Posts

Kirk here. Koichi HAGIUDA, Minister for Promoting Green Transformation of Japan (and, by the way, a politician known for his cozy relations with the Unification Church [Moonies]) visited Kumamoto today in connection with preparations for the arrival of TSMC. According to the news report, Kumamoto University is considering teaching classes at the affiliated elementary and junior high school in English so that the children of engineers can study there. Minister Hagiuda went so far as to speculate that classes at the school might be conducted entirely in English and still be in accord with the Ministry of Eduction guidelines (学習指導要領).
Personally, I wonder how many of the families that will be coming to Kumamoto will want to have (or be ready for) instruction conducted entirely in English. Here's a quote about English proficiency in Taiwan:
--- start quote ---
In the EF English Proficiency Index of 2018, which was the last time Taiwan was included, Taiwan ranked 48th out of 88 non-English speaking countries. With a score of 51.88, Taiwan fell into the “low proficiency” category.
--- end quote ---
https://bubbleteaisland.com/2023/05/09/what-percentage-of-taiwan-can-speak-english/
By the way, in that 2018 survey Japan was ranked 49th. In other words, typical Taiwanese proficiency in English was just above that of Japan. So, isn't this a little like people in Taiwan saying "Many Japanese business executives will be moving here. We need more schools that provide instruction in English"? Granted, some such people might prefer instruction in English to instruction in the local language, but that doesn't mean that instruction in English alone is the obvious solution to questions regarding how best to education the children of such workers. The media coverage I've seen so far has ignored the question of whether or not the families of people from Taiwan would really want or be ready for instruction only in English.
Another question is Would Kumadai's elementary and junior high schools really be able to provide good quality instruction only in English? I've heard rumors that some people in the Faculty of Education, which would have to administer such a curriculum, aren't happy about all this talk about doing everything in English.
articles/rkk/621187?display=1&mwplay=1
萩生田政調会長　半導体教育の現場視察　熊大附属小・中学校で“英語”授業を検討 | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送
半導体に関する熊本での教育や研究の取り組みを視察するため、自民党の萩生田光一（はぎうだ こういち）政調会長が熊本を訪れました。萩生田政調会長は蒲島知事などと意見交換をした後、熊本大学や熊本高等専門学…

Kirk here with more about the rebuilt Minami Aso Railway. If you go to the article, you'll find a related video.
‘One Piece’-Themed ‘Sunny Train’ Sets Sail Again on Minami-Aso Railway in Kumamoto
KUMAMOTO — The “Sunny Train,” modeled after the pirate ship ridden by characters including Luffy, the protagonist of the popular manga “One Piece,” began operation on Saturday in Kumamoto Prefecture on the Minami-Aso Railway.

Kirk here with a slightly modified DeepL transtation about the Yukata Festival to be next weekend:
Eight shopping streets in the center of Kumamoto City will hold a festival under the theme "yukata become a castle town." A variety of events will be held, including stage events, a somen noodle float (somen nagashi), and a fair. 熊本市中心部の８つの商店街が、市民参加型の祭りとして開催。「ゆかた」の似合う城下町をテーマに、ステージイベントやそうめん流し、縁日など、多彩なイベントを実施。
https://kumanichi.com/event/1091698

Kirk here with news of an accident in Aso. Normally I wouldn't bother to post about such an accident but the family is reported to be foreign (parents in their 40s and two boys 10 or older). Fortunately, all are expected to live. I hope no one suffered a serious injury.
阿蘇の大観峰で外国人家族の乗用車が転落事故　子ども２人合わせて４人が病院に搬送　熊本 | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送
7月21日（金）午後0時40分ごろ、阿蘇市の大観峰（だいかんぼう）の駐車場近くで、乗用車が道路横の草地に転落しました。警察によりますと乗用車に乗っていたのは外国人の家族で、40代の夫婦と10代の息子2人の合わ…

William The original Honmyoji temple was built in 1585 in Osaka to console the spirit of the father of Katō Kiyomasa, who moved it to Kumamoto Castle in 1600. Following his death on July 24, 1611 and burial on Mount Nakao, the temple was moved there in 1614, followed by numerous other temples lining the many steps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honmy%C5%8D-ji
To mourn the first anniversary of Kiyomasa's death, it is said that the 69,384 characters of the Lotus Sutra were copied in a single night on July 23 by the temple's 3rd head, Nichiyojin, which was called the Tonsya-e (頓写経), literally, "a sutra copied in an instant". In commemoration of this feat, a festival is held that date called Tonsya-kai (頓写会); the stairs are lined with lanterns.
Following a hiatus due to corona, it will be held again this Sunday, the 23rd, between 7:00 and 11:30. Schedule:
7:30 p.m. Departure of Tonsha-no-kyo procession
8:00 p.m. Tonsha-e large memorial service Houraku Kaji prayer
9:30 p.m. Wake sermon
There are many steps, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water - and a camera! We'd love to receive your photos and will post all contributed to us.
Official site: http://www.honmyouji.jp/topic.html

Kirk here with a share from Explore Kumamoto. It's about the opening of the earthquake museum "KIOKU" where Building 1 of Tokai University's Aso Campus once stood. Here's a link to a Google map:
https://goo.gl/maps/7bB7S1JwvntjvKrV9
You might have a problem with the URL to the J-Server machine translation of the museum website. If so, you can get there directly with the following link:
https://kumamotojishin-museum.com/
www.facebook.com/explorekumamoto/posts/pfbid0yHb2yhU5g3MmoQHcEn1dRsA9wMD4yFcsubGgDw9onZycppN4jttXUgFGXxgbsA2Ml

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.