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A reycled FunkyFridayPlace.
Actually, though I've posted about this, it has not been under the high visibility of the FunkyFridayPlace™ brand. But it is "recycled" for reasons that will become apparent.
Indo Shokudo (インド食堂) is across the street from the Kumamoto Shiritsu Public Library at Oe 5 chome. The usual menu is a choice of a vegetarian or a non vegetarian curry of the day with the occasional special curry (mutton, liver and the owner says that he might have some deer meat curry, so you can get some after I get mine) They also do a nice chai, a good lassi and have home made coconut ice cream. Also the food is halal, though it is the middle of ramadan so you may have to wait. And you can order pak chi/cilantro as an extra. Yes!!
But what of the recycled part? Well, I was speaking to another fan of the restaurant and she told me that if you prepare containers, rather than get the disposable plastic trays, you can bring those in and get the curry to-go!
Here is a photo of my containers to give you an idea, the rice is 400 ml (the bottom right container) and the two side containers are 300 ml, which is good for a 2 person serving (I pick it up for me and my long suffering spouse) and are all from the 100 yen store. The curry container was a bit of splurge at 900 yen, I went to the new Home Viva store where the old Daiei at Kuhonji Kosaten was, but all you need is a 300 ml container with a good seal.
They are open for lunch and dinner, but close every Wednesday and the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. The owner posts the curries on his Twitter feed
https://twitter.com/indiandiner
The FFP google map is here
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
#kumaifunkyfridayplace

Kirk here with some news about a very well-known singer, SADA Masashi, who has written a song for Hakusui Elementary School in Minami Aso.
I remember SADA Masashi for having written and performed a song called "Kampaku Sengen" (関白宣言) -- a "declaration of a male chauvinist." It's so over-the-top as to make me think that he must have meant it as a parody -- but I'm not sure. I'll put links to the song and lyrics (with English translation) in a comment.
Singer Masashi Sada offers song to new school in Kumamoto : The Asahi Shimbun
MINAMI-ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--One of singer-songwriter Masashi Sada's newest works may never make

Thank you good information, Kuma visit, @Hiromi Chida.ーAtsuko(๑˃ᴗ˂)و

Y'know when you know a lot, but you don't know what you don't know, and then something pierces your mind like the high octave of a shakuhachi? Our local shakuhachi virtuoso Jeff Cairns has introduced us to the Shakuhachi Maker's Yakiin/Hanko Data Base. Jeeze, I'm glad to still be alive. - William https://hanko.windwheel.com/

Ariake Sea is not the place to go if you'd like to swim (for that, let's look at future posts), but it is an amazing ecosystem. A keystone species is the Japanese mudskipper (tobihaze, トビハゼ). It's not the most attractive fish, but it's adapted itself to an anoxic environment. The males dig burrows in the mud and try to attract females by acting really masculine. (See the photo for what it's like to display mudskipper masculinity. I think he's saying, "Yo!" ) Kumamoto Shinko (Port) is a good place to observe them. I was reminded of this by the Japan Today article on Saga's mudflats. - William
https://japantoday.com/category/features/travel/saga-fun-in-the-mud

Here's a thoughtful post by our friend Carlton McCycle. Carlton, you really should be an editor of this page. It would be no more work and people would actually SEE your posts without my having to share them (the Facebook algorithm deems posts from "guests" to by unimportant).
-- Yours truly, Kirkville McSkateboard ;)
PS. I thought I was sharing Carlton's post but the sharing process didn't work as I had expected. I think I needed to ad the URL. Here it is:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/5275281439211912

Kirk here. My wife and I thought of the Minamata disease issue when we heard about plans to dispose of the contaminated water. I guess we weren't alone.
Minamata disease patients oppose release of Fukushima water into sea - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- Patients and supporters of those suffering from Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome caused by mercury poisoning, in s

With Golden Week upon us, many may be wondering about how to spend an enjoyable, cheap day out. Here's an idea for the more adventurous: take a bus from Kotsu Center towards Mt. Kimpo. From a point near the peak (ask a local - they can point it out), there is a trail which leads down to Kawachi, a fishing port most famous for its mikan and nori; the trail provides superb views of Mt. Unzen across the Ariake Sea. At a certain point, the trail enters a labyrinth of tiny, paved lanes that provide access for the mikan farmers. Feel free to pick as many mikan as you'd like - the farmers don't care. And visit a nori processing factory if you have a chance (they're on the right side of the port). Don't worry about getting lost - all of the lanes eventually lead to the town. From there, you can take a bus back to Kumamoto. Adventurous level: 8.5. - William

Kirk here with some thoughts on how plastic is recycled in Kumamoto (or, more precisely, "in Japan" and Kumamoto by extension).
First, here's a quote that I think is interesting:
"According to official numbers, in 2018 Japan recycled an impressive 84 percent of the plastic collected. (The US, in comparison, recycles about 9 percent.) Japan reaches this percentage through diversified recycling mechanisms. More than half of the collected plastic goes through thermal recycling, which means that the plastic waste is burned in incinerators to generate energy. Approximately 28 percent of the plastic is either reprocessed into new products or chemically recycled — broken down into its primary components and recombined to create new products. Some sources indicate that part of these volumes end up being exported overseas. The residual 14 percent is not recycled at all and ends up being dumped or burned without energy recovery."
https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/japans-high-recycling-rate-plastic/
I hadn't imagined that burning plastic might be considered recycling if energy is harvested in the process.
I found the article I quoted from above in a round-about sort of way. I had been listening to a podcast about low levels of plastic recycling in the US and the world in general and that prompted me to want to learn more about how the plastic I go to the trouble to sort each week is being used. I found the following article in Japanese that mentioned the "thermal recycling" problem and that led me to search for "thermal recycling" and Japan in English:
世界でプラスチックのリサイクル率が低い5つの理由＆日本の現状
https://lessplasticlife.com/plastics/trash-recycle/why-are-plastic-recycling-rates-so-low/
The article basically says that Japan's recycling statistics are deceptive. Still, I'm in favor of recycling what can be recycled, even if so-called chemical recycling levels are lower than I had imagined. My take away is that we shouldn't be overly optimistic about plastic recycling and that, instead, we should try to avoid unnecessary packaging if at all possible. Maybe I need to have a little talk with someone at my nearest supermarket about their packaging practices. I'm sure that if I explain to them that recycling doesn't make everything OK they'll see the light and make major changes in their practices. ;)
P.S. I searched and confirmed that "thermal recycling" is part of the prefecture's approach to plastic recycling but I couldn't find any statistics about the percentage, even in the wonky pdfs that ordinary citizens don't bother to read. I guess it's not an aspect of the program that the government really wants to publicize.
Is Japan’s High Recycling Rate Enough?
The country has a sophisticated waste management system. But it also has one of the highest per-capita plastic consumption rates in the world.

Japan Today has an excellent write-up on Udo Shrine in Miyazaki. My only addition is to remember to bring your swim fins - but take care: the currents can be treacherous. - William
Udo Shrine – origin myths in a cliff-side cave
There are many reasons to visit Japan’s shrines. They are, of course, religious sites, often dedicated to particular guardian gods or to receiving prayers for particular purposes. The shrine structures themselves are often of architectural interest and many are located on sites of great natural be...

I clearly remember the conversation I had with my son MacKenzie about racism when he was a child, still unaware that he was different from his peers. "There are people who will assume things about you simply because of the color of your skin. Don't let that anger you; pity them, understanding they say these things from ignorance, for their world is so much smaller than yours." This is a beautiful article about how a father broached the topic of racism with his young son. - William
How racism found my son on Fortnite
My six-year-old is eating pizza and rambling about a video game friend when suddenly racial trauma rears its head

Sakurajima, a volcano in our neighbor to the south, Kagoshima, went kablooee. It is a fabulous place to visit- really, a must if you want to fulfill your Kyushu sojourn - and you can even climb up it a bit (or dangerously far, as I did), but clearly timing is important. Take the Shinkansen to Kagoshima station and then the ferry and collect a lot of pumice. - William
https://kumanichi.com/node/208609

Hi friends.
The mayor press conference temporary today, on April 25, 2021 (Raiwa 3)
This is the mayor, Oonishi announcement about "Kumamoto-shi medical care declaration of a state of emergency".
The page has interview video and interview record.
Be careful, stay safe and hoping you enjoy GW with Minimum but Maximum, with your close family and friendsーAtsuko(*´꒳`*)
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Here is a group that a friend just pointed out to me. It seems to have a lot of useful information (and sad realities)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/returntojapan/

Stumbled across a cave one winter in Hainan, China, and heard the sound of a waterfall, so I ventured inside - but realized there was no water flowing out and the floor was covered with a sticky substance that I recognized as guano. I looked up to see a thousand bats rustling as they roosted; hence, the sound. How carefully I backed out of that cave one can imagine. They were Asian parti-colored bats, a migratory, insectivorous species who winter in southern Asia and move north in the summer to feast on the so very delicious insects inhabiting Japan. One knows summer has arrived when they return. Saw a bunch of them flitting about my neighborhood this evening. They are your friends: they can eat their bodyweight in mosquitos each evening. They often roost under rain gutters. Treat them well. - William
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_particolored_bat

My hometown of Los Angeles has a lot of bears. They are remarkably unthreatening animals, spending most of their days in such conversation: "'Sup?" "Foraging." (Except, as is true with EVERY animal, never get between a mother and cub.) Aso Cuddly Dominion has a newborn bear. You can go out there and see it if you want, or you can just look at photos and say "Ahhh!" and really, really wish that you had that young woman's job. - William
https://kumanichi.com/news/id206222

Kirk here with some thoughts on the cognitive dissonance I experienced yesterday. This article is from the Nishi Nippon Shimbun but I saw a similar piece on RKKs evening news announcing that over 3,000 people had lined up to get into Amu Plaza (AMUPLAZA?) on opening day. The governor and mayor and other important people were there for a tape cutting ceremony. That was the top story. After that I saw the governor again looking more solemn to announce that Kumamoto had moved back into level 5, the highest level of alert regarding the spread of COVID-19.
I'm sure the governor was in a difficult position and, politically, he may not have felt that he could handle things differently. Still, the governor's two different media appearances and the way that RKK put them together in their broadcast made me think of a driver hitting the brakes with his left foot while continuing to step on the accelerator with his right.
https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/item/n/728480/?fbclid=IwAR3O0D5FPIBBb6iHIxAAcfg0rm231dRGntdpKngfLD7TpgbrXNynjY5Owgo
P.S. I posted this earlier this morning but I realized later that, for some reason, I hadn't posted as "Kumamoto International" but as myself. When that happens, the Facebook algorithm doesn't show the post to many people. So, I'm reposting the same content.
JR九州が開発を進めていたJR熊本駅ビル（熊本市西区）の複合商業施設「アミュプラザくまもと」が23日、オープンした。駅前広場には開店前...JR九州が開発を進めていたJR熊本駅ビル（熊本市西区）の複合商業施設「アミュ.....

Joe Tomei here with the latest from Lily McDermott & Chase Sutherland, JET Program Prefectural Advisors for Kumamoto Prefecture.
======
Hello everyone,
Kumamoto Prefecture has once against raised its independent Risk Level, this time to the highest level, "Level 5".
The prefecture is requesting residents to avoid all travel to other prefectures, effective tomorrow (24 April). Governor Kabashima said in the press conference announcing the change that he wishes for residents of Kumamoto to stay within the prefecture during Golden Week.
Furthermore, if the high level of infections persist, additional measures will be taken. For example, the prefecture is considering requesting business in certain areas to shorten their business hours (request closures by 9pm) as soon as May 1st, as well as potentially changing the plans regarding the Olympic torch relay scheduled to pass through Kumamoto on 5-6 May.
The prefecture believes that internal movement within Japan from other prefectures to Kumamoto during the end of and beginning of the fiscal year is responsible for much of the increase in cases.
The information has not yet been uploaded to the prefectural website, but here is a summary of the press conference on Yahoo News: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/db6e4b5bf582da79b225b13fedd49e4fd63bc28b

When English is used in the context of Japanese is it English or Japanese? This may sound like an odd question but recently I've begun to think that, in Japan, there seems to be an assumption that English used in the context of Japanese isn't really English and as such is not subject to the rules and conventions of the language.
One example, would be the "Go To トラべル" expression. If the kanatana is converted to English (as it often was) this becomes "Go To Travel" which is, of course, weird English. But, perhaps the idea was that, originally at least, "Go To トラべル" was just a borrowing of English into the Japanese language and as such didn't have to be "correct". Of course, even if this was the original notion, it quickly became "Go To Travel" and "Go To Eat," further exacerbating confusion about what constitutes good English (including proper capitalization).
The "Go To" issue is rather old but I recently found myself thinking about this issue when looking at the images I've shared in this post. Perhaps "NEWS & EVENT" was considered to be OK in Japanese because, as loanwords, that's how Japanese people use them: ニュース、イベント. The problem occurs, however, when the same graphic is used on the English part of the page. There you have this weird situation of the heading being "NEWS & EVENT" and the "translation" being "News & Events".
The use of spaces presents a similar issue. Spaces are not part of the Japanese language. So, if they are used in Japanese, it's merely to improve the appearance, not because they are required in order to be "correct." Of course, the situation in English is different. A word or name is usually either written with a space or it isn't -- it's not something that can go either way depending on the context. So, as Japanese, it doesn't really matter if something is "AMU PLAZA" or "AMUPLAZA." As someone who looks at these letters as English, however, my sense is that either one is possible but "decide on one and stick to it."
Any little irritation I feel about these matters isn't really important. I'll survive. But, I do worry about what impact this "devil-may-care" (いいじゃないですか) approach to public English may have on young people who want to learn English. I think it's natural for such young people to pay attention to the examples of English they see around them and I worry that this approach to English just causes more confusion.
So, to answer my own question, I would recommend that "News & Event" be viewed as English and that as such, it should be checked and corrected. I'll be interested to read any thoughts any of you may have.
-- Kirk

It's sports day season, which, aside from having to prepare your kindergartener's stuff, is the time that parents most dread. Advice: Get your stuff together night before with a sheet and food. Set your alarm clock for 4:30 AM (you'll probably oversleep, so better to be cautious). Make sure that you have several times more food and space on your sheet as those who did not take such precautions will avail themselves upon you. And pretend to enjoy it. - William