Posts

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

Here's an eight-minute video segment from NHK World. -- Kirk
New microchip plant energizes Kumamoto | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
A new plant built in Kumamoto by a Taiwanese semiconductor giant is energizing the prefecture as well as the entire country.

Goodbye, SL Hitoyoshi! Well done! -- Kirk
Final Run of SL Hitoyoshi; Farewell Signs Along the Line, ‘Until We Meet Again!’
On Saturday, the tourist train “SL Hitoyoshi,” pulled by Kyushu’s only steam locomotive (SL), ended its commercial operations due to its age.

Kirk here. Kumamoto Kokufu plays Ananhikari of Tokushima today at 2PM. We're already in the second round of the Koshien Tournament. If Kumamoto Kokufu win today, they will be one of eight teams to move on to the next round.

Kirk here. It seems Mr. Kimura has won the governorship. I have nothing against him personally but I was rooting for Mr. Koyama (former Kumamoto-city mayor), in part because I know him but also because Mr. Kiyama campaigned with the support of the LDP and the LDP has given me numerous reasons to dislike them (connections to the Moonies, recent financial scandals, xenophobic and nationalistic stances of various individual politicians, etc.). The race was seen as a sort of referendum on the LDP and, sadly, it looks like the response from the people of Kumamoto was "no problem."
The article doesn't share any details about how Mr. Kimura managed to win but I suspect that a combination of LDP organizational power and low voter turn out (apathy) had something to do with it.
P.S. The gentleman you see in back of Mr. Kiyama is NAKAYAMA Mineo, president of Sojo University. I've posted about his connections to the Moonies in the past in the following posts:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0EnCZVjEtP616xUKFJB91DUV2VPdVnnPG95wPF2xEy6XSo54VZYz9YV8pUNxNFwPal
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid02BPjJMuaAp766ERJL785dsVhmyp3hEo1Ubok8cU2jVj43beYGAYRWETuqHtyDamb1l
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid02yTtApnRkAERsUWtPokKE1yoJbXHSNzjxzQ6os22Ea3E1rkWS6VBn4GL7rFiqK2NSl
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0uU2kbk2NfRmedSTBgSmzvmNWr9R1LKjdJx5mmud2iKUnqfjMQPaARFJCTcK5uLMil
熊本知事 前副知事・木村氏が当確 - Yahoo!ニュース
　任期満了に伴う熊本県知事選は24日投開票の結果、無所属新人の前副知事木村敬氏（49）＝自民、公明推薦＝が、野党各党の県組織が支援した元熊本市長の幸山政史氏（58）ら無所属新人の3人を破り初当選を確

Kirk here. This isn't local news but there is a Kumamoto connection. On this evening's NHK news, Takerufuji's mom said that she frequently sends him basashi. The people of Kumamoto are the leading consumers of basashi but the delicacy is also enjoyed in Aomori, Takerufuji's home prefecture, Fukushima, and Nagano.
By the way, we're approaching sakura (cherry blossom) season and "sakura niku" (cherry blossom meat) happens to be a common euphemism for basashi. There seem to be at least a couple of theories about the reason why but I'm pretty sure that the pink or red color has something to do with it.
Takerufuji becomes first top-division rookie to win a sumo tournament since 1914 | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Takerufuji has become the first top-division newcomer to win a sumo championship in 110 years.

Kirk here with a must-read for train fans:
JR Kyushu Ready to Restore the Hisatsu Line | JAPAN Forward
After four years, JR Kyushu is set to reconstruct its Hisatsu Line. Working with local governments, the company hopes the line's restoration will boost tourism.