William If you've a chance, pop out in the early evening and look at the western sky. Jupiter and Venus are visible after sunset. The two planets appear closer together each evening, as they head for a conjunction on March 1.
Posts
Kirk here with a belated report on efforts to "give back" to the people of Turkey who, as you all know, are suffering in the aftermath of a terrible earthquake. In the Japanese video, Governor Kabashima calls donating to Turkish victims "giving back" (恩返し; ongaeshi) because the people of Turkey came to Kumamoto's aid in 2016.
Kirk here with some Kumadai news.
William Japan Today reports on how TSMC and its suppliers have upended the property market in Kikuyo as it turns from an agricultural town into a global hub for semiconductors. The article also mentions that other tech companies face difficulty in securing employees due to the higher wages TSMC offers. A must-read article: https://japantoday.com/category/tech/focus-tsmc-chip-giant-spurs-factory-land-shortage-in-small-kyushu-town
TV show featuring Mr. Yagi on sharing information with foreigners during a disaster
all that jazz....For those living here in Kumamoto who sometimes have a craving for a couple of hours of live jazz,
Kirk here with road rage news (not me, someone else ;) ). I have used the Sanko Bus service between Kumamoto and Fukuoka many times. It's a very convenient way to get to and from the airport. I'm not sure if the bus that became the victim in this incident was following that same route but it very well might have been. At any rate, this incident has become national news and the guy has been arrested. Check out the video to see the view from the bus's drive recorder. Yikes!
Kumamoto City Marathon
Kirk here with an NHK video about the Yamaga Toro Hyakka Hyakusai. Here's the blub on the page:
Kirk here with a bakery recommendation. The location is Honmyoji. It's still a bit early, but it's really very beautiful during cherry blossom season, as Liz's photos attest. In this post I am merely sharing screenshots of Liz's photos as they appeared in the following post by William:
Kirk here with information about a good quality e-book that has been published about the Aso area.
William We seem to be experiencing an earthquake swarm centered on the central and north-eastern sections of the Futagawa fault, which has remained unruptured since the 2016 quakes.
Noyaki (野焼き) workshop for foreigners - Field trip
Love Local, Treat yourself Valentine's event
William That was an interesting quake. Apparently, the epicenter was in Nishiharamura, which sits astride the Futagawa fault, the same guy responsible for our trouble years ago. Likely stress built up by southern quakes is gradually working its way north. But without that fault, we wouldn't have the Tateno Gap, and the caldera would be a huge lake.
Kirk here with sad news about vandalism. Some sort of fluid that left a red stain was thrown on a monument (reibyo; 霊廟)to HOSOKAWA Gracia in Kurokami, near Kumamoto University. First, who was HOSOKAWA Gracia?
Kirk here. If you live in the Aso area and would like to study Japanese, this should interest you.
William with two pieces of online software you should try.
Kirk here with news about Kumamoto International's own (well, we don't "own" him but he's been a participant) Andrew Mitchell. Go Andrew!!
Kumamon homecoming video series
