Posts

Joe Tomei here with your Funky Place Friday post. There are a lot of pizza ovens places popping up all over and I'm not going to try and rank them (though the position of unpaid pizza oven researcher here at FPF is open).
But there is one pizza oven place in Kikuchi which lays on the funkiness. I was a bit too busy enjoying the Kikuchi made(!) cheese and thinking it would be great to have one of the craft beers on the menu to ask what exactly the name of the place is. The tabelog entry at
https://tabelog.com/en/kumamoto/A4303/A430301/43006669/
has Naporipittsukenkyuujoiruforunodoro, but the sign suggests that the name is Il Forno D'oro or Oven of Gold, though I love the tabelog 'Kenkyuu jo' (research center)
The Funky Place Friday map is at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing

A high school friend of my daughter, Natsuki, and her family run a lovely little herb tea cafe and shop in Kikuyo (on Route 138 somewhat near Hikari-no-Mori; a map is at the link).
Every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 and 2:00 starting this weekend, Natsuki and my daughter will teach 45-50 minute English classes oriented towards children, though adults are also welcome. The atmosphere is beautiful, and the price, at 500, is cheap. Parking is available. - William
http://www.daisy-herb.jp/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMG7Y3AyQT/

A reminder that live images of Shiraka from a variety of bridges are available at the link. Take care in the rain! - William http://www.qsr.mlit.go.jp/kumamoto/bousai/kasen_live/kasen_live01.html

Following the Kumamoto quake, some yahoo spread a rumor via Twitter that a lion had escaped from Kumamoto zoo and was roaming the streets, sparking widespread panic quite unneeded at the time.
It turns out the yahoo's a 20-year old guy from Kanagawa Prefecture. We know this as he was recently arrested for spreading malicious rumors, apparently the first time anyone has ever been arrested for such cause in Japan.
The article contains the word デマ, meaning lie, particularly a malicious rumor spread via social media, a word I'd never encountered, but apparently it comes from the German "demagogie." I have no idea how the word ended up in the Japanese language. - William
「ライオン逃げた」デマ投稿の男逮捕　全国初 - 熊本日日新聞
佐藤一輝容疑者がツイッターに投稿した路上を歩くライオンの画像（県警提供）　熊本東署と県警サイバー犯罪対策課などは２０日、熊本地震の前震直後に熊本市動植物園からライオンが逃げたというデマを短文投稿サイト...

Our hearts go out to those in Kansai who experienced this morning a 5.9 quake. In fact, the quake may be related to ours due to what is called the Japan Median Tectonic Band. Japan is kinda split into two in an east/west direction, and activity on the fault in one section may result in increased tensions in another. Wikipedia has an informative article on it . - William https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Median_Tectonic_Line

Funky Place Friday is on the road again. Perhaps it isn’t fair to label Kagoshima airport a Funky Place. But I’m visiting Tokunoshima and I was amazed that it is a leisurely 2 hour drive to the airport. While it was business for me, this seems like a great getaway chance!

Finding a good barber is only of slightly less importance than finding a good spouse, particularly for someone like me, whose hair does not grow long rather than piles atop itself until all above my forehead grows to resemble one of those tremendous cumulus clouds so common in Kumamoto in August, and it's then that the poodles who live in my neighborhood begin to whisper to me obliquely, "Dude, you're embarrassing us. Visit your barber."
I found my barber shortly after arriving here. Though the shop has moved to more modern digs, the chairs remain as ancient as the artisans (they make me feel young, a talent increasingly difficult). They are efficient, skilled, and extremely thorough - after they shave the back of your neck, they will shave your ears, and then they'll shave your neck again, just in case. They do not speak English, but haircuttery is pretty much an international language. And they are very cheap - 1,300 yen for their basic service, which is what I always go for. They are conveniently located in Suizenji, just off of Densha-dori. I asked permission this morning to write this post and warned that it might result in a flood of non-Japanese visiting their shop, and they welcomed it. After all, your hair is undoubtedly less complicated than mine. - William
http://portal.ntn81.jp/lib2/vc.do?id=224
・大　人　1,200～1,700円・中学生　1,200～1,500円・子　供　1,100円(シャンプー込み)・白髪染　3,900円

There are many fish in the sea, as my wife found out and my children are just discovering. One type of fish, to no fault of its own, is called the "grunt fish" (Japanese: イサキ魚), which apparently acquired its name by its habit of grinding its pharyngeal teeth (don't bother looking up "pharyngeal" as you'll never use it unless you or someone close to you is unfortunate enough to have them).
On Sunday June 17th at Cocosa Shimotori (map below), our favorite chef Sean Benward will introduce a special guest at his culinary class, Fujimoto Taiki (藤本大城氏), a poissonnier extraordinaire who practices his craft from Kumamoto's main fish market, Tasaki-ichi (田崎市), and both in conjunction will instruct how to turn this oceanic delicacy into something palatable.
Reservations are being accepted, and children are welcome. Please write below or PM us regarding details. - William

As an arachnophile, spiders enjoy free range in my house until my daughter, a pronounced arachnophobe, returns home, who at which time, regardless of my or the spiders' feelings, I must expel (the spiders, not my daughter). One such request today introduced me to a species hitherto unknown to me but which a Wikipedia search revealed to be a Argiope amoena, called in Japanese the コガネグモ (黄金蜘蛛, kogane-gumo), or, according to my daughter, "a really friggin' big cross-shaped web spider monopolizing the corner of my room." Wikipedia notes that they are harmless to humans but can consume prey up to twice their size, which again reminds me of my daughter. She (the spider) was ushered outside at the tip of a broomstick, which was likely not ideal for her as the species is a favorite of wasps but did quiet my daughter, at least for the moment. Below is a photo for reference. - William

From the Kumamoto International Desk of Animals that Insist on Defying Classification (merged with the Republican Party Study Desk due to redundancy). A recent post regarding Ariake Sea brought a query regarding whether it was safe to venture into, and my advice is: Sure! - as long as you are accompanied by a friend with a rope to haul you out and some antibiotics just in case. There is one animal, however, which has made what should be an uninhabitable zone its home: the mudskipper (オキスデルシス亜科, in case anyone asks), which are a group of vertebrate amphibious fish which couldn't decide whether to continue with aquatic life or terrestrial living, so equivocated. They are extremely rare in the world, as most fish are pretty decisive about being fish, and their presence in the Ariake Sea area is mostly attributed to stubbornness. "Skip" in English can mean either to avoid an obligation or to glide over a surface, both of which this creature is adept at. They are kind of cute if you judge cuteness by resembling a lifeform from an alien planet. The males aggressively defend their territory, while the females spend most of their time burrowed into the mud as they understandably seem to find that preferable to mingling with the males. A large park exists in the northwestern quadrant of Kumamoto Shinko which provides easy access to the mudflats, and if you're lucky or not, you may glimpse one.

Funky Place Friday on the road! Today, I want to tell you about a rice store in Omuta. It gets its funky place status because going there, if you pay 2400 yen, you can park your car there all day and receive a Nishitetsu Rail pass to go into Fukuoka. I love going to Fukuoka, but with parking, expressway toll and gas, it gets a bit pricey. So instead, go to Omuta, leave your car there and spend the day in Fukuoka. The train trip is 1 hour and leaves every 30 minutes, so it gives you a lot more flexibility. The first train leaves from Nishitetsu Omuta at 5:11 am (!) and the last train returns from Tenjin at 10:56 pm. It is not enormous savings, but it's so much nicer to take the train to get out of the city. It's especially good for anyone living over by the west side of the city.
The map of funky place friday posts is at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing

What is known as 有明海 - Ariake Sea - is less than a sea but a large inlet. Due to the tremendous amount of sediment originating from various volcanoes and agriculture, its gradient is extremely shallow, which results in a significant tidal distance, often a kilometer or more depending on the location. Feeding 130 million people also requires that the sea be a gigantic farm, with nori (laver seaweed) and asari clams the most cultivated. A problem is how to access the cultivatable areas, which resourceful fishermen have solved by creating long roads which are submerged at high tide but usable during low (timing is key here or you'll find your car submerged).
Our friend Yoshiko Toyama captured a wonderful photograph of such a road with Nagasaki's Fugen Mountain (普賢岳) in the background. She noted in her post that it has been 27 years since Fugen last erupted, an event I remember as I'd just arrived in Kumamoto at the time (lots of ash every day). Trivia point: a tsunami which resulted in one of the greatest tsunami-related death tolls occurred here in the 17th century when part of the mountain cascaded into the sea, resulting in a "bathtub effect," in which the wave washed over Kumamoto and then bounced back to the Shimabara peninsula, pretty much killing all coastal residents on both sides. (Okay, not so trivial for the victims, but time tends to lighten tragedy.)
Thank you, Yoshiko-san, for this wonderful photo. - William

And for my 2nd post a rather bad subject:
Recently Kumamoto University made a sign warning students of a ’suspicious person’ who had been bothering students in the Kokai area. So, if anyone has trouble with this person they can contact the International Education Division. He appears to be a thin man in his late 20s.
Another person who lives in the Tsuboi/Kokai area is already known by police and is quite a dangerous individual. I myself have already been in a physical fight with him in Kokai Shoten Gai after he said some racist things and spat at me. The police become involved. Last year he approached me and my son yet again… with the result that 6 policemen (!) went to his house to warn him. He is quite a large Japanese man, about 180cm, strongly built, in his 40s, and has mental health problems. He appears to have a problem with foreigners and may specifically target foreign people.
So, if anyone has trouble with him you can contact me or this group. Since I now know his name, where he lives, and i even have a photo of him, its easy for us to report any such problems he causes to the police.
Take care, Sean

The Japanese edition of our book from Kodansha was published last week, on Saigo Takamori and the Satsuma Rebellion (the same subject as NHK's Taiga drama this year). It's bilingual, actually - Japanese and English, so good for both learning English and Japanese, and for learning about Japanese history.
As some folk may know already important scenes from this 1877 conflict took place in Kumamoto - the siege of the castle and then the large battle at Tabaruzaka a little to the north. So you can see various Kumamoto places in our book.
Shimotori Tsutaya bookshop has it for sale in the new English section in the basement.
ショーン.マイケル・ウィルソン
英国スコットランド出身。熊本在住の漫画原作者。米国や英国、日本など、さまざまな国で刊行される漫画の原作を書き下ろしている。『クリスマス・キャロル』は英サンデー・タイムズ紙2008年度のベストテンに選ばれた。その他、The Faceless Ghost 「顔のない幽霊」は漫画界のゴールデン・グローブ賞と言われているアイズナー賞にノミネートされ、同作品は米国で開催される独立系出版社賞漫画部門の大賞に2016年に輝いた。また、Secrets of the Ninja 「忍者の秘密」は2017年の第10回日本国際漫画賞(外務省主催)で入賞。この賞を受賞する最初の英国人となった。
Thanks, Sean
https://seanmichaelwilson.weebly.com/satsuma-rebellion-351993711138534304271239235199213352512620105.html

What with the all the news of the police shooting of that knife-armed maniac in Shinnabe, news of a man found dead in a vehicle in Ozu has been given short shrift. We here at Kumamoto International are here to rectify this deficiency. The Kumanichi (link below) provides oblique details as to this bizarre case: "A prefectural police investigation into what is described as 'confinement' of a male (44) from Fukuoka city has resulted in the arrest of an unemployed man from Tsushima City, address uncertain (27) on the charge for allegedly taking away the man with four men already arrested on suspicion of 'confinement'. The suspect is alleged to have cooperated with the four other suspects in the 'confinement' of a used car dealer in Fukuoka City on April 7th from around midnight to around 5 o'clock in the afternoon in a mini passenger car in front of Hakata station in Fukuoka city to where his body was discovered at a business hotel parking lot in Ozu. According to the investigators, the most recently arrested man was acquainted with the other four suspects and had been arrested by Fukuoka prefectural police due to an unrelated incident. Suspected involvement in 'confinement' was due to security cameras at Hakata Station and around the hotel and the friendship between the men. Investigators stated that "There is a problem with the investigation" as reasoning for why 'confinement in a mini car of a dead body' has not yet resulted in murder charges. Nonetheless, investigators suspect that the five men were involved in murdering the victim and abandoning his body and are cautiously investigating to this end." Updates no doubt to come. - William
監禁疑いで５人目の男逮捕　大津町の車内遺体事件 - 熊本日日新聞
　大津町のビジネスホテル駐車場の軽乗用車内で、遺体で見つかった福岡市南区平和２丁目、職業不詳の男性（４４）を車内に監禁したとされる事件で、県警の捜査本部は５日、既に監禁の疑いで逮捕された男４人と共に男...

Hi all
This is link for Spring Yoka 2018.
http://kumamotojet.com/documents/YOKAs/SpringYOKA2018.pdf
I wrote one article about Digging Bamboo Shoots for last spring.
They accept other submissions for Summer Yoka 2018. Dateline for submission is 29 June.
Enjoy the articles 🙂
-Olivia-

Morning everyone, Joe Tomei here. I'm involved in JALT (The Japan Association for Language Teaching) and at the moment, we are organizing a group membership beginning next month. The group membership is 8,500 yen as opposed to 13,000 yen and the only difference is that you would get the publications by email as pdfs. We have a local chapter that does a local conference and we are looking to organize more regular meetings. While I'd love to recommend this to everyone, the people who probably should join are those who are involved in English Education and want to make contacts within that field or those who need publications.
If you are interested, please pm me for more details. Thanks!

It appears Kumamon may be a bit of a bi-polar bear as evidenced by this video in which he pulls a chair out of an unwitting newscaster intent on pigging out on some tonkatsu soba in Aso. As Kumamon bears responsibility for our prefecture, such behavior may result in bearish sentiment - but the news caster did seem to grin and bear it. To error is human; to forgive, ursine, as they say. - William
Kumamon comes under fire for prank against TV presenter
In the vast ecosystem of costumed mascots in Japan, the Kumamoto Prefectural character Kumamon probably stands at the top of the food chain. His empire has been estimated well into the billions of yen annually and he has even gained a following in China. While the money and fame is great, there is.....

Recently, the story of Yuka Ogata, representative in the Kumamoto assembly who brought her infant to the chamber and was reprimanded has been posted and discussed here at Kumamoto-i. So I'd like to pass on a survey for some research into foreign women in Japan who are working and child rearing. The link is here.
http://alturl.com/q5s8t and your participation is appreciated.
Foreign Working Mothers and Child-rearing
As working mothers we realise and appreciate that time is of the essence. Participation in this survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. By participating in this survey you are giving the researchers permission to publish and present using the collected data. Your participation will also earn y...

Hi Funky Place Friday fans, sorry about missing last week because of technical difficulties (my brain is turning to mush as I age and I can't remember what day it is).
For this week's place, all of you are aware that one reason produce is so much more expensive here in Japan is that stores demand that fruits and vegetables have no cosmetic flaws-discoloration, slightly misshappen, or other things that have nothing to do with taste, just with the appearance. So what happens with all those fruits and veggies? Well, today's FPF, Yaoken (八百健) is a small shop that gets that produce from local farmers and sells it at much lower prices.
It's just down from the Hirose store on Sangyo doro, basically behind Kumamoto Gakuen. If that doesn't get you there, check out the FPF map at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
If you have a suggestion for Funky Place Friday, please drop it in the comments or in a pm.