Posts
It was only a matter of time before Honda's Super "Cub" and Kumamon got together:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190119/p2g/00m/0bu/061000c
-- Kirk
Kumamon-themed Honda Super Cub motorbike to go on sale - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- Honda Motor Co. will release this summer a new version of its iconic Super Cub motorcycle featuring Kumamon, the now-ubiqui
Olivia here,
There is family movie event organised by the Tran’s family in Kikuchi.
Details below:
Freezing Free Movies with Friends!
Stay warm at an outdoor beer garden above
Uncle Kei's Bodega in Kikuchi.
〒861-1322 熊本県菊池市玉祥寺１３８−２７
The popular Kikuchi BBQ spot has been tented and warmed up with heaters to enjoy a unique movie and dining experience with family and friends.
Kikuchi's Culinary Cinema Sunday kicks off with two classic movies, one for the kids and kids at heart and the other for the adults not faint of heart.
100% FREE DOUBLE FEATURE!
5:30-7:00 PM Happy Feet in Japanese with English Subtitles
This is a kids movie about penguins.
7:00-9:00 PM The Thing in English with Japanese Subtitles
This is NOT a kids movie. This is a classic horror movie that is very scary and will give your kids nightmares about Antarctica!
HUNGRY?
Bring a bento or
1000 Yen(Adults)
600 Yen (kids)
for all you can eat homemade chili, spaghetti, fried chicken and healthy stuff to keep you warm or grab
a few candies, chips, or other snacks at the store below.
600 Yen - rent a BBQ with coal, grille, and tongs
You can also bring your own meat and veggies to grille with
cheap BBQ rental.
THIRSTY?
Draft beer 500 Yen Bottle Liquor 300 Yen and Up
Soft Drinks, Juices, Can Coffee 130 Yen and Up
Located within a 5 minute walking distance from Yakushiyu Onsen, a local public onsen that costs only 300 Yen to warm your cold aching body before or after the movies.
164 Nishihazama, Kikuchi 861-1685, Kumamoto Prefecture
Spread the word, invite your friends and RSVP by January 21st, Martin Luther King Day at 10pm.
Don't be left alone in the cold!
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 5 PM – 9 PM
Address:
〒861-1322 熊本県菊池市玉祥寺
１３８−２７
Contact person: Huy Tran
According to this article, Kumamoto is being hit particularly hard by the flu:
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005488378
-- KIrk
Number of flu patients tops alarm level
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The number of influenza patients per medical institution in Japan exceeded the alarm level of 30, which suggests an outbreak of the disease, in the week through Sunday, the health ministry said Friday.
One thing about curating this page and the mailing list that preceded it that has been interesting for me is learning about the wide range of pursuits that members of the Kumamoto International community are engaged in. Naturally, many native speakers of English are involved in language teaching, but the range of occupations and avocations extends way beyond that: Agriculture, sword making, mortuary science, music (both performing and teaching), athletics (competitive paragliding), and publishing are just a few that come to mind.
In regard to that last category, writing books, the work of Seán Michael Wilson has been introduced on this page several times in the past:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134/1361220970617998/?type=3
In this post, I'd like to introduce another local author who has recently agreed to become a Kumamoto International editor: Tristan Vick. The Chronicles of Jegra (see link) is just the most recent of an astounding number of publications on Tristan's Amazon page. Many of his books are fiction but Tristan is also a non-fiction author who has written and edited books about atheism and other topics.
For people like me in academia, a certain amount of publication is mandatory. Since a number of the participants in this page work at local universities, it's no surprise that a complete list of publications by local authors who are also Kumamoto International participants would be fairly long. I think it's interesting, though, that there are also people in town who are doing impressive amounts of writing and publishing outside of academic venues.
In this post, I mentioned Tristan and Sean, but I didn't intend to slight any other local author who is also deserving of mention. So, if you could help me out by mentioning such an author (self-nomination is welcome) in a comment, I would appreciate it.
-- Kirk
https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Jegra-Gladiatrix-Galaxy-ebook/dp/B07LB8S3WD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547864447&sr=8-1&keywords=tristan+vick
The Chronicles of Jegra: Gladiatrix of the Galaxy
Making here a slave to the arena was their first mistake. Underestimating her will be their last.Aliens abducted her and sold her into the Intergalactic Gladiatorial Syndicate. Now, she's fighting for her life on an alien world where she is reborn as JEGRA, Gladiatrix of the Galaxy!When the r...
Gumby Core Number 1 presents was a success. It was great seeing a good crowd and a diverse set of genres from the bands we booked.We had metal,punk,rockabilly,surf and sloppy drunk indie.There is a Gumby 2 and 3 in the works. Gumby 2 will involve a small flea market,open mic,food along with some bands. It will hopefully take place in the Kawaramachi neighborhood and it will be free. I am thinking April for that event. Gumby 3 will be at Navaroo once again with a Hardcore band from America called Holy Sh@t and local punk legends Soulcraft. This will be in May. If you have an act whether it’s music or spoken word or whatever of whatever style we would like to hear from you. And hopefully you can show your talents and blow off some steam on our Gumby Core stage. I would like to thank my friends for free beers and setting the stage for a gleefully drunken set towards the end. That was so Gumbyfied!!!! John Onyskin
A harbinger of Kumamoto spring is the agricultural festival, and that at the Agricultural Park in Koshi Machi is the largest of all. All kinds of plants, from the lil' bitty to the humongous, are sold, along with food (horumon highly recommended) and other items - browsing is an excellent way to acquaint oneself with Kumamoto culture.
This year, its 44th, runs from 1/19 to 2/18. Parking and admission are free. Those carless can take the Kumamoto Dentetsu line to its terminus, Miyoshi, and then take a pleasant kilometer walk to the front gates. Kumanichi notes organizers expect 220,000 attendees and 352 million yen in sales. - William
一足早い春の訪れ、ＪＡ植木まつり開幕 合志市の県農業公園 - 熊本日日新聞 ｜ This Kiji
つぼみがほころび始めたウメの木やボタンの鉢植えなどが並ぶ「ＪＡ植木まつり」の会場＝１９日、合志市 熊本に一足早い春の訪れを告げる「ＪＡ植木まつり」が１９日、合志市の県農業公園カントリーパークで開幕した...
Olivia here,
I just came back from Handmade Fair at Grand Messe Kumamoto.
Lots of nice handmade shops at the fair, and there were food booths at the corner.
I took pictures below showing how the crowd looked like.
Grand Messe (if I get the English name right)
is located at Mashiki town.
This is the official site of the fair.
https://tedukurifair.jp
The address of Grand Messe:
1010 Fudukomi, Mashiki, Kamimashiki district.
Kumamoto 861-2235
Tomorrow is the last day of the fair. It starts from 10am.
The entrance fee for entering the fair was 500 Yen.
Children below Junior High school could enter for free.
Though more than two years have passed since the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, many people are still feeling its impact. This news story is about students from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University who came to the Aso area to help a farmer still recovering from the quake. Hats off to the folks at Hong Kong Polytechnic for continuing to offer help after so many people outside of Japan have forgotten about the quakes.
Speaking of unresolved issues, the local NHK station recently broadcast a program about people who have still not found permanent housing since the quake. Due to a three-year limit, they are likely to loose the government-provided assistance they have received thus far but according to Prof. Takabayashi of Kumamoto Gakuen University, the government is not obligated to cut off the assistance at three years. He argues that assistance should continue until it is no longer needed.
Japanese text about NHK program
https://www4.nhk.or.jp/P2883/x/2019-01-18/21/59300/8221281/
Text and YouTube video (both in Japanese) about students from Hong Kong:
http://rkk.jp/news/backno_page.php?id=NS003201901161716190111
-- Kirk
I posted about the munchable insect vending machine in Kokai a couple of months ago:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2242901082449978
According to this article and reports I've seen in Japanese, the bugs are selling like hotcakes. Personally, I prefer hotcakes. ;)
-- Kirk
Salted crickets, chocolate beetles: insect snack machine’s a hit in Japan
Hungry shoppers have descended like a swarm of locusts on a vending machine selling pre-cooked insects in southern Japan
Maruru is a bear of the polar and male type. Asked why he's named "Maruru," he stated, "That's an exonym. My mother calls me Steve." He's six and was born at the Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo with his twin brother, Pororo ("We call him Tony. He lives in Tokushima") but has been lent to Kumamoto Zoo since 2014. His attraction rating varies between #1 and #2 as his rivals tend to disappear mysteriously at night - do not enter his pen or attempt late-night hi-jinks after the zoo has closed. The Maruyama Zoo lacks space for his return, so, as Kumanichi reports, he'll remain in Kumamoto for the time being. "Great!" Maruru was quoted as commenting. "I haven't visited the flamingo enclosure yet!" - William
ホッキョクグマのマルル、もう１年 熊本市動植物園で飼育期間延長 - 熊本日日新聞 ｜ This Kiji
ホッキョクグマのマルル＝熊本市動植物園（小野宏明） 熊本市動植物園（東区健軍）は、札幌市円山動物園から期限付きで預かっているホッキョクグマのマルル（雌、６歳）の飼育期間が１年延長され、来年１月２２日ま...
Kumamoto is not the focus of this article but the following paragraph is about what happened here in 2016:
"Following the disastrous series of earthquakes that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in April 2016, the Kumamoto Islamic Center, a mosque in the city of Kumamoto, received relief supplies from Muslims living across the nation. These materials were delivered to affected areas including the devastated town of Mashiki."
There were foreigners here who needed help but this paragraph reminds us there there were also a lot of foreigners who provided assistance during the crisis.
I also like this paragraph because it reminds us of an aspect of the Islamic religion that many non-Muslims (like me) tend not to be familiar with: service to others, including non-Muslims. In a class I teach, I show a video about Muslims in other parts of Japan who provide meals to homeless people, the majority of whom are non-Muslim Japanese.
-- Kirk
EDITORIAL: Foreigners need to be included in response efforts to disasters：The Asahi Shimbun
The 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which ravaged the city of Kobe, engendered a new wave of disaster
Our southern neighbor, Kagoshima, is home to multiple delights. One is volcanoes; another, their awesome kanji. Between Okinawa and Kyushu lies a string of volcanic islands administered by Kagoshima called the Tokara Islands (吐喝喇列島、トカラ列島) - its name is usually rendered in katakana as it's etymology lies in what was once a foreign country - Okinawa - and is considered to mean "distant sea area." The northernmost, Satsuma Iwojima (薩摩硫黄島), is visible from the Kyushu southern coast on clear days.
The island to the west of Yakushima is called Kuchinoerabushima (口永良部島 - I told you the kanji is awesome). Anyway, Kuchinoerabushima erupted this morning for the first time since 2015. - William
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/?eid=ARBLY6Fvt6fv7Bm5pa8_7UVzqfzRUFY2lN8j6PUyOb5m4-CRPyAtgHVc2U49DXuue-wgbviW_SK3Oomi
Learning a foreign language is not, uh, easy. Japanese measure words are particularly vexing: where English mostly defers to a simple number, some measure word is required for all nouns in Japanese, from kings to cabbages - but which?
I thus chuckle evilly when questioned about groups of animals. Japanese has a single word: mure (群), whether fish or fowl, while the number of such English words could easily stock a museum. Take the crow, whose group is termed a "murder."
According to Shimizu Mimoru, horticulturist at the botanical gardens adjoining Ninomaru Park, an impressive murder of crows has been appearing each evening. There is nothing unusual about this, he says, especially in mid-winter when crows leave the mountains; crows murder in the evening before flying off to a communal roosting spot, presumably to hatch their next murder. If you would like to photograph the castle surrounded by a murder, early dusk is best. - William
https://this.kiji.is/457409010318279777?c=92619697908483575
This is not specific to Kumamoto but I think it's related to this and any Facebook page. Facebook functions as an unregulated utility in many ways. This story is about a move to regulate it in the U.S.
Though not directly related to the thrust of this NPR article, it reminds me of an area where I have felt dissatisfied with a Facebook policy. My concern has to do with what happens when someone like me decides to allow people to write reviews about a page. What I learned recently is that the reviewer is able to delete any comments that I make to try to rebut the arguments (including out-and-out lies) of the reviewer. Facebook not only allows the reviewer to delete rebuttals but even I as the "owner" of the page cannot confirm that that is what has happened (or who did the deleting). In the recent case, the reviewer let me know that he had read and understood my rebuttal before deleting it by paraphrasing it and redirecting it to me (a very trollish technique). Also the fact that repeated attempts to post the same content later disappear were also a clear indication of what had happened.
Facebook seems to prefer a "clean" appearance that has no indication of deleted material. By contrast, Blogger (Google) lets the owner delete comments but the fact that something has been deleted is apparent. So, Facebook's preference for a "clean" appearance trumps our right to know that what we see is not the full picture. "Clean" deletion may be best in some situations, but I think there are other situations where it is actually misleading.
One insidious aspect of such Facebook "laws" regarding how we can and cannot interact is that they are unpublished. I only figured out how things work as a result of a recent problem. Another problem is that Facebook is famous for changing rules abruptly with little or no explanation. So, communicating on Facebook can be a little bit like living in a benevolent dictatorship where "law" is the ever-changing whim of the dictator. Since the dictator is benevolent, life is usually pretty good, but if there's a problem there's not much one can do.
At any rate, I think it behooves us all to consider the problematic aspects of this platform, even as we enjoy and benefit from various positive aspects. Personally, I think that, as an information "utility," some sort of regulation is probably in order, though I recognize that the regulation itself may wind up being very problematic, especially if citizens are not vigilant.
-- Kirk
Congress May Soon Impose New Regulations On Facebook
Political forces on the left are joining their voices to those of conservative politicians in seeking regulations over social media giant Facebook.
A reader sends the following job post:
Peace International School in Kikuyo (Kumamoto) is looking for a full time Pre-School English Teacher, preferably female, to monitor and teach the children in the school programme.
Teacher responsibilities
Manage day-to-day classroom activities, including structured lessons, free play, bathroom breaks, lunch time and rest time for students; Partnering with our team to enhance the learning environment at our school.
Foster and facilitate the intellectual and social development of the children.
Requirements
Native level English
Bachelor degree
Must love working with kids
To apply please send your CV to: [email protected]
Joe Tomei here, with an offer of fun on ice!! The Japan Paralympic Ice Hockey team will be at AquaDome (http://kc-sks.com/aqua/) in Minami Kumamoto on Feb 8-10 preparing for the A-pool matches in the world championship, to be held in the Czech Republic. What's more, on the 9th, anyone over 5th grade elementary school can come and give paralympic ice hockey a try. There are two 1 hour sessions
-checkin at 12:30 go from 13:00-14:00
-checkin at 13:30 go from 14:00-15:00
There are 12 spaces in each trial time, so if you or your kids want to give it a try, please fill out the the form below. (sign up deadline is 25 Jan)
If Japanese is a problem, please let me know, one of my former students is at the convention bureau which is organizing this and would be happy to help you!
Attn: Quake nerds
This article argues against a pronouncement by Japan's Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion (HERP) that the January 3 quake was not related to the 2016 quakes:
"Immediately after the M=5.1 shock, HERP (2019) announced that there is no causal relation between the 3 Jan 2019 shock and the 15 April 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. In contrast, we contend that the M=5.1 is instead part of the long-lasting and remarkably widespread aftershock sequence of the M=7.0 Kumamoto earthquake."
-- Kirk
Quake Connectivity: 3 January 2019 M=5.1 Japan shock was promoted by the April 2016 M=7.0 Kumamoto earthquake | Temblor.net
By Shinji Toda, Ph.D. (IRIDeS, Tohoku University), and Ross S. Stein, Ph.D. (Temblor, Inc.) Citation: Toda S., Stein R.S., 2019, Quake Connectivity: 3 January 2019 M=5.1 Japan shock was promoted by the April 2016 M=7.0 Kumamoto earthquake, Temblor, http://doi.org/10.32858/temblor.003 Was th...
The Aso caldera is one of the world's largest - and deepest. It thus traps cold, denser air. When warmer, wet air flies above, a phenomenon known as "sea of clouds" (unkai, 雲海) generates due to temperature inversion. Kumanichi reports that this year's first occurred in the morning of the 14th, when the temperature of the caldera basin was -2.6°C and a warm, wet band was passing overhead.
For our photographer friends who want to capture this, choose a cold day with a southern-coming rain front approaching. - William
阿蘇谷包む純白の薄絹 今年初の雲海 - 熊本日日新聞 ｜ This Kiji
阿蘇谷を覆う雲海。奥に浮かぶ阿蘇五岳の中岳からは白煙が上がっていた＝阿蘇市 阿蘇谷一帯で１４日朝、今年初の雲海が発生した。熊本県阿蘇市の北外輪山では、純白の薄い絹を重ねたような雲が眼下に広がり、阿蘇五...
The success of the statue placed in front of the prefectural building seems likely to lead to more in other locations.
-- Kirk
P.S. I am not sure why Facebook chooses to focus on Luffy's crotch (attached photo).
Municipalities in quake-hit Kumamoto vie to host one of eight planned 'One Piece' statues | The Japan Times
The Kumamoto Prefectural Government plans to set up more statues related to "One Piece," a hugely popular manga series, to cheer up local residents in the
