanichi has an amusing article about the "correct" kanji for Tatsudayama. Most historians agree that it was named by the Kikuchi clan in the Heian Era (立田, the most powerful clan in what was then Higo, named after a subbranch of the clan.) But then it gets more complicated. The kanji「龍田」first appeared in 1889. In 1957, when Tatsuda Village (上立田村) was incorporated into Kumamoto City, it became Tatsuda Chome (then written as such: 竜田山), and the former Kamitatsuda Village became Tatsuda Town Kamitatsuda (上立田村は龍田町上立田). In 2000, all were unified as "龍田丁目," perhaps borrowing its name from Tatsuda Aso Sangu Shrine, built in the 1300s. This leads to confusion, as the pedestrian bridge leading to Tatsuda Elementary School (龍田小) reads "竜田町," as seen in the photo below, while the JHS is 龍田 but the kindergarten is 立田. So when we non-Japanese get confused about kanji, remember we're not alone.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/427337

Kirk here with an old article about a resident of Kumamoto who's doing remarkable work. Though language teaching is a common occupation for people from English-speaking or European countries, there's actually quite a lot of variety in the work that expats in Kumamoto wind up doing.
Swedish man preserving art of Japanese sword-crafting
A Swedish man in quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture becomes an unlikely protector of ancient Japanese swords by learning the art of sword-crafting

William. Near the Central Post Office is a bridge called Senba Bashi (洗馬橋) - "washing your horse bridge," I suppose as the couriers from southern Kumamoto wouldn't want to ride a lathered-up horse into the castle. A hundred years ago, a children's song was written for the bridge and has become an unofficial anthem of our city. Attached are the lyrics and a video of the song. You can't truly call yourself a Higokko if you haven't memorized this.
あんた方(がた)何処(どこ)さ　肥後(ひご)さ
肥後何処さ　熊本さ
熊本何処さ　せんばさ
せんば山には　狸(たぬき)がおってさ
それを猟師(りょうし)が　鉄砲(てっぽ)で打ってさ
煮てさ　焼いてさ　食ってさ
それを木の葉で　チョッとかぶせ
くまモン満を持して［あんたがたどこさ］☆＠きゅりあん（品川）　2014/07/01
2014/07/01＠品川区立総合区民会館（きゅりあん）。童謡の日記念コンサートで、まりつきに挑戦です。オシリふりふり頑張るモン☆P1320384

Carlton here. Recalling this October 1 story posted by Kirk <https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14452001> about Kumamoto joining in a test of “proof of vaccination” to gain entry to public travel & leisure places and large public events, has anyone yet experienced being asked for verification of having been jabbed?
Businesses to test vaccination requirements in 13 prefectures | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Trial runs on further easing COVID-19 restrictions will start this month in 13 prefectures at businesses requiring customers to show vaccination certificates or negative PCR test results, the government said Sept. 30.

William. Kumamoto is so off the beaten track that even those familiar with Japan are likely unaware of its existence. For those who would like to introduce family members to our wonderful town, please forward this video.
Quality Living City Kumamoto, JAPAN 4K 熊本市 Full ver
熊本城をはじめとした観光地や景勝地、豊かな自然や水、伝統文化や産業、うるおいある人々の暮らしなど、本市のあらゆる魅力を詰め込んだ総合的なプロモーション動画です。熊本城ホールやサクラマチクマモト、ルフィ...

Hello One piece fans, Atsuko here.
Robin statue had unveiling ceremony in Minamiaso-mura.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/427191
https://op-kumamoto.com/news/241/
■ HP: https://kumamotojishin-museum.com/
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Former Tokai University Aso Campus
■ Location: Kumamoto-ken,Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun 5435, Kawayo (next to Tokai University Aso training field)
■ Hours: It’s until 4:00pm from the middle of　※ November to the end of February from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
■ Closed: Tuesday (It’ll be closed next Wednesday in case of a holiday.)
■ Admission: It’s free.

William. Coincidentally, I'm reading a book about the Black Plague, which took out a third of Europe's population and thus (arguably) ended serfdom and led to democracy. Kumanichi notes that ３カ月ぶり感染確認ゼロ - there have been no new cases of corona virus in three months. Attached is a view of what the plague was. Plagues in Japan are traditionally associated with a ghoul on a roof.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/426066

Kirk here with some links related to an NHK article about how a "pottery workshop in the Amakusa region of Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has recently begun producing figurines of next year's Chinese zodiac sign, the tiger."
The first URL will take you to the English article and the second URL is to a Japanese article on the same topic. I got the photo from the Japanese article. The third URL takes you to a page with an NHK video (in Japanese) about how the figurines are made. It seems that one reason that this is news is that Amakusa ware has been designated a "national traditional craft."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211007_18/
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20211007/k10013295171000.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20211006/5000013624.html

Kirk with a follow up to the Le Thi Thuy Linh case. Thanks to Monaco Speed, the petition now has an official English translation! Go to the page to check it out.
By the way, the number of signatures is getting close to 1,000. If you know someone who might be interested, please share this with her or him. Every little bit helps!
https://www.change.org/p/福岡高等裁判所-第2刑事部-裁判長裁判官-辻川-靖夫-御中-ベトナム人技能実習生リンさんの無罪を求めます?fbclid=IwAR3vUfITmb2Hc8SrjLa9_HIXfWx_a_KwUA6tOu9o2SAAMDuL9484mKeFqQc
ベトナム人技能実習生リンさんの無罪判決を求めます！

Kirk here with a follow-up to William's post about the escaped emus. This article has video of their capture.
Emus escape tourist farm in Kumamoto | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
A large group of emus -- giant flightless birds native to Australia -- has escaped from a tourist farm in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

William. Japanese hospitals are often difficult to navigate as the upper-level hospitals will not accept patients without a referral from a lower-level hospital. My wife has recently encountered a serious illness, and our local hospital, https://www.k-shinto.or.jp/, quickly (over two days) diagnosed her problem and referred her to a hospital which specializes in her condition. For those with serious medical issues, this hospital is highly recommended.
医療法人創起会 くまもと森都総合病院
くまもと森都総合病院。NTT病院の歴史を継承し、地域医療の中核病院としての役割を発揮し、地域へ貢献いたします。

William. Another post about birds: The Oriental Stork has appeared within city limits. (Logophiles, take note: from German Storch (ster-) , meaning "stiff." Perhaps so called with reference to the bird's stiff or rigid posture.) To understand why this is exciting, a bit of background is required. The stork was once extirpated from Japan and the Korean Peninsula. However, in May 2007, a hatchling was reported in Japan for the first time in 40 years, down in the marshes of Yatsushiro, where the farmers scatter seed to attract them: their diet includes many rice paddy pests. A housewife in Hagiwaramachi spotted one checking out a utility pole, likely as a place to build a nest. That is all for the good news today. (The photo is stock as an example of how the storks build nests above utility poles.)
https://kumanichi.com/articles/419964

William. Most know that birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs, and if you've ever seen an ostrich or emu, you'll be convinced (disclaimer: I had my sunglasses snatched by an emu once when approaching too close to the fence; it subsequently crushed them into the ground.) Kumanichi reports that 20 emu are on the, um, lamb?, after escaping from an emu park in Kikuchi. If you see one, don't approach it; call authorities at 0968-25-3053.descendents of dinosaurs, and if you've ever seen an ostrich or emu, you'll be convinced (disclaimer: I had my sunglasses snatched by an emu once when approaching too close to the fence; it subsequently crushed them into the ground.) Kumanichi reports that 20 emu are on the, um, lamb?, after escaping from an emu park in Kikuchi. If you see one, don't approach it; call authorities at 0968-25-3053.

Kirk here, repeating the immortal words of Will Rogers: "All I know is what I read in the newspapers."
Here's a quote from the article: "If the businesses require customers to show proof of vaccination or negative test result, they will be allowed to let in more people and remain open for longer hours."
I started with the Will Rogers quote because I don't have any information about what can be used as proof of vaccination. Nor do I know what venues in Kumamoto will be doing this. The article indicates, however, that you'll need proof of vaccination to get in to some bars, etc. in Kumamoto.
Note to the author of the Asahi article: That should have been either "a negative test result" or "negative test results." The plural/singular distinction in English is really mendokusai, isn't it!
Businesses to test vaccination requirements in 13 prefectures | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Trial runs on further easing COVID-19 restrictions will start this month in 13 prefectures at businesses requiring customers to show vaccination certificates or negative PCR test results, the government said Sept. 30.

William. Kumanichi reports on a new PR video for Kumamoto which is, well, out of this world. (Regrettable that Tommy Lee Jones was not available.) Kumanichi is at the first link, and a direct link to the video is at the second.
It occurs to me that the "alien" could represent all foreigners here. Personally speaking, I've found the welcome I continue to receive in Kumamoto overwhelming, but some are made for overseas living and some are not. The last line in the video is, "His home is traversing the stars" or something like that. But once you've made a home in Kumamoto, you'll always have a home in Kumamoto.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/422503
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWYjCO9H95Y

(Fiona) Here's some information about a virtual walk around Kumamoto Castle showing all the work that's been done to reconstruct it since the 2016 earthquakes. It will be streamed live on YouTube on October 7th 11am Japan time (apologies for the short notice).
https://fb.me/e/2yukiOvMs

Kirk here with some notes on the historical accuracy of Johnny Depp's MINAMATA. This post has three URLs. The one I saw first and that prompted me to find the English-language article is the second one, which is by Mr. TAKAYAMA Fumihiko and is in Japanese. Mr. Takayama his written a book related to Minamata disease (third URL) and obviously knows a lot about what happened. His review of the movie is quite positive in some respects but points out that some parts of the movie are not quite right (for example, the location of certain events) and at least one event seems to be totally made up. In the English article, the made-up event is described as follows:
--- start quote ---
Did the Chisso Corporation try to pay W. Eugene Smith $50,000 to hand over the negatives of his photos?
No. While on a tour of the Chisso Corporation factory in the Minamata Johnny Depp movie, W. Eugene Smith (Depp) is offered $50,000 to turn over his negatives. We could not find evidence of this offer being made in real life, but it does effectively dramatize the power and leverage that Chisso had.
--- end quote ---
This may come under the heading of "artistic license." Still, in view of the continuing significance of Minamata disease as a real tragedy affecting people here in Kumamoto, I would hope such liberties could be kept to the bare minimum.
I have plans to go see the movie on Monday. I may report back afterwards, particularly if what I see changes my view significantly.
https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/minamata/
https://www.facebook.com/fu.takayama/posts/4336482096429855
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/髙山-文彦/dp/4065134188/ref=pd_sbs_1/357-1814141-1091861
Minamata vs. the True Story of W. Eugene Smith and the Disaster
We compare the Minamata Johnny Depp movie to the true story of the Minamata environmental disaster. Meet the real W. Eugene Smith and wife Aileen M. Smith.

Kirk here with an announcement that came to the editors of this page:
Kikuchi Girls High School is looking for people to take part in cultural exchange lessons. This could be introducing your country, teaching local crafts or games or cooking simple dishes. If you are interested and would like to find out more, please email Namika sensei at [email protected] There will be remuneration for your time and expenses will be covered.

William. Ya live in Kumamoto long enough and some things become as taken for granted as the sun rising in the east. One is the hot dog stand settled in a rusted-out van along the road from the airport. It was founded in 1976 by Miyahara Youichi ( 宮原洋一), who had one day grown sick of his salaryman job, quit, and embarked on his dream life: selling hot dogs, which were rather unknown in Kumamoto in those days. He's now 76 and has passed the baton to his daughter, who has added a curry counter next door.
Two interesting idioms from the article: 「辛さが足りない」(`Karasa ga tarinai', insufficient spiciness) and 「半端なもんを出せば、お客さんは二度と来ん」("hantanamonowodaseba, okyakusamahanidotokon, if you put out half-hearted food, customers will stop coming). She's also vowed to restore the original van rather than buy a new one - it's not like it has to go anywhere, it just needs to continue providing Kumamoto with hot dogs, rather unknown in Kumamoto when it opened. Next time you're out there, give it a try. Source: https://kumanichi.com/articles/420002