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Kirin Beer, best known for its Ichiban Shibori line, will produce a specially labled brew featuring Kumamoto Castle as seen from Toricho Suji. Sadly for rugby fans, sales will not begin until 11/19 (someone certainly fumbled on that). One yen from each can will be donated to the Kumamoto Castle Restoraton Association. Click on the photo for an image of the can's stunning design - the Japanese says ,"We can meet our donjon again!". Kan pai to Kirin. - William
熊本城外観復旧記念の限定ビール ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本地震で被災した熊本城の大天守の外観復旧を記念し、キリンビールは「キリン一番搾り生ビール」の限定缶...

Today’s game Tonga vs France. If you don’t want to take transit Downtown. Please follow Denshu-dori on the left walking without taking the crowded transit.The signs are well marked going to the fanzone on the left side of Densha-dori. If fanzone is too busy head to Sakura-machi or into the mall for other venues. Jay

This started today and will continue until the 14th, including weekdays. After that, this special course will only be open on weekends and holidays.
Here's the official address with information in English about the special viewing and the schedule:
http://kumamoto-guide.jp/kumamoto-castle/grand-unveiling/en/
-- Kirk
https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019100500406/quake-hit-kumamoto-castle-opens-to-public-after-over-3-yrs.html
Quake-Hit Kumamoto Castle Opens to Public after over 3 Yrs
Kumamoto, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--Kumamoto Castle, damaged by powerful earthquakes in April 2016, partially reope…

Kumamoto's first rugby match in the World Cup Series will be held here tomorrow. Apparently, there are some seats left but the most inexpensive seats have sold out. If you want to buy a ticket, you need to do it online:
https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com
Note that you will need to create an ID and login before you can find the ticket information you are looking for -- a system I am not particularly happy with.
By the way, I thought I'd introduce this machine translation about rugby in Kumamoto that I found to be rather amusing. The English is "Let's heap up rugby ear in Japan!" I happened to find it through a search and, though I knew it was a problematic machine translation from the Japanese, I couldn't imagine what it meant. I even looked up "rugby ear" on the web and got lots of pictures rugby players with misshaped ears (an occupational hazard, I'm afraid). Well, it turns out that the original Japanese was "日本中でラグビーイヤーを盛り上げましょう！" -- Let's have a great rugby year -- not ear.
This would be merely amusing if it weren't for one rather annoying fact. We foreigners, when we come across an enigmatic translation such as this one, are not given a link to the original Japanese that might help us (perhaps with the help of someone else who understands Japanese better than we do) figure out what the post actually means. This is true, even though it would be extremely easy to provide a link to the original Japanese. In this case, for example, the address of the machine translation is
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp.e.qp.hp.transer.com/kiji_27965.html
and one can get to the Japanese by removing ".e.qp.hp.transer.com" which gives us
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_27965.html
As I have mentioned before, Kumamoto Prefecture and Kumamoto City do provide a disclaimer about the possibility that a machine translation might not be "100% accurate." It did not seem to occur to the folks who put the machine translation system in place, however, that, in addition to pointing out that there may be problem, it might also be a good idea to help the foreigners who come across the weird English to find the original Japanese.
I imagined that this might have been a mere oversight (you know, the possibility that dumb foreigners might benefit from access to the original text not occurring to people), so I wrote a formal three-page letter (in Japanese of course) to the mayor of Kumamoto asking that the automatic machine translation system be revised so that a link to the original Japanese is also generated automatically for each page. I imagined that when city officials (who vet such letters before consulting the mayor) read my letter they would have a sort of "hand to forehead" sort of moment (Of course! Why didn't WE think of this?!). Instead, however, I was told informally when I was chatting with a city official (who had read the letter) later that week that he thought links to original texts were omitted intentionally. My jaw hit the floor and I tried to find out what the thought process behind this policy was but didn't get far.
As of this writing, I haven't received a formal, written response to my formal, written proposal. I'm not sure if it just takes time for a big bureaucracy like the city government to respond or if the officials who read the letter don't think it deserved a response. I'll try to check into this fairly soon.
In the meantime, if you come across enigmatic English in an automatically generated web page on a local government site, remember that you can get to the original by removing ".e.qp.hp.transer.com" from the URL -- but that the local government may prefer that you not do so.
-- Kirk

Our neighbor to the south, Kagoshima, has a unique history: unlike other fiefs, which changed hands at the whim of the shogun (such as the handing of Higo to Kiyomasa and its subsequent transfer of Hosogawa), Kagoshima survived seven centuries under the Shimazu clan, from the 1180s through the 1870s. This is likely due to its remote location.
The Shimazu ancestoral home, called Sengan-en (仙巌園 - literally, hermatige rock garden), located adjacent to Kinko Wan, one of the largest caulderas in the world, is open to the public. We have recently become friends with its Website, which you can find here: https://www.senganen.jp/en/?fbclid=IwAR1AS33rQtQ9UAB1s2-Y1iEljUbQv-oSY3YoYnT2vsQJ78kYsTe5D9TFy34
A detailed description of Shimazu history is here: https://wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Shimazu_clan - William

Apologies for the short notice, but if anyone is interested in taking part we'll be holding a Quiz Night at Britz this evening (Saturday) from 8pm. It's free of charge, just bring along some drinks or snacks. There will also be a giveaway/swaps table for any items (books, games etc) you want to find new homes for. If you're interested in coming/need directions etc please visit the Escape from Britz Facebook page.
Fiona

Kirk here. I've been a bit preoccupied with other activities lately and so haven't been able to post for a while. I'm very grateful to Atsuko, Liz, Olivia, and William (alphabetical order) for continuing to post in my absence. If there are other readers out there who would like to come on board as an "editor" (someone who can post as "Kumamoto International") please let me know. It's good to have a variety of people with different interests who can post about different topics and provide different perspectives.
The page is approaching a major milestone. As of October 17th "Kumamoto International" will be 20 years old. That's the age of majority in Japan but, alas, I don't think the page will be able to vote in the next election. ;)
I'm happy to report that we have just reached another milestone -- 4,000 likes. Pretty good for a community that doesn't have 4,000 native speakers of English. When I started Kumamoto International as a mailing list 20 years ago my "dream" was to reach 400 subscribers. I remember a friend smiling when I talked abut my hope of reaching so many people. :)
Thanks again to all of you -- editors and readers -- for supporting the page!

Hello friends.
I've just gone to watch a Kumamoto Volters' Basketball game tonight, again. It was sooo nice and sooo exiting game. Of course they won.🤩👍
I really recommend to watch and join, and support the games as Kumamoto citizens.
After nice game, I saw a beautiful lady who might be the wife of the HC, Mr. Nenad Vucinic. I told her about tonight's nice game and asked her to tell him Congratulations!!.
His family also lives in Kumamoto and she said Kumamoto is nice place to live in. I'm so glad to hear that.
Yes, they are also Kumamoto international friends. I love Volters because of its super play and spirits. In addition, after I met her and family,I feel the Team more closely.Volters has lots international players too. I hope all of members can enjoy Kumamoto life more livable, more friendly💕. I hope same things for Japanese players from other prefectures👍
By the way, Volters has local, Kumamoto players also. Kakiuchi Kishin is from my hometown Nagomi. My mother knows his parents😊.
Now, you might feel Kumamoto Volters more closely💕 Let's join the game as good supporters. Your support will make good Team results😁👍ーAtsuko(*Ü*)

Liz here.My first post on board is actually an inquiry which may have already been dealt with in the past, if so apologies ....I have been asked if there are any obstetrician-gynecologists here in Kumamoto who speak English. Any recommendations will be appreciated

Overall, I've been quite satisfied with medical care in Kumamoto. Though I seldom use it myself, it was essential for the numerous 3:00 AM visits to the emergency room for my daughter's asthma or the time my son stepped into a fumarole (hint: do not step into a fumarole). Recently, though, I had a medical problem, and the treatment was excellent and cheap: for a follow-up visit including an MRI, I paid 400 yen. But of course, I've been paying 70,000 yen for four people each month for decades.
JT has an informative article on medical issues for short-term residents. - William
What to do if you require medical assistance while visiting Japan
You’ve made it to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan to cheer on your side. You’ve cleared customs, checked in to your destination and even enjoyed a few days sightseeing and eating your way through your arrival city. You’re now set to move a little further afield: to Kumamoto…

Tomorrow is 10/1, which means the consumption tax will rise to 10% except for food items not consumed on-premise, which will remain at 8%. Nobody quite knows what this means - restaurants are obvious, but what about shopping center food courts, where the vendors are contractors but the seating provided by the mall? Expect chaos. It's only an extra 2%, but we all know the fastidiousness of some. - William

🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲
Olivia here,
We received message for Cycling / Walking Tour information.
Please check details below:
Cycling / Walking Tour of Minami Aso and Kusasenri for October 3rd, 4th, 12th.
The tour comes with traditional dengaku lunch for a bargain price of 5000 Yen.
This includes a pickup and drop off from Kumamoto City and English speaking guide.
(This is a monitor tour run by Minami Aso Tourism Association so they are very interested in your feedback on whether this is a viable tour and will ask you to fill in a questionnaire at the end.)
See the link below for details and how to apply:
https://akumamoto-asokuju.com/

🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲
Olivia here,
We received message for Cycling / Walking Tour information.
Please check details below:
Cycling / Walking Tour of Minami Aso and Kusasenri for October 3rd, 4th, 12th.
The tour comes with traditional dengaku lunch for a bargain price of 5000 Yen.
This includes a pickup and drop off from Kumamoto City and English speaking guide.
(This is a monitor tour run by Minami Aso Tourism Association so they are very interested in your feedback on whether this is a viable tour and will ask you to fill in a questionnaire at the end.)
See the link below for details and how to apply:
ASO-KUJU National Park Monitor tour
Experience the Culture and Lifestyle around Japan's Largest Active Volcano!

A retired elementary scool teacher, an old friend (she taught my daughter) visited this morning. In the years leading up to her retirement, she detailed to me the immense difficulties of her job and was counting days - seconds - until retirement.
A Kumanichi article indicated that the number of successful applicants for elementary school positions has hit an historic low, due both to the difficulty of the test and fewer applicants: 312 took the exam and and 168 passed, a 50% drop from 1994.
Many readers on this site work in public education. Your insights would be appreciated. - William
https://this.kiji.is/550286003561776225?c=92619697908483575

Hello friends.
This is a news about Non-educated international students at school , refused students.
This is Monbukagakusyo report about it.
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/clarinet/003/001/012.htm
By the way, I am a member of YWCA Nakayoshi club. It holds activities to interact international people and local citizens together.We also help their studying Japanese. Why I wanted to start it was because my friend, Professor Chan brought his sons up his wife's home school and I supported them as a teacher of school managed by NPO. Fortunately, his wife was a teacher in her country. But at that time I knew the environment about international family and international kids, students.
KUMADAI is becoming global University, we need something big support for international kids, international students, international family, international parents.
Kurokami elementary school seems to have international class to study Japanese. But still now, I think you might not be supported enough.
Yes, I know you can enter Japanese, Kumamoto public school if you ask, if you need to enter it. You should ask Kumamoto city education organization. BUT, It's only if you want, if you ask. It's different from Japanese kids are invited just only they have resident card in there. So I thought the need the place and time to study, to interact foreign kids, students, family freely.
In my junior high school days, I had 4friends they were kids of 中国残留孤児Japanese orphans left behind in China. They were my good classmates and good friends even 3 or 5 years older than me.
I retired the teacher of a school managed by NPO and work at public school now. I still now need lots places and time you study Japanese and interact local people well. We can help their study. We can search and think about good advice together!!
If you are interested in our work, Please come and join us freely.
Next workshop is on 12 October Saturday from 10am to 12.
For Japanese, we should know the problem more seriously. For international friends, we are always welcome your ask and joining to us.ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20190927/k10012102051000.html
外国人の子ども２万人が「不就学」の可能性 文科省調査 | NHKニュース
日本に住む外国人の子どものうち、小学校や中学校などに通えていないか通っているかどうか自治体が把握できず「不就学」になって…

Seems like we'll have a bit of weather on Tuesday. Keep an eye on this guy. - William

The elderly are a repository of knowlege, so when Joe mentioned Tojinmachi (唐人町) - literally, "Chinatown" and is next to Shinmachi - I waited for this 74-year old guy who usually drops by for dinner to fill me in.
According to him, the neighboring Gofukumachi (呉服町) - literally, "Kimono Town" - was the red light district at the turn of the century, and many Chinese arrived in the neighboring area to fabricate kimono - hence the name. The entire area is a wonderful place to wander about. - William
熊本市の公式観光サイト。熊本城や水前寺成趣園などの観光地をはじめ、グルメ、イベント、特産品など、心にグッと来る熊本の魅力を紹介します。

Take the B tram to the Shinmachi stop, turn right, and you're there. Spend some time wandering around the neighborhood.

Kirk here. I happen to be a fan of the Kyushu Shinkansen. I was interested to read this article to see how it compares with other Shinkansen lines.
Everything you need to know about Japanese BULLET TRAINS
Rugby fans visiting Japan for the World Cup are in for a treat if they use the country's bullet trains to reach the stadiums. The fleet contains some of the most advanced high-speed trains in the world.

A note from the Kumamoto International Desk of Not Really Interesting News but a Good Chance to Improve your Japanese (our title plackards are so long there's no room for our names): Kumanichi reports a drastic increase in Internet phishing (phishing sagi, フィッシング詐欺 - the 'ph-' is pronunced as an 'f' because English is weird) focused on NTT's Docomo phones, with 80 cases in August alone netting some 5.8 million yen. The mails dangle their bait by appearing authentic, suggesting alarming (the word used for this - あおる - was new to me and has a wide range of uses - Weblio is your friend) topics, and asking the user to provide login credentials which were then used for online shopping (キャリア決済, carrier kessai) and then fenced.
If receiving any financial-related email with a link, do not open it. Log off and go straight to the main site. - William
ドコモ装う詐欺急増　熊本県内で被害80件、580万円 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
携帯電話大手「ＮＴＴドコモ」を装ったショートメールを携帯電話に送り付け、偽サイトに誘導して個人情報を...