Posts

Kirk with a visual puzzle from my neighborhood. The image on the bottom is the actual photo and the image on the top is a mirror image of it (top and bottom reversed). As you can see, the English in blue only becomes completely legible in the mirror image. I'd love to know the backstory behind this (what the sign maker was thinking) but at this point I have no clue.
P.S. This apartment building is in my neighborhood. I've walked by it many times but only noticed the lettering being flipped vertically today.

Kirk here with another post that is tangentially related to the arrival of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) in Kumamoto. I just listened to an hour-long interview with Chris Miller, author of "Chip War." I found it to be a very edifying discussion; I learned about the global importance of TSMC and many other interesting things about the technology in our phones and computers:
https://www.ivoox.com/en/when-the-microchips-are-down-with-chris-miller-audios-mp3_rf_96388890_1.html
This reminds of the "think globally; act locally" aphorism. In this case, I'd like to change it to "thinking about local affairs can help one see global issues with more clarity" -- at least that's how I feel about what I've learned about TSMC recently.

Kirk here. This article discusses the impact of TSMC in Japan so the focus isn't on Kumamoto. Still, if you're interested, I think the article provides some context.
I saw a TV show in which they described how Japan went from being a major manufacturer of chips to being an importer. Now, Japan and other countries are trying to develop their own chip manufacturing sectors.
If you like podcasts, you may enjoy listening to the show the Throughline did on the growth of Taiwan's "Silicon Island":
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/05/1127015286/silicon-island
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/Semiconductors/Japan-s-chip-equipment-makers-scale-up-ahead-of-TSMC-s-arrival
Japan's chip equipment makers scale up ahead of TSMC's arrival
Industry sees recovery down the road from current slump

Kirk here. As I posted the other day, Roasso came close to getting into J1 but didn't quite make it. You can see the highlights here:
【公式】ハイライト：京都サンガF.C.vsロアッソ熊本 Ｊ１参入プレーオフ 決定戦 2022/11/13
2022年11月13日（日）に行われたＪ１参入プレーオフ 決定戦 京都vs熊本のハイライト動画です。「DAZN」で全試合生中継！https://prf.hn/click/camref:1101l7v5g/creativeref:1011l36933/destination:https://prf.hn/click...

William Haiku is tricky: ideally, it is a 5:7:5 syllable bit with a seasonal reference, though lenience is granted. Kumanichi reports that a Ukranian woman won the Kusamakura (草枕) haiku competition despite having never visited Japan:
壊滅した家／昨夜まで／家庭だったのに
(devastated house/before last night/it was a home)
Kusamakura (草枕, lit. "grass pillow") is a standard phrase used in Japanese poetry to signify a journey; it is also the name of a town just north of Mt Kimpo offering a wonderful onsen. The town features in a novel by Natsume Sōseki　https://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000148/files/776_14941.html. With a stunning view of Mt Unzen, the onsen is quite worth a visit - and a pause to reflect on the tragedy faced by Ukrainians.
http://www.kusamakura.jp/kusa_on/
https://kumanichi.com/articles/855537

Kirk here. Kumamoto's Murakami had a great year. Given his ability and his interest in moving to the majors, I think it's just a matter of time now.
Baseball: Yakult Swallows star Munetaka Murakami reveals MLB ambitions
The Yakult Swallows' record-breaking slugger Munetaka Murakami revealed on Nov. 14 he has his sights set on a move to the majors as soon as possible.

William Youngsters have other things on their minds to consider than plants. A notable point about moving to Japan before plants first grab one's attention is that one learns the Japanese term, not the English.
Fortunately, kochia is ideally suited to katakana: コチア.
Apparently, it is blooming now in Matsushima, down in Amakusa. If you've never been to Matsushima, put it off until next summer: scour the entire island for a private beach (locals might give you a lift in their kei trucks, and there's a treasure on the east side accessible by a very long stairway). It's one of those islands created when Unzen went all kablooee.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/853132
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kochia

Kirk here. Kumamoto's Roasso came close to making it into the J1 soccer (football) league:
--- start quote---
In an evenly matched encounter, Kumamoto drew level from a corner in the 68th minute, with defender Osamu Henry Iyoha's header at the near post going in off the far upright.
Rei Hirakawa then came within inches of sending Kumamoto to J1 in stoppage time, but his powerful effort from inside the box hit the right post after his initial strike was blocked by Kyoto forward Peter Utaka's face.
--- end quote ---
Soccer: Kyoto ensure J1 survival in playoff draw with J2 Kumamoto - The Mainichi
KAMEOKA, Kyoto (Kyodo) -- Kyoto Sanga retained their place in the J-League first division for next season after holding on for a 1-1 draw against J2 R

Kirk here. Yesterday I posted that Mr. Onishi was re-elected as as mayor. In response, Kumamoto International regular Kazuhiro Oyama mentioned the low voter turnout. This article says that 28.26% is the lowest in Kumamoto City's post-WWII history -- the first time for the percentile to enter the 20s.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/854228

Kirk here reporting that Mr. Onishi has been re-elected as mayor of Kumamoto City. The gentleman with the creative poster I shared the other day came in third.
熊本市長選 現職の大西一史氏 3回目の当選確実 自・公が推薦 | NHK
【NHK】現職と新人の3人による争いとなった熊本市長選挙は、自民党と公明党が推薦した現職の大西一史氏（54）の3回目の当選が確実に…

Kirk here with something about the relationship between Montana and Kumamoto:
Mansfield Center hosts Kumamoto delegates to celebrate 40-year relationship
Despite language barriers and over 5,000 miles separating them, Kumamoto, Japan and the state of Montana share plenty of similarities.

William Susuki, or pampas grass, is a harbinger of autumn. Our friend Liz Suenaga captured this stunning image of susuki sheaths framing the eclipsed moon.
JMA (the Japan Meteorological Agency) has forecast an autumn and winter colder than average. Considering the global fuel situation, wearing a sweater would be preferable to turning up the heat.
https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/map.html#5/35/135/&elem=temperature&pattern=P3M&term=0&contents=season&lang=en

Kirk here with news about the director Noriaki Tsuchimoto, whose "Minamata: The Victims and their World" is reviewed on the following website:
https://asianmoviepulse.com/2018/08/documentary-review-minamata-the-victims-and-their-world-1971-by-noriaki-tsuchimoto/
Here's a blurb about an event being held now at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York:
--- start quote ---
One of the most unjustly overlooked of all documentary filmmakers, Noriaki Tsuchimoto made films that are revelatory in their patient pursuit of humanity. Emerging on the world cinema scene in 1964 with the subversive tour de force On the Road: A Document, which marked him as a strident formal innovator and firebrand leftist, Tsuchimoto gradually pared down his personal style and ceded his works to their surroundings, as evinced in his masterful trilogy of 1970s films that grapple with the outbreak of Minamata disease in the eponymous town of Minamata (Minamata: The Victims and Their World, Minamata Revolt: A People’s Quest for Life, and The Shiranui Sea). Tsuchimoto, a perennial Marxist, was distinctly mindful of the “original sin” at the heart of his vocation—that films almost always benefit filmmakers more than their subjects—and a keen awareness of this imbalance fueled much of Tsuchimoto’s work. He was never satisfied if his films didn’t also function as chronicles of their own making or question the ultimate efficacy of art and communication, and these preoccupations guided Tsuchimoto toward a rarefied grace in the face of an often-brutal reality. He was greatly admired by his contemporaries Claude Lanzmann and Shinsuke Ogawa, and was considered to be, along with Ogawa, one of the two most important figures in the history of Japanese documentary. This is the first major stateside retrospective of Tsuchimoto’s work.
--- end quote ---
https://www.jfny.org/event/the-trailblazing-documentary-cinema-of-noriaki-tsuchimoto/
Documentary Review: Minamata: The Victims and Their World (1971) by Noriaki Tsuchimoto
The second in a series of independent documentaries Noriaki Tsuchimoto shot regarding the mercury-poisoning incident in Minamata, is considered one of the Documentary Review: Minamata: The Victims and Their World (1971) by Noriaki Tsuchimoto

Kirk here with one more share. Thanks Mark!
Game Information
VENUE: Sanga Stadium by Kyocera
1:05 PM , 13 November 2022
Kyoto, Japan
https://www.espn.com.au/football/match/_/gameId/656825
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/8130695140337180

Kirk here with a share that should be of interest to history buffs and/or lovers of travel. And, best of all, the price is right: "Free for monitor participants." :)

https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/8146248838781810

Kirk here introducing a post about Mason Buskirk, who is working to get the JR Hisatsu Line restored and to keep the SL Hitoyoshi in service.
I contacted him after reading the article and he shared this link to a Japanese-language website associated with his efforts:
http://www.hisatsu-again.info/shomei/index.html
Mason, you can explain this better than I can. Please add any information or comments that occur to you. :)
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14754350
Young American determined to save SL train line in Kumamoto | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
The odds are stacked heavily against him, but Mason Buskirk is continuing his drive for a resumption of operations on the JR Hisatsu Line in Kumamoto Prefecture, especially a beloved steam locomotive.

Kirk here reporting that it is now (beginning yesterday) possible to get up close and personal with the volcano.
阿蘇中岳　約１年１カ月ぶりに火口見学再開（熊本）（TKUテレビ熊本） - Yahoo!ニュース
去年１０月以降、立ち入りが規制されていた阿蘇中岳の火口見学が９日から再開され、朝から多くの観光客が訪れています。 【島　征吾記者】 「午前８時過ぎです。火口へ向かうゲートの前には約１０台の車が列を

Kirk here with a post-eclipse note on why a reddish moon was visible last night even when it was in the shadow of the earth. As you can see in the NASA image I've borrowed for this post, the earth's atmosphere functioned as a prism that projected red light on the moon. That's why it didn't disappear in the shadow and why it looked red.
By the way, when light enters our atmosphere a similar phenomenon paints the sky blue. If the angle were different, we'd have a red sky instead of a blue one. ;)
P.S. I heard a little about this on an American radio segment about the eclipse. In North America people had to get up early to see it. I was glad to be able to see it here without losing any sleep.
https://moon.nasa.gov/news/185/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-lunar-eclipse/

William A headline and sub-headline in the Kumanichi caught my eye:
"First-year student at Kumamoto Kogyo High School commits suicide in October; suspicion of bullying cannot be ruled out"
and
"For the second time, Prefecture to initiate third-party investigation."
Apparently, the Prefecture instituted an ordinance in 2018 that all primary (K-12) student suicides must be investigated by an independent entity to prevent coverups.
A former student of mine, the owner and president of a medium-size company founded by his grandfather, committed suicide after his company went bankrupt. He was like a Japanese father to the still way-green me 30 years ago, and 30 years later, it still hurts like it was yesterday. It was a lesson to me: suicide is, essentially, a selfish act, leaving survivors with scars that will never heal.
If you are considering harming yourself or know anyone who is, contact the Tokyo English Life Line (TELL), https://telljp.com/lifeline/ to talk with professionals trained in this area.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/848060?utm_source=kumanichi&utm_medium=mail&utm_campaign=newsletter
熊本工高の1年生、10月に自殺　いじめ疑い排除できず　県教委が第三者委調査へ｜熊本日日新聞社
　熊本県教育委員会は7日、熊本工高（熊本市中央区）1年の生徒（16）が10月23日に自殺したと発表した。県教委は学校の報告から、生徒が、所属する部活動の部員によるいじめを苦にしていた疑いがあると判断。第三者委員....

Kirk here with some election news. There is a mayoral election underway in Kumamoto (Nov. 13) and the person you see in this poster is one of the candidates. I don't think he'll win (I'm betting on the re-election of Mr. Onishi) but I'd like to give him an award for most creative/enigmatic poster. His name is not shown on it; the only text to read is the word "灰色" (haiiro; grey).
Here's my English summary of the candidate's reasoning:
"The word 'grey' signifies the current state of politics in Kumamoto. Everything needs to be made white so the lettering is white. I didn't put my name on the poster because I want people to go to a polling venue and see it there."
「今の政治が灰色。真っ白にするために白文字を。で、名前を入れていないので有権者の方に投票所に行ってもらうためです。あとは投票所で公報を見ていただく」
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f2229926263a4e661fbbc521c43976199ecd6bbd
Actually, I posted earlier this year about how Japanese election posters are paragons of clarity:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0A1j2LrLgLgfoAMAtZw2xZQMgsbE8nb6DsNwxd517GtkHVmXtPPxcMyTN1CKkjCVbl
Make that "are usually paragons of clarity" . . . ;)
P.S. The photo is one I took with my smart phone.