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Take a look at these images to find out about a play that will be performed on March 29th in the Takahashi Morio Memorial Hall (Bldg. No. 14) on the campus of Kumamoto Gakuen University beginning at 4:10 P.M. The play is a translation of Furo by Kinoshita Junji. Kinoshita Junji is a key figure in the modern Japanese drama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junji_Kinoshita
but this work has not yet been performed in English. (The translation was done by Judy Yoneoka for this occasion.) The scene is 1875 at the Kumamoto Yogakko. Part of the play will be in Japanese but much of it will be in English and the program (see image) will help you follow along.

Here's something I didn't know about the airline:
"Although it has just one 39-passenger plane making up to 10 flights per day between the four airports, Amakusa Airlines has served more than one million people."
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/03/24/amakusa-airlines-japans-smallest-airline-with-one-adorable-dolphin-turboprop-plane/
Amakusa Airlines: Japan's smallest airline with one adorable dolphin turboprop plane
If you are still mourning the loss of Japan's Pokémon jumbo jet and prefer to fly the friendly skies in something overbearingly cute, look no further than Amakusa Airlines and its dolphin-themed airplane. Although the Kyushuu-based company is the smallest airline in Japan, Amakusa more than makes up...

A "trick art" (visual illusions) exposition is being held at the Kumamoto Kenmin Department Store (near the Kotsu Center). I saw something about it on TV and what I saw looked interesting.

This wallpaper (for your computer screen) is a shot taken at Kumamoto Airport.
http://www.kininaru-k.jp/2013/wallpaper/140130.html
週刊メールマガジン『気になる！くまもと』。このサイトは、熊本県発行の週刊メールマガジン「気になる！くまもと」の関連情報を掲載しています。くまモンの限定プレゼントもあります！

Chinzei High School plays their first game in the Koshien baseball tournament on the third day at 2 PM. I'm not sure but, since today was the first day, I think that's Sunday.
http://www.asahi.com/koshien/

Kumamoto City was no exception to this trend.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2014/03/21/editorials/rising-land-prices-in-big-cities/
Rising land prices in big cities
The land and infrastructure ministry reported on March 18 that both residential land prices and commercial land prices in the Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka megalopolises increased in the 12 months ...

This Japan Times article points out that the Environment Ministry has, in essence, put new obstacles in front of people seeking certification as Minamata disease patients. These new barriers are a reaction to a recent Supreme Court ruling that would lower the bar for applicants. The Supreme Court ruled that just one kind of symptom (only a “sensation” disorder) can be sufficient for certification -- e.g. one need not have multiple symptoms. After dragging its feet, the Environment Ministry has finally decided to go along with this but, at the same time, is erecting new barriers. From their perspective, more certification means more expenditures and the possibility of a flood of new applicants. So, they are trying to keep the door closed as tightly as possible, despite the Supreme Court's ruling against them. Shame!
To read about last year's Supreme Court decision, go to
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201304170076
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2014/03/17/editorials/new-burden-for-minamata-victims/
New burden for Minamata victims
The Environment Ministry on March 7 adopted a new policy concerning official recognition of people as sufferers of Minamata disease — Japan's most serious pollution-induced illness — which is caused ...

The 8th International Fair Trade Towns Conference will begin next week.
Where; Kumamoto City International Center
http://fairtrade08.wix.com/english#!fair/c248h
What: The following page shows the program:
http://fairtrade08.wix.com/english#!ifttc-program/c1pxh
As you can see from the program, it will be a very international conference. Many other speakers with be presenting their ideas in English with Japanese translation. It should be very accessible to both English and Japanese speakers.
Earlier I wrote about the need for volunteers but, apparently, they now have enough help.

Here's another desktop wallpaper candidate:
http://www.kininaru-k.jp/2013/wallpaper/140320/19201080.jpg
For more choices, go to
http://www.kininaru-k.jp/2013/wallpaper/

Shiraito-no-taki is one of my favorite waterfalls in Kumamoto. I never imagined jumping into that water in the winter, though.
"The Chitoryu school of karate, based in Kumamoto City and run by possible real-life Dragon Ball Z hero Ryuichi Nakamura, takes a pilgrimage to Shiraito Falls in Kumamoto Prefecture every winter to practice kata while half submerged in the icy waters that can dip to near-0 (Celsius) and half exposed to below-freezing open air."
The following page has information about the location (a Google map is near the bottom of the page):
http://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/site/heiseimeisui/shiraitonotaki.html
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/03/19/karate-dojo-students-practice-under-freezing-waterfall-in-the-middle-of-winter/
Karate dojo students practice under freezing waterfall... in the middle of winter
Karate has always been one of those martial arts forms that never really had much appeal to me. The idea of repeating the same kata routines - with names like "Black Dragon Karate Chops 20 Weasels at Midnight" or whatever - to commit the moves to muscle memory always seemed kind of boring and counte...

Kumamon wallpaper (desktop image) for your computer, anyone?
http://www.kininaru-k.jp/2013/12th-campaign/wallpaper/

I think I mentioned this earlier, but Hitoyoshi (in Kumamoto) was a test site for new high definition television broadcasting technology:
"In January the broadcaster's Science & Technology Research Labs conducted the 8K Ultra HD single-channel test from its bureau in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, to a receiving station 27km away."
http://www.tvbeurope.com/main-content/full/nhk-to-demo-8k-wireless-first/gl0#.UyjgkNwiac8
NHK to demo 8K wireless first - main-content | Europe's Broadcast Industry News & Analysis |...
TVBEurope European broadcast TV news and analysis. TVBE content

Here's another article about the new geothermal power plant in Oguni. It's very similar to the other two I've introduced:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/10153901878785655
Even though each article is presented as an original piece by a different "journalist," they are very similar -- so similar that I suspect two are mere rewrites of one of them. I'm mildly surprised that this kind of thing is allowed.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/business/business/first-geothermal-power-plant-in-15-years-to-go-online-in-japan/article/376878
First geothermal power plant in 15 years to go online in Japan
Japan has been actively seeking alternative energy sources since the Fukushima Daiachii disaster. With the public's resistance to reopening nuclear power plants, utilizing the country's many naturally occurring hot springs may be the answer.

This is not specific to Kumamoto but those of you with an interest in the tea ceremony might enjoy listening to this NPR (U.S. public radio) broadcast. There is also a link to an article about coffee culture in Japan -- with some amazing images.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/18/290857751/japanese-tea-ritual-turned-15th-century-tupperware-into-art
Japanese Tea Ritual Turned 15th Century 'Tupperware' Into Art
Eight hundred years ago, tea traveled to Japan from China in simple, ceramic storage jars. These ancient jugs, now on display in Washington, D.C., helped launch Japan's tea culture.

Here's an inquiry that was posted on the Kumamoto-i mailing list:
"A friend of mine living in Kumamoto City is looking for a native speaker of English to tutor her children. If you are interested, please send me a message and I can put you in touch with her."
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/12807
If you are interested, please contact the poster directly.

If you've taken the streetcar recently, you may have seen a poster with several old black and white photos of historical figures in Kumamoto. Ever wondered who they were? If you have, check out the play "Janes' Girls" which will be held at Kumamoto Gakuen University Takahashi Morio Hall (building 14, front of campus) from 4:00-5:00 on March 29, 2014. Sponsored by the Janes Research Group, it features KGU English department students as historical figures such as Tokutomi Soho and Yokoi Shonans children, as well as students from Kushugakuin High school, with Jason Morgan, graduate from KGU's graduate school and Executive Director at Adastra Company, playing the title role. It is a true story, ca. 1875, about Kumamoto's first English teacher, a West Point graduate named Leroy Lansing Janes and the first public coed secondary school in Japan. An English synopsis will be available.
If so inclined, there is also a lecture in Japanese about the young people in Kumamoto who were caught up in the whirlwind of change just after the Meiji restoration from 2:00-4:00 in the same location. Both events are free of charge. Paid parking is available at the Prefectural Theatre next door to the Kumamoto Gakuen University

Oguni's new geothermal power plant will open soon. Here's an article in Britain's Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/10701440/Japans-first-new-geothermal-power-plant-in-15-years-to-open-next-month.html
For more information, see this Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/10153789383570655
Japan's first new geothermal power plant in 15 years to open next month - Telegraph
A new chapter in Japan’s energy industry begins when a new geothermal power plant taps into the nation’s famed seismic activity – opening the floodgates for dozens of similar projects across the country

The Prefectural Government recently published a report on foreign workers in Kumamoto. If you read Japanese, you can find the report here:
http://kumamoto-roudoukyoku.jsite.mhlw.go.jp/library/kumamoto-roudoukyoku/taisaku/gaikokujin/gaikokujinkoyozyoukyou25-10.pdf
The screen shots I'm posting (to which I have added English in some cases) show the main findings. In a nutshell, the numbers are up, particularly for so-called "trainees" (技能実習生).

Be careful about this when visiting nearby Oita:
http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/106885.php
Public toilet In Japan accidentally exposes your most private moments

Here's a link to a video report by NHK (in English) about the earthquake:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140314_06.html