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Meet with the mayor on September 1st?
Hi! Kumamoto City has asked that "Kumamoto International" (this Facebook page) be represented at a meeting with Kumamoto City Mayor Onishi, which will be held at the International Center on the morning of September 1. I will attend and it would be nice to have one more volunteer from this page, either an editor or reader.
Qualifications:
* Citizen of a country other than Japan
* Can understand spoken Japanese (the meeting will be held in Japanese)
Other than that, anyone can participate. There may be a free lunch involved but this is basically volunteer work. And, the time to speak and interact with the mayor will be limited. I was asked to keep my statement within three minutes.
They would like to have a response by the afternoon of August 8th so if more than one person is interested in attending this event, I'd like for the first person to raise her or his hand to get the nod. (I can only invite one person, in addition to me.)
I'm looking forward to hearing from representatives of Kumamoto's diverse international community. This page is for folks who understand English but there will be representatives of groups from Asian countries, student groups, etc. so I expect to learn a good deal from listening to what they all have to say.
If you would like to attend, please post a comment below. That way, there's no doubt about who was first.
Thanks in advance!
-- Kirk

This image is from Tropicalstormrisk.com. The green indicates "tropical storm" level winds (63-118 km/h or 17 to 32 meters per second) while the yellow indicates a Category 1 strength typhoon or hurricane (winds of 119-153 km/h or 33 to 42 m/s). So, it looks like the tropical storm became a full-fledged typhoon as it approached us. It's calm in Kumamoto City now (and quite cool, too) but this morning the winds were quite strong. I think I underestimated the strength of the storm yesterday. It's always better to assume the worst because you never know exactly what things will be like until the storm is actually upon you.
-- Kirk

There's a typhoon heading this way, but fortunately it's not very strong. It's predicted to land on the western side of Kyushu early tomorrow and traverse the island (passing right over us) over the course of the day. We should have some rain and wind but at least it won't be as hot as it has been.
-- Kirk
P.S. The image is from the JMA website:
https://www.jma.go.jp/jp/typh/1908l.html
They have an English-language side too but I don't like it because itonly shows times in UTC. The English side seems to be designed for foreign meteorologists, not people who live in Japan. I think they could easily make a toggle to switch times but that option isn't available now.

In late May, the Asahi Shimbun (Japanese version) published an article about what happened with the "ippon ishigaki" (one-legged stone wall) that supported Iidamaru Gokai Yagura. It seems it had been rebuilt after an earthquake that occurred in 1877 and that the workmanship was inferior to the original. For example, instead of fitting irregularly shaped stones together, rectangular stones had been used. Moreover, small gaps between the rocks further weakened the structure. The article describes other factors that seem to have been behind the collapse but doesn't say why the corner held out. I would guess that the corner was put together in a more traditional way but I'm not sure.
-- Kirk
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASM5W567NM5WTLVB017.html

I like living in Kumamoto but I'm glad I'm not working for minimum wage. Kumamoto is one yen from the bottom. The image I've added to this article is from this address:
https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2019073100194&g=eco&p=20190731ax06S&rel=pv
You can see that minimum wage in Kumamoto is 788, one yen higher than Kagoshima and considerable lower than some other areas in Japan.
-- Kirk
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Race-to-avoid-title-of-lowest-minimum-wage-sweeps-Japan

Good morning friends.
You might hear the loudly sounds of cicadas now.For Japanese the start of songs means summer holiday is coming. And the songs of ツクツクボウシTsukutsukuboushi let us know it's soon summer holiday will finish.
In my childhood, there are lots of アブラゼミAburazemi、ミンミンゼミMinminzemi. To meet and get クマゼミKumazemi was so lucky for us. But now, you might find Kumazemi easily and it's so rarely to find Aburazemi and Minminzemi.
You feel the sound as noisy? or symbol as summer? If you can enjoy the loudly sounds, you might enjoy Japanese culture.ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://www.facebook.com/6321018343/posts/10156351662903344/?sfnsn=mo&s=100012087617313&w=y

Some more bad news related to Japanese-Korean relations. The visit of a group of Korean young people from the city of Ulsan has been canceled. Ulsan is the part of Korean in which Kato Kiyomasa experienced a siege that is said to have had an important influence on his design of Kumamoto Castle. Some examples of siege preparations include digging many wells on the castle grounds, planting lotus root in the moat and Ginkgo trees on the grounds, and implanting dried edible vegetables into the castle walls. That's right, veggies in the walls ("In case of starvation, break open plaster walls and boil contents"). There also used to be a part of Kumamoto called "Urusan-machi" because craftsmen brought by Kiyomasa lived there. Now, only a bus stop and trolley stop with the name "Urusan-machi" remain.
Here's a little report in English about the agreement to begin formal relations between Kumamoto City and Ulsan City in 2010:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=4294&pg=2&sort=6&LC=e
I hope relations improve soon.
-- Kirk
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO48126600S9A800C1CR8000/
輸出管理の厳格化や元徴用工訴訟問題で日韓両国政府の対立が深まる中、各地で予定されていた自治体間の交流事業も中止が相次いでいる。長崎県対馬市で3、4日にある「対馬厳原港まつり」。江戸時代に朝鮮王朝が派

According to a report I saw on TV, lack of a pumping facility that could cool the fuel was also a factor but, nonetheless, even airplanes think it's really hot out! (By the way, the plane appears to be smiling but that's just a 'dolphin smile' -- it's actually mulling over a plan to kill everyone on board if they actually try to make it fly. So, it's a good thing the flight was cancelled.)
The high tomorrow is predicted to be 38 C (100 F). The following report from NHK lists Kumamoto and Saga as cities predicted to have particularly high temperatures tomorrow:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190802_39/
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201908020072.html
Amakusa cancels 6 flights after parked plane’s fuel temp soars：The Asahi Shimbun
AMAKUSA, Kumamoto Prefecture--Even aircraft are taking a beating in the summer heat.Amakusa Airlines

Here's a little item for those of you with a special interest in Kumamoto's position in the international automotive cup holder market. ;)
-- Kirk
P.S. I checked and Nifco is actually a local company, located in the Ueki-machi area.
Automotive Cup Holder Market Analysis Focusing on Top Key Players Nifco Kumamoto (Japan) And More – MildMint
Automotive Cup Holder Market Analysis Focusing on Top Key Players Nifco Kumamoto (Japan) And More Posted on July 31, 2019 by ShitaleshA new Market Research from Stats & Reports, the Global Automotive Cup Holder Market 2019-25, is expected to show tremendous growth in the coming years. Analysts also....

Kirk here with the weather. Tonight's forecast is . . . dark ;) (got that from the Hippy Dippy Weatherman) and tomorrow morning we'll have light . . . followed by a day that is even hotter than Thursday was (the high Friday is predicted to be 37 Centigrade or about 99 F). Then after another period of darkness it'll get even hotter! Get plenty to drink and don't overexert yourself. Heatstroke is a real danger. -- Kirk

Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols/Rich Kids fame with Earl Slick(David Bowie)are making an appearance this Sunday in Yatsushiro. Papico are a great garage punk band that throw in some 60’s nuggets into their sets are also on the bill.

Kirk here with a little note on how people in positions of influence sow confusion among students of English by using English as a decoration without checking to see if it's correct.
Apparently, NHK's evening news program has decided to use
"Go for!
Tokyo 2020"
as a sort of logo in all of its segments about the upcoming Olympics. Perhaps they are under the impression that "Go for!" means "目指せ！" (mezase -- the imperative form of the verb mezasu which means to aim for something or strive for something). In Japanese, "mezase" doesn't require an object but in English "go for" does. In other words, in English you have to indicate what you are striving for with some word. So, "Go for it!", "Go for the gold!" etc. would be fine. But, as English, "Go for!" alone is basically gibberish.
It's often said that students of English in Japan should not be so concerned about making mistakes and should just relax and talk. I can agree with that sentiment for people who, in the moment, need to communicate verbally with someone. When you're a big, influential organization like NHK, however, perhaps you should check with a native speaker or two. Otherwise, how are the many students of English who will see "Go for!" on their TV screens to know that it's not proper English and they shouldn't imitate it?
P.S. I hereby acknowledge that I have been guilty of many typos and other errors in my posts on this page. One of the reasons that I try to reread and double-check what I write is that I don't want to confuse people who read the page in order to improve their English. We all make mistakes, so in that regard I'm in no position to criticize NHK for typos or other occasional errors. But, in this case, they are showing this to people almost every night. I would think that they could have expended a little effort to check to see if "Go for" made sense as English.

Hi friends.
It's good relationship. Great work Kumamon! We know the symbol makes the citizen happy and feel peaceful. I hope the contribution makes also French citizen Happy ٩( ᐖ )۶ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://www.facebook.com/6321018343/posts/10156345443018344/?sfnsn=mo&s=100012087617313&w=y

Last week, Abe apologized to the family members of leprosy patients on behalf of the government. The second women from the right (or, the woman in the middle) is Harumi Oku, whom I wrote about earlier:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2769043679835713?__tn__=-R
To the best of my knowledge, Harumi Oku is the only victim pictured here who suffered discrimination in Kumamoto. However, I believe the Naoko Kunimune, of Kumamoto, is among the lawyers sitting in the second row (not visible in this shot). I don't know all of the details about why the case was heard in Kumamoto. I think one reason is because the historical 2001 ruling, which found the forced internment of Hansen's disease patients (even after a cure had been found) to be unconstitutional, was rendered in Kumamoto. Perhaps the presence of Ms. Kunimune was another factor.
-- Kirk
Abe apologizes to families of former leprosy patients over discrimination
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday apologized to family members of former leprosy patients who suffered under the government's segregation policy of the past. "I deeply apologize as prime minister and as representing the government for having forced you to endure pain and hardship for a lon...

A new chapter in relations between Kumamoto and Laos will begin this fall. As the article indicates the "route will offer the first regular flights connecting Japan and Laos." So, this is national news as well as local news.
You may wonder "Why Kumamoto?", as we do not have a history of being the first choice for international flights. Well, apparently there were two main factors in the decision: distance and availability. The type of aircraft that will be used needs to land in Kyushu but Fukuoka was deemed to be too busy. So, Kumamoto got the call.
Japanese language source: https://tabiris.com/archives/laosair-kumamoto/
When I first heard the news, I thought it might have something to do with Hiroomi Sakai, who was Japan's ambassador to Laos from 1995 to 1999 and has been very active in promoting Laos-Kumamoto relations since his return to his hometown of Kumamoto. He started a Laotian-Thai restaurant called Singkham (シンカム), which I used to love. Unfortunately it closed in January of this year.
https://higojournal.com/archives/shinkamu.html
Sadly, Mr. Sakai passed away in the spring of 2017, an event that probably had something to do with the closing of the restaurant.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1115542291907145&id=276542999140416&__tn__=-R
Though Mr. Sakai's activities may not have had a direct causal relationship with the establishment of the new international route, I think it can be viewed as a continuation of his legacy.
-- Kirk
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/26/business/lao-airlines-launch-vientiane-kumamoto-service-november/
Lao Airlines to launch Vientiane-Kumamoto service in November | The Japan Times
Lao Airlines said Thursday it is planning to launch regular flights in November connecting the Laotian capital of Vientiane and the resort town of Luang Pr

"Shoko Kanazawa, an acclaimed calligrapher who has Down syndrome, recently received a letter of appreciation from Kumamoto University in Kumamoto City for gifting the university with her 2019 New Year kanji calligraphy, inori or 'prayer.'"
-- Copied and pasted by Kirk
Shoko Kanazawa Donates 2019 New Year Calligraphy 'Prayer' to Disaster-stricken Kumamoto | JAPAN Forward
Shoko Kanazawa, an acclaimed calligrapher who has Down syndrome, recently received a letter of appreciation from Kumamoto University in Kumamoto City for gifting the university with her 2019 New Year kanji calligraphy, inori or "prayer."

Here's some information from Mr. Yagi of the International Center for international students. -- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/hiromitsu.yagi/posts/2787360234626906

This is already several days old. Fortunately, the volcano hasn't gone nuts or anything but it seems to be mildly active. And, because of the activity, you can't get within one kilometer of the crater.
-- Kirk
Minor volcanic eruption observed on Mt. Aso - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- A small eruption was observed Friday on Mt. Aso in southwestern Japan, spewing smoke as high as 1,600 meters, the weather a

Hi! Kirk here. Unfortunately, it seems that worsening relations between Japan and Korea at the national level are having an impact here in Kumamoto and in nearby prefectures.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/23/business/south-korean-airline-tway-cuts-japan-routes-bilateral-ties-founder/
South Korean airline T'way cuts Japan routes as bilateral ties founder | The Japan Times
South Korean low-cost carrier T'way Air Co. will suspend some regular flights connecting South Korea and three airports in Kyushu. The decision, announced

Hello friends! How is your summer holiday??
Yes, NATSUYASUMI has started!
Here is summer festival information on this weekend.I hope you enjoy it!!ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
・Hinagu Onsen Ushi no Yu matsuri日奈久温泉丑の湯祭り（26日・27日／八代市 日奈久温泉街一帯 around Hinagu Onsen in Yatsushiro city）
http://www.hinagu-kankou.com/index.html
・Yatsushiro Kumagawa Matsuri第52回 八代くま川祭り（27日／around Tyuou Shoutengai in Yatsushiro city 八代市中心商店街一帯）
http://www.kumagawa-fes.com/
・Kumamoto zoo. It opens in evening to night also. 熊本市動植物園　夏の夜間開園 2019（27日／熊本市東区　熊本市動植物園）
http://www.ezooko.jp/
・Shirakawa Yoichi, market around Shirakawa.白川夜市（27日／at Shirakawa Kasenziki Midorino Kukan, in front of Shirakawa shou, elementary school.熊本市中央区新屋敷白川河川敷「緑の区間」白川小学校前）
https://shirakawabanks.site/
・River festival SAGARAPPA Matsuri第30回 リバーフェスティバル サガラッパ祭（27日～／花火あり／Sagaramura Yanasesinmura-bashi Ugan Kasenziki, right side of the river. 相良村柳瀬新村橋右岸河川敷）
https://www.vill.sagara.lg.jp/index.php?type=article&mode=articleView&articleid=3203&categoryid=19
・第15回 Downtown, Yukata Matsuri城下町くまもと ゆかた祭（27・28日／熊本市中心市街一帯）
https://www.kamitori.com/event/yukata2019/
・第54回Amakusa Hondo HAIYA Matsuri fire work天草ほんどハイヤ祭り「花火大会」（27日／大矢崎緑地公園　天草市本渡町広瀬）
http://haiya.org/
■熊本市北区の夏祭り Kita-ku Kumamoto city
http://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kita/hpKiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&type=top&id=24789
・Yamato area大和夏祭り（27日／樹の公園　熊本市北区植木町大和）
・Yuge area弓削校区夏祭り（27日／弓削小学校運動場）
・Tatuta areaふる里龍田の夏まつり（27日／龍田中学校グラウンド）
・Tatuta nishi area龍田西校区１・２町内合同夏祭り（27日／陳内児童公園　熊本市北区龍田陳内）
・Tatsuta 3tyoume, new town areaニュータウン三光団地夏祭り（27日／代継宮　熊本市北区龍田３丁目）
・Nierenoki area楡木１町内ふれあい夏祭り（27日／楡木西公園）
■熊本市中央区の夏祭り
Tyuou-ku Kumamoto city
http://www.city.kumamoto.jp/chuo/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&type=top&id=19598
・第16回Obiyama area帯山校区夏祭り（27日／帯山小学校グラウンド）
・Kurokami area, Kurokami Nishi Kouenわがまちふるさと夏祭り（27日／黒髪西公園）
・Keirinjyo street 競輪場通り商栄会第25回夏まつり（27日／競輪場正門前駐車場）
・Honjyo area本荘校区夏まつり（27日／本荘小運動場）
・Kouzan area向山夏まつり（27日／江南中運動場）
・Suizenji area水前寺夏祭り（28日／九州記念病院駐車場）
・Ushibuka Minato festival KAIZOKUSAI牛深みなとフェスティバル“海族祭”（28日／Amakusa- shi Ushibuka-machi Umino-eki Michino-eki Ushibuka- KAISAIKAN 天草市牛深町　海の駅・道の駅うしぶか海彩館）
https://www.t-island.jp/p/event/detail/1897
・第54回Amakusa Hondo HAIYA Matsuri天草ほんどハイヤ祭り「踊りの競演」（28日／Amakusa Shimin center天草市民センター）
http://haiya.org/
・第68回 Ayu Matsuriあゆまつり（28日／fire works 花火あり／Kousa-machi 甲佐町　中甲橋グリーンパークなど）
https://www.town.kosa.kumamoto.jp/q/aview/122/3120.html
熊本e-books
http://www.kumamoto-ebooks.jp/?page_id=147
https://www.facebook.com/483894111665398/posts/2313003842087740/?sfnsn=mo