Posts

I'm not sure if this is still available but this printer, which was offered for free, is an example of the kind of information that you can find on the Kumamoto-i mailing list that may not show up here. -- Kirk
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/13493
Yahoo! Groups

This job announcement came to me via a mailing list called PMJS (for specialists in pre-modern Japanese studies). I'm not sure if anyone who reads this page would be interested in actually applying for these positions but I found it interesting to learn that there is a strong Japanese studies department in Kyushu University that offers advanced degree programs taught in English. -- KIrk
http://www2.lit.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/impjh/

For a long time, I've been wondering why we couldn't use Google maps to figure out what bus to take to get where we need to go in Kumamoto City. I even wrote a letter to the editor in the Kumanichi and prepared a video letter for the mayor. Here's the address of the video letter:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/152794928181679
Well, either someone was listening or it was simply an idea whose time had come -- we can now use Google maps to choose the best bus to reach the local destination of our choice.
-- Kirk

Bonfire glows on mountainside as Kumamoto’s Aso strives to rebuild：The Asahi Shimbun
ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--A massive bonfire lit up a mountain here on March 18 in a show of gratitud

There are times when you look around and think, "Gee, there are not enough characters." This happened recently when those in charge of Higomaru, Kumamoto Castle's official character (below left) decided he needed some friends and thus came up with 熊本城の仲間たち (Kumamotojyo with Friends, below center). The characters are all named after various famous locations within the castle (Iidamaru-kun, Gennoshin-kun, Nagabei-kun, Utoyagura-ji, and the sole female representative, Akazu-chan - the latter is hilarious if you know anything of the history of that gate); they are portrayed with various ailments symbolizing the current dilapidated condition of the castle, but their appearances will improve as castle reconstruction proceeds. - William

An update on the American Consulate video shoot to be held today (3/21): The gathering time is from 3:30 at the parking area of Ninomaru Park; rehearsals and shooting will last from 4:00 to about 6:00. Everyone is welcome, whatever nationality! I have reposted the original mail from the consulate below. - William
Dear U.S. citizens in the Kumamoto,
We wanted to let you know about a project we are organizing at the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka that we were hoping you might help us with. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Kumamoto, we wanted to convey to the people of the region America’s continued solidarity with them, and we also wanted to let them know how touched and inspired we have been by their positivity and resilience after the disaster.
In this spirit, we are developing a “tribute” music video to Kumamoto, adapting and performing the Kumamon Taiso exercise routine and song. The video is a joint project by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Fukuoka are together with other American agencies and organizations in Japan and the Kumamoto Prefectural Government. You can get a feel for the original version of the Kumamon Taiso, if you don’t know it already, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBBZop5j6D0. Maybe you saw a previous video that we made together with the Embassy and other Consulates in Japan, which became a viral sensation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xuXlpvWw1I). We hope this video will have a similar reach.
We are hoping to have a big group join us for the climatic shot of the video at the grounds of Kumamoto Castle on the afternoon of March 21, from 4 – 6 pm (please RSVP so we can let you know more details and if there are any changes). If you have a sense of people who might be willing and interested to participate, please spread the word.

About a month ago, the caution level at the Aso volcano returned to Level 1. Under normal circumstances, tourists would be allowed peer down into the volcano from its rim at this level but damage to the roads and other infrastructure make that impossible now. I'll try to post something to this page if the situation changes.
-- Kirk
http://www.aso.ne.jp/~volcano/eng/
P.S. The link above has another link to "more detailed information" but it is a machine translation of a Japanese page, so the English isn't perfect. As I have written before, machine translation can be useful when there's no budget for proper translations but I really wish a link to the original page could be included with the translated information. Here's the missing link to the original page:
http://www.city.aso.kumamoto.jp/2017/02/17/阿蘇中岳警戒情報-2/
It is certainly true that providing information in English (and other languages) (even if only a machine translation) is a welcome addition to Japanese information for non-Japanese users. However, I'm afraid that too many people have jumped to the mistaken conclusion that foreigners ONLY need information in foreign languages and that information in Japanese is irrelevant. I need to try to find the time to talk to more people who might be in a position to change this.
Information on restrictions for the Aso Volcano West Crater
Hours are extended during the Golden Week and New Year’s holidays Please be advised that the above hours may be changed due to conditions at the crater, such as the extent of gas emission.

It's cloudy today but yesterday was a beautiful, warm, sunny day that really felt like spring. I noticed the bee in this photo when I stopped to admire the flowers. I think you can see that its 'pollen baskets' are almost full. For more about how bees carry pollen, see:
http://science-at-home.org/kid-questions-pollen/
-- Kirk

Joe Tomei here.
PIGATE is looking for some high school students who would like to make short (2-3 min) presentations at their next meeting (8 April, in the afternoon) The tentative theme is pets, but if the students don't have pets, any topic is fine. If they would like to do it, but are nervous, I (Joe Tomei) am happy to help them, and they can come to Gakuen to get help making the presentation and practicing. If you are a teacher or an ALT and have a student or students who might be interested, please contact me! (tomeiter (at) gmail

Another step forward on the road to recovery. -- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201703150051.html
Bridge felled by Kumamoto quakes to be rebuilt in 2020：The Asahi Shimbun
MINAMI-ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--The collapsed Aso-ohashi bridge here is on the road to recovery und

For some reason, vicious rumors demonizing foreigners were spread after the 2011 quake in northern Japan but, for the most part, not after the Kumamoto earthquake. After the quake here, a lion, not a foreigner, became fodder for fake news:
"In the wake of the Kumamoto quakes in April last year, police arrested a man on suspicion of fraudulent obstruction of business over a fake photo and tweet indicating that a lion had escaped from Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens."
-- Kirk
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170313/p2a/00m/0na/010000c#csidxd470bc93df5ac05aa89c441e75c013e
P.S. I learned about this article on debito.org. If you are interested in human rights issues in Japan, you may want to check it out.
80% believed fake rumors of crime by foreigners in Japan after quake: poll - The Mainichi
SENDAI -- Fake rumors of rampant crime by foreigners in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami six years ago were believed by over 80 percent of respondents here in a recent survey who said they had heard them, it has been learned.

If you're a US citizen and have registered with the consulate in Fukuoka (and if you haven't, you should), you've likely received this in your email inbox. For those who haven't, we're passing it on. It appears that all nationalities are welcome, not just Americans. - William
Dear U.S. citizens in the Kumamoto,

We wanted to let you know about a project we are organizing at the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka that we were hoping you might help us with. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Kumamoto, we wanted to convey to the people of the region America’s continued solidarity with them, and we also wanted to let them know how touched and inspired we have been by their positivity and resilience after the disaster.

In this spirit, we are developing a “tribute” music video to Kumamoto, adapting and performing the Kumamon Taiso exercise routine and song. The video is a joint project by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Fukuoka are together with other American agencies and organizations in Japan and the Kumamoto Prefectural Government. You can get a feel for the original version of the Kumamon Taiso, if you don’t know it already, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBBZop5j6D0. Maybe you saw a previous video that we made together with the Embassy and other Consulates in Japan, which became a viral sensation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xuXlpvWw1I). We hope this video will have a similar reach.

We are hoping to have a big group join us for the climatic shot of the video at the grounds of Kumamoto Castle on the afternoon of March 21, from 4 – 6 pm (please RSVP so we can let you know more details and if there are any changes). If you have a sense of people who might be willing and interested to participate, please spread the word.

Please RSVP to [email protected] for more information.


U.S. Consulate, Fukuoka
「くまもとサプライズ」キャンペーンのキャラクターくまモンです。 「くまもとサプライズ くまモンオフィシャルサイト」はこちらです！ http://cyber.pref.kumamoto.jp/kumamon/

Rika-chan (リカちゃん) is a "fashion doll" (きせかえにんぎょう、着せ替え人形) of a rather mature 50 years of age; Kumamon is an ursine-like blob of mania 43 years her junior. Common sense would dictate their paths would never cross - yet they have, and in that eternal capital of romance, Paris. Both have been selected as Goodwill Ambassadors to promote tourism between Paris and Japan, a position to be held for one year. The photo below shows Kumamon wearing a tuxedo and a cardboard image of Rika-chan along with le Ambassadeur de France au Japon Thierry Dana (right) at their inauguration ceremony held at the French Embassy in Tokyo. Kumamon's spokesperson was quoted as saying, "Kumamon would like you to learn of the places he visits and of the tasty food he discovers, and he will do his best to help the French people know about the Yoka of Kumamoto."
There is no word as to why the real Rika-chan did not show up. This next year will be nail-biting. Will they ever meet in person? Considering their age difference, is true romance possible? We at Kumamoto International will keep you up to date. Whatever happens, though, they will always have Paris. - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20170316001.xhtml

Here's to Kumamoto Castle! ;) -- Kirk
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/03/12/japanese-beer-company-sapporo-releases-special-edition-can-to-support-kumamoto-castle-recovery/
Japanese beer company Sapporo releases special-edition can to support Kumamoto Castle recovery
Be sure to spend the drinking funds for your cherry blossom viewing party on these beautiful cans.

New York = the world - there is probably a no more multi-ethnic city on earth, with of course Japanese as well there in large numbers. This Kumanichi article reports on some 3.4 million yen gathered from the Japanese diaspora in New York to aid Kumamoto reconstruction.
On a personal note, my son is in college in the city now and has taken part in many fund raising events. Though the article focuses on the Japanese diaspora, many people with no ties to Japan also donated generously, according to my son. - William
https://this.kiji.is/214189619553583106?c=92619697908483575
米国から復興支援金　日系人会が来熊、支援団体と交流 - 熊本日日新聞
米ニューヨークで熊本地震への支援金を集めた現地日系人会の野田美知代事務局長（中央）＝１３日、熊本市中央区　熊本地震への支援金を米ニューヨークで募った現地の日系人会の事務局長、野田美知代さん（６６）が１３日来熊し、支援金を贈る団体と熊本市内で...

What follows is the text of an announcement about the latest edition of YOKA that was published on the Kumamoto JET site. If you would like to read it, all you have to do is download the pdf.
-- Kirk
The Winter 2017 YOKA is here! This quarter’s YOKA features the following…
2017YOKAWinterCover
How to Survive Winter in Japan by Zaynab Nakhid
A Winter’s Night Tale by Denise Wiley
Learning from Six-Year-Olds by Mary Ellen Greenwood
JHS: Japanese Horror Story by Jazmin Guerrero
Babies on a Plane: How to Deal with the Unknown by Jonny Cornish
Kumamoto, Kyushu’s Own Winter Wonderland by Zaynab Nakhid
Ode to Natto by Mary Ellen Greenwood
Photos by Richie Luu, Laura McGhee, Zaynab Nakhid, Susannah Roberts, Joyce Tan, Denise Wiley
http://kumamotojet.com/shin/index.php/2017/03/13/winter-2017-yoka/
Winter 2017 YOKA Kumamoto JET
(38 MB) of this issue is also available. Submissions are always accepted for future issues of the YOKA. If you want to contribute an article, photo, or creative piece to be part of a future issue, please e-mail your submission to

Hi, guys. I'm Yuichi. Another information on Special Olympics.
Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held from March 18 to 24 in Austria. 3000 athletes from 110 countries, including 2 women from Kumamoto, will compete in the games.
Do you want to know how the athletes from your country are doing in the games? Here is how. Download an application from App store for free, and you can get various kinds of updated information, including the result of individual athlete.

Information about a 12-week eikaiwa course at the International Center (熊本市国際交流館). There's a trial lesson for 500円 at 10am on Sunday, 19th March. Though the course itself is every Thursday afternoon from May 11th to July 27th. For more details please see the poster. Basic 英会話コース・受講生を募集します. シェアしてください! ワンコイン体験レッスンは3月19日(午前)・500円・要予約 - TIA - Ruth

A new subscriber to Kumamoto International wrote to tell me about a blog on which she has written about her experience in Kumamoto. One post is about the Hitoyoshi Hinamatsuri Festival and an earlier one is about the Kumamoto Zoo and Botanical Garden.
-- Kirk
https://minitrips.wordpress.com
Minitrips - Life is an exploration
Travel with little ones, Food at home, and many more

Extremely inexpensive (100 yen per session) Japanese lessons are available at the International Center downtown. Japanese people interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact the center.
-- Kirk
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?ID=7868&LC=e
Kumamoto International Foundation
TuesdayMorning :10a.m.-12p.m.Wednesday ClassMorning :10a.m.-12p.m.Afternoon :2-4p.m.Evening :6:30p.m.-8p.m.