Posts
Joe Tomei here, this from the Mainichi about foreign eligibility for vaccinations
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210212/p2a/00m/0na/046000c
This looks a bit tricky for non-Japanese speaking residents so as it comes closer, I hope we can give more details.
FAQ: How foreign residents can get coronavirus vaccinations in Japan - The Mainichi
TOKYO -- With reports that coronavirus vaccinations will begin in Japan during the week commencing Feb. 15, The Mainichi answers some common questions
Kirk here. First, financially, Kumamon rocks!
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210209/p2a/00m/0bu/020000c
Second, here's something about an online event (not my thing but . . .)
Even with COVID-19, Kumamoto Prefecture would like to thank everyone online - KUMAMON 2021
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/even-covid-19-kumamoto-prefecture-020000570.html
Sales of Japan mascot Kumamon's goods reach record high of $1.62 billion - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- Sales of products bearing illustrations of this southwestern Japan prefecture's mascot character Kumamon reached a record high of 169.8 bi
Noyaki (the burning of the fields) in Aso is usually done with good control but sometimes there are accidents. In the past, people have become trapped in the flames and lost their lives. Today, the flames spread to nearby forests. According to the video report at the following link, it took a couple of hours (helicopter deployment, etc.) to get the fire under control.
https://rkk.jp/news/index.php?id=NS003202102231811180111
Click on the following link to see previous posts about the noyaki practice and how this ancient practice is what gives the Aso area its distinctive appearance.
https://www.facebook.com/page/123734781033296/search/?q=noyaki
-- Kirk
Kirk here. The history of the controversy surrounding the Kawabegawa dam goes back decades. It's something we've discussed on the page many times in past years. I won't try to review the history but I'll add a few links to the bottom of this article for those who might be interested.
https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2020111900164/
Scrapped dam may have limited flood damage from Kumamoto rains
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/08/26/national/kuma-river-dam-flood-damage-kumamoto/
Some previous Kumamoto International posts that include the word "Kawabegawa":
https://www.facebook.com/page/123734781033296/search?q=kawabegawa
English summary of governor's statement from in which he said that "we should withdraw the existing plan for the Kawabe-Gawa dam, and should pursue other flood control measures which do not require the construction of a dam" (that is, the opposite of his most recent decision):
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/uploaded/attachment/17697.pdf
The last pdf is not dated, as it should be. I can't recall offhand the date of the decision but it's been about a decade now, I think. Until today, I wasn't not aware of the existence of such an English summary. I think it's an interesting historical document in view of recent events.
Kumamoto Governor Supports Dam Construction
Kumamoto, Nov. 19 (Jiji Press)--Kumamoto Governor Ikuo Kabashima said Thursday that he supports the constructi…
I'd read long ago how some animals in the midst of evolutionary arms race evolve themselves into extinction by adding unaffordable flairs or just getting too big. A visit to the Kumamon corner at a Kumamoto Station shop reminded me of that. Someday, this madness has gotta stop. - William
Kirk here. I've read in Japanese that MINAMATA, with Johnny Depp, will be shown in theaters in Japan beginning this year, but I haven't been able to find an exact schedule. Apparently, it's not available on line yet either. I'll try to keep you posted but if you happen to know something that I don't, please share your information in a comment. Thanks!
This week's new movies includes Johnny Depp film 'Minimata'
Minamata American International Pictures Director: Andrew Levitas Writers: David Kessler, Andrew Levitas Producers: Johnny Depp, Bill Johnson, Gabrielle Tana, et. ...
Two evening news programs I saw said that Kumamoto didn't have any new cases of COVID-19 today. The image is from the StopCovid19 site and the results are indicated to be for the 20th (yesterday). So, the same site should say "0" tomorrow. One of the programs I saw said that it has been exactly one year now since the first case was found in Kumamoto and about five months since we've had a day like today without a single new patient. -- Kirk
https://kumamoto.stopcovid19.jp
Hi! This is my third attempt to post about discounts on train tickets. I'd also like to write a little about the vagaries of Facebook algorithms. First, in regard to the train tickets, according to an article I found, you can save "nearly ¥18,000 on your travels in Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki and other prefectures on Kyushu island." I'm not going to post the link to the article here because I suspect that the Facebook algorithm may not "like" it. As you can see in the attached image, my previous post (and the attempt before that) got less the 10 sets of eyeballs -- about one fiftieth the norm. Ah, the wonder of artificial intelligence! -- Kirk (my stupidity is 100% natural)
Hi! I posted this about 12 hours ago and Facebook says that only 8 people have seen it. The Facebook algorithm must have thought I was advocating terrorism or something and designated it "show to almost no one." Not sure if this will work but I thought I'd try again. The article is about big discounts for residents of Japan on train tickets. -- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/4949810375092355
Foreign residents are now eligible for discounted JR Kyushu passes
Save nearly ¥18,000 on your travels in Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki and other prefectures on Kyushu island
Kirk here with some travel news for residents of Japan. Personally, I wonder if it is really a good idea to be promoting travel when the pandemic isn't fully under control. This reminds me of the "Go To" program that, in my view, played a big role in causing the spike we are just recovering from. But, if you're going to travel, you may as well take advantage of the discount.
Foreign residents are now eligible for discounted JR Kyushu passes
Save nearly ¥18,000 on your travels in Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki and other prefectures on Kyushu island
Hi friends.
These are another recommended plum groves at Kumamoto west area by Nishi Ward Office official FB page.
松尾西の梅 Plum tree at Matsuonishi is located at 小田部san's house. He opens his garden to enjoy the beautiful plum season.
It's near to Matsuonishi elementary school so you can park your car there.
https://kumanichi.com/news/id113871
https://www.google.co.jp/maps/@32.79795421344692,130.61757889773526,14z
谷尾崎梅林公園 Taniozaki Bairin park
https://kumamoto-guide.jp/spots/detail/48
百梅園 Hyakubaien is close to 石神山公園Ishigamiyama park.
https://cxc-kumamoto.com/2018/03/18/parkhunt-380/
https://maps.app.goo.gl/N3QptSZhWcChJs7K8
Hoping hard cold days has gone!
Enjoy early beautiful Kumamoto, you too.ーAtsuko╰(*´︶`*)╯
This photo has also been published on an English page with the following heading:
A 345-meter-long bridge in Minamiaso, now under construction to replace one that collapsed in strong earthquakes in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto in 2016, is lit in red, green, white and blue on Feb. 13, 2021, ahead of its March 7 opening. (Kyodo)
The English heading was here:
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/02/8790236c6bce-japan-and-beyond-week-in-photos---february-1319.html
Japanese is here:
https://news.infoseek.co.jp/photo/kyodo_kd-newspack-2021021301001685/
-- Kirk
熊本の復興願いライトアップ 3月開通の新阿蘇大橋 - 拡大写真｜Infoseekニュース
2016年の熊本地震で崩落した阿蘇大橋に代わり、約600メートル南側で工事中の新阿蘇大橋（熊本県南阿蘇村）が、3月【拡大写真】
Good news for those who like to shop big: the Mifune Costco is set to open on April 1 - unless they are trying to fool us. Japanese news at the link. - William
コストコ御船、４月１日開業 ガソリンスタンドは２７日先行オープン | 熊本日日新聞社
熊本県御船町で建設が進む会員制大型スーパー「コストコホールセール熊本御船倉庫店」が４月１日に開業することが分かった。コストコホールセールジャパン（川崎市）が１８日までに同町に説明。併設する会員向けガ...
Joe Tomei here, I'm not sure if this is just for Tokyo or if this will be the form for all of Japan, but it gives you an idea of the questions and some good strategies for dealing with it. We have some time before the vaccinations become general, I think, so I'm hoping to maybe do a rough translation as a guide.
I just removed a post about a criminal allegation against a member of Kumamoto's expat community that is being reported in the local media. In an effort to be discrete, I didn't type the name of the person but the link I shared had personally identifying information in Japanese: the name of the person, the nation of citizenship and the workplace. My thought was that the issue was already public in Japanese so that avoiding identifying information in English was enough to protect the person's privacy while letting the expat community know about what was being said in the Japanese media. That still strikes me as a reasonable approach but I'd prefer to err on the side of caution so I decided to honor the wishes of those who felt it should be taken down. -- Kirk
We've discussed how the series of faults that resulted in the Kumamoto quakes run from Yatsushiro to Aso, resulting in the Tateno Gap (see link below) - without this niche in the caldera wall, Aso would be a big lake.
A similar geologic structure exists on Mars, and NASA will land a rover on it around 3:30 AM Japan time. Though now bone-dry, it once held a large lake, and NASA is hoping to find signs of long-extinct life. The 3:30 AM Japan-time landing will be live streamed at NASA's Website, along with updates on the mission. - William
http://www.aso-geopark.jp/en/geosites/geosite29.html https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
Tateno Gorge Geosite - ASO GeoPARK Official Site
Geologists believe crater lakes repeatedly formed and disappeared in the Tateno Gorge area in relation to activity along the fault that runs under the gorge. The gorge also plays a central role in local creation myths, making this a fascinating geosite both culturally and geologically.
Here's something for anime fans -- a game in which Crayon Shin-chan comes to Kumamoto! ;) Kirk
Crayon Shin-chan Gets Switch Game This Summer
Boku no Natsuyasumi's Kaz Abe directs game centering everyday summer activities
Why Kumamoto's earthquake was worse:
"Waves with a period of one to two seconds tend to cause the collapse of wooden houses and other structures, which was confirmed in the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and the Kumamoto earthquakes in 2016. "
-- Kirk
Damage limited from recent earthquake in Japan, thanks to short wave period
The earthquake that struck off Fukushima Prefecture on Saturday caused violent tremors as strong as upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the Tohoku region, as well as milder shaking across wide areas stretching from Hokkaido to the...
Joe Tomei with an update from JET Program Prefectural Advisors Lily McDermott & Chase Sutherland that marks one year since the first one went out. As always, I thank them for sharing this newsletter with us.
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Hi Kumamoto,
Today will be the last day of Kumamoto's Independent State of Emergency, four days ahead of the original end date. Have a great Wednesday :)
Kumamoto's Independent State of Emergency to be lifted tomorrow (18 February)
As you know, Kumamoto's Independent State of Emergency was declared by the prefectural government just over a month ago, on 14 January. The prefecture believes that it has been effective at reducing the number of cases, with daily numbers of new cases dropping since the end of January.
In order to ensure the stability of the health care system, the state of emergency was extended on 8 February. Since then, the situation has continued to improve, including the hospital bed usage rate, and on Monday earlier this week, the prefectural government announced that it would end the State of Emergency, with the final day with the state of emergency in effect being today (17 February).
In the one-week period from 9 February to 15 February, 31 cases were confirmed in Kumamoto Prefecture. This works out to 1.8 positive cases/100,000 population for this period.
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/30/84592.html
Requests to the public from 18 February onward
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after the state of emergency is lifted, the Prefecture is asking for co-operation with the following from 18 February:
For Operators of Food and Drink Establishments:
- Make use of the checklists provided by the prefecture, implementing the suggested measures described in them, and place a sticker in an area visible to the public.
(Governmental and industry organisations/business associations will coordinate with businesses and conduct training/provide advice on the implementation of measures to prevent the spread of infection.)
- Businesses should make use of opportunities provided by municipal governments to undertake PCR tests aimed at operators of food and drink establishments.
For other business operators;
- Take measures to prevent the spread of infection within the workplace.
- Put in place a system in which employees must take time off from work even if they have mild symptoms such as a fever.
- Promote teleworking/time-lag commuting.
For long-term care facilities:
- Implement measures to prevent the spread of infection using materials such as the Prefecture's Online Training materials.
- Put in place a system in which employees must take time off from work even if they have mild symptoms such as a fever.
- If any employee or resident has symptoms, put in place a system in which they can be tested immediately, as well as make use of opportunities for mass-testing in order to uncover cases of infection as early as possible.
To all residents of the prefecture:
- Avoid travel to places outside of the prefecture where the virus is spreading.
(*This is defined as, avoiding travel to areas where the rate of infection per 100,000 population in the preceding one-week period is 15 people or higher, or there is a state of emergency declared in that prefecture. Currently the only prefecture with higher than 15 cases per 100,000/week is Tokyo--however, a State of Emergency is still in place in Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hyogo, Aichi and Kyoto Prefectures. https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/30/85714.html)
- When making outings, thoroughly implement measures to prevent the spread of infection.
- If you have any mild symptoms at all such as a fever, stay home from work and seek medical examination immediately.*
(*If you have a fever, please first call the office/clinic that you usually go to ahead of time and make an appointment. If you are uncertain about which medical institution to go to, please call the "Fever Hotline" (TEL:0570-096-567) https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/30/59582.html)
When visiting a restaurants/dining in groups:
- Follow the "four steps" to avoid infection, even when drinking at home or attending events (https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/uploaded/attachment/129431.pdf)
- Do not talk when eating, and wear a mask when having a conversation
- Avoid actions which could result in the spread of infection, including drinking late into the night, not only in Kumamoto City but anywhere in the prefecture.
- Do not go to establishments that are not implementing measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/30/85714.html
Construction of a new hospital in Tamana completed
Construction on Kumamoto Kenhoku Hospital, one of the largest principal hospitals in Kumamoto, located in Tamana City, was completed on 14 February, and is expected to open in March. The hospital will have 56 beds designated for COVID-19 patients.
https://kumanichi.com/news/id114250
First vaccines in Japan given to medical workers
Today, the first doses of the vaccine for COVID-19 developed by Pfizer were given to health care workers across the country. Approximately 40,000 health care workers are expected to receive the vaccine in this initial distribution.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210217/k10012871711000.html
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has decided to implement a wide-scale ongoing follow-up study beginning in April, in order to determine the prevalence of side-effects. The Ministry aims to elicit responses from about 1 million recipients of the Pfizer vaccine via social media. If the Moderna and Astrazeneca vaccines are also approved, the government is expected to conduct the same survey on recipients of those vaccines, bringing the total survey sample to over 3 million.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210216/k10012869241000.html
New law passed stiffening penalties for businesses and individuals
The Diet approved amendments to the Act on Special Measures against Novel Influenza earlier this month, and went into effect on 13 February.
It gives the government various new powers to impose fines or imprisonment for violations of measures taken in the name of public health. For instance, if another state of emergency is declared, it gives the government the ability to levy fines against businesses that ignore government orders to shorten their hours or close to prevent the spread of infection, or individuals who refuse hospitalization after testing positive.
In addition, if a person who tests positive after entering Japan refuses to self-isolate, they may be criminally charged and subject to a fine of up to 1 million yen or imprisonment up to 1 year.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210203/k10012847221000.html
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