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I'd long wondered why guinea pigs are called marmots (モルモット) in Japanese and fnally got around to looking into it. Turns out that marmots encompass 15 species of large rodents with characteristically short but robust legs, enlarged claws well adapted to digging, stout bodies and large heads - sort of like the Donald Trump of rodents.
Anyway, next year on the Asian zodiac (eto, 干支) is the year of the rat, so Kumamoto Zoo has brought in some guinea pigs, which are not rats (and rats aren't even members of the marmot family) to celebrate, but they're more docile and easier to see, so who cares about zoology? (Though you'd think a zoo might.) They will be ón display from 11/16 through the New Year if you want photos to celebrate the Year of the Rat with an animal that is not at all a rat. - William
モルモットの干支ひな壇　熊本市動植物園（動画あり） ｜ 熊本日日新聞
来年はねずみ年－。熊本市動植物園（東区健軍）では、ネズミの仲間のモルモットが、年賀状用撮影会の練習に...

There is a temple in Mashiki with the tounge-numbing name Ryūchizan Senkōji (龍池山千光寺), and in that temple is an equally tounge-numbing statue of Senjukan'noubosatsu (千手観音菩薩), or "Bodhisattva of the Thousand Hands" (though a bit of an exaggeration, he does have a lot more hands than most), whose roots go back to Hindu Vishna.
Unfortunately, he fell over in the quakes and broke many of his hands. Fortunately, he has been restored. - William
熊本地震で壊れた観音さま、本堂に戻る　益城町の千光寺 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本地震で壊れた益城町下陳の龍池山千光寺の「木造千手観音菩薩［ぼさつ］立像」（町指定文化財）が１４日...

After the Kumamoto quakes, scientists using a satellite to measure ground-elevation changes discovered a heretofore unknown fault perpendicular to the main rupture of the Futagawa fault from Ezuko to Mt. Kimpo. It was kinda interesting for me as the fault runs directly under my house, which explains why one side is now a few millimeters higher than the other. (You'd be surprised what a few millimeters do to doors.)
In July of this year, several earthquakes occurred in a desert region south of Los Angeles that closely mimicked the Kumamoto quakes, so Caltech got on it. Seismology nerds will like this report from the LA Times. Funny how the fault structure símilarities of my native state and Kumamoto make me feel so at home here. - William
Biggest California earthquake in two decades ruptured on at least 24 faults
Unprecedented visualizations have allowed scientists to dig deeper into the details of major earthquakes.

Hello friends.
He is my friend.
https://www.facebook.com/nozawanaosushi
He is just 14 years old but so honest and studios. He also has good ears and flexibility. He works hard and responds early.
He is young but I trust and recommend him.
He has classes to learn programing at downtown. He said he is not good at English. But he teaches programming step by step with few students, you might be able to learn and enjoy his class.
I met him at first in August. Now, lots of media, newspaper, TV programs,,, etc wrote and reported about him.
I think it's worthly just only to meet and talk with himーAtsuko(*Ü*) https://www.facebook.com/100028956633069/posts/246517652990121/?sfnsn=mo

A note from the Kumamoto International Demographics Desk (hey - where is everyone?): Kumanichi reports that the great migration from rural to urban areas in Kumamoto continues. Amakusa has been particularly affected, with Misumi losing over 20% of its population over the last decade. On the other hand, towns hosting industrial facilities such as Koshi have seen a slight increase. Coincidentally, a large, expensive mansion is noisily under construction across the street from my home in Chuo-Ku - people want to live in the city.
What happens to these depopulated areas and their remaining residents is cause of great concern. Most will likely be returned to nature. A suggestion for support is to shop local: visit your local greengrocer and buy Kumamoto produce. - William
天草、山鹿など周辺部の人口減が顕著　平成の大合併で熊日調査 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
合併による周辺部の人口減は県内の多くの自治体でみられることが、熊本日日新聞社の調査で分かった。「平成...

Hi friends.
I might know Samurai doesn't exist in Kumamoto now.
But you can feel their spirit at somewhere in Kumamoto.
I work at Kawashiri. You can watch how to make knife at KOUGEIKAIKAN (工芸会館)
There is some professional 刃物hamono maker in Kawashiri.
https://youtu.be/x-ZBxXXghj0
https://images.app.goo.gl/CURyPDF38QeqLFha6
Kawashiri has lots of old, traditional buildings and culture, and professional person.
I recommend to visit here. ーAtsuko(*Ü*)

Walking my dog through Shinyashiki, a wealthy neighborhood, we witnessed an elderly woman enter her Benz and accelerate at high speed into the wall just in front of her. She was more embarrassed than injured, fortunately, but it made me realize the danger of mistaking the accelerator and the break, particularly among the elderly, a growing problem in Japan.
Kumamoto has joined five other prefectures in providing subsidies (4 million yen total, not per person) to drivers 65 and older for mechanisms to prevent these accidents. One is a sensor which halts the car when an obstruction is detected; the second is Is a sensor which prevents excessive acceleration; the third places a rubber pad under the accelerator pedal to aid in differentiation. Kumamoto is currently recruiting car shops for retrofits.
Coincidentally, a top article in Japan Today today regarded the case of an 88-year-old former senior bureaucrat who caused a fatal car crash in central Tokyo in April due to this cause. I hope technology will increasingly come to the aid of the elderly (particularly given my age). - William
踏み間違い事故防げ　熊本県、防止装置設置に補助 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
高齢運転者によるアクセルとブレーキの踏み間違い事故を防ぐため、熊本県と県交通安全推進連盟は来年１月を...

Hey Jazz heads!!! Ken Vandermark Paal Nilsseen-Love Duo are playing the Jazz Inn Okura. I believe that place is past Kamitori heading up to Fujisaki Dori on one of the last side streets(Going North Left Side). And the place is small!!! Folks into John Zorn or Ornette Coleman should not miss out..My man check this out.Laters-Jayhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kukt4n_ZSUE
Paal Nilssen-Love / Ken Vandermark - Train Hits the Station
From: Dual Pleasure 2 (Smalltown Superjazzz, 2004)

Nakazawa Nobuyoshi is a Japanese soul/rhythm & blues singer. He crosses genres in that arena too playing old school soul,80’s Commercial R&B to straight soul influence Enka.He is playing the soul bar Joint which is upstairs from Jeff’s. Ticket prices are 3,000 plus a drink ticket. And Joint in itself is truly unique establishment in my book. Two thumbs up!!! Jay

I just learned a new word: Kousoku (校 則), which Wordbank defines as "School rules. This refers mainly to the code of conduct that students should follow. (The rules governing school management)." Japan Times had a more detailed description at the link, including a telling quote: “The biggest objective of Japanese teachers is to keep their classes as orderly as possible and without any incident, and the most common way to achieve that has been to limit students’ freedom.”
Perhaps Kumamoto, being a pretty mellow place unlike the larger cities, is immune to this phenomenon of checking underwear and hair color. My kids certainly never had a problem with this; they enjoyed school. Have any of our readers encountered such practices? - William
Japan school boards start to rethink 'black rules' on everything from underwear to protesting | The Japan Times
Japan’s teaching culture prizes conformity and docility, but the public is apparently getting fed up with the suffocating rules imposed to achieve that.

Hello friends.
Today, I had class to study how to read old Japanese letters at KUMADAI education department( I'm a teacher at public elementary school. I should take class to get next 10 years license) My major was classical Japanese literature. In my university days, I studied it for my knowledge. But today, I remind you, international friends.
Japanese 仮名(かな KANA)is made from, made of 漢字(かんじ KANJI).
ひらがな(HIRAGANA)is made from whole KANJI shape. For example, 「い is made from 以.The whole shape and sound are same.」
カタカナ(かたかな KATAKANA)is made of parts of KANJI. 「イ(い) is made of 伊. The part and sound are same.」
It is 真名仮名(まなかなMANAKANA) that you know and you can find out easily. They are made from, made of KANJI and they exist still now.
In addition, there are 変体仮名, it's used to express in other ways. Sometimes it's used in our daily life. For example,You might see it on the chopsticks cover paper.
It's written, おてもと, the meaning is 御手元,(おてもと, otemoto), near your hands. But the letters are 御手も登(と. sound is TO, same. But it's really different shape from と, 止 ) Yes, It's the 変体仮名.
They are same only the sounds, not being similar the shape.
If you think Japanese are difficult, No need to worry😊😁. Almost of Japanese people can't read and understand 真名仮名、変体仮名well😁😜.
I just shared you to answer when you wonder the reason of KANA source. And in case for you want to go into some good Japanese traditional restaurant.
Some of my friends say, Japanese letters,HIRAGANA, あい,う,,,are easy but KANJI are difficult. If you remember my story, you feel the KANJI and HIRAGANA more closely, more relative.
I hope just to enjoy and feel interesting Japanese language! ーAtsuko(*Ü*)

A note from the Kumamoto International Mythology Desk (we don't actually exist but still get paid, mythologically): a shyachihoko is a mythical carp (or maybe dolphin - arguments rage) with the head of a lion and the body of a fish (or dolphin, which, tecnically, is a mammal), an auspicious protector of well-being and disaster prevention (didn't seem to work so well in 2016 - we got the quakes and Trump) oft placed on the cornices of houses and, in particular, castles. Restoration work on the smaller tower keep saw yesterday the installation of one shachihoko, almost nine meters in height and 70 kilograms in weight, installed. Installation of the second is slated for the 23rd. Get your cameras ready. - William
熊本城　小天守にしゃちほこ復活 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
２０１６年の熊本地震で被災した熊本城で９日、地震で壊れた小天守（高さ約２０メートル）のしゃちほこ２体...

Mitsui Fudosan won a bidding contest for the privatization of Kumamoto Airport. Their plan is to remove the current terminal and replace it with one which will accompany both domestic and International flights (the latter now handled by a separate terminal). In April 2020, a temporary terminal to the east will open along with an annex to provide food and souvenir concessions. The new terminal is expected to open in the spring of 2023. That, along with the anticipated train link, will greatly improve Kumamoto's International status. -- William
来年４月７日から仮ターミナル供用　熊本空港、ビル建て替えで ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本空港のターミナルビル建て替えに伴い、運営会社の熊本国際空港は８日、現在の国内線ターミナルビルを２...

Olivia here,
We received a request for volunteers for Hiroyasu Elementary school.
Please see message below:
My friend’s volunteer group is seeking support.
Please help spread the word for an upcoming event.
They need 10 volunteers and 4 people signed up already.
Thank you in advance!
Seeking foreign volunteers to join 6 graders communicate in English
Aim of event : to give 6th grade students at Hiroyasu Elementary school an opportunity to communicate in English with people from different countries.
Date:11/26 Tues.
Time: approx. 1300-1600pm
Location: Hiroyasu E.S(Mashikimachi)
Pick-up and drop off available from Kumamoto University Kurokami campus College of Cross-Cultural and Multidisciplinary Studies
熊本大学黒髪キャンパス　グローバル教育棟　
or preferred pick-up location.
Please contact:
Kyoko Kawano
[email protected]
090-1368-1040

A full translation of a Kumanichi article analyzing the current state of Mt. Aso:
The eruption at Aso Nakadake No. 1 crater has continued over a half year increased activity. After the summer, “ash eruptions,” which emit magma as ash, have continued, and experts point out that this resembles the activities around 1989-90. Speculation that the magma has risen to about 2 km below surface, experts warn that "if movement towards a full-scale magma eruption continues, there is a possibility of an increase in the amount of ash fall over a prolonged period."
On April 14, No. 1 crater was raised to alert level 2 due to the possibility of a small-scale eruption, restricting entry to 1 kilometer around the crater. Immediately after that, a very small eruption occurred for the first time in two and a half years. The hot water pool at the crator floor evaporated, and the amount of volcanic gas (sulfur dioxide) released per day increased. Volcanic tremor amplitude, which indicates the movement of underground gas and magma, has repeatedly increased and decreased since late July.
The magma chamber is said to lie 6 km underneath Kusasenri. However, professor Takahiro Okura from the Kyoto Volcano Research Center estimated from observations that the magma had risen horizontally to a depth about 2 km, creating a new magma chamber directly under Nakadake. Director Shinichiro Ikebe of the Aso Volcano Museum also sees that, since August, the volcanic ash contains much magma glass components and has already entered a form of magma eruption.
However, this state has stagnated for about 3 months. Prof. Okura pointed out that if the supply of magma increases and rises to near the crater in the future, there is a possibility of shifting to "Strombolian eruptions" that intermittently eject shards and splashes of magma. The temperature and crustal deformation near the surface of the crater is under observation, revealing magma transition.
“Ash eruption, which have lasted over 3 months, are similar to the activity around 1989-90. Considering the length of the run-up period, this may also be prolonged,” says Okura. During that time, magmatic eruptions continued intermittently for about 4 years, and there was a large amount of ashfall. Though possibility exits that activity will subside, ash countermeasures for machinery and crops as well as disemination of accurate information is necessary."
On the other hand, the restricted range when the last magma erupteion occured in 2014-15 was 1 km around the same crater. Prof. Okura says, “Even if a full-scale magma eruption occurs, it can still be dealt with within current limits."
The article contains an instructive graphic. I suggest you click on it. - Wiliam
阿蘇中岳、活発な活動続く　地下でマグマ上昇、長期化や降灰増懸念 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
阿蘇中岳第１火口の噴火は半年が過ぎ、火山活動の高まった状態が依然、続いている。夏以降、マグマの一部を...

There will be English Market selling handmade goods and food,
at Hayakawa Shoko on Sunday, November 10th.
I will be there at my booth, •Alphabet House•
Another editor, 古江敦子, will be participating too at booth “トナカイ“
Tonakai means “Reindeer” in English.
If you have no other plan this Sunday, please come and check it out 🙂
-Olivia-

Kumamoto Castle Hall is quite a plus for the city. Located next to Sakura Machi, it includes a large event space. Their first event is a goldfish exhibition by reknowned art aquarium artist Hidetomo Kimura, featuring 19 works and 10,000 goldfish (which is 9,993 more than I've ever owned at a given time) and centered upon the 2.5 meter diameter "Oiran" (shown below). The show will last until January 13. Admission is 1,200 yen for those high school and above, 800 yen for the youngsters, and free for those three or under (if your child is 4, it's a good time to teach them how to lie.). - William
金魚と光、幻想のタッグ　熊本城ホールでアクアリウム展 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
和風にデザインされた水槽に金魚を入れて光や映像、音楽などで演出する展覧会「アートアクアリウム城 熊本...

Our friend Frank Lamosa clued us in to this lovely introduction to Kumamoto courtesy of Rueters. Send it to your family and friends. Thank you, Frank! - William
Kumamoto: Japan's Culinary City With a Proud Samurai Past
Sitting in the centre of Japan’s Kyushu, Kumamoto Prefecture is famous for its rich grasslands punctuated by mountains, volcanoes and hot springs, as well as its capital Kumamoto, a city steeped in samurai history.

Kirk here. We recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the founding of "Kumamoto International." Obviously, Facebook wasn't around 20 years ago so that "founding" had to occur someplace else. It was on a mailing-list platform called eGroups which was soon taken over by Yahoo Groups. Personally, I was rather underwhelmed with the quality of Yahoo Groups -- a problem that was one motivating factor in Kumamoto International's migration to Facebook. Because I had been somewhat dissatisfied with the quality of Yahoo Groups, I wasn't entirely surprised to learn that Yahoo would be ending the service. Here are some excerpts from an e-mail I got.
----- start quote ------
Eighteen years ago, we combined the functionality of a site called eGroups.com with a precursor community platform called Yahoo Clubs to launch Yahoo Groups. . . .
Beginning October 28, 2019:
Users will be able to join a Yahoo Group only through an invite from the Group Moderator or by submitting a request to join a Group, which requires approval by the Group Moderator.
Since we are moving Group communication from posting on message boards to email distribution, uploading and hosting of new content will also be disabled on the Yahoo Groups website.
Beginning December 14, 2019:
All Groups will be made private and any content that was previously uploaded via the website will be removed. We believe privacy is critical and made this decision to better align with our overall principles.
If you would like to keep any of the content you’ve posted or stored in the past within your Yahoo Group, please download it by December 14 by accessing this link.
----- end quote ------
I'm sorry to see the public archive go away. I think I'll download the data but I'm not sure if I'll have any way to put it up on the web for posterity.
At any rate, our move to Facebook will soon be complete. Of course, I'm not 100% satisfied with the Facebook platform but I guess it will have to do for now.

Honda's sole domestic factory for manufacturing two-wheeled vehicles is their facility in Ozu, where they produce larger models, mostly 400cc. They also manufacture abroad, primarily in Vietnam, bikes ranging from 125 to 250cc. These had heretofore been imported via Yokohama and Osaka. However, for risk mitigation (natural disasters) and to be closer to the Kyushu market, Honda will import 6,000 of their 80,000 imported units through Kumamoto Port to be prepared for delivery at their Ozu facility. An opening ceremony was held yesterday for their intake facility. Along with their existing export facility, Honda now accounts for 20% of Kumamoto Port freight. Details at Kumanichi. - William
ホンダ二輪、熊本港輸入　東南アジア生産完成車、災害時リスク分散 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
ホンダは、東南アジアで生産した国内市場向け二輪完成車の輸入を熊本港（熊本市）で始めた。西日本向けの完...