Posts
Kirk here with some photos of Japanese maples and some notes about the words momiji (紅葉) and kaede (楓). First, regarding the photos, the one taken from a distance is of a Japanese maple on the campus of Kumamoto Gakuen University that was looking quite nice in the afternoon sun on Friday. My smartphone photo doesn't do it justice but I really enjoyed taking it in after class. The other photo is one I took from the following article that discusses the words momiji and kaede:
https://thegate12.com/jp/article/437
It's a bit confusing because both momiji and kaede are used to refer to the same tree -- the Japanese maple. Sometimes the tree will just be called "kaede" but the same tree can be called "iroha momiji." "Momiji" tends to be associated with the fall colors. Indeed, the word is written with characters that mean "red leaves" (紅葉). And, when people go on autumn hikes looking for strikingly beautiful views of the fall colors, that's called "momiji gari" (紅葉狩り) or "momiji hunting," not "kaede hunting."
So, if you want to talk about the beautiful colors, "momiji" is a good choice but "kaede" might be a better choice if you want to focus on the tree itself -- but there doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule.
To native speakers of Japanese: Did I get this right? Please write a comment if you think I made a mistake or if you have a different understanding.
https://thegate12.com/jp/article/437
(Fiona) Here's the schedule for the second week of my Christmas Quest fundraising event.
Sunday November 27th: Morning, afternoon and evening slots available
Thursday December 1st: 10am
Friday December 2nd: 8:30pm
Saturday December 3rd: Morning, afternoon and evening slots available
The game is for teams of 2-5 players and lasts an hour. It costs 1000 yen to play (500 yen for elementary to university students) and 75% of proceeds go to Team Tonakai. The location is Britz English School/Escape from Britz, 1-1-8 Onoue, Higashi-ku and reservations can be made by sending a message via Kumamoto-i or the Escape from Britz page.
To clarify, there is no escape element to this game. You are not locked in a room and are free to leave at any time! The game is about searching for items, solving puzzles and trying to complete a quest before time runs out. Some English is needed but it's not too difficult and hints are available. The game is entirely my own creation and I'm planning to keep it open until Christmas.
Since no-one has come to play the game yet, I'm offering an added incentive - bookings made before the end of November qualify for free mince pies!
Kirk here with baseball news. Murakami is being offically recognized as a local hero.
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/baseball/20221124-73000/
KIrk here. Helping others can be very gratifying -- good for yourself as well as the people you're helping. I hope someone with language skills (no need to be good enough to do simultaneous interpreting at the U.N) can help out. If not, I may be able to but I've kind of got my hands full managing this page so I'd sure appreciate it if someone else out there could contact Sheila to offer some help. Thanks!! :)
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/8195606880512672
Kirk here with news from RKK that it's going to take longer than originally expected to completely rebuild Kumamoto Castle after the damage from the 2016 quakes. Originally, I was estimated that the work could be completed by 2038. Now it looks like it will take until 2052 -- an additional 15 years. Work on the Honmaru Goten (home to the residing lord when not at ware) and Uto Yagura (building with second largest turret) should be finished around 2032 (10 years from now) and work on other important cultural properties is now estimated to take until 2042. The stone walls (ishigaki) won't all be put bacc together until 2052. Well, that better than Humpty Dumpty, who was never put back together.
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/210874
P.S. Why Is Humpty Dumpty An Egg? An Investigation
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg-an-investigation_n_61087611e4b0999d2084fb9f
熊本城の復旧 当初計画よりも15年遅れて30年後の2052年度に | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送
熊本県内の観光に影響は出ないのでしょうか。熊本市は熊本地震で被災した熊本城の復旧について、当初の計画より完成が大幅に遅れるとの見通しを示しました。熊本地震で被災した熊本城の復旧計画は、2018年に策定さ…
Kirk here with football (soccer) news. Japan plays Germany at 10PM tonight (Japan time). One of the players, Shogo Taniguchi, went to Ozu High School, a school that is known for the strength of its soccer program.
I can understand that many people have decided to refrain from viewing World Cup matches because of the controversies surrounding the host country. The biggest issue in my mind is the abuse of migrant workers. This article from the Guardian says that 6,500 have died in Qatar since the World Cup awarded 10 years ago:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022
That certainly gives me pause but I'm still interested to see how the game will turn out.
https://www.jfa.jp/eng/samuraiblue/member/taniguchi_shogo.html
Kirk here with some statistics on the 2020 population of non-Japanese in Kumamoto. The numbers from countries whose primary language is English are surprisingly low: just 370 from the US; I presume from the graph that other English-speaking countries are in the "other" category and have fewer than 51 (the lowest number for an individual country on the graph) living here.
The largest number were from Vietnam: 6239 in 2020. China and the Philippines follow. Another graph on the page indicates that the number for "trainees" (in issue we've discussed on the page) was 8,834 -- the biggest category by far.
https://xn--wckxc688jykhyucvwh863cdkhro4b.com/topics/%E7%86%8A%E6%9C%AC%E7%9C%8C%E3%81%AE%E5%9C%A8%E7%95%99%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E6%95%B0.html
Kirk here with a view of Kikuchi Keikoku (Kikuchi Gorge) that was posted to a blog on Friday. I should have posted earlier about Kikuchi Keikoku as a great place to enjoy the fall colors because it's getting rather late in the season. But, I would guess that it's still quite pretty. Has anyone been there recently? Please leave a comment.
【美しい日本の風景】熊本県 菊池渓谷｜TABIFLEEEEEK（たびふりーく）旅のオンラインサロン｜note
(Fiona) Here's the schedule for week one of TOM TANIGUCHI'S CHRISTMAS QUEST. The game lasts an hour but allow around 90 minutes total for explanation, photos etc.
Monday November 21st: anytime after 6pm
Wednesday November 23rd (national holiday) 10am to 4pm
Saturday November 26th: anytime after 3pm
Sunday November 27th: anytime
The game is best played in a team of 2-5 players and is suitable for all ages. It will run for six weeks and costs 1000 yen per player, 500 yen for children and students, to raise money for the Team Tonakai Christmas toy drive.
It's taking place at Britz English School 1-1-8 Onoue, Higashi-ku, Kumamoto-shi. Games must be reserved in advance.
Please contact me (Fiona Wall Minami) with any questions or to book a time for your team.
Kirk here with a post about how it's gotten colder recently. Last week (I think it was Wednesday when this article was published) the cold morning air caused a phenomenon in Amakusa called "kearashi" (気嵐; けあらし; smoke on the water [not the song, the phenomenon]).
--- start quote ---
"It happens when the air mass is so cold it makes the water steam like a pot on a stove would," Samuhel said. Sea smoke is also sometimes referred to as arctic sea smoke, frost smoke, steam fog or sea fog.
--- end quote ---
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/smoke-on-the-water-how-sea-smoke-occurs/352438#:~:text=As%20a%20light%20wind%20of,into%20fog%2C%20or%20sea%20smoke.
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/205144?display=1
冬の訪れ 天草で「気嵐（けあらし）」今季最低気温を記録 | 熊本のニュース｜RKK熊本放送
16日朝の熊本県内は今シーズン一番の冷え込みとなった所があり、天草地方では冬の訪れを告げる気嵐（けあらし）が見られました。16日朝の県内は、放射冷却の影響で冷え込みが強まりました。最低気温は熊本市や天草…
Carlton here. I have a selfish nationalistic interest in eating turkey this Thursday (American Thanksgiving). Does anyone know of any Kumamoto restaurants that might be offering that for the few folks like me who might have such a seasonal craving?
Hi Atsuko here, with colorful autumn leaves.
The Formere Residence of Hosokawa Gyobu Aulumn Illumination , from November 18 till December 4.
The garden is open from 9 am to 9 pm, and the admission is free.
There are still many green leaves, and the best time to see them is yet to come.
Please enjoy the colorful autumn in Kumamoto with green, yellow, and red colors that look good on the white walls!(*'-'*)
Fiona here with an announcement about a fundraiser in aid of Team Tonakai, the annual drive to bring Christmas presents to children in care homes and orphanages around Kumamoto prefecture.
People who have lived in Kumamoto for a while may remember that before the pandemic hit I created a pop-up escape room called Escape from Britz. Teams had an hour to solve puzzles, crack codes and find hidden treasures, and their efforts helped to break a curse and save Kumamon from a deadly assassin! The games have been on hiatus for a few years, during which time I was quietly creating more puzzles and had an escape room themed English textbook published.
Now, Escape from Britz is back for a limited time, with a new homemade game called TOM TANIGUCHI'S CHRISTMAS QUEST. It's a family-friendly search and solve game perfect for teams of 2-5 players. It costs 1000 yen to play (500 yen for children and students) and 75% of the money raised will be donated to Team Tonakai. Hints are available anytime you get stuck and players don't need perfect English skills to be able to play. There is no escape element to the game (you are not locked in), there are no scary bits and no danger involved! Players will receive small prizes as well as competing for the honour of fastest and highest scoring teams!
The game takes place inside my actual classroom outside of teaching hours....so please contact me to book a slot on weekends, Monday evenings, and some weekday times. The address is 1-1-8 Onoue, Higashi-ku Kumamoto-shi. Parking is available and it's just a few minutes walk from both bus and tram stops. You can find me on Facebook (Fiona Wall Minami) or send a message to the Kumamoto-i inbox and I will get back to you. The game can also be booked via the Escape from Britz Facebook page.
Please spread the word as the game will only be here until the winter holidays. My goal is to raise at least 25,000 yen for Team Tonakai.
Any questions, please post them in the comments and I look forward to seeing you on the quest soon!
Kirk here with a share from Kuma Visit about the Autumn illumination of the Former Hosokawa Residence (Gyobutei; 旧細川刑部邸).
By the way, if you're interested in what a "Gyobutei" is, the last character (邸; tei) means residence and Gyobu (刑部; ぎょうぶ) seems to be part of the name of 細川刑部少輔興孝＜ぎょうぶしょうゆうおきたか＞ (Hosokawa Gyobushoyuokitaka). It would seem that Gyobutei is the house that Gyobushoyuokitaka built. My guess is that no one could remember his whole name so they just called him "Gyobu" for short. ;) He's not known for much (doesn't even have his own Wikipedia page) but he sure built a cool place to hang out with his friends!
P.S. After a bit more investigation I see that 刑部少輔 (the first four characters) seems to be some sort of title and that his given name was Okitaka (興孝) -- much easier to remember. I'm not sure if he really earned the 刑部少輔 title or if he just took it on to impress people.
https://www.facebook.com/kumavisit/posts/pfbid034z2ZifgS2zhiydnp6YAVWXkeS4EqciAoKcJh8Gb48P7eu91hmYwkkAqmGw8C4XZvl
The convention that seems to have been established of putting the name of the person posting is, in my opinion, less than ideal. There is already a byline indicating who created the post. Starting the text with the posters name is distracting and conveys no additional information. I ask that it be stopped.
Just write your post and we will know who did it.
Kirk here with a video of the SL Hitoyoshi introduced by Mason Buskirk in the following thread:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid08SecJeZr9uhRjf7GMXF5xgmVxrWZJURT93FWHhUPqfXfi1odY7fs2uYCgy4pQ1Q6l
The video is very nicely done and I thought it deserved a wider audience.
SL人吉 2013年ラストラン
2013.11.24撮影再復活から5年目を迎えたSL人吉。11/24に今シーズンのラストランを終えました。今年一年の感謝を込め、ハチロクは何度も汽笛を鳴らして沿線の声援に応えます。来年春、また元気に肥薩線に戻ってきてほしいも...
Ruth here! 🇬🇷🇬🇳🇳🇵 Just reminding you that this Sunday, 20th November, the 27th Kumamoto International Friendship Festival will be held at SunRoad ShinShiGai downtown (not at the Kengun arcade!) 🇿🇦🇰🇷🏴 Local Irish music musicians will be on the opening stage from 11am🎶🎻 And there'll be plenty of stalls, experiences and culture throughout the afternoon! 第27回熊本県国際交流祭典を楽しみましょう! 11月20日（日曜日に）サンロード新市街で開催されます。11時からのオープニングステージに、アイルランド伝統音楽の演奏を行います。Irishcream（アイリッシュ・クリーム）とCeoltoiri（キョールトリ）の皆さんが出演します🍀
Kirk here. William posted about this earlier but I found an English-language article that I thought I'd share. Unlike the photo in William's post, this one has relatively few people wearing masks.
William's post:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0zXJxm1FbzxHhudkZZh3hsHfdkSpfiZCqaELiJ7TVtX5uoYwKsj1TDsLrRmwCtBJJl
Chugging along: 'Beer gar-den' tram in southwest Japan makes comeback after 7 yrs - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- All aboard the
