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Japan Today reports on a bit of news from our neighbor to the south, Kagoshima: A cooperative of dried bonito flake (katsuobushi、かつお節) producers has opened the first European katsuobushi production facility in - of course - France. The cooperative has named itself Makurazaki (枕崎) after their town at the southern tip of Kagoshima, which is hugely famous for katsuobushi.
Three tips! First, there is a shop on Kokai shopping street which sells only one thing: Makurazaki katsuobushi; they go for about 2,000 apiece. Second, if you buy a whole katsuobushi, you might want to get a bonito shredder, as shown below (かつお節削り器, katsuobushi kezuriki). Finally, if you want to see katsuobushi made, I strongly recommend the town of Yamakawa, just south of Ibuski. It is much closer than Makurazaki and accessible from Kumamoto by public transportation. If you have any questions, please let me know. - William
https://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/japanese-cooperative-opens-bonito-plant-in-france
During the 4/18 quake, one of Kyushu Power's (九州電力) viaducts to their hydroelectric plant in Ozu ruptured; this was the main cause of the landslide that has since severed Route 57 through Tateno and, additionally, displaced nine households.
A meeting was held on 12/11 between the households and the company, during which the company agreed to provide housing nearby at no cost for a period of two years, by which time it is hoped their village can be restored. This is separate from other compensation issues, which the company had previously indicated willingness to settle amicably. It's nice to see everyone doing their best to get along. - William
http://this.kiji.is/181219174277103621?c=92619697908483575
自宅敷地を賃貸契約へ 九電貯水流出で住民側 - 熊本日日新聞
熊本地震で壊れた九州電力黒川第１発電所（熊本県南阿蘇村立野）の貯水槽から大量の水が近くの集落に流出した問題で、土砂崩れで被災した９世帯が１１日、被災家屋のある土地を九電に賃貸する方針を固めた。 住民によると、大津町の九電施設で会合を開き...
Agreement signed between Kumamoto University, Japan and the Institut Pasteur, France
Kumamoto University, Japan and the Institut Pasteur, France held a signing ceremony for institutional cooperation agreement followed by a workshop on reproductive engineering technology at the end of October 2016.
Hi! I wanted everyone to know about the Sojo University Teaching and Learning Forum which is a one - day conference for English language educators right in Kumamoto. If you'd like more information, check out our website: http://www.nankyujalt.org/sutlf/sutlf-2017
Sojo University Teaching and Learning Forum 2017
Conference Theme: Active Learning in a Globalized World
Conference Day: Saturday, 4 February 2017
Call for Presentations Deadline: Sunday, 25 December 2016
Early Registration Deadline: Sunday, 15 January 2017
Facebook Event Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/200412307031471/
-Levy
SUTLF 2017 - NanKyu Chapter
Homepage for the NanKyu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT)
When you buy tickets through a JR Kyushu machine, you can choose an English interface. Unfortunately, this post on Debito.org indicates that the choice of English (or inability to read Japanese) can cost you more money. Check out the article to find out why.
-- Kirk
http://www.debito.org/?p=14343
I've already posted about this topic a few times but this article is more detailed than most of the others.
-- Kirk
Detours in Japan / Famous designer, mangaka add luster to Kumamoto rail line
HITOYOSHI, Kumamoto — Kumagawa Rail Road, which runs in the Hitoyoshi-Kuma region in southern Kumamoto Prefecture, boasts a tourist excursion train full of great ideas.
Takashi Murakami's smiley balloons cheer Kumamoto：The Asahi Shimbun
TAKAMORI, Kumamoto Prefecture--Artist Takashi Murakami's luminous balloons depicting smiling flowers
Livestock farmers from Ozu Machi smashed auction records with a Japanese Black female calf named Yasuhana sold for almost 4 million yen. Good for them! The only comment I have regards how the picture caption indicates the succesful bidder as "center" and the breeder as "right" yet gives us no info on which is Yasuhana-chan (perhaps left?). William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20161209005.xhtml
Tsujunkyo (通潤橋), built in 1854, was not built to be a bridge but as an aqueduct to water the Shiroito Plateau south of Yabe. To save on material costs, the center of the bridge is lower than either side. Knowing that this could result in an accumulation of sediment, the bridge architects incorporated a flushing system, which is what the bridge is most famous for now.
Damage to the aqueduct due to the quakes was significant, but Kumanichi reports that Yabe has contracted with a local company for repairs which are expected to be completed by 2018. The construction will include stabilizing stones shifted in the quakes and replacing mortar to again allow water flow. - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20161209001.xhtml
YOKA is always beautifully prepared and then published in an easy to utilize pdf format. Enjoy the latest edition!
http://kumamotojet.com/shin/index.php/2016/11/22/autumn-2016-yoka/
-- Kirk
The film "Girl Rising" will be shown in the AV Hall in the library of Kumamoto Gakuen University on Saturday, December 10th. Show times are 10:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, and 19:00 (5 showings). Admission is free and open to the general public. The movie is in English with Japanese subtitles. It is rating 7.3 (quite high) on the IMDb (International Movie Database) website. Here's the opening of a user review:
"I recently had the privilege of seeing Girl Rising, 10x10's gripping documentary about nine girls from around the world, and why educating them—and every girl—is vitally important to our future.
Each of these amazing, resilient girls comes from one of nine countries: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nepal, Peru and Sierra Leone. They all have incredible stories to tell, each with unimaginable hardships, but also with hope."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2444946/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_op_3
Here's the address of the official website:
http://girlrising.com
And here's the Japanese announcement about the showing at Gakuendai:
http://www.lib.kumagaku.ac.jp/news/news1888.html
-- Kirk
Famous designer, manga artist add lustre to Kumamoto rail line
Kumagawa Rail Road, which runs in the Hitoyoshi-Kuma region in southern Kumamoto Prefecture, boasts a tourist excursion train full of great ideas.
Punk mascot Kikuchi-kun pulls no punches in Kumamoto：The Asahi Shimbun
KIKUCHI, Kumamoto Prefecture--He has green hair and a blue face. His eyes, wide open, look dried up.
Bali seeks cooperation from Kumamoto to combat rabies
Bali Province Administration is seeking cooperation from Kumamoto Prefecture of Japan to understand the methods of combating rabies, which is transmitted by infected dogs. Head of Livestock and Animal Health Office of Bali I Putu Sumantra said here on Monday that Kumamoto Prefecture has done ...
A note from the Kumamoto International Volcanology and Seismology Desks (merged due to budget cuts): Kumanichi offered an update on Mount Aso's mood on the second month anniversary of it's 36-year record-breaking burp. Apparently - nobody knows. Its gas output is fluctuating between 1,000 (normal) and 3,000 (lots) tons per day, and it continues to vent much heat (these conditions are how my wife normally describes me).
Of particular concern is the prevalence of what the article called 「Ｂ型地震」, something I correctly guessed would be expressed in English as "B type earthquake"; apparently, these are very low-frequency, shallow (>1km) quakes (in reference, the Tokai quake depth was around 600km, while most of the Kumamoto quakes have been at 10km) thought to be caused by expansion and contraction of magma or gas bubbles and are occuring at a rate of several dozen daily not just at the peak but in surrounding areas. The science is still out on this, so maybe we'll all die tomorrow, but probably not.
Below are two links, the first to the Kumanichi article (Japanese) and the second to an introduction to volcano seismology (English - nothing impresses your friends more than stating with confidence, "Nah, that was just a Ｂ型地震"). Enjoy! - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20161206006.xhtml
http://kiska.giseis.alaska.edu/input/sanchez/volcseis.html#HighFreq
Another article about the 'One Piece' train . . .
‘One Piece’ train helps efforts to get Kumamoto back on track：The Asahi Shimbun
TAKAMORI, Kumamoto Prefecture--“One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda, one of Kumamoto’s favorite sons, te
Librarians save valuable lessons from Kumamoto earthquakes：The Asahi Shimbun
MASHIKI, Kumamoto Prefecture--Ephemera used at times of disaster often gets forgotten or thrown away
Joint training kicks off in Kumamoto, Japan
CAMP KENGUN, Komamoto Prefecture, Japan - Yama Sakura 71 officially commenced with an opening ceremony held at the Japan Ground Self Defense Force Western Army Headquarters on Camp Kengun, Japan, Dec. 5, 2016. This annual command post exercise is co-sponsored by U.S. Army Pacific and the Japan Groun...
In a stunning turn of events, Kumamon toppled Funashii (ふなっしー, Chiba Prefecture's Twinkyesque, pathetic excuse for a mascot) in this year's Japan Research Center poll, achieving the top position for the first time ever due to support spread over a wide range of age demographics. Third place went to that raggedy band of mascots, Mickey and Friends, likely as their sponsor is stingy with funding. (Oh - they're slated to visit this month. Best play nice, though we'd all rather see Kumamon.) - William
http://this.kiji.is/178317555886884342?c=92619697908483575
くまモン好感度１位 悲願の「ふなっしー」超え - 熊本日日新聞
都内のイベントで共演したくまモン（右）とふなっしー＝２０１５年９月 日本リサーチセンター（東京）が１０月に行ったキャラクター好感度調査で、熊本県のＰＲキャラクター「くまモン」が１位を獲得した。調査は３年目で、これまではトップは「ふなっしー」...
