Posts

William Valid concerns have been raised regarding the maltreatment of horses during the Fujisaki Hachimangu Autumn Festival (藤崎八旛宮秋季例大祭, popularly known as "boshita"). In addition, I find the seemingly endless procession repetitive and lacking in creativity.
There is, though, a work-around: Get up at 4:00 and head straight to the shrine to watch the preparations. All is eerily quiet save for the clanking of armor and the whinnying of nervous horses dimly aware that this is turning out to be not an average day. If lucky, you can observe the mayor (or is it governor?), who leads the procession, mount his steed. It is photography heaven. Afterwards, go home and back to bed. If you'd like, you can go back in the evening to watch the exhausted procession return.
The procession itself begins at 6:00.
Photo nabbed from this site: beautiful-world-kyushu.com/fujisakigu/

"A plum by any other name would taste as sweet." I'm pretty sure that the fruit you see would be labeled "Plums" in the US, where I'm from. A "prune," by contrast, is usually a dried plum. But Wikipedia tells me that, "prune" can also refer to the "firm-fleshed fruit (plum) of Prunus domestica varieties that have a high soluble solids content, and do not ferment during drying." So, I guess it's not exactly incorrect to call these prunes -- just confusing to old prunes, I mean "people," like me.
By the way, though I had some qualms about the English on the label, I found the fruit itself to be absolutely delicious. Highly recommended!
-- Kirk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prune

Kirk here with a tip for archaeologists of the future: If you look inside the rebuilt walls of Kumamoto Castle, you may find some stones that were decorated by local children way back in 2023. The one in the cover image says "I love Kumamoto Castle" and has picture of Kumamon, a mythic creature worshipped by natives at the time. ;)
https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/kab/region/kab-20230905-00007776.html

Kirk with some news that both interested and frustrated me.
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/san-antonios-gift-from-japan-the-tale-of-the-tranquil-kumamoto-en-garden-relaxing-japanese-botanical-garden-bexar-county-community-enjoyment-entertainment
First, though the article doesn't explain it, I learned that the bronze statue is of Naoko SHIRANE (白根直子), a member of the very famous and powerful Mitsui family (think of the bank, the manufacturing enterprises, etc.). She's not from Kumamoto but it seems that she took an interest in and helped promote the sister relationship between Kumamoto and San Antonio:
https://shiranefoundation.org/about/
Another thing I learned is that the garden was designed by Kiyoshi Yasui, who modeled it after the Katsura Imperial Villa (桂離宮) in Kyoto. As the name "Imperial Villa" implies, this place is for the private use of the emperor and his family. I don't know if it's ever possible to get inside to take a peak at it but I suspect that the garden in San Antonio may be actually be an easier way (if you're in Texas at least) to get a sense of the beauty of the Imperial Villa.
Now for the frustrating part of the article. It says "Modeled after a garden at Emperor Kiyoshi Yasui's summer residence," promoting Yasui to emperor. Here's what I tried to write about that in a comment:
--- start quote ---
Here's a quote from the official website: "Designed by the Emperor’s gardener (and corporate CEO) Kiyoshi Yasui, this 85’ x 85’ garden is modeled after one at the Emperor’s summer house — which required special permission. "
https://www.sabot.org/explore/featured-attractions/
Actually, even the "Emperor's gardener" distinction is not quite right. It seems to be true that Yasui played an important role in the renovation of the garden at the Katsura Imperial Villa, but that doesn't mean that he was employed primarily as the "Emperor’s gardener."
By the way, it does seem to be the case that the Katsura Imperial Villa that Yasui worked on was the model for San Antonio's garden. Here's a source in Japanese:
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/local/page22_003550.html
--- end quote ---
I made an ID and password so I could post to the page but it didn't work. I'm not sure of the cause but that made the experience all the more frustrating. Still, since I may have an opportunity to visit San Antonia some day, I was glad to learn a bit more about the garden. :)
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/san-antonios-gift-from-japan-the-tale-of-the-tranquil-kumamoto-en-garden-relaxing-japanese-botanical-garden-bexar-county-community-enjoyment-entertainment
PHOTOS: The tranquil Japanese garden bridging cultures and cities is San Antonio's hidden
SAN ANTONIO -A gift to San Antonio in 1989 by its sister city, Kumamoto, the Kumamoto En (En means garden in Japanese) is an authentic Japanese Garden designed

William "Bueller? Bueller?" in Kumamoto classrooms may be queried by a robot, according to this article, which notes "that officials hope will encourage absentee children to attend classes remotely and eventually coax them back to school. ... “Aside from letting them view the classes, the robots allow students to move freely in the classroom space and communicate with their classmates,” a board official told the newspaper. “Hopefully, this can help lower the mental hurdles for truant students.”"
Japanese city to use robots to tackle rise in truancy
Schools in Kumamoto have purchased two mechanical assistants to help children regain confidence in dealing with teachers and classmates

William Many are aware that Mt Kimpo is a volcano (dormant at that, according to a geologist friend). It's history to date is shown in the illustration (the caldera used to be a lake! - cool if it still were, eh?) https://www.mifunemuseum.jp/kumamotogeo/kinpouzan.html
The road from town to Kawachi Port passes through a very narrow part of the caldera, following a small stream. Halfway down is an establishment called Yuuhouen. On the left is a bit of parking and a wonderful restaurant which is famous for their ayu cooked over sumi (which they make themselves) at your table. There is also nagashi somen. Many tables are on a veranda perched above the stream - it's like eating outside. On the right are their orchards, which cling to the caldera edge on an impossibly steep slope. There are various crops spread over a vast area. Now is grape season - pick all you want; they'll weigh them at the counter. Their website indicates which fruit is available during which season. They also have the healthiest free-range chickens you'll ever see (they have to run up and down the hill all day; their meat is available in the restaurant, and is unlike any chicken you've ever tasted).
The family which runs the place is the friendliest that can be. September is a perfect time to visit. You'll need a car.
https://www.yuuhouen.com/

Fiona here, sharing an opportunity for local English teachers to present at the upcoming ETJ Kyushu Expo in nearby Fukuoka.
2023 ETJ Kyushu English Language Teaching Expo: Call for Presentations
Kyushu Expo: Sunday, November 19, 2023
At Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka City
Proposals Due: Thursday, October 23, 2023
Would you or perhaps a colleague of yours like to present at the Expo? We’re looking for local presenters at this time. It’s a great chance to develop your own teaching skills as well as to share your ideas with other teachers and contribute to the teaching community.
Topic areas and target audiences can range through all aspects of teaching English at all ages and in all situations. Topics related to the business of teaching English or operating a school are also welcome.
Please note that we are aiming at having at least one Japanese-language presentation per time slot, particularly directed at teaching elementary school students.
日本語によるプレゼンテーションをしてくださる方を探しています。 英語教育全般、特に小学校における英語教育・教授法に関する内容について大歓迎です。
ご興味のある方はお気軽にご連絡ください。
Presentations slots are 45 minutes long. You can end early but please do not exceed 45 minutes.
Please e-mail Tristan Scholze at tristan (at) rainbow-bridges (dot) com if you are interested in presenting as soon as you can. Send the following presentation information to the above contact by Thursday, October 23—or use Google Forms to apply:
https://forms.gle/mUZrrTvE7svCc5T77
1. Name(s) of presenter(s)
2. Institutional affiliation (school or company)
3. Prefecture(s)
4. E-mail address (will not be made public)
5. Title of Presentation (max 70 letters and spaces)
6. Presentation description (max 50 words)
7. Information on the presenter(s) (max 30 words each)
8. Type of teachers the presentation is aimed at (e.g. university teachers)
9. The language of the presentation (e.g. English, Japanese)
10. Any times of day the presenter(s) is NOT available
*Any special equipment requests (we provide digital projectors and white or blackboards; overhead projectors and other equipment might be available)?
Presentation Proposals Due Thursday, October 23, 2023.
Note: Local presentations should be without any commercial interest. Presentations with a commercial interest by corporations or individuals fall under a separate category and may only be accepted for a fee (please inquire by e-mail).
Kyushu ETJ Expo
This application is for presenters who do not have a strong commercial connection (e.e. publishers, textbook authors etc...) and who would like to give a non-commercial presentation on a topic that is relevant to English teachers in Japan. All presentations are for 45 minutes.

Kirk here. I'm not a fan a gruesome news like this but it happened here and became national news so I guess I should share it.
Man, daughter found dead in apparent murder-suicide
A man in his 70s and his 44-year-old daughter were found dead in a mountainous area of Kumamoto City in Kyushu, on Tuesday night, in what police believe was a murder-suicide. Police said they received a call from a woman at around 7 p.m. saying that her husband and daughter…

Kirk here with some notes about the machine translation of this Japanese article using Chat-GPT-3.5. Here's the opening paragraph, which I think is basically accurate:
--- start translation ---
Tsuruya Department Store and JR Kumamoto City will start selling premium shopping vouchers that allow you to shop for 12,000 yen with a 10,000 yen purchase from the 8th onwards. These vouchers are being sold as part of the city's measures against rising prices and are available to residents of Kumamoto City or those commuting or attending school in the city.
--- end translation ---
When I presented Chat-GPT with the Japanese and asked for the translation, I added the following request:
"After you finish the translation, please list any words or expressions for which your confidence in the accuracy of your translation is low."
Here's the rest of the translation and it's notes about confidence:
--- start quote from Chat-GPT-3.5 ---
Tsuruya Department Store will sell a total of 5,000 sets on the 8th and 9th. These vouchers can be used throughout the store, except for some products, from the 8th until November 23rd. On both days, they will distribute numbered tickets at the entrance on the Suizomachi side of the 1st floor of the East Building starting at 9 a.m., and sales will begin at 10 a.m. in the Tsuruya Hall on the 7th floor of the East Building. The store encourages shoppers to enjoy their shopping experience, mentioning ongoing events like the "British Fair" and the "Oomichi Sanshoku Market."
Words/expression with low translation confidence:
・プレミアム付き商品券 (premium shopping vouchers) - The translation is accurate, but the specific meaning of "premium" might vary depending on the context.
・物価高騰対策支援事業 (measures against rising prices support project) - While the translation is generally accurate, the exact nuances of this phrase may vary depending on the context.
・水道町側入り口 (entrance on the Suizomachi side) - The translation is accurate, but the exact location may not be clear without local knowledge.
・英国フェア (British Fair) and 大道産子市 (Oomichi Sanshoku Market) - These are event names, and the translation is accurate, but the cultural context may not be fully conveyed.
--- end quote ---
It got Suido-cho wrong and 大道産子市 (Tsuruya's name for an even) seems to be read "Oodo Sanko Ichi" so that's wrong too. When I asked DeepL to translate the same section, DeepL got Suidocho right but rendered "大道産子市" as "Great Michi-ko Market," which is more distracting than informative.
One interesting thing about Chat-GPT is that you can tell it to do stuff in a particular way. For example, I got it to added ふりがな to the first paragraph as follows:
--- start quote ---
鶴屋百貨店（つるやひゃっかてん、熊本市中央区[ちゅうおうく]）とJR熊本シティ（JRくまもとシティ、同市西区[にしく]）は8日[はちにち]から、1万円[いちまんえん]で1万2千円[いちまんにせんえん]分[ぶん]の買い物[かいもの]ができるプレミアム付き[ぷれみあむつき]商品券[しょうひんけん]をそれぞれ販売[はんばい]する。市[し]の物価高騰[ぶっかこうとう]対策[たいさく]支援[しえん]事業[じぎょう]を活用[かつよう]し、市内[しない]在住[ざいじゅう]か市内[しない]への通勤[つうきん]・通学者[つうがくしゃ]が対象[たいしょう]。
--- end quote ---
Actually, though, this last task required some "training." I had to point out several errors before it would do just what I wanted.
By the way, last night I was trying to make sense of some classical Japanese (an edict or 詔書 issued by Emperor Showa in the Taisho period) and Chat-GPT gave me a pretty darn good (as far as I can tell) rendering of the content in modern Japanese. It's only a tool but it seems to be on its way to becoming an extremely powerful tool. Future versions are likely to be mind-blowingly good.
鶴屋や「アミュプラザくまもと」でお得に買い物　1万円で1万2千円分、プレミアム付き商品券販売　熊本市の物価高騰対策事業を活用｜熊本日日新聞社
　鶴屋百貨店（熊本市中央区）とJR熊本シティ（同市西区）は8日から、1万円で1万2千円分の買い物ができるプレミアム付き商品券をそれぞれ販売する。市の物価高騰対策支援事業を活用し、市内在住か市内への通勤・通学者...

The economic benefits of TSMC's arrival may be even better than originally anticipated. -- Kirk
TSMC's fab creates stronger-than-expected economic effect on Kumamoto
The economic benefit of TSMC's wafer factory in Kumamoto, Japan is larger than what was observed in 2022. Latest estimates have increased by 60% from the original basis made by a Japanese financial institution.

Kirk with potato chip news. If we get anything about dip we'll publish it here without fear or favor (always the highest journalistic standards, you know).
Akaushi Beef-Flavored Chips Debut to Promote Kyushu Area
KUMAMOTO — Snack maker Koike-ya Inc. has released potato chips with the flavor of Akaushi beef, a specialty of Kumamoto Prefecture.

Kirk here. I saw a segment on RKK last night about kids from Taiwan (here with their parents who have come with TSMC) beginning their studies at Kumamoto International School (KIS). English is the primary language of instruction but they have staff who can help the kids with Chinese when needed. And, they also get lesson's in Japanese. In the RKK segment, Principal Mathew Ohm described his vision for the students in excellent Japanese. Congratulations to Mr. Ohm and everyone at the school on this milestone!
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/3fcd9d8d2559247ecb4c700ffb5e083a12a0c060/images/000
P.S. Here's the URL of the school's page:
https://kumamotointer.jp/
Next step: Add an English side to this all-Japanese-language website!
TSMC進出の熊本、台湾の子どもたちが就学　移転新築の熊本インターナショナルスクール　新校舎で歓迎、新生活に「楽しみ」 (熊本日日新聞) - Yahoo!ニュース
開校した熊本インターナショナルスクール（KIS）の新校舎で授業を受ける小学部の児童たち＝4日午前、熊本市東区（上杉勇太） - Yahoo!ニュース(熊本日日新聞)

The Great Festival of Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine is coming up on the 17th of this month. The second URL takes you to an RKK TV report about getting the armor ready to be worn in the parade.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Festival_of_Fujisaki_Hachimangu_Shrine
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d394e3e0159a7adddd8f7fca166a5e3e57217f0b
I find the explanation on the Wikipedia page about the name "Boshita" to be problematic. It's an extreme oversimplification of a very complicated issue. I may post about that some other day.
The Great Festival of Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine - Wikipedia
The Great Festival of Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine is a festival of Fujisaki-hachimangu at Chūō-ku, Kumamoto every September, characterized by a parade of Shinto priests, followed by groups of followers who chase their horses shouting, "Boshita, Boshita", in earlier times; but now the parade followe...

William It's easy to forget how close Kumamoto is to the sea. Kumanichi reports on a wayward ray spotted near Kumamoto Station. One hopes he figured out how to get back to Ariake - the river only has two directions, so it shouldn't be too difficult. https://kumanichi.com/articles/1159396
Cooling weather invites outdoor activities. A wonderful bicycle ride takes the left bank (facing seaward) of Shirakawa all the way to Ariake. In town, ride along a small road at the foot of the levee; there is little traffic, and tunnels under each crossroad means no lights. Outside of town (at a small temple called 十禅寺), a steep flight of steps leads to a path atop the levee and unimpeded access to the sea with wonderful views. As an extension, when you reach the sea, turn left and continue on to Kumamoto Port (the bridge there would be the only hill on the route).
Happy trails!
海から遠い住宅地の川にエイ！？　熊本市の坪井川、河口から8キロ　散歩中の男性が動画撮影｜熊本日日新聞社
　「熊本市の白坪小学校近くの川をエイが泳いでいてびっくりした」。熊本市西区の元会社員の男性（60）が散歩中に撮影したというエイの動画が熊本日日新聞に寄せられた。海水にいるはずのエイが、河口から約8キロも上...

Kirk here with an article published in a Chinese newspaper presenting a criticism from Koichiro Matsunaga, a Minamata disease victim I have met many times. He's quoted as saying that the Japanese government "completely failed to learn from the lessons of Minamata disease."
https://english.news.cn/20230901/bb1d8c4a2d74470c96faf346d85fbb8d/c.html
Now, it's not surprising that Chinese media would publish an article critical of Japan's dump of waste water in Fukushima; after all, it's government policy for China. But, that doesn't mean that Mr. Matsunaga is being misquoted or that there is no reasonable basis for his concerns. A little publication called "National Geographic" (you may have heard of it) published an article in which the possibility of isotopes accumulating "in a variety of invertebrates, fish, marine mammals, and humans” was presented.
https://english.news.cn/20230901/bb1d8c4a2d74470c96faf346d85fbb8d/c.html
Such bioaccumulation is the sort of problem that occurred in Minamata.
Granted, it's probably true that the risk of such accumulation causing serious health problems is significantly lower than was the case in Minamata. And it's surely true that no one has proven scientifically that dangerous levels of bioaccumulation WILL occur. But, that doesn't mean that concerns are not scientific. Fukushima is, in a sense, a huge scientific experiment. The prediction is that the dilution will be sufficient to avoid serious problems. That prediction is based on science but it's only a prediction. Science can't rule out the possibility of unintended consequences. Scientific experiments produce results that were not predicted in advance quite regularly. So, when the Japanese government uses the word "science" to assuage concerns, I think it's important to remember that the science they refer to is continuing and that we won't know the full answers to many scientific questions for many decades.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/fukushima-japan-nuclear-wastewater-pacific-ocean
Japan's Minamata victims call halt to ocean discharge of nulcear-contaminated wastewater-Xinhua
Japan's Minamata victims call halt to ocean discharge of nulcear-contaminated wastewater-

SUIZENJI KOI AKARI
@SUIZENJI park tonight.
Atsuko(๑˃ᴗ˂)و♡

Atsuko here.
Dear Mizuakari fans.
みずあかり Mizuakari, the autumn festival in Kumamoto, will be held again this year on the 7th and 8th of October.
Mizuakari is beautiful to watch and enjoy, but it is even more fun if you volunteer to take part. Yesterday I took part with my daughter. Volunteers are also needed to help out in the city centre on 7 and 8 October. It's also fun to work with the あかりびと Akaribito, who turn on the lights.
All the volunteer work is done in Japanese, but all the volunteers are friendly. When I came four years ago, before Corona, there was a young man on a working holiday.
Let's enjoy autumn in Kumamoto.
https://mizuakari-net.translate.goog/?fbclid=IwAR0r893e3hFxApRdyzwgfSdeiMmF9kuxWBOj2708mtaHnLjj2XgcRfj3hJg&_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/mizuakari2004

According to the third URL below, Kounoyu (こうの湯）, a ryokan in the Kurokawa Onsen area, is the most popular onsen ryokan in Kyushu in the 1 to 10 room category. Looking at the website is making me want to save up some money (such facilities tend not to be cheap) for a visit. -- Kirk
P.S. I'm linking to the English side of their site, which I think it pretty good. But, one thing I don't like about it as that there's no link from the English back to the Japanese (clicking on "English" is basically a one-way ticket). This is problematic in part because the Japanese side has a much better interface for checking for openings and making reservations. I see this as another example of the assumption that people who might want to look at an English-language website couldn't possibly have any reason to (or be able to understand) the Japanese website. :(
http://www.kounoyu.jp/en/
http://www.kounoyu.jp/
https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/research/articles/1785470/
Ryokan Kono-Yu
Please take off your shoes within the hotel area. When moving between facilities in the hotel, please use slippers. When going out to the garden or the carpark in the hotel, please use “Setta”(Japanese leather-soled sandals).

Click here to see the current list of events:
https://kumamotoi.blogspot.com/2023/09/calendar.html
I'll keep this post "pinned" to the top of the page so that you can find the link easily. -- Kirk

This extensive article discusses various ways in which Kumamon is being used to promote tourism.
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/travel-spots/20230902-133726/
It says that Kumamon Square is is located in the "Tetoria Kumamoto Building," which probably won't help most people find it. Here's a page that shows its location in the Tsuruya Department Store downtown:
https://www.kumamon-sq.jp/en/
Note that "Suidocho" should be capitalized. -- Kirk
Kumamoto Pref. pushes ‘Kumamon Land’ vision
KUMAMOTO — Quite a few establishments headlining Kumamon, the widely loved mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, have popped up or undergone renovations through out the prefecture over the years, hoping to draw in tourists who want to meet the popular bear. The prefectural government plans to make the mo...