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From the front lines of the Covid-19 skirmish I can report that I have been shot.
As a member of the over-65 club, I was eligible for my first Pfizer vaccination and was lucky enough to get an appointment for one this morning of the first day of inoculation in Kumamoto for those similarly qualified.
Eschewing the taxi coupons I had and expecting a possible crowded parking lot at the ear, nose, and throat clinic that was the vaccination site, I drove over 30 minutes early. My apprehensions were not justified. There were but a few cars already there, and when I walked into the clinic and saw about a dozen people seated and socially distanced I noticed that many of them appeared to be aging a whole lot better than me. That’s because most of them were in their 20s-40s and there with ear, nose, and throat problems waiting to see the doctor. There were only 3 other people appearing to be well into the 2nd half of their respective centuries waiting to get vaccinated. And only 2 more arrived while I was there. I had my temperature taken and presented the necessary paperwork—photo ID, vaccination “coupon”, and pre-vaccination medical history questionnaire—and was directed to take a seat and wait.
Patients were called in one by one as in any medical waiting room in a normal sequence except it appeared that the “vaxxers” like me were being admitted within the 15 minute time frames of our respective appointments. Mine was for 10-10:15am and I was called at 10:13 (my birth date). I was directed to an empty anteroom where I took a seat but then was immediately ushered into the doctor’s examination room, also empty except for him and 2 nurses.
The doctor, a graduate of the University of Michigan medical school in my home state, greeted me in fluent English, and asked if I had any questions in advance and if I understood what was happening. I did not, and I did, and we chatted briefly about Michigan before getting down to brass jabs. Following previous advice I wore a short sleeve shirt, and in about 10 seconds I was injected by the doctor. It was so fast and so painless I wasn’t aware that it had happened apart from alcohol being rubbed on a spot on my shoulder.
I was then escorted back to the waiting room and asked to stay for 15 minutes to observe if I suffered any reaction to the shot. I did not, and after 15 minutes a nurse returned and presented me with the follow-up paperwork necessary for presentation at the time of my 2nd shot and confirmed the date and time exactly 3 weeks hence. Then I was free to leave.
It’s now 5 hours since I received the injection and my shoulder feels a bit sore (I’d say naturally after having been stabbed by a relatively long but thin needle), but otherwise I’m feeling fine. My brother in the US, who was fully vaccinated in March, told me to expect this. There is no rash or swelling.
So everyone, the first thing I’ll say is that the program has begun but with very little fanfare or sense of urgency. At the clinic I went to I don’t believe they had more than 10 vaxxers scheduled, and they were not going to continue in the afternoon. Then again, citywide I understand there were only 4200 doses available for today and the next 3 days or so. From May 24 when the next time for inoculations begins, there are supposedly 10 times more doses to be distributed.
For those who might be nervous about getting the vaccination, if your experience is like mine, you have nothing to fear. It’s easier and faster and (so far) more comfortable than the flu shot you may have been getting every year. Good luck!
As a Scotsman, I feel at home during the rainy season! Nothing like getting out on a rainy day and seeing Kumamoto's ancient heritage blend with nature. I guess it is the connection between the Celtic and Shinto beliefs in animism that are involved.
Here is a link to a short video from the Rokuden shrine, in the rain, that Megumi and I (Douglas) put together yesterday.
Rain At the Rokuden Shrine
There is something special about visiting an old shrine in the rain. In this short video we feature the Rokuden shrine in the Tomiai district of Kumamoto, Japan. The…
One will often see these inverted V-shaped things on buildings, particularly schools, in Kumamoto. This is called "seismic retrofit" (耐震工事, たいしんこうじ) and is intended to reduce the horizontal stress that a building undergoes during an earthquake. (Presumably, newer buildings incorporate them.) But this story about a building in China that suddenly started shaking even with no seismic activity is startling. Architectural integrity is paramount. - William
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/18/panic-as-300m-high-tall-skyscraper-wobbles-in-china
Alluvial plains (沖積平野, chūseki heiya) - flat areas created by dirt running off of mountains - constitute most of the habitable areas of Japan. While their flatness makes them great for building, they're also subject to liquefaction during earthquakes. I'm currently commuting to a gig in Yatsushiro by train which skirts the mountains and the alluvial plain and am enjoying the view. Geology, I learned in college, is a key factor in understanding societies. - William
In 2013, a 17-year-old 3rd year high school student committed suicide after being verbally bullied by her dance club. Her parents were recently awarded 83.4 million yen in damages for this. As a survivor of youthful bullying, I have mixed feelings about this. Obviously devoid of details, I nonetheless have an inkling that, had her communication conduits with her parents been better, she would have been able to withstand it - it may have even made her stronger, as it did I. But it is a warning, both for parents and teachers: pay attention to signs of distress amongst youth and be proactive on probing the causes. - William
同級生８人と熊本県を提訴 いじめ苦に自殺の高３女子遺族 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
２０１３年４月に同級生のいじめなどを苦に自殺した熊本県央の県立高３年の女子生徒＝当時（１７）＝の遺族...
Kumamoto has a perennial problem with sediment buildup in its rivers due to both volcanic and farming effluent. One will often notice the color of Shirakawa, whose riverbed is at the same height as its surrounding area and only held in place by its artificial banks, turn coffee-brown during rice planting season, and its coarse black sand ejection from Aso. Removing the sediment before the onset of rainy season is a race against time. Kumanichi reports on the haste. - William
https://kumanichi.com/articles/232598
Kirk here. I occasionally search Google news for "Kumamoto" to see if anything worth sharing comes up. This article came up because it describes a survey that came out on the day that Kumamoto's quasi-emergency status was announced. That status change is old news on this page but I thought I'd share the article just the same. One reason is that the survey on whether or not the olympics should be held as planned is, I think, likely to be of interest to many readers of this page. The other is that I'd like to say "Give that woman an A+ in Colloquial English!"
Majority of Japanese say Tokyo Olympics should be canceled: polls
The two-day nationwide telephone survey conducted from Saturday also found that 25.2 percent said the games must be held without spectators, while 12.6 percent favor holding the global sporting event with a limited number of spectators.
The rain was quite heavy this morning in parts of Kumamoto.
The following NHK article says that Yamato-machi got about 20 centimeters of rain in just three hours:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210517_15/
The following link has an English-language video that reports that a woman in her 70s has gone missing in Yamato-machi. She went to check on her fields and has not been seen since.
-- Kirk
https://www.nippon.com/en/news/ntv20210517003/woman-missing-after-torrential-rain-in-kumamoto-prefecture.html
Woman missing after torrential rain in Kumamoto Prefecture
A 78-year-old woman goes missing after heavy rain drenches Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.[© Nip…
Nora Ueda writes us (particularly if you are 65 or over or know someone who is) to say:
In case you are not aware of this , today May 17th , is the day that you may apply for your vaccination if you are above 65 and living in Kumamoto City . The phone number for this is ( 0120-096-885)
You can also do it online which is easier I think as the line isn’t jammed if you’ve registered yourself on their webpage which is in English, Chinese and Korean . It’s a bit tricky but I got this done and got my appointment today online .
====
She also included a photo and a link to the Kumamoto Covid 19 page
URL: https://vaccines.sciseed.jp/kumamotocovid18
Tel:096-300-5577
The above no is for calling 熊本市新型コロナワクチンコールセンター
Nora also added in a comment that the taxi fare is subsidized
"I was also given 2 ¥500 taxi coupons to be used for the first and second vaccinations, with a list of taxi companies. You’ll have to pay for the balance if it exceeds ¥500"
Please keep us posted on your progress and anything that may be helpful to know! (and thanks Nora!!)"
Kosa (黄砂, yellow sand which blows east from the Gobi Desert) has apparently reached its greatest amount in 18 years. It's really hit me hard; I feel like I have a beehive in my throat. A timelapse video is at the link. - William
気象庁 ｜ 黄砂・砂じん
ひまわりが取得した画像・動画です。それぞれの画像をクリックすると、拡大した画像・動画を見ることができます。
As a Japan neophyte walking from a gig on a rainy, frigid night in Osaka, I came across an emaciated kitten who was quite pleased that I stuffed her in my jacket. I named her "Bones" (despite the all-you-can-eat deal I gave her, her physical properties never changed), and we spent two years together until one day she never came home. When I moved to Kumamoto, I fulfilled my dream in getting a dog. We spent 15 glorious years together until he died a half year ago, probably of exhaustion. But cats and dogs are often too difficult for the more transient Kumamoto residents to care for. So here is my suggestion.
When I was in college, I had a rat. I named her Mickey. She spent her nights in her cage and her daytimes roaming the dorm floor, keeping it food-free. She learned to come when I called (a "tsk tsk tsk" sound does it - rats don't like vowels) and to ride around on my shoulder. Rats are friendly, clean, fascinating, cheap, easy to care for - and their lifespan is only 3 years. So if your stay in Kumamoto is limited but you really want a pet, visit any pet store and buy two rats (unless you have much time to socialize with them, they go crazy being alone - and make sure they're of the same sex unless you want a whole lotta rats) and have fun handicrafting their habitat from stuff you can find in the garbage. They'll thank you for it: their ultimate purpose was to have been fed to snakes. - William
Hello friends.
This is an announcement about ''Drive through kitchen'' at アクアドーム Aqua dome.
It will be held from 20th May to 13th June, from 11:30 to 19:30(last order)
10 restaurants give you delicious meals by drive through style.
You might not need to go out to order and get your foods. The staff brings your dishes to your car.
If you go there by bicycle, they might bring meals to your bicycle!?
The food menu is here.
https://drivethrukitchen.amebaownd.com/pages/3760370/static
Hoping you can enjoy lots tastes safe and happilyーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://www.facebook.com/101403098220919/posts/405687767792449/
There's a plant which grows in the higher elevations of Kumamoto called the "lily of the valley," or 鈴蘭 (suzuran - the kanji is cool - it literally means "bell orchid"). Kumanichi reports that they're blossoming around the Aso area now. - William
https://kumanichi.com/articles/230308
There's this old guy, Urabe-san, whose repository of Kumamoto knowledge is only exceeded by the repository of his stomach. He suddenly appeared on this Sunday afternoon, but my wife lept up from her nap, excited: it was the perfect chance to clean out the refrigerator of leftovers. - William
This just in: The Fukuoka branch of the Japan Meteorology Agency has announced the official start of rainy season in Kyushu, the second earliest start since records began in 1951. It's also hydrangea (アジサイ) season, a flower commonly associated with rainy season. Get used to being damp all of the time. - William
This is from last year but not particularly time sensitive. The Kumamoto connection is that Kumamoto is a major producer of tatami mats, used as yoga mats in the photos. -- Kirk
Website posts 100 different yoga poses to boost tatami mat industry in Japan - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- Photos showing 100 different yoga poses taken by a model while laying down on a tatami mat have been uploaded to a special website establi
This article is in English but the videos are in Japanese.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14337766
Here's the address of the YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/onepiece熊本復興プロジェクト
-- Kirk
Kumamon, Luffy join in videos on rebuilding from 2016 quakes : The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Kumamoto Prefecture’s popular mascot, Kumamon, and characters from the “One Piece” h
When I first came to Japan, I could read and write kanji as I'd studied Chinese (just needed to learn the Japanese pronunciation) but not the two phonetic alphabets, hiragana and katakana. So I set about learning those. My wife told me that, one night, I sat bolt upright and declared, "Let's eat okonomiyaki!" then fell back to sleep. I have no memory of this, but I suppose my brain was processing what I'd been studying - おこのみやき - in the form of a dream. The Guardian has an interesting article on theories about why we dream.
Weird dreams train us for the unexpected, says new theory
AI inspires hypothesis that sleeping human brain might try to break its overfamiliarity with daily data
"In the Kyushu region, Kumamoto and Oita prefectures confirmed a record number of new infection cases, with 124 and 102, respectively."
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14349934
Copied and pasted by Kirk
Hokkaido in dire state, Kumamoto, Oita see highest new virus cases : The Asahi Shimbun
Hokkaido on May 14 confirmed 593 new COVID-19 cases, the second-highest ever for the northernmost ma
