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Joe Tomei here, if you are getting a bit stir crazy and want to get out of the city, I'd suggest checking out Shonenji Temple Lodge in Takachiho, which is run by friend of Kumamoto-i, Victoria Yoshimura. More information below.
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Takachiho is in Miyazaki prefecture but also only a short drive from the Mt.Aso area. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty with gorges, waterfalls and terraced rice fields. We offer a relaxing and luxurious stay in a 5-bedroom lodge which can accommodate up to 11 guests. Guests from both Japan and abroad can enjoy the Japanese-Scandinavian fusion interior. There is a fully-equipped kitchen and a self-serve continental breakfast is included. The Lodge is in the grounds of our family’s 440-year old Buddhist temple. My husband is the 17th generation head priest and we love to share our temple life with our guests.
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https://shonenjitemplelodge.com/
https://instagram.com/templestaytakachiho?r=nametag

Walking back from my IBM work on a cold, drizzly night in Osaka's Nishinakajimaminamigata (西中島南方 - yes, there is a place called that), I heard a kitten mewing pitifully from an alleyway, so I stuffed her in my coat and took her home. Thin as bones, I named her Bones. She lived with me for a few years, never having lost her feral instincts, until one day she didn't come home. (I had to leave my screen door open or she'd bounce of it like a trampoline.) Japanese has the cutest of phrases, "neko no hitai" ( 猫の額) meaning a cat's forehead but indicating a small area. It is a useful phrase to remember If you choose to adopt an animal (which you should), visit the Kumamoto Doubutsu Aigo Center, which cares for abandoned pets. http://doubutsuaigo.hinokuni-net.jp/ - William http://noriko-sensei.com/blog/what-do-japanese-mean-by-cat-s-forehead
What do Japanese mean by ‘cat’s forehead’ ??
This cute expression ねこのひたい (neko no hitai) is commonly used in Japan.ねこ (neko) means « cat », ひたい (hitai) means « forehead ». Joining these two words...

Kumamoto will host the soccer teams for the Olympics, so Kumamon donned a soccer jersey. He'd probably be a good goalie. - William

Cool photo of the castle from the keep, courtesy of Kumanichi. - William
https://kumanichi.com/articles/290190

One builds a castle in the hope that its simple existence will act as a deterrent. Turns out this didn't happen when the Satsuma forces determined to march on Edo, which took them through Kumamoto, controlled at the time by the Edo government. Events got, shall we say, out of hand as the Satsuma forces fired on the castle from a nearby hill. The event is famously portrayed in the movie, The Last Samurai. Attached is an ukiyoe of the battle, which resulted in the destruction of the original structure. -

Kumamoto Castle got a write-up in Japan Today. Apparently, its donjon is open again for visitors. - William
https://japantoday.com/category/national/kumamoto-castle-main-tower-damaged-by-2016-quake-reopens-to-public

Remember that incident where two guys threatened a guy in a local supermarket parking lot with a knife: "Give us your weed or we'll cut your throat?" Well, in their infinite wisdom the prosecutors have dropped this case. I saw a report about this on TV (RKK) and no explanation was given.
In Japan, the decisions that prosecutors make can be more important than those that judges make. If the prosecutors decide to pursue your case, you have a 99% chance of being found guilty. Then, in the rare instance where the judge finds you innocent, the prosecutors can appeal.
Moreover, judges publish decisions regarding why they decided as they did but prosecutors need not offer any explanation of their decisions to drop cases. So, as in this case, we are left wondering "What the ***?"
And, of course, this may lead to racial profiling. "Throw the book at that foreigner but give that Japanese guy another chance." I don't know how often that sort of thing happens. It's sort of a black box. :(
-- Kirk
駐車場で強盗容疑の２人を不起訴処分　熊本地検 | 熊本日日新聞社
　熊本地検は１４日、強盗の疑いで逮捕、送検された熊本市中央区の建設作業員の男（２３）＝恐喝罪、大麻取締法違反罪などで公判中＝と合志市の建設作...

Charles Waterman here:
If you are calling to get your vaccination appointment today, and youy need the first one ASAP (because of travel or other issues) I recommend you try to book at one of the "mass vaccination sites" like the Kumamoto-Jo hall. If you do it by phone, be ready to struggle to understand the Japanese they will use and be prepared to **very patiently and slowly** spell every letter in your name if they ask you to. The gentleman who helped me this morning was very patient and got me a reservation
**much earlier than I expected would be possible.**
I don't want him to get mobbed with calls, so I won't post his name here. (I could hear **several** people taking on phones in the background)
I don't know if it's possible to get an early appointment online or not. If someone gets an early appointment using the online site, it would be helpful if you post that that's also possible.

OK, just quietly posting this. If Misato-town isn't too far away for you, and you'd like to try to get vaccinated more quickly, please check this page out:
https://www.town.kumamoto-misato.lg.jp/q/aview/91/8375.html
By the way, if anyone discovers any clinics in Kumamoto City that are setting up cancellation waiting lists like this, PLEASE post the info here!
Here's another tip: a friend has told me that it may be faster to book the first vaccine shot if you book it at one of the mass vaccination sites rather than a clinic.
UPDATE: The latter is true! Just booked an appointment less than two weeks away at the Kumamoto-jo Hall!
Chuck Waterman
コロナワクチン接種のキャンセル待ち　協力者募集について｜美里町
美里町のコロナワクチン接種のキャンセル待ち　協力者募集についてに関するページ

A Facebook post I subscribe to is devoted to ukiyoe (浮世絵)
- "pictures of the floating world," as the poetic English translation has it. Chance has it that I looked up one of Higo, posted below. It's got a horse, which behooves Higo. (Get it? GET IT?) Notice the 火 kanji the the right topmost corner. If you find an image of interest regarding Kumamoto, please send it to us. - William

Chuck Waterman here again.
OK, soon we 60-65 year olders should be getting our "vaccine tickets" in the mail. It would be very encouraging to several people if the first 3 or 4 expats who receive their tickets in the mail would please post here when you get them!

Chuck Waterman here again.
Well, soon some of us 60-65 year olds should be getting our tickets for vaccine. Please post here as soon as you get your ticket, fellow expats so we can be encouraged that some of us are actually getting them!
Thanks again, Carlton, for all the helpful info about getting your vaccine!

This was on the news last night and expanded here in this story: <https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-to-halt-company-applications-for-workplace-vaccinations> Does anyone know if/how Kumamoto's vaccination program might be affected by this? Were there any mass vaccination sites planned here using the Moderna vaccine? --CM
Japan to halt company applications for workplace vaccinations
The Japanese government said Wednesday it is temporarily halting company applications for COVID-19 vaccinations at workplaces due to concerns it will be unable to distribute doses quickly enough. Applications will be closed off to companies after 5 p.m. Friday, with no timeline set for when they wil...

"Pun" in Japanese is called "dajyare" (駄洒落), but many call it an "oyaji gag - old man's joke." I can't help myself. Just came home from a walk with my wife when a crow (karasu) darted just in front of our faces, and I said, "Why are they called crows? Because they're 黒! (kuro)" and "Why are their nests always empty? Because they're 空巣! (karasu)" For this, I was deservedly slapped in the face. - William

There's this bird that frequents Japan called the ブロンズトキ (buronzutoki), which in English is called a "glossy ibis," probably because it is an ibis which is glossy. (And before you ask, the plural of "ibis" is "ibes.") One guy (?) was spotted in Tamana. So there's a reason to go to Tamana. - William
https://kumanichi.com/articles/284255

Two weeks ago I took a stroll downtown. I haven't been to the machi for four and a half years, even though I live in the city.
It was mainly empty and felt reminiscent of a ghost town. A strange feeling to have given the current size of Kumamoto. At any rate, it was a beautiful day.
It seems this week a lot of places are opening back up. So it might be worth visiting again once the restaurants are up and running. --Tristan Vick

I friggin' love jumping spiders. Our house is filled with a plethora (which, if my calculations are correct, is more than a methora). Observing their behavior is fascinating. Scientists have studied why they're striped and ended up shrugging their shoulders - but imagine putting makeup on a spider (lipstick?). THIS is the kind of job I want. I'd say toss more money at them (the scientists, not the spiders - who knows what spiders'd do if they had cash). - William

Nice to see teachers being proactive. A seminar was held to discuss how to respond to an approaching typhoon, and the teachers came up with some ideas as "move desks away from windows" and "send the kids home early if safe." With global warming, we may see larger and more frequent typhoons. Plan accordingly. - William
台風接近時に学校の対応は？　熊本県教委、教諭向け防災研修会 | 熊本日日新聞社
　熊本県教育委員会は２２日、防災主任を務める教諭向けの防災研修会を県庁で開催。参加者たちは昨年７月の豪雨災害も踏まえて、事前防災行動計画（タイムライン）を作った。

I like to get lost. Once, on a solo trip to Amakusa, I ascended a mountain so steep that my engine almost overheated. At the peak, I pulled into a driveway, and the young woman overseeing the house strangely didn't appear to be surprised to see me. But when I looked in her backyard - it was a sheer hundred meters down to the sea. Ain't no way I was going to check that out. - William

Kato Kiyomasa is known as the father of Kumamoto though he was born in Aichi - after invading Korea didn't kill him off as Hideyoshi had planned, Hideyoshi had Kato sent to far-off Higo, where he lived out his days, There's a cool statue of him at the intersection fronting Miyukizaka. Take photos. - William https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kat%C5%8D_Kiyomasa