Posts

Carlton. Revealing to a degree my age and time in Japan, I have to note that today is the 50th anniversary of the tragic fire that destroyed the former Taiyo Department Store on Shimotori.
I had only been in Kumamoto for about 3 months at the time of its occurrence, but I can still remember how it affected the community and the family with whom I was “homestaying” as a brand new ALT on a fellowship then from the Japan-America Society.
On that day I was in Hitoyoshi speaking to a group of Japanese English teachers about what very little I knew then about the art of TESOL. It was on the return trip to Kumamoto city in a car with some of those teachers that while listening to the radio a hush fell over us as the enormity of the tragedy was reported. Many people were affected directly and far more indirectly.
For background here is the Wikipedia account: <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Taiyo_Department_Store_fire>
1973 Taiyo Department Store fire - Wikipedia
The Taiyo Department Store fire was a fire at the Taiyo Department Store, a department store in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The fire started at 1:15 p.m. on November 29, 1973; 103 people died. After the fire, regulations pertaining to the construction of buildings were strengthened, o...

Kumamoto Caste Illumination
Nov. 18- Dec. 4, 2022
It is open till 9 PM (last entry to special opening area by 8:30).
It is free to view from Ninomaru-koen area but entry to Castle special opening area will cost 800 Yen for adults and 300 Yen for kids.
For details in Japanese: https://kumamoto-guide.jp/oshiromatsuri/events/detail/68
(Posted by Hari Devkota)

Chuck Waterman here:
Does anyone on the list know a man from Indonesia named Rinka who works as a car mechanic in town?
I met him at a 7-11 today and had a nice chat with him. Then I promised to email him, but I wrote his email down wrong! I'd like to either him email me or get his correct email address.
If you know Rinka, please send me a personal message and I'll give you my email address so he can message me.
(Private message, please, since I think posting people's email addresses on a public post isn't safe.)
Thanks!

William Kumamoto International Center is helping run a drive for aid to Ukraine:

Kirk here sharing a link to the 2022 Summer YOKA:
https://www.kumamotojet.com/reiwa/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022SummerYOKA.pdf
What's YOKA? Here's the explanation about the publication on the Kumamoto JET website:
"The YOKA is an English-language newsletter published by the International Affairs Division with the help of current and former Kumamoto JETs."
https://www.kumamotojet.com/reiwa/the-yoka/
You can also find links to many previous issues of YOKA on this site.
My understanding is that the publication is largely by and for current and former JETs but I think that many of the articles should also be of interest to non-JET expatriate residents of Kumamoto.
Here, shared with permission, is part of the text of an e-mail I received and the 2022 Summer issue:
--- start quote ---
The 2022 Summer YOKA is here! This YOKA features ...
Beach Day by Paige Turner
A Three Course Meal of Korean Love by Lily Nguyen
1CHANCE FESTIVAL by Veronica Vanessa
A Dark Mountain by Thomas Holroyd
ゴキブリ by Molly M.
Spider Story by Julia Neelyy
Lost and Found by Paige Turner
Summer Fan by Anonymous
A Conversation Between Three Mosquitos on a Shoulder in Kego Park by Julia Neely
Area Leader Introductions by your 22-23 Area Leaders
Recipes by Paige Turner
夏の思い出 by Lauren Chidel
Illustrations by Kohen Pather, Mary Painter, and Emerson Neely
Photography by Cricket Lee
This YOKA was Designed by Vanessa Veronica and is best viewed in Adobe Acrobat Reader with Cover View enabled (Here's how to enable Cover View in Adobe Acrobat Reader: View > Page Display > Show Cover Page During Two-Up)
--- end quote ---
Finally, please note that this publication is copyrighted:
© Tourism and International Policy Division, Kumamoto Prefecture

Kirk here with football / soccer news. The new facility is south of Ezuko in Kumamoto City, near Kashima (see map).
Oh, and Japan plays Costa Rica tonight at 7 PM. Go Japan! And, since this is Kumamoto International, go Costa Rica! May the best team win!
https://www.fifa.com/football-development/fifa-forward/news/new-football-centre-brings-fresh-hopes-for-kumamoto

Atsuko here sharing of our friend Yagisan's post. I am going to bring a lot of them too.
The place : 国際交流会館 International center, until 12/4.
May the citizens of Ukraine have a warm Christmas and New Year!ଘ(੭ˊ꒳​ˋ)੭✧
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
（お願い）　ウクライナ防寒着人道支援in九州
(Emergency Aid Requests) To donate cloths against severe cold winter in Ukraine
ウクライナ支援で現地（隣国ポーランドなど）へ行った大学生が協力して始めた支援活動です。現地のNPO「UAid Direct」と協議し、通してウクライナの人たちの届けます。
Japanese Universities' students, who did volunteering there in the border area to Ukraine, thought how they could support Ukraine people suffering their severe cold winter, and have begun a project to collect as many clothes against the cold winter as they could, and send them to NPO UAid Direct that should be in charge of delivery of donated clothes there.
必要な衣類（厚手、防寒）
Needed clothes to protect against cold
/thick jackets　ジャケット
/ (hooded) sweaters 　センター、パーカー
/gloves 手袋
/pants　ズボン　など
＊洗濯すみ、キズがないもの
* washed, non-damaged
回収期間　12月4日まで
Period to collect(deadline) by Dec. 4
回収箱は国際交流館に設置されています。
a box for the donation is stationed at KCIC
詳細は、野尻さん（熊本大学）まで
For the details, contact Ms. Nojiri
Mail:
[email protected]
輸送費への募金も併せてお願いします。
Also, it will be very appreciative for your donation to freights.
Your keen attentions will be highly requested.

Kirk here with a photo from Aso Farmland via the "Engrish in Japan" group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EngrishInJapan/posts/6775502005799290/

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!(*'-'*)