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There was an earthquake last night at 2:07. The epicenter seems to have been beneath the ocean in an area between Shikoku and Kyushu. As you can see from the image, the quake was felt over a wide area. The magnitude was 6.1. In Aso, the event was level 4 on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale (called "shindo" in Japanese). According the the following Wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Meteorological_Agency_seismic_intensity_scale
level 4 is associated with the following:
"Less earthquake-resistant homes can suffer slight damage. Most homes shake strongly and small cracks may appear. The entirety of apartment buildings will shake."
Look at the Wikipedia page for more detail.
For more information in English also see:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/20140314021932495-140207.html
In Japanese:
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/rireki/saigai/1-5064.html
This article came out on the 12th, Kumamon's birthday.
"TV show writer Kundo Koyama, best known for his work on the 'Iron Chef' cooking series, was charged with promoting the prefecture when a new bullet train service linking Kumamoto with Osaka was being launched in recent years.
Koyama then asked celebrated art director Manabu Mizuno to create a campaign logo and threw in the cuddly Kumamon as a bonus."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/12/business/mascot-kumamon-turns-cute-into-bear-market/
Mascot Kumamon turns cute into bear market
The clumsy bear mascot for a remote Kyushu farming region has rocketed to superstar fame and has notched up an unlikely marketing triumph in a nation obsessed with all things ...
It won't be long now . . .
春はもうすぐそこまで！
http://akihabaranews.com/2014/03/12/article-en/cherry-blossom-report-2014-1487181699
Cherry Blossom Report - 2014
I saw this sign on a supermarket in Kumamoto today. I was wondering why they named their store "Food Holes" and, lo and behold, there's an explanation on their website:
http://www.halloday.co.jp/28.html
It's in Japanese but the idea has something to do with historical practices of storing food in holes. I doubt, though, that they tested the name in a focus group of native English speakers. : )
There's been a little discussion on the Kumamoto-i mailing list about how to get or transfer a driver's license.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/12801
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/12802
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/12803
If you search the Kumamoto-i archives, you can find more information about this topic.
Several items have been put up for sale on the Kumamoto-i mailing list:
BenQ 20 inch Widescreen Monitor G2025HD: 5,000 yen
BenQ 24 inch Widescreen Monitor G2420HD: 9,000 yen
6 Drawer Dresser: 2,000 yen
Air conditioner: 13,000 yen
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/12799
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/12800
This is not specific to Kumamoto but may be of interest to those of you with an interest in long-term residency.
http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2014031100229
Japan to Ease Permanent Residency Requirements for Experts - JIJI PRESS
This just came to me, but the content is now a couple of weeks old.
"On Wednesday officials in Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan issued a health warning to residents after a dramatic rise in air pollution levels."
http://rt.com/news/chinese-smog-nuclear-winter-008/
Scientists liken Chinese smog to ‘nuclear winter’
Air pollution in parts of China is now so extreme it could lead to conditions similar to a “nuclear winter,” scientists say. The smog that covers the country has become so thick it is impeding photosynthesis, potentially disrupting China’s food supply.
Today is the third anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The shots you see are from a TV program that aired on January 26th. In it, the people of Namiemachi in Fukushima look to Minamata, Kumamoto for inspiration about how their community might recover after the environmental disaster. In the case on Minamata, the city has embraced environmentalism, reducing and recycling trash, planting trees, growing crops without pesticides, etc. The late SUGIMOTO Eiko played an important role in moving Minamata in this positive direction and now her son Hajime is continuing that work. The story of Minamata is more than a tragedy -- there are also many inspiring stories of people responding positively to the challenges they confronted.
Good idea!
Yahoo! Japan - Your search of "3.11" generates a donation
A report I saw on NHK this morning said that there are 396 evacuees who are currently living in Kumamoto. I hope that the coming year brings significant improvements in their circumstances.
http://japandailypress.com/267000-remain-evacuees-as-earthquake-tsunami-disasters-3rd-anniversary-approaches-1045530/
267,000 remain evacuees as earthquake-tsunami disasters’ 3rd anniversary approaches - The Japan...
Three years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster that rocked the country's northeast region and caused the world's biggest nuclear crisis,
Kumamon goods sales up 50% in 2013
Sales of products featuring Kumamoto Prefecture's popular Kumamon black bear mascot in 2013 rose around 50 percent from the previous year to at least 44.95 billion yen, the prefectural government said Monday.
This is basically a good presentation of the issue. I don't agree, though, with the following paragraph:
"The ministry will not reconsider the results of victim recognition examinations made in the past. This is inevitable when taking into account the possibility that sending past relief measures back to square one would cause more confusion. Yet many of those victims may understandably harbor a sense of unfairness."
I don't think the ministry / Japanese government should be let off so easily. The reason they have made it difficult to get certified is to avoid paying the victims what they are due. The "confusion" we've seen so far is the result of this policy -- something that the courts have belatedly confirmed. I think that giving victims the recognition they deserve would do more good that any "confusion" it might cause.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001105619
Will new Minamata disease recognition criteria put an end to confusion? - The Japan News
Confusion over official recognition of people as sufferers of Minamata disease still continues today. We hope the situation will improve, even if only a little, as the Environment Ministry has recently demonstrated a more flexible stance in recognizing victims.
What: Hifuri shinji (a religious ritual, spinning bales of burning hay)
Where: Aso Shrine
When: March 14, between 6 and 8 PM
http://kumanago.jp/event/?mode=detail&id=430000001603
3月中旬、阿蘇神社で行われる阿蘇地方の五穀豊穣を祈る田作り祭。農業神が姫神をめとる「御前迎え」の儀式で、御神体…
Would any of you be interested in helping to build the page by posting as "Kumamoto International"? If so you would not get any assignments from me (unless you asked for a suggestion) but you could use the page to put out information of your choosing as long as it's related to Kumamoto or expat life in general. Please send a message to the page if you are interested.
Reminder KGU Green Phil tomorrow at 2! https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/10203497015375027
Just a reminder, the KGU Green Phil concert is tomorrow (Sunday) at 2. I'll be playing that metal hosepipe and my daughter is singing on the piece entitled 花は咲く. Please say hello if you come!
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/10203497015375027
A Kumamon scandal? No way!
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/03/07/our-lives/barely-a-bear-kumamon-could-be-the-next-faker-to-shock-japan/
Barely-a-bear Kumamon could be the next faker to shock Japan
Japan's 'deaf composer,' Mamoru Samuragochi, has turned out to be an imposter. Wow, who's next? Well, I'll tell you. For years, I've suspected there's something different about Kumamon the bear. ...
Finally, the government has taken steps to respond more meaningfully to the Supreme Court's decision repudiating the government's long-standing position that multiple symptoms are necessary for certification as a Minamata disease patient.
By the way, I referred to this landmark decision yesterday in relation to the appointment of the new chief of the Supreme Court:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/10153868743935655
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/140307/ministry-changes-guidelines-recognizing-minamata-disea
Ministry changes guidelines in recognizing Minamata disease victims
The Environment Ministry notified local governments concerned Friday that it has changed guidelines to recognize people as victims of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease, one of Japan's worst illnesses linked to industrial pollution.
