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I mentioned these cute cubs there other day. Here's an article in English. There's also a video you can enjoy, if you are interested.
According to the article, we only have until August or so to see them here in Kumamoto before they will be taken to Oita.
-- Kirk
Triple treat: Lion cubs ready for public display at Kumamoto zoo - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- Three lion cubs born in May were shown to the media at Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens here in southwestern Japan on June 1

Here's an article about a marathon runner from Kumamoto.
-- Kirk
Japanese marathon runner, 83, still going strong after completing Boston race - The Mainichi
TOKYO -- Japanese runner Michiharu Shimojo completed his 12th Boston Marathon this year, and once again received the honor of being the oldest to fini

Olivia here,
I am sharing with you something that I have done before, and has been on my “have to do” list while I am in Kumamoto.
I love watching the fireflies in Ezuko.
Has anyone done it this year?
We almost reach mid June, and apparently, due to their short lifetime, fireflies in Ezuko will only be around until end of June (forgive me if I am wrong. The amount of fireflies you see might differ every year.)
Hopefully, if anyone has time to visit Ezuko soon, they will see fireflies there.
I learned from Ezuko’s website, few things to take note for “Fireflies Watching”
(in Japanese):
◎一般的にホタルをよく観察できるといわれている条件
・雨が降っておらず、風が弱い
・湿度が高く、気温が高い
・月明かりがない
(in English)
- When we have no rains for the day.
- When humidity and day temperature are high.
- When there is no moonlight.
In case you wanna read further , please refer to Ezuko’s website below:
http://www.ezuko-park.com/blog/21955
(The blog is written in Japanese.)

Here's an update on the "baby hatch" at Kumamoto's Jikei Hospital. This facility is unique in Japan. For more information see this editorial:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170511/p2a/00m/0na/013000c
-- Kirk
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005770006

I got this good lead from a friend a while back but am only getting around to posting now. If you are a jazz fan, like me, you may want to try to see it before it closes on Thursday. It has gotten very good reviews on IMDB:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5051930/?fbclid=IwAR2fmGku8iWKLbiAPxPR4kdaw9-pIfqs_trk0ANKXE0LQqdm_L6eHrayFLo
Show times are:
ビル・エヴァンス　タイム・リメンバード（上映時間：85分）
13：10（〜14：40）
18：40（〜20：10）
*6/13（木）終了
English with Japanese subtitles.
-- Kirk
http://evans.movie.onlyhearts.co.jp
映画『ビル・エヴァンス　タイム・リメンバード』公式サイト｜4/27（土）全国ロードショー
ジャズピアノの詩人ビル・エヴァンスの悲劇に満ちた51年の人生と音楽を捉えたドキュメンタリー映画が遂に日本上陸！ エヴァンス生誕90周年記念GW4月27日（土）よりアップリンク吉祥寺・渋谷ほかにてロードショー！

Starting tomorrow (June 11th), you can visit these cute lion cubs at the Kumamoto Zoo.
I took the image from a movie you can view here:
https://www.jiji.com/jc/movie?p=j001355
It seems that these cubs were born as a result of the Kumamoto earthquake. Dad met Mom (pictured with cubs) when he was evacuated to another facility (Mom's home). They feel in love and then Mom was allowed to accompany Dad when he returned to Kumamoto where they are living happily ever after. Medetashi medetashi! Oshimai.
-- Kirk

Hey guys! Megan again with an Olympic torch update! Looks like Kumamon won’t be allowed to bear the torch for the city. Thoughts?
Kumamoto mascot Kumamon's chance of being Olympic torch runner in jeopardy
Organizing committee seems to have a problem with a huge clumsy bear running around with an open flame.

The camphor tree has the poetic Latin name, Cinnamomum camphora. Their canopies extend broadly, so they are vulnerable to wind damage and rot. Their wood is prized for its fragrance and also its tendency to ward off insects, so if you ever find chunks, take them home and stash them where household insects gather.
Our friends, the Marubayashis, sent us this photo of a particularly large specimin which is located in Ueki and is called the Jakushinsan no kusu (you can Google it). My daughter's elementary school also had a large camphor planted in Meiji 30, but it succumbed to age a few years agó. However, the arborists pointed out the robust root system, so it was fenced off and is shooting back up again. (Photo below). Thank you, Marubyashi-san. - William

Hey guys!! Megan here with a bus center update! They’ve confirmed 84 tenants for the bus center so far, including an H & M, Kaldi, Daiso and my personal favorite: Panda Express! I thought I’d share the good news. Here’s a link to the website: https://sakuramachi-kumamoto.jp
Looks like the grand opening is September 14th, so mark your calendars!
2019年9月 SAKURA MACHI Kumamoto-サクラマチ クマモト-がOPEN
SAKURA MACHI Kumamotoの公式サイト。熊本城と庭つづき、すべてをつなぐ「おもてなしの庭」。ファッション・雑貨・コスメ・飲食など149店が集まる熊本の新しいライフスタイル発信地「サクラマチ クマモト」が2019年9月誕生。

Kirk here. This post is not Kumamoto specific but, of course, as Kumamoto is part of Japan, the kinds of issues I'll try to point out are not unrelated to life in Kumamoto.
The English article I'm linking to is very misleading. I'm not posting to endorse it but rather to point out several problems with Kyodo's journalism and international journalism in general. So, instead of merely skipping my post and going straight to the article, I hope you'll read all of my post -- though it is rather long.
The source of the problem seems to be with Kyodo's Japanese article on what the labor minister said:
https://this.kiji.is/508926832349496417?c=39546741839462401
In this article Labor Minister Nemoto is quoted as follows:
「社会通念に照らして業務上必要かつ相当な範囲かと思います」
And, in English, this becomes
"It's generally accepted by society that (wearing high heels) is necessary and reasonable in workplaces"
One might quibble about whether the English is an accurate translation of the Japanese. I think it makes the English sound more declarative or stronger than the Japanese but that's not the main point. The main point is that the Japanese itself is inaccurate. It's not an exact quote -- merely Kyodo's summary of their interpretation of what he was saying.
The actual text can be found here:
https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/entry/kutoo_jp_5cf79a66e4b0747b8c5efe26
and at
https://www.j-cast.com/2019/06/06359462.html
The Japanese Huffington Post article seems to give the actual word-for-word text of the questions posed to Nemoto and his responses but there are some obvious typos. I used the J-Cast article to double check what seemed to be Huff Post mistakes.
Initially, Nemoto seems to be expressing some sympathy for the position taken by the people who conducted the #KuToo survey. For example
「ハイヒールやパンプスの着用については、それぞれの業務の中で、それぞれの対応がなされてると思いますが、たとえば労働安全衛生の観点からは、腰痛や転倒事故に配慮して、服装や各事業上の対応が講じられるべきかと考えています。」
"In regard to the wearing of high heels and pumps, I think decisions are being made in individual workplaces in accordance with the nature of the work, but from the perspective of worker health and safety, I think due consideration should be given to the risk of falls and the exacerbation of lower-back pain." (Translation: Kirk Masden)
Nemoto's interrogator, Representative OTSUJI Kanako (尾辻かな子), was not satisfied with this rather oblique response and continued to press him to take a stronger position. In response to her question about the absurdity of the very idea that their might be a workplace where it would be appropriate to force employees to wear high heels, Nemoto responded as follows:
「ハイヒールやパンプスの着用を強制する、指示する、これはいろんなケースがあると思いますが、社会通念に照らして、業務上必要かどうかということ、これは社会慣習に関わるものではないかなと思います。だからそういう動向は注視しながら、働きやすい職場づくりを推進していきたいと思います」
"I think there may be a variety of cases in which employers require (demand) the wearing of high heels or pumps but I think that whether or not such footwear is necessary in a particular area of work depends on social norms. So, I'd like to pay close attention to social trends in this area and try to promote workplaces that are easy (for women) to work in." (Translation: Kirk Masden)
This last statement seems to be what became
「社会通念に照らして業務上必要かつ相当な範囲かと思います」
in Japanese and
"It's generally accepted by society that (wearing high heels) is necessary and reasonable in workplaces"
As you can see, the Japanese is not an exact quote of what was said, though it may be possible to argue that it paraphrases the gist of it. It's true that Nemoto refused to come out and make a blanket statement that no employer should ever be able to require female employees to wear high heels or pumps. So, in that sense, his statement can be taken as support for the status quo.
Things really went off the rails, however, when foreign media started rephrasing this. The Guardian presents the following summary:
"Japan’s health and labour minister has defended workplaces that require women to wear high heels to work, arguing it is 'necessary and appropriate' after a petition was filed against the practice."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/05/high-heels-at-work-are-necessary-says-japan-labour-minister
Nemoto's statement was a mealymouthed attempt to avoid a blanket condemnation
while still trying to seem supportive of the basic idea of avoiding practices that cause unnecessary hardships for female employees. He can be criticized for being evasive and for refusing to condemn current practices clearly but that's not quite the same thing as actively "arguing it is 'necessary and appropriate.'"
For me, the following J-Cast article has been quite helpful in understanding the media storm about this:
https://www.j-cast.com/2019/06/06359462.html
The J-Cast article says that Kyodo Tsushin first came out with the following headline:
「パンプス『業務で必要』と容認　厚労相発言、波紋呼びそう」
"Minister of Labor Says Pumps are 'Necessary for Work' -- Comment Likely to Draw Criticism" (Translation: Kirk Masden)
Later, however, on the 6th, they down-toned it as follows:
「パンプス着用、社会通念で　厚労相、容認とも取れる発言」
"Labor Minister Makes Statement that Appears to Condone Requiring Pumps Based on Social Mores" (Translation: Kirk Masden)
https://this.kiji.is/508926832349496417
So, Kyodo was forced to walk its characterization back a bit. I have no problem with this new headline. I would agree that he "appeared to condone," or at least "refused to rule out" some requirements to wear pumps, etc. Still, Kyodo has kept the inaccurate quote (described above) that is more of a paraphrase and misrepresents the strength of his statement.
Also, note that while Kyodo changed it's Japanese headline, presumedly as a result of backlash from people who knew what was actually said, they kept the more declarative English headline: "Labor minister opposes banning female dress codes with high heels". Perhaps they think a more nuanced headline would be lost on dull-witted foreigners who only understand "black" and "white" distinctions.
I'm interested in this issue for a number of reasons.
First of all, I think the issue itself is important. Perhaps it would be reasonable for a director to ask Meryl Streep to wear a particular brand of pumps to get the image of the character she played in "The Devil Wears Prada." So, OK, never say never. There may be some situations where requiring pumps might be necessary to the work at hand. But, of course, I think such justifiable situations are far, far fewer than the actually number of situations where women suffer various kinds of harassment related to their appearance. So, I'm definitely much more sympathetic to #KuToo's position on this one than I am to Nemoto's. [By the way, #KuToo is a play on #MeToo, 靴 (kutsu; shoes), and 苦痛（くつう; pain and suffering).]
Secondly, though I'm sympathetic to those who wish to express frustration with Nemoto, I dislike sloppy journalism and have been bothered by inaccurate use of quotation marks for years. This is by no means the first situation in which I have noticed that what we find between quotation marks is not an exact quote. In some situations such paraphrasing may be an acceptable liberty that journalists can take, but in situations like this, where the exact wording can have a significant impact on how problematic the statement is taken to be, I find it to be a downright offense practice.
Thirdly, I'm disappointed in English-language media outside of the U.S. They all seem to be following the lead of Kyodo's misleading characterization. In some cases, rephrasing of the type that the Guardian engaged in leads to an impression that's even farther from the original reality -- something like a telephone game in which repetition leads to incredible distortion. But this shouldn't be a telephone game. International news services (the Guardian, CNN, etc.) should be able to do the amount of checking that I did before writing up this little Facebook post. Moreover, the Guardian article (and probably most others, I haven't checked all of them) didn't even admit that they were relying on Kyodo -- a second hand source. The article has the appearance of original reporting and of having the full imprimatur of this globally recognized news service. If they had written, "according the Kyodo, . . ." they might be forgiven.
I'm reminded of something similar that happened in the 1990s. Prime Minister MIYAZAWA Kiichi was quoted as criticizing the work ethic of American's. What he actually said was very different:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-03-23-9201270045-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1ahp8CZ66egdwo5Iopt9Kby4cv1Xlm-9p0JRU3cwnKresbY5gCmp28XfI
If anyone has bothered to read this far, I'll be curious to hear what you think. Thanks for reading.
Labor minister opposes banning female dress codes with high heels
Labor minister indicates he will not support drive to ban dress codes that force women to wear high heels at work

Britz, a small language school situated in the east of Kumamoto city, is rumoured to be the front for an international spy ring. You and your team of covert operatives have one hour to investigate the scene and uncover the deadly plot.
Are you up to the challenge?
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SPIES🔎🕵🔒🤓🇰🇪🇮🇩🇦🇫🇷🇺
If you're interested in playing the only escape room in Kumamoto, get a team together and book your timeslot via the Escape from Britz Facebook page. The game will run until the end of July at Britz in Onoue (close to Kencho). It's open to everyone, but it's recommended to have at least one English speaker on the team. It costs 1000 yen to play (500 yen for children and students) and is available on Saturday and Sunday anytime, plus weeknights.
Thanks for all the interest and support so far!
Fiona

Hi friends. You might enjoy weekend. I met a lady yesterday. She said she is a Kumamoto- i reader and knows me, thanks.
I read two opposite articles about ASO. Both have lots love to Aso. We just should spread good information as Kumamoto-Jin.
The first one is:
https://features.japantimes.co.jp/a-weekend-in-kumamoto/
You can explain about Kumamoto and take your guest by using this article.
The second one is important, I think:
https://m.facebook.com/story/graphql_permalink/?graphql_id=UzpfSTE2OTc4NzI1NzM3Njg4NjY6MjQyMzU4NjYzNDUzMDc4Ng%3D%3D
Now, the some parts of railway around MINAMI ASO is closed by earthquake damage. But between this distance, some buses take you instead of trains till railway recovered.
But now, many visitors post on their SNS ''# the line was closed'' ''# it doesn't work now'' ''# it's dead line''
If someone spread wrong information like '' All line don't work so you can't come to Aso'', Visitors will avoid to come to Aso or choose another place.
The wrong information hurts Aso people and Aso sightseeing economy.They want to ask not to spread wrong information.
Now, the distance from TATENO to TAKAMORI has already recovered and it works. They are also recovering another distance now.
Addition, Nobody can go into railway if trains don't work. Noone are allowed to come into railway.
The line is not dead!!! They wait to recovered it. Now, the recovering work has stated. Especially the work has started, so Don't go into the railway.

We love ASO so much.ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
A weekend in Kumamoto: In the land of the smoking volcano
Kumamoto has a bittersweet relationship with its geology

Yesterday, William posted about yaoya (vegetable shops). I share his affection for them but, unfortunately, their numbers are in decline. In the following graph, numbers of several types of stores are show relative to their peaks (for each category, the peak number is 100 and all other values are relative to that). The greatest decline has been in shoe stores (red) but vegetable shops (light green) have declined quite a lot too. As people still need to eat and, presumedly, are eating about the same amount of vegetables, this means that more people are buying their veggies at large-scale supermarkets.
Source:
https://www.hosei.ac.jp/fujimi/riim/img/img_res/WPNo.136_Minami.pdf
Nationally, however, Kumamoto's yaoya are doing better than most other parts of Japan. The following page ranks Kumamoto as 8th of Japan's prefectures in it's population-to-veggie shop ratio (about 22 shops per 10,000 people):
Source:
https://todo-ran.com/t/kiji/21193
Like William, I like having little shops nearby where I can get to know the people and that I can get to on foot. Big supermarkets are efficient but yaoya certainly have their charms. :)
-- Kirk
P.S. Kokai Shotengai (Kokai Shopping Street) near Kumamoto University is a great place to find lots of small, traditional shops, including yaoya, where you can get great bargains as you chat with the shop owners. Nationally, however, such shotengai (shopping streets) are also in decline.

Japan is chock-full of small groceries - called "やおやさん" (yaoyasan) - and they're important for three reasons. First, many elderly are not able to transport themselves to larger supermarkets. Second, the staff will get to know you, making for a more personal shopping experience.Third, they tend to source products locally, providing more variety than a supermarket. For example, my local yaoyasan had these Kumamon-branded zuccini at 80 yen apiece. Can't find that at a supermarket.
Support your local yaoyasan. - William

Hi! Kirk here. On today's NHK evening news heavy rain was forecast for western Japan tomorrow. They said that this may be the first time that the new 5-level warning system will be used since it's official adoption. After seeing that bit of news, I went online again to see if I could find an English version of the easy-to-understand (if you read Japanese) chart that you see with this post. Alas, I came up empty handed. [Expletive deleted]
Well, at least if you read the text of my post below, you should be able to interpret the various levels if they happen to be announced for your area.
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134/2657235311016551/?type=3&theater

A note from the Kumamoto International Tragedy of the Commons Desk (we don't leave our food in the shared fridge):
Turns out that this phrase is pronounced 共有地の悲劇 (kyouyuuchi no higeki). It refers to situations where, when none has responsibility over an area, the area is abused. This is why there are no garbage cans in parks here but plenty at convenience stores.
A more amusing example is a few steps from my door. After the quakes, two adjacent buildings were demolished to be replaced by a parking lot and a new house, respectively. However, a small portion of block wall which belonged to the latter intruded into the former - and also may be construed to exude on the public road - so they just left it. This hilarious remnant of wall makes me laugh as I pass by it daily. Perhaps it will outlast me. - William

The other day, I mentioned that a magazine called Espresso was putting together an issue that features interviews with several non-Japanese residents of Kumamoto, including me. The interviewees you see in the composite photo I put together are:
Top row (left to right)
Mr. Allan Sutherland (from Scotland/ Researcher)
Ms. Ana Maria Shigaki (from Mexico/ Staff at Kumamoto City Zoo)
Mr. David Cappelaere (from France/ Educator & Coordinator at Mifune Dinosaur Museum)
Bottom row (left to right)
Mr. Hansuke Koga (from Sweden/ Master artisan of Koshirae, handle parts of Japanese swords)
Mr. Robert Ferrari (from Italy/ Kendo 5th dan holder)
Mr. Greg Ramit (from New Zealand/ English teacher and kick boxer)
Yours truly (from U.S./ Associate professor at Kumamoto Gakuen University)
Note: Name spellings have been taken from the Espresso Facebook page. I hereby absolve myself of all responsibility.
Ms. Ana Maria Shigak'si countenance adorns the cover of the magazine. Since I didn't get to be on the cover, I considered asking to be the nude centerfold, but I was afraid that Greg would deck me if I spoke up, so I kept quiet. ;)
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/espresso.kumakei/posts/2363563663695985?__tn__=-R

Here's some information about an opportunity to learn to prepare shojin ryori (精進料理), which is the vegetarian cuisine associated with Japanese Buddhism. If you're not familiar with shojin ryori, you may want to check out the following pages:
Shojin Ryori: Japan’s Sophisticated Buddhist Cuisine
https://savorjapan.com/contents/more-to-savor/shojin-ryori-japans-sophisticated-buddhist-cuisine/
"A typical shojin ryori meal is centered around soybean-based foods like tofu along with seasonal vegetables and wild mountain plants, which are believed to bring balance and alignment to the body, mind, and spirit. This simple meal contributed to Japan’s elegant haute cuisine called kaiseki, and today can be eaten at the dining halls located in Buddhist temples across Japan."
Books have been published on the topic as well:
Shojin Ryori: The Art of Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine
https://www.amazon.com/Shojin-Ryori-Japanese-Vegetarian-Cuisine/dp/9814516287
If you're vegan, the Japanese text in the announcement indicates that, while the shoji ryori taught in this class normally uses eggs and dairy products, the teacher is willing and able to adjust the ingredients to accommodate vegans. If you'd like to participate, please send an e-mail to the address listed on the flier.
-- Kirk
P.S. The photo of shojin ryorin is one that I took from a website and added as an illustration of what a typical shojin ryori meal looks like. So, the meal that you learn to prepare in the class may be somewhat different.

Hello friends.
I introduced local company, リバテープ in UEKI town before. Today, I would like to introduce local company, HIRATA in UEKI town too.
I've thought the company as just a local company long time. My home town is NAGOMI, next to UEKI. So I go through the HIRATA company street many times to go to Kumamoto city. You might find the company easy because it's opposite side of watermelon market.
Recently, I met my friend who worked Hirata Engineering before. (My friend read my facebook post on Kumamoto-i, and became friend.) I've thought Hirata Engineering is a local something technology company, but they work all over world. They make production line, manufacturing line. Yes they make factories, companies. (You might find many famous companies they do business with in their homepage.) They also did business with Steve Jobs and made their manufacturing line of Mac!! It's Steve Jobs beginning his work of mass production. My friend's story was so interesting,and inspired!
I thought I should share this wonderful company for more Kumamoto citizen, especially all of technology international students in Kumamoto. We should be proud of this company as Kumamoto citizen more. I'd like to share its thinking about technology, business, globalization, pride of quality,,,,. Wooo.
HIRATA's thinking is so impressed, so I shared you.
In Addition they are not so famous company in Kumamoto, in Japan, like HONDA in Kumamoto. I think they don't need to share their advertisement because they get enough customers from all over world by known their great works. ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://www.hirata.co.jp/en/
This link is English
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dp0Uc7lRoDk
This link you watch below is Japanese.
Please watch the video by using automatically translation subtles.
Sorry, I posted twice, so It's complicated.
平田機工㈱ 会社案内 2019年 Hirata Corporation Japanese
平田機工株式会社 2019年度 会社案内（日本語） Hirataは、生産エンジニアリングと「ものづくり力」という総合力を持ち合わせた世界的にもユニークな企業です。開発・提案、設計、製作、試運転、生産立ち上げまでのソフ.....

'Tiss the season to eat delicious, Kumamoto-grown watermelons. Be careful, though, about the orange ones, of the type you see in picture. Among watermelon aficionados, they are known as "basketballs" and are definitely not good to eat, though they are lighter and easier to carry than a typical watermelon -- and you can drop them without damaging them at all. Experts are currently considering a number of methods that have been proposed to reduce the percentage of "basketballs" that make it to market.
This vital watermelon news has been brought to you by Kirk.
Grade a Sweetness #AsiaNewsNetwork
Rows of greenhouse-grown watermelons await shipping in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, which was devastated in the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016. The watermelons, harvested on Wednesday morning, are guaranteed to be sweet because of their high average sugar content.