Posts

This from Woody Hodgson
'I thought you might want to put this up regarding our Red Bull X athlete Rik Brezina in Amakusa: <http://ricksxalps.blogspot.jp/2017/04/foreigners-who-love-kumamoto-richard.html>
He needs some promotion to help get him to the X-Alps games in a couple of months in Europe.'
Foreigners who LOVE Kumamoto- Richard Brezina
Red Bull X-Alps 2017 Team Canada athlete Rick Brezina trains for the ultimate paragliding adventure race

Here's some more detailed information in English about the quake I posted about a few minutes ago:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/6/740/20170409214339495-092139.html
-- Kirk
Japan Meteorological Agency | Earthquake Information

Kumamoto City had a Level 3 earthquake at 9:39. It felt pretty strong to me but it was only a 3. The magnitude was 3.5. Here's my Japanese source of information:
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/rireki/saigai/1-21324.html
The Central, East, and West Wards of Kumamoto City and Mashiki and Kashima were at level 3. Surrounding areas were at 2 or lower.
-- Kirk

「外国人＝呼び捨て」についてどう思いますか？
In response to this open-ended part of the survey . . .
"Please feel free to add any thoughts you may have on this question / この問題についてご意見などがありましたら、ご自由にお書きください"
. . . we've received four comments thus far (I've checked to make sure that they is nothing that might lead to the identification of any of the writers -- I won't share anything that might compromise the privacy of the writer):
1. Personally, I don't mind if people I'm fairly close with, like my friends and coworkers, leave off the -san. But if strangers do it, it feels really rude, because why are you treating me different from anyone else? Also, strangers don't know where I'm from and what my first language is - it's entirely possible that I could have grown up in Japan and have Japanese citizenship. Just because I look different isn't a reason to treat me different. If we're speaking Japanese, we should follow the rules of Japanese. If we're speaking English, we should follow the rules of English.
2. Addressing foreigners without the san or Mr. /Ms. shows not only lack of respect, but also discrimination (referring to them as something lower than a pet animal that would get a - chan)
3. You should follow the rules of the language you are speaking regardless of the nationality or race of the interlocutor. Would you refer to another human as an 'it', if they were different to you?
4. If speaking Japanese, they should also follow the custom of [family name]san and not assume that because a stranger is a foreigner, they want to be called [given name]san. (Which would never be done with native speakers of Japanese)
So far, all those who took the time to write a comment have been on the "follow the norms of the Japanese language" side but that may change. Divergent opinions are welcome! 日本語もOK!!
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1401580143248747
-- Kirk
How to address a foreigner in Japanese
日本語で会話する場合、外国人をどう呼ぶべきか

外国人を呼び捨てにすることに関するアンケート
日本の方も、ぜひお答えください
The number of responses is still small but so far most people are saying "follow the norms of the Japanese language" when deciding how to address a foreigner (whether or not to add "san" etc. to the foreigner's name). Regardless of your position please respond:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1401580143248747
After we get about all of the responses we are likely to get I'll post the results, including the breakdown by cultural background and skill level in Japanese.
-- Kirk

Higo Journal reminds us that, along with the cherry blossoms, Kumamoto Castle's main keep (てんしゅかく、天守閣) will vanish come May as scaffolding envelopes both it and Idamaru - so get those photos now as the scaffolding is not expected to come down until 2019. A graphic is shown below, and more info is at the link. - William
http://higojournal.com/archives/kumamotocastletower.html

5 earthquake evacuees have died in Kumamoto while living alone in temporary housing - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- Five people have died while living alone at private apartments that the Kumamoto Municipal Government has been leasing for earthquake evacuees as temporary housing, city officials said.

The English article contains a link to the original Japanese article. Might be useful for language students as well as those interested in the content of the article. Oh, and there's Arabic too!
رغم تأخره: التحذير المبكر من الزلازل القوية التي ضربت
كوماموتو ساعد المواطنين (أخبار)
-- Kirk
http://www.nippon.com/en/genre/society/l10220/
Early Warnings Work Somewhat for People Hit by Kumamoto Quakes: Study (News)
Tokyo, April 1 (Jiji Press)—Despite a delay, an early warning of the first of a series of strong earthquakes that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan last year helped some local residents prepare for the subsequent shakes, a Japan Metrological Agency survey revealed Saturday.

As far as I can tell, the alleged crimes occurred in Japan but this local woman was arrested in Thailand:
"Police said Yamabe was arrested on March 30 at a gas station in the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani on a warrant issued by Japan’s Kumamoto District Court. Yamabe is expected to be extradited sometime soon to Japan."
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/05/national/crime-legal/thai-police-arrest-japanese-woman-wanted-pyramid-scheme/
Thai police arrest Japanese woman wanted for pyramid scheme | The Japan Times
Thai police say they have arrested a Japanese woman wanted for allegedly running a multimillion-dollar pyramid investment scheme in her homeland. Immigrati

Kanakuri Shizou (金栗 四三, 1891 – 1983), a native of Tamana and long-time resident of Nagomi, was the first Japanese participant in the Olympic Games when he ran the marathon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics - well, he started in 1912, but as his time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds, he didn't finish until 1967. The reason for this can be read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizo_Kanakuri
He is still revered not just in Kumamoto but throughout Japan. The "KK" of the stadium most commonly known as "KK Wing" stands for "Kanakuri Wing," and many races are named after him.
The reason I bring this up is that NHK recently announced that its 2019 Taiga drama (an annual serial regarding historical figures) will center on Kanakuri. It will be titled "Idaten - Tokyo Olympic Banashi" (いだてん～東京オリムピック噺 - basically, "(Run like) lightening - Tokyo Olympic Tale" - and, yes, I had to look up "いだてん" and "噺" - apparently, the road Kanakuri used to run to and from school is now called いだてんの通学の道).
The role of Kanakuri will be played by kabuki actor Nakamura Kankuro, and much of the filming will be done in Kumamoto. So that's something to look forward to. The Kumanichi article is at the link. - William
https://this.kiji.is/221805805548127733?c=92619697908483575
Shizo Kanakuri - Wikipedia
Shizo Kanakuri (金栗 四三, Kanaguri Shisō or Kanakuri Shizō?, 20 August 1891 – 13 November 1983) was a Japanese marathon runner and one of the early leaders of track and field athletics in Japan. He has been celebrated as the "father of marathon" in Japan.

Karaoke Competition - April 22nd (土) - Supporting the Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction 🎤🎶 Calling all karaoke enthusiasts and fans!! On Saturday, 22nd April (2pm-5pm) Kumamoto City International Center (KIX・熊本市国際交流会館) will host a karaoke competition/festival and so they are looking for performers 📢✨ They'd be especially delighted to have foreign voices so please check the link for the sign-up details 👇 The deadline has been extended to Saturday, April 15th and you can sing (un)accompanied (bring a CD or one musical instrument) in Japanese or your native language as you like!!! Traditional clothes or costumes also encouraged 👢💃💂👟 If you are interested in joining the competition, please contact KIX as per the attachment in the link. http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/kcic/news/topics_detail.asp?LC=e&PageID=6&ID=10153&type=1 - Ruth
Kumamoto City International Center

Joe Tomei here. We don't have as many trains in Kyushu as I would like, but I love the Japanese rail system and here is one reason why: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/pointing-and-calling-japan-trains?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page
Why Japan's Rail Workers Can't Stop Pointing at Things
A seemingly silly gesture is done for the sake of safety.

Our friend Hannah-san offers the following invitation:
Hello! We run an International English worship Service at Suidocho Kumamoto Lutheran Church. Though it is at a Lutheran church, we welcome everyone who wants to worship. We worship together Sundays at 6 pm, but we also have a children's program the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 5 pm, as well as an English bible study at 5 pm every week. If you are looking for an English church service to attend, come check us out! -Hannah
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotointernationalservice/
Kumamoto International Service
Kumamoto Lutheran Church (Suidocho・水道町) International English Service. Information on worship, events and related community get-togethers.

Our neighbor to the north, Kitakyushu, needed a mascot. Eschewing the "kawaii" route, they've created monster called “Kaisendon (海鮮丼),“ named after a local dish, a rice bowl topped with sashimi; the monster is apparently a crab-octopus-fugu hybrid both as terrifying and kinda delicious-looking as it sounds. Shirogumi, the special effects company responsible for the recent film “Shin Godzilla” (“Godzilla Resurgence” in English), was hired to produce an ad in which (spoiler alert!) Kaisendon is toppled by the swift tidal flow of the Kanmon Straits.
Time will tell whether touting your town as safe from a horrifying monster due to a more horrifying current (no swimming, kids!) is effective in attracting tourists. In the meantime, I'd love to see an equally tall Kumamon take him on. Sequel? - William
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiTX-tcJGKI
Kanmon PR Movie: “Come on KANMON Straits!”
The Kanmon Straits separate Kyushu and Honshu in Japan. It is 650 m at its narrowest and has a tidal current topping 9.4 knots. What did the best team in Jap...

Kumamoto and Rome are sister cities -- Rome, Georgia, U.S.A, that is; this delegation didn't have an audience with the Pope :). To see a list of Kumamoto City's sister cities, go to
http://kumamotojet.com/shin/index.php/kumamotos-sister-cities/
-- Kirk
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/lifestyles/local/japanese-sister-city-students-arrive-in-rome/article_22c9566a-11e0-11e7-a7b1-d72e0b0ff45c.html
Japanese sister-city students arrive in Rome
A Japanese delegation of middle schoolers and three adult chaperones were welcomed to Rome during a brief ceremony at City Hall Saturday night.

While you were sleeping (and, hey, you were, but being a Sunday and all, we'll cut you some slack), our friend Naoki-san was out jogging around Amakusa Bridge #2 and caught this gorgeous moment of a returning fishing boat. - William

In a surprise move, Donald Trump has announced that he has purchased the rights to rename Kumamoto Castle as Trump Castle and convert it into a casino. Mr. Trump said that he began thinking about opening a casino in Japan after Prime Minister Abe mentioned his plans to legalize casino gambling during his visit to Trump Tower in November. The Donald went on to explain that he chose Kumamoto Castle because recent earthquake damage made it possible to acquire naming rights at a significant discount. "I spoke with Mayor Onishi, who is a fantastic mayor by the way, and we made a deal," Mr. Trump said. Asked about concerns that converting Kumamoto's iconic cultural symbol into a sleazy gambling hall might upset the people of Kumamoto, Mr. Trump said "Believe me, it's going to be terrific. The people of Kumamoto love me. I'm going to make Kumamoto great again." When a reporter from Kumamoto International stood to ask a question Mr. Trump said "Sit down! Sit down! I'm not going to call on you. Kumamoto International is fake news. And that Kirk Masden guy -- terrible person, just terrible! Anyone who believes anything he says or writes ought to have their head examined. Sad."
-- Kirk ;)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-22/japan-s-big-b

According to this article in an insurance industry publication, Kumamoto is ranked 13th in the world and 2nd in Japan as a city at risk of economic losses from a volcanic eruption.
-- Kirk
http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/volcanic-eruption-cost-large-cities-us30-billion-new-swiss-re-model-says-1004110773/
Volcanic eruption could cost large cities up to US$30 billion, new Swiss Re model says
Total economic losses from volcanic eruptions could cost large cities up to US$30 billion, according to a new volcano model from Swiss Re. Calling it the “world’s first global volcano model,” the probabilistic model assesses risk in the case of…

Our friend Victoria captured this photo of poppies in Amakusa. Strange times ahead, so I thought I'd share this beauty for a bit of perspective.

Talks in progress on overseas marketing of ‘Kumamon’ - The Nation
KUMAMOTO prefecture in Japan is in discussions on granting exclusive contracts to partners in particular foreign markets, including Thailand, for strategic collaboration in promoting the popularity of the prefecture’s well-known Kumamon mascot character, as well as the import, production and distrib...