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Kirk here. This news article says the government will spend 1.2 trillion yen or $7.9 billion to support TSMC in Kumamoto. I asked AI (I'm using "Claude" lately) to calculate how much that would be per person if distributed to everyone in Kumamoto and the answer was 690,055 yen or $4,542 per person. Sure hope I get that level of benefit! ;)
Japan PM Kishida visits TSMC's Kumamoto chip plant
Tokyo spending $8bn to subsidize Taiwan manufacturer's production site

Information about Suizenji Park guide tour in English.
Hoping lots foreigners also enjoy it⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝Atsuko.
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Starting in April, Discovery Kumamoto will be available on Thursdays and Fridays as a sightseeing guide at Yusui-Tei. Today was the first day.
The guides will mainly guide visitors around Suizenji Seishuen.
Guided tours will start at
9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, and 45 minutes.
Capacity: 8 people
Guide fee (English, Japanese)
1,000 yen per person (tax included)
5,000 yen (tax included) for 6 to 8 people
Reception
Yusui-tei (on the approach to Suizenji Seishuen)
We hope to see many visitors.
As in the past, free guided tours are available on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from in front of the coin lockers near the entrance of Suizenji Seishuen
(Please note that we cannot guarantee the availability of guides for free guided tours, as they may not be available.)
For inquiries, please contact Discovery Kumamoto at the following website.
https://www.dis-kuma.org/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551401303602
https://www.dis-kuma.org/?fbclid=IwAR26LNQ85VF-vWH8BVO2ZRBXaUvGkzAr_PjLlIO2hLCDAzFFoyLu5rzX1vk
ホーム | NPO法人 ディスカバリーくまもと

For classic car fans. :) -- Kirk
"On April 6, the vintage automobiles will start and finish their journey at Hanabata Hiroba Square near Kumamoto Castle."
Classic car rally to raise spirits, cash in quake-hit Kumamoto | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
KUMAMOTO--The “Go! Go! Rally,” a classic car festival and charity event, will be held here for the first time on April 6, bringing together 106 automobiles produced between 1926 and 1974.

Joe with Funky Friday Finds. I realize that I said that we were leaving Kengun, but with the posts about Hanami, I thought that I should tell you about the bakeries in Kengun, all of which are nice to pick up a lunch for your explorations of Kami and Shimo Ezu parks and beyond.
So let's do the equivalent of a pub crawl (a bakery bender?) for these spots. All are on the FFF map as well.
The first one is just up from the Higashi Yuubin Kyouku and is called Dal Forno.
https://dalforno.site/ (first pic)
It is a panetteria, so you get more Italian style breads, which are a bit heavier and tend to be on the savoury side, rather than the usual French style. There are some seats and an espresso machine and parking in the front, so if you'd like to eat one of your purchases there, go for it! You can also go to the next door Nishigaoka park, which has some picnic tables on one corner and a walking track.
The next one is pretty new, next to the Jietai base, called Kengun Bakery.
https://kengunbakery.com/ (next two pics)
They are smaller, with a few parking spaces in the back, with no provision for eating in the store. More the French style, the cinnamon rolls are really nice and the sandwiches are good too.
The third one is Gochiso3 (get it?) is pictures 4 and 5 and they use a modified container shipping box for their store. They don't have a website, but it is roughly between Del Forno and the Higashi Post Office, and you can find it on the FFF google map.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
The 4th one is really brand-spanking new, called Dai-ichi to pan and is on the back street just down from the A-price. It's in an apartment block (Japanese zoning laws are a lot more relaxed, it seems) and they have a great selection. They also sell day old items at half-price, which was a first for me. Last 4 pics
I'll mention again Ishikawa Bakery
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063792870481
which is just off the Kuwamizu kosaten tram stop away from downtown.
I imagine that other neighborhoods in Kumamoto have a rich selection as well, drop a comment if there is one you want to recommend!

Kirk here. I was a bit surprised that there is actually going to be an eSports high school so I looked on the web for the main website of the school. Here it is:
https://esports-hs.com/faq/
It says that you can get certified as a high school graduate but I still don't understand the details well.
By the way, because eSports events are often held internationally, English will be stressed in the curriculum (at least, according to the school's site).
https://saiganak.com/news/esports-hs-hakata-kumamoto/amp/
Kyushu's First "e-Sports High School" New Schools in Hakata and Kumamoto! - Saiga NAK
Kyuhosha Corporation announced that on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, it will hold the entrance and opening ceremony for the first e-sports high school in the Kyushu region, "e-Sports High School Hakata & Kumamoto".

Kirk here. As I recall this is the second knifing crime in Kumamoto in less than a month. Yikes! Note that when foreigners are involved in any illegal activity some folks inevitably complain about those $#!% foreigners and all their "foreign crime." As people following events in the US know, the same sort of use of individual crimes to demonization entire populations of people occurs there too so it's not at all unique to Japan. But, just the same, posting about this incident makes me want to point out that, whereas you may occasionally hear talk of "foreign crime" (外国人犯罪) in Japanese, you won't hear discussion of "Japanese crime" (日本人犯罪), no matter how long the string of incidents like this gets.
Suspect arrested over attempted murder of man on Kumamoto street
Police in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed a man in his 40s last week. According to police, the incident occurred at around 8:30 p.m. Public broadcaster NHK reported that the victim who is in his 40s, was....

The first news I heard about this mentioned "no vital signs" (心肺停止) but it seems that at least one of the most seriously injured kids is going to be OK after all. Sure hope the other one pulls through too. 😟 "Two of the students from Kamoto High School were initially in serious condition but one of them later regained consciousness, school officials said." -- Kirk
P.S. Kamoto High School is in Yamaga, Kumamoto.
18 taken to hospital after lightning strikes football game in Japan
Lightning struck during a football game at a high school sports field in southwestern Japan, leaving a high school student in serious condition while 17 others were also taken to hospital, local authorities say.

Here's a nice English-language video about the damage done to the Aso Shrine and how it was rebuilt. -- KIrk
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/3016171/?fbclid=IwAR3NrPOfHKyU7oO_UXo01cY2zBybIlfEMdd57I6PAzstLKSYTtnVEwxO5GQ_aem_ASJ2TgkkZK98yAGsXSGkh5xNpQbLLUl7yaNltxibbPb59lUk5w-L2IT1QH3Z_jlF6Lq4TDsB9US4zAgvIYyyW52H
Aso Jinja: A Shinto Shrine Rises from the Rubble - NHK WORLD PRIME | NHK WORLD-JAPAN
This shrine in Kumamoto Pref. was razed in the 2016 earthquake. The seven-year restoration fused traditional craftsmanship with the latest technology.

Kirk here. I'm getting older (as you can see in this selfie) and so I've taken up hiking to try to stay in shape. The other day I felt a little ambitious and thought I'd attempt a little hike near the volcano. When I decided to take this selfie everything seemed to be going well. But, when I looked at the screen of my phone, holy smokes Batman, Mt. Aso had just started going crazy! Yikes! I wanted to get some exercise but Mt. Aso got my heart pumping for all the wrong reasons!
Well, I'm writing this post so, I guess that means I lived to tell about it. ;)
By the way, I didn't really like the way the selfie turned out. It didn't really look much like me -- at least it didn't look the way I imagine myself to be. So I tweaked it a little. If you want to see the original, you can find it here:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134/6162830453790335/
Happy April 1st!

This is an old article and most of it doesn't relate to Kumamoto but the caption for the picture does: "A V-22 Osprey with the Japan Ground Self-Defense flies over Kumamoto, Japan". Yikes! I didn't happen to notice at the time. -- Kirk
A Japanese Osprey takes flight nearly 4 months after fatal Air Force crash
Japan’s military resumed flights of its V-22 Ospreys on Thursday, a week after the U.S. Marines flew theirs again and nearly four months after the fatal crash of a U.S. Air Force CV-22 in southern Japan.

Oppenheimer can now be seen in Kumamoto. I don't have a single URL to share but if you search for "Oppenheimer showtimes near Kumamoto" you should find relevant information. -- Kirk

Here's something about the proposed revisions to the trainee program. It's not specific to Kumamoto but, naturally, applies here too. And, of course, the issue of how trainees are treated has been an important topic of discussion on this page. -- KIrk
Cabinet approves replacement plan for foreign intern trainee program | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet on March 15 approved a proposal to replace the heavily criticized technical intern training program with a new residence status for foreign workers.

Ezuko was quite pleasant today. This photo was taken in Shimo Ezuko (Lower Ezuko), near the zoo. -- Kirk

Atsuko again.(*´∀`)ノ
Tomorrow evening, information about Sakura Lanterns and Honmyoji Temple, 桜灯篭 本妙寺。
The cherry blossoms will be just beautiful.
No parking, please use public transportation.
http://hanatourou.com/

Sharing Higo journal, Kumamoto local information.⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝
I share this because the local information in Kumamoto, which I often read on LINE, has been published in English and traditional language versions.
It often contains interesting topics and new stores.
/Atsuko.
Higo journal English
https://higojournal.com/en/
Higo journal 繁体語
https://higojournal.com/tc/
LINE
https://linevoom.line.me/user/_dV7BsV7e86zybij6205_MyKFtZIvVsi_6zbtRrE
FB page,
https://m.facebook.com/higojournal/?wtsid=rdr_0nXxqus8rRypLLD9h
HIGO JOURNAL
WE LOVE KUMAMOTO. This is the regionally focused media site with the most comprehensive coverage of Kumamoto-related information.

William Heading into peak cherry blossom season this weekend, here is a suggestion to two sites to visit. The park on Shirakawa between Taikobashi and Meigobashi is interesting - it was begun by common citizens following the ravages of war, and though now maintained by the city, it retains a home-spun vibe. Convenient access by tram or bus, and you can enjoy the burbling of the stream while hanami-ing.
Another is the castle's Sannomaru. A small park sunk behind the museum and baseball stadium, it is greatly overshadowed by its more expansive, famous, and (mostly) cherry tree-less Ninomaru. Take the free castle shuttle bus, alight at the museum stop, and it’s a short downhill walk directly behind.
Happy hanami to all! - looks like we're in for excellent weather 'til Tuesday.

The last spot for this month of Funky Friday Finds in Kengun is JiccA, a small restaurant that serves southeast asian dishes, including Green curry, Pad Thai, Ka Pao rice and Nasi Goren. The shop is just a little ways down from the Kengunko tram stop and there is some parking behind the real estate agent a few doors down.
Their instagram page is here
https://www.instagram.com/jicca0423/
And now, a little more detail about the area we have been talking about. If you are into history, Kengun jinja (previously knows as Takamiya shrine) is the oldest shrine in Kumamoto. It is said to have been built in 500 AD because the Emperor Kinmei couldn't travel to Aso jinja because of heavy snow, hard as that weather may be to imagine. From this page
https://www.kyushu-jinja.com/kumamoto/kengun-jinja/index.php
"Early in the morning, a child about three years old suddenly appeared on a stone and said, "You have come to this place out of respect for Aso no Mikami, and out of a sense of duality and out of a desire to avoid the bitter cold and snow. The Aso Palace is to the east for the protection of the imperial castle, and we are to the west for the repression of the barbarian invaders of Shilla. The local priest, astonished by what he saw and heard, immediately built a shrine, enshrined the spirit of the great god Aso, and named it Kengun Shrine..."
While you may want to take that story with a grain of salt, it does seem to underline the differences between the two shrines, with Aso representing a tradition that comes down from Honshu while Kengun shows influence from Korea/Shilla and also links to discussions of Japanese prehistory, with the Yayoi people entering from Korea and moving up and mixing with the Jomon people who living in Honshu.
You can also get a sense of the age of the area by the fact that the tram stop at where Higashi bypass and Densha dori intersect, (神水 or water offered to the gods), rather than being read Shinsui or Kamimizu, is read Kuwamizu, a little shibboleth for all of you.
The name Kengun is said to come from an alternate reading of the original name of the shrine, Takemiya, but I wonder if the reading became enshrined when the area served as an assembly point for ex-Kumamoto samurai coming to support Saigo Takemori's siege of Kumamoto castle. This page (with an English translation link at the bottom)
https://www.japanesewiki.com/jp/history/%E8%A5%BF%E5%8D%97%E6%88%A6%E4%BA%89.html
discusses some of the fighting that took place as the Satsuma army after failing to beseige Kumamoto castle, retreated towards Kagoshima. A lot of recognizable place names, so history buffs, take note!
As the sister shrine to Aso Jinja, one of the oldest in Japan (281 BC!), there were regular yabusame contests (archery on horseback) like the ones currently held at Aso Jinja in May. These contests which were run up what is now the street leading to the jinja and the tram stop Haccho Baba was originally a point to hitch horses which was set up by Kato Kiyomasa. That's why, at the end of road, where it enters Densha dori, there is a massive concrete tori and just up the road where it crosses Higashi Bypass is a statue of Kato Kiyomasa.
There is always a huge crowd at New Year's for hatsumode, but the rest of the year, it is pretty quiet. Wander around the grounds and in the back, there is a sumo doho where they have a kids sumo tournament each year. The area is a stone's throw from the Kencho, an area which we will take up in later editions of FFF., but next month is Kami Ezuko!
The FFF google map is here
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
路家~JiccA~ 【熊本健軍グルメ】 (@jicca0423) • Instagram photos and videos
2,184 Followers, 196 Following, 814 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from 路家~JiccA~ 【熊本健軍グルメ】 (@jicca0423)

William An earthquake occurs when some parts of a plate scream "Yikes!" and skedaddle in one direction while others stay put. Kumanichi posts that the Kumamoto Disaster Prevention Center in Suizenji has an earth cut displaying the fault rupture. Yikes.
世界初、地震前後の「ずれ」展示　熊本地震前後の布田川断層、標本に　熊本県防災センター｜熊本日日新聞社
　2016年の熊本地震を引き起こした布田川断層の標本の展示が28日、熊本県庁の防災センターで始まった。従来から展示されていた発災前の同一地点の標本と比べると、約50センチずれており、揺れの激しさを実感できる。地....

Kirk here. In my view, the arbitrary drawing of lines is part of what is behind this disappointing decision in the Minamata disease saga. Another issue is the argument that "symptoms could have been caused by something other than the condition." Even though it is acknowledged fact that Chisso poisoned the fish that the plaintiffs consumed and that mercury poisoning can cause the kinds of symptoms the plaintiffs are suffering from, the plaintiffs are still forced to prove that their illnesses could not have been caused by something else. Such logic protects the polluters and puts an unfair burden of proof on the victims. :(
Japan court rejects redress claims by unrecognized Minamata victims
A Japanese district court rejects compensation claims by 144 unrecognized sufferers of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease against the state and others.

It's getting to be that time of year. The cherry trees in my area are not in full bloom yet but some branches are looking very nice. -- Kirk