Posts
Kirk here with a share from Kuma Visit. As Homer Simpson would say, "Mmm. Cobalt . . ."
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/pfbid02zq2g2ThLaPGVXwvgSmxDKUgWmbWfRSApb7VRUMSGU2BAdNx8wQ43fsbmcs9BR7uol
William Rather typical for Kumamoto, the governments (prefectural and local) anticipated a problem yet failed to take proactive countermeasures. This time is the issue of roads in and around Kikuyo, where TSMC and related companies will soon employ thousands of workers and new housing is proliferating. Having worked in the area, I'm aware of the single-lane farm roads, where cars must slow to 20kmph to pass - and this traffic is due only to construction. When the fabs open, the situation will undoubtedly worsen.
Kumanichi initially reports, but it's behind a firewall, so here is a summary from a different site (Japanese) and a translation: https://greta.5ch.net/test/read.cgi/poverty/1689636025/l50?v=pc
The number of traffic accidents in Kikuyo Town, where TSMC is located, has doubled due to the use of shortcuts by commuters and congestion due to population growth. Entrance to local roads is neverending, and road maintenance cannot keep up.
The number of traffic accidents resulting in injury or death is increasing rapidly in Kikuyo Town. The number of incidents has almost doubled compared to last year. Traffic congestion has become more serious as companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) expand and population increases. Narrow community roads and farm roads are being used as shortcuts, and situations in which cars enter villages are a constant occurrence. Road maintenance cannot keep up with the increase in traffic, and residents are racking their brains for countermeasures.
From 7:30 am on weekdays, cars enter one after another between the farmlands that spread to the south residential area of Haramizu, Kikuyo Town, heading north to the Semicon Technopark, an industrial park where semiconductor companies are concentrated. Many cars crowd prefectural and town roads around the district.
Even near JR Haramizu Station, the narrow prefectural roads passing between private houses are crowded. There was also a road sign with a bent post, probably because a car had hit it. A local resident said, "Recently, the traffic volume has increased again. In the mornings and evenings, commuters fly through the district and along farm roads."
TSMC進出の熊本県菊陽町、通勤の車の抜け道利用で事故倍増。細い農道や生活道路へ車が次々と [577316145]
0001番組の途中ですがアフィサイトへの転載は禁止です (ﾜｯﾁｮｲ 3f87-msRS)2023/07/18(火) 08:20:25.73ID:AWjFLMWi0?2BP(2919) TSMC進出の菊陽町、通勤の車の抜け道利用で事故倍増 人口増で渋滞…生活道路進入が恒常化 道路整備も追い....
Kirk here. I didn't know what romon (楼門; ろうもん) was so I looked it up. The first character means "tall building" and the second means "gate" so it's a majestic gate of the sort you see in the picture. Here's the link to the article and a YouTube video:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14949203
P.S. The preview image generated by the article was unrelated to Aso Shrine so I used a screenshot instead.
Kirk here. The following YouTube link with take you to some highlights of the Japan-All Blacks XV match that took place in Kumamoto.
P.S. So far, I'm been referring to the "All Blacks XV" as just the "All Blacks" but that was a mistake. "The All Blacks XV is the second national rugby union team of New Zealand, after the All Blacks."
HIGHLIGHTS: All Blacks XV vs Japan Brave Blossoms (Kumamoto)
Catch up on the highlights from the All Blacks XV vs Japan clash at Kumamoto.CREDIT: @skysportnz
Atsuko here sharing interesting events.
Today I went to the Zero Yen Shop, 0円ショップ,held at あいぽーと Aiport on the first floor of ウェルパル Wellpal in Oe, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City.
0 円ショップ,Zero Yen Shop is an event where people give each other things for zero yen. It is a reuse and share event. Items brought in included clothes, toys, handicrafts and food. There were also people teaching origami and shogi (Japanese chess) as well as goods.
I brought elementary school uniform, sports uniform, toys and dishes my kids used before. I was happy to have participated when I saw people going home happy with the things I had brought. My daughter enjoyed playing shogi.
It was a good event for reusing, saving money and interacting with local people.
The next one is once a month, on 20 August, and there is also a 0 yen shop in Otsu.
I also would like to participate again.(๑˃ᴗ˂)و♡
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=588599800124300&id=100069228562640
https://www.facebook.com/kumamoto0yen
Kirk with another rugby update. Japan didn't win but I thought they did a lot better in Kumamoto than they had done against the All Blacks in Tokyo, where they only got 6 points (they got 27 points yesterday).
Rugby: Late surge not enough as Japan again fall to All Blacks XV
Japan fell 41-27 for their second straight defeat against the All Blacks XV on July 15, remaining winless through two of their five warm-up games on home soil ahead of the Rugby World Cup in France.
Kirk here. I saw something about this on NHK's national news program today. Some people were waiting in line at 4:30 this morning.
Quake-damaged Minami-aso Railway fully reopens for first time in 7 years | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
The Minami-aso Railway in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has resumed full operations after a seven-year partial suspension following a series of powerful earthquakes.
Kirk here. I haven't seen this with my own eyes yet but I've seen several posts like this one that show emerald green water in the volcano. To be honest, though, I'm not exactly sure where this photo was taken. It doesn't seem to be the part of the volcano that belches steam. The person who posted this to Twitter wrote that the color (and perhaps the presence of the water itself?) was a result of the recent rain. Anybody been there recently?
Sho Kamasaki on Twitter
“海が無いはずの阿蘇にも砂浜が⁉️ 雨の影響で、中岳第4火口に美しい幻の池ができていました！ まるで南国のビーチのような風景でした🏝️ #阿蘇 #中岳火口 #東京カメラ部 #SonyAlpha”
Kirk here with rugby news. Today, the All Blacks took on some youngsters from Kikuyo-machi. Who won? See the video to find out.
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/604297?display=1
As you probably know already, the All Blacks will play Japan tomorrow.
菊陽町の小学生とニュージーランド『オールブラックスフィフティーン』の選手が交流 熊本 | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送
菊陽町の小学生があの世界に名だたるラグビーの強豪と交流しました。菊陽町の小学校にやってきたのは将来のラグビーニュージーランド代表を担うオールブラックスフィフティーンの選手たち。子どもたちは自分たちの…
Kirk here with a TSMC update.
TSMC reportedly to break ground on 2nd fab in Japan in April 2024 - Focus Taiwan
Taipei, July 11 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is planning to build a second wafer fab in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, with construction scheduled to start in April 2024, according to Japanese news outlet Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.
Kirk here. Tategami-kyo (立神峡) is a beautiful gorge in Yatsushiro. I'm sad to report that, according to RKK, a foreign man (perhaps from Myammar) drowned there today. :(
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/602290?display=1
http://tategami-camp.com/
豊かな自然に囲まれた、立神峡「里地公園」は熊本県の中央に位置する自然豊かな環境の場所で、キャンプ場や川遊び、散策及び環境教育の一環として、各研修等にご利用ください。
Kirk here with a quick update. "My number" (or "maina") cards can once again be used at convenience stores to procure official documents. According to the report, a problem occurred in Fukuoka and, since Kumamoto is using the same system, they shut the service down until they could be sure it was safe. The system was declared safe and restarted at 3 PM today.
『マイナンバーカード』を使った “コンビニでの証明書交付サービス” が再開 熊本市 | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送
コンビニエンスストアでの証明書交付サービスが再開しました。マイナンバーカードを使ったコンビニでの証明書の交付を巡っては、福岡県の自治体で他人の住民票が発行される問題が起き、同じシステムを使う熊本市は…
Kirk here with rugby news. "Following a 38 - 6 win against Japan XV last Saturday, MacDonald has made seven changes to the team anticipating an intense match in Kumamoto." I don't know if it is possible to get tickets for this Saturday's match (I looked but couldn't figure out how to do it online) but we can watch it on TV:
07/15（Sat）18:00～20:00 「日本代表×All Blacks XV(オールブラックス・フィフティーン)」 〜えがお健康スタジアム(熊本)
ジャンル ： スポーツ
放送局 ： BS日テレ （141ch）
All Blacks XV team named for clash against Brave Blossoms
The All Blacks XV team has been named ahead of their match against the Brave Blossoms at EGAO Kenko Stadium in Kumamoto on Saturday 15 July, kick-off at 6.05PM JST (9.05PM NZST). The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport.
Kirk here. I don't get around much any more so I haven't been to Yakoboku but this article about the best bars in Asia says it's no. 84.
Here's a link showing the location on Google maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/zK4jRVVKaE9ky2D39
And here's a link to the bars Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/yakoboku/
My question is How is it that Jeff's World Bar didn't make the list?
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057095334230
https://www.lifestyleasia.com/bk/dining/drinks/50-best-bars-2023-51-100-list-bangkok/
Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023 51-100 list: Bangkok sees 4 entries
Singapore boasted the greatest number of entries on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023 51-100 rankings. Bangkok sees four entries.
Kirk here. NHK World published a little news video with the following headline: "Japan to subsidize chip plants' water suppliers."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230710_17/
So, it would seem that the government wants to facilitate and accelerate the use of Kumamoto's groundwater. Even now, however, Kumamoto City's webpage features calls to conserve water:
https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kankyo/hpkiji/pub/Detail.aspx?c_id=5&id=20529
I've added some English to images on that page and shared them here. The images show the mechanism by which water seeps into the ground to replenish the groundwater supply, how the reduction in traditional agriculture and the increase in pavement etc is interfering with that process, and how groundwater levels are declining.
As you may know, Kumamoto City's rich supply of clean groundwater is something that distinguishes it from other communities of comparable size in Japan. The governor and others are promising to be careful and to make sure that the resource is used wisely and not depleted. I, however, remain concerned.
Kirk here news about a cow-colored (not blue-and-white) Lawson in Minami Aso. Not particularly important news but, then again, not scary or depressing either!! ;)
Japan’s brown Lawson convenience store: a unique find in a rural setting
Unusual colour scheme celebrates the local area.
Kirk again. This post about Kumamoto University came in my Google News feed. The publisher is a company that describes its mission as "AI Asset Management" so I assume that it has been put together and written by a bot. The English is good but the captions are mostly in Japanese (I guess the bot failed to realize that it should translate those into English). It doesn't say anything negative and, of course, no students or faculty are quoted. Still, people studying or working at Kumamoto University might find it interesting (maybe even amusing).
Here's a quote I'm looking forward to discussing with someone I know who works there:
"Kumamoto University is also committed to minimizing the administrative burden on faculty members. The university has established efficient administrative processes and support services to ensure that faculty members can focus on their teaching and research activities."
is Kumamoto University a good school?
Kirk here. We experienced some heavy rain here in Kumamoto today but our friends to the north in Fukuoka, Sago and Oita prefectures got hit much harder.
A 6 PM RKK news report said that the Kyushu Expressway was closed between Fukuoka and Nankan and it wasn't clear when it could be reopened. Also, the rain stopped Kyushu Shinkansen trains from coming to and leaving Kumamoto for a while this morning.
Rains in Kyushu leave at least two dead | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Torrential rains in Kyushu, southwestern Japan, have claimed at least two lives as of 5 p.m. on Monday. There are numerous reports of missing people.
Kirk here with a positive story about the peaceful co-existence of humans and cetaceans in Amakusa:
--- start quote ---
The local government believes that emphasizing dolphins’ positive relationships with residents, including their friendships with skin divers, will contribute to more fascination with the marine mammals beyond simply showcasing them to sightseers.
Takasaki, who referred to Amakusa as a “sanctuary for dolphins,” said she hopes her survey will lead to the realization of a sea friendly to both dolphins and humans.
--- end quote ---
Dolphin study carries hopes of improving ties with humans | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
AMAKUSA, Kumamoto Prefecture--One recent morning, the dorsal fins from a pod of dolphins were visible from the coastline along a national road.
