Posts

Kirk here. I've ridden on this train. Brings back memories. Not sure, though, if it would be my first choice now that it doesn't move. ;)
Kumamoto: Retro Sleeper Train Now Cozy Lodgings
TARAGI, Kumamoto — A once popular sleeper train refurbished as a simplified accommodation facility warmly welcomes guests longing to relive its glory days. Three passenger cars from the Hayabusa limited express sleeper train now serve as a cozy and nostalgia-inducing lodging facility near Taragi S...

Michaela here - posting for the first time about an article that's now a month old but I only just saw it today. Apparently in an effort to attract wealthy international tourists to travel to remote/untapped regions (untapped by most international visitors I guess), Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) has selected 11 areas across Japan, dubbing them “Model Tourism Spots”, including the Aso and Unzen regions (bundled together with Kagoshima). It seems like these 11 “Model Tourism Spots” look to receive some funding to support this, including promotion, speciality personnel and training for guides ‘aimed at foreigners’.
According to JTA, the majority of international tourists travelling prior to Covid shutdowns, who spent more than 1,000,000 yen during their time in Japan, spent their time in Tokyo, Osaka or other major cities, so are looking to encourage these high-rollers to visit other regions. Not sure when this will kick off or what it will look like for Kumamoto. Link to article below.
訪日外国人を呼び込む 全国11か所を「モデル観光地」に 観光庁 | NHK
【NHK】インバウンド需要の回復で、日本を訪れる富裕層の外国人を各地の観光地に呼び込もうと、観光庁は、全国11か所を「モデル観光地…

Kirk here. It is taking an extraordinarily long time but some of the victims of the helicopter crash have been identified.
"Aoki Shinichi was named Sakamoto's successor. A ceremony marking Aoki's assignment was held in the GSDF's Camp Kita-Kumamoto in Kumamoto Prefecture on Saturday."
The NHK WORLD page contains a brief video report in English.
The accident occurred in the context of a massive military build up being pushed through by the Kishida administration in response to perceived threats from China, North Korea, and Russia:
Japan’s new military policies: Origins and implications
https://www.sipri.org/commentary/blog/2023/japans-new-military-policies-origins-and-implications
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230422_17/
New chief assigned to Japan's GSDF 8th Division following helicopter accident | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force has assigned a new chief to its 8th Division following the death of the previous commander who was on board a missing GSDF helicopter.

Kirk here. The new Avatar film began showing in Kumamoto today. Here are the theaters:
熊本ピカデリー (Kumamoto Piccadilly)
ユナイテッド・シネマ熊本 (United Cinema Kumamoto)
イオンシネマ熊本 (AEON Cinema Kumamoto)
I'm posting this as information, not a promotion. Today's Earth Day so I did a little search to see if anything was going on in relation to Earth Day here and this is what came up:
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/263ae73acb4c6e318c5c6a4401ef9782e7c0adec
If anyone has seen it, please add a comment about how you did or didn't like it.
https://collider.com/avatar-the-way-of-water-earth-day-screenings/
'Avatar: The Way of Water' Returning to Theaters to Celebrate Earth Day
James Cameron's epic sequel took over the box office during last year's holiday season.

Kirk here. This national news came up in my "Kumamoto" news feed because Takashi Shiraishi, chancellor of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, is head of The International Group of Eminent Persons for a World without Nuclear Weapons. I hope the call a stronger nuclear nonproliferation regime will not fall on deaf ears.
Japan forum initiated by PM Kishida calls for strengthening NPT regime - The Mainichi
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Japanese nuclear disarmament forum, set up under the initiative of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, called Friday on the international

Kirk here. "The First Slam Dunk" (animated movie) is a big deal in China. The author of the the manga, Takehiko Inoue, is originally from Kagoshima but used to be a student at Kumadai:
"Inoue took a summer course at an art preparatory school with the plan of enrolling into an art university, but such schools were too expensive so he ended up going to Kumamoto University near his hometown. His submission to Weekly Shōnen Jump caught the attention of editor Taizo Nakamura and, at the age of 20, Inoue dropped out of college to move to Tokyo and pursue a career as a manga artist."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takehiko_Inoue
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/china-box-office-japan-animation-the-first-slam-dunk-1235590638/
China Box Office: Japanese Animation ‘The First Slam Dunk’ Bounces to $13 Million Opening Day
Japanese animated film “The First Slam Dunk” has taken a strong early lead at the mainland China box office, picking up $13.8 million on its Thursday opening day. Films mostly release in China on F…

Kirk here. Today it was 30.9 in Yamaga, a local record for April and the highest in the country today.
https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/rkk/region/rkk-445884.html

Kirk here with something about Tsujunkyo:
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/travel-spots/20230415-103477/
Please see the following for previous posts on this page about the aquaduct:
https://www.facebook.com/page/123734781033296/search/?q=Tsujunkyo
Kumamoto: Old Aqueduct Wows Onlookers
YAMATO, Kumamoto — Tsujunkyo Bridge’s water-release system has begun to be deployed for this season, delighting onlookers in Yamato, Kumamoto Prefecture. The 75-meter-long stone-arch aqueduct — built in 1854 to supply water to surrounding rice paddies — is an important cultural property for ...

Joe Tomei here. With my youngest daughter now at university, I've rejoined the ranks. My first post back is thanks to my oldest daughter, because a friend of hers is working for Hoshino Resort, the company which took over the downtown Parco. While the hotel, called the OMO5 Kumamoto, won't open until 25 April, we were able to stay as they train the staff and get everything up to speed.
The hotel is a pretty trendy place, with a demographic younger than me. Very high tech as you can see from the photos on the website at
https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/omo5kumamoto/
It also has family rooms that can have 1-6 guests. While most people reading this might not need to stay in a hotel, if you have family or friends visiting and you want to impress, this might be nice. When they do open, you may want to check out the Deco-Boco 3f terrace.
I've also added two photos, though the website photos are accurate and better.

Atsuko here.
I found a very interesting bird's-eye view of Kumamoto Castle Town at the students'
entrance of Gofuku Elementary School, where I have been working since April, and would like to share it with you.
Kumamoto Castle Town in the Edo period. You can enjoy it even if you don't understand Japanese, such as the paths taken by the councilors and the location of the temples. There are still temples and wholesale shops in Furumachi and Shinmachi, and you can understand the origins of the town as it is today.
You can also use this map as a basis for walking around the town today.ଘ(੭ˊ꒳​ˋ)੭✧

Kirk here. I have fond memories of visiting Tsuetate many years ago. This article is making me think it might be time for another visit.
Carp streamers 'swim' above river in southwest Japan town ahead of Children's Day - The Mainichi
OGUNI, Kumamoto -- Carp streamers are gracefully

Kirk here. Today is the seventh anniversary of the start of the 2016 earthquakes.
Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture marks 7 years since deadly earthquakes | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
A memorial ceremony has been held in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, to mark the seventh anniversary of a series of deadly earthquakes.

Kirk here with a general introduction to the prefecture that came up, for some reason, in a "news" search. It mentions three famous people associated with Kumamoto: Miyamoto Musashi (swordsman); Kawakami Tetsuharu (baseball player); Ishimure Michiko (author who wrote about Minamata disease).
Kumamoto Prefecture
Kyūshū’s Kumamoto Prefecture, rich in history, is famed for its volcanic activity, with Mount Aso erupting frequently near a number of top-ranked hot springs.

Kirk here. If you or someone close to you is a Japanese citizen who needs a passport, you should know that it is now possible to apply for new passports online. Here's the page on the prefecture's website that explains it in Japanese:
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/70/161169.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230327_02/
Kumamoto is one of 16 prefectures to allow new applications online so I seems to be a bit better than average on this one.
Online passport applications available in some parts of Japan from Monday | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Japanese officials started accepting new passport applications online in 16 prefectures on Monday.

Kirk again with an update about the movie "Living." I got this e-mail from a friend who prefers not to post to Facebook: "I saw your post about the movie LIVING on Kumamoto-I. I just wanted to make sure you knew that the Ishiguro film is now showing at Toho Cinema in Sakuramachi downtown. I saw it day before yesterday. It was exquisite." Apparently, it won't be shown again in the TOHOs in Kumamoto until next week (not sure about other venues). Here a link (unfortunately, Japanese language only):
https://hlo.tohotheater.jp/net/movie/TNPI3060J01.do?sakuhin_cd=021601
And here's a link to yesterday's post about the movie, in case you missed it:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0H85edTTJFSqm6dYV5R2vTLUVTgucJ4DCK4Mv1Nm116f38SpgCtqzHqqozZ9HyWu9l

Kirk here with news for sumo fans:
"Seiun Fuji’s career is unique. He began Sumo when he was a junior high school student in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was a member of the sumo clubs at Buntoku High School and Meiji University, and after graduating from university he went to work for Toppan Printing."
New juryo Fuji Seiun: "Rather than continuing to work and regretting it," new juryo Fuji Seiun "left his job as a factory worker at Toppan Printing to become a salaried wrestler" to become a unique wrestler.
A unique sumo wrestler, Fuji Seiun, who left his job as a factory worker at Toppan Printing to enter the world of sumo, is set to be promoted to juryo in the summer tournament that starts in May. He is the first new juryo in 23 years from Meiji University. What are the special circumstances that led...

Kirk here with something for movie fans. This little post of mine is prompted by an interview I read in the Asahi Shimbun (Japanese version) with Nobel Prize laureate Kazuo Ishiguro. Mr. Ishiguro (who was born in Nagasaki) was discussing how his love of the Kurosawa Akira film "Ikiru" led him to write the script for "Living" with Bill Nighy in the leading roll. The Japanese actor in the original film was Takashi Shimura but Mr. Ishiruro said he found himself imagining what the film might have felt like if the lead had been played by the more subdued Chishu Ryu, who made many movies with Ozu Yasujiro -- the most famous being Tokyo Story (Tokyo monogatari). Then, he said that he though of casting Bill Nighy in the lead roll -- an artist he views as a Brittish Chishu Ryu.
The references to Chishu Ryu reminded me that he is from Kumamoto:
--- start quote ---
Ryū retained the rural Kumamoto accent of his childhood throughout his life. It may have held him back early in his career, but became part of his screen persona, denoting reliability and simple honesty. When the columnist Natsuhiko Yamamoto published a deliberately provocative piece called "I Can't Stand Chishū Ryū", in which he derided Ryū's accent, there was a furious reaction, and his magazine Shūkan Shinchō (週刊新潮) was inundated with letters of protest.
-- end quote ----
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chish%C5%AB_Ry%C5%AB
The photo of Chishu Ryu is from the following English-language YouTube video about him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiAWJKgrAko
The photo of Bill Nighy was taken from the following article:
https://airmail.news/issues/2022-12-17/bill-nighy
Reading the Asahi article and preparing this post have made me that much more eager to see the film. :)

Kirk here with something for Crayon Shin-chan fans.
Popular anime Crayon Shin-chan themed playground to open in Kumamoto Pref. - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- An indoor playground themed on the popular anime series

Kirk here (following Atsuko's lead) with another item for the many Andrew Mitchell fans among our readership. As you can see in the image, Andrew will be one of two presenters in an English-language event to be held online on April 14th -- the anniversary of the start of the shaking in 2016. I will be in the zoom session primarily as a listener. If you would like to join us please write to Mr. Yagi of the Kumamoto International Foundation at [email protected].

Atsuko here, sharing KEEP, (Kumamoto Earthquake Experience Project) post.🍀*゜
https://www.facebook.com/kumadaiquake
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
KEEP member Andrew Mitchell was recently interviewed by the Mainichi newspaper regarding his earthquake experience and KEEP's activities. The article was published online on Saturday and in the nationwide print edition on Sunday morning.
Commenting on the interview, Andrew said, "It is a great honour to be featured in a national Japanese newspaper, highlighting both KEEP's work and the experiences of foreign residents during that time. I hope that many people will read this article, reflect on their own earthquake preparedness, and consider ways to make their communities safer for all residents, regardless of their nationality."
English Translated web page.
https://mainichi-jp.translate.goog/articles/20230408/k00/00m/100/127000c?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=596306829192248&id=100064388094223&sfnsn=mohttps://www.facebook.com/kumadaiquake