Posts

Kirk with some economic news: "FUJIFILM Corporation (President and CEO, Representative Director: Teiichi Goto) has announced that it will invest approximately 2 billion yen installing a production facility capable of manufacturing cutting-edge semiconductor materials in Kumamoto supporting the growth of the electronic materials business."
Fujifilm : announces a strategic investment in a new production facility in Kumamoto Japan to support the fast-growing semiconductor industry (Fujifilm) | MarketScreener
TOKYO, September 8, 2022 - FUJIFILM Corporation has announced that it will invest approximately 2 billion yen installing a production facility capable of manufacturing cutting-edge... | September 9, 2022

William Living in Oe, I am lucky airport-transportation-wise (bus!), but I have heard the woes of those in further locales, particularly northern Kumamoto (from there, it's often easier to go to Fukuoka). However, JR Kyushu and Kumamoto Prefecture have finally gotten around to kinda start studies into creating a rail line to the airport from Higo Ozu Station. The rationale is the closer distance compared with Sanrigi and the demand which will arise from the new Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. While a final decision has not been made, we may see this within our lifetime.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/785496

William with a tangential post: We Californians do not take well to royalty - think of Maximilian I, the Austrian archduke who reigned as the only Emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from1864 until his execution in 1867. Yet having lived under the reign of Japanese emperors for most of my life, I have grown to appreciate their function. Morose at the loss of Elisabeth 2. (Funeral styles are rather different - the Showa Emperor and the Queen Mother.)

Kirk here with another installment in my not-very-popular Kumamoto-Moonie series. This one is about the Kumamoto International Association (熊本県国際協会) and connections of two Kumamoto-based LDP politicians to the Moonies.
According to the RKK report linked to below, a representative from a human rights group based in Fukuoka came to Kumamoto to ask the association, which is led by Governor Kabashima, to cut ties with Unification Church (Moonie; 統一教会) affiliated groups. I have a few thoughts about this:
1. I'm not innocent. When I was head of international programs at my university, I served as auditor (監査; one of two people who checked the financial records of the organization). It wasn't my job to check to see if all member organizations were on the up and up but, nonetheless, I attended meetings as someone affiliated the organization but was completely oblivious to this issue.
2. It seems odd to me that someone from outside of Kumamoto had to make a trip here to point out the problem. I think it's fine for "outsiders" to raise issues but why did no "insiders" (people based in Kumamoto) raise a red flag before this? I didn't notice before the prime minister's assassination but is it really the case that not a single person noticed and took the initiative to say "Hey, you guys need to look into this"?
3. In the RKK article, the prefecture is quoted as answering that they "will look into the matter" (対応を検討する). The article doesn't report them as saying "we are already looking into the matter" (対応について検討中) but that they WILL look into it. Isn't it a bit late to respond as though you are hearing about this for the first time? Granted, I myself was oblivious to the issue when I was associated with this organization. But, it's been quite some time now since the Moonie issue came to light and the connections of the groups that caused the guy from Fukuoka to visit you (groups I've already written about on this page) have been receiving scrutiny.
The article ends with reports of two local politicians that admitted ties to the Moonies as a result of the LDPs survey or whatever it was: KIHARA Minoru (木原 稔; Kumamoto District No. 1) and NISHINO Daisuke (西野 太亮; Kumamoto District No. 2). Nishino is a new guy who recently beat the veteran NODA Takeshi. Kihara is of much higher status in the LDP, and quite far to the right. I've written about his extreme right views in the past:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0QvXTxxutw1zri6N2UhymYVzTihNj25SpShtXJ49WXY4oAoQtWCcesu8JSkX3bvTAl
Kihara admitted to giving a lecture (or speech) at a Moonie-affiliated group. This fits with the pattern I've observed of far right politicians (including Abe) being close to the Moonies.
https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/rkk/region/rkk-147193.html

Kirk here with a Kumamoto-Moonie update (a "Kuma-Moon" update ;) ).
Connections that have been clear for at least several weeks if you follow the Twitter feeds of anti-Moonie journalists are finally beginning to surface in the local media. The first picture is about the prefecture's board of education and the second is about the city council. In both cases, connections to the "Kumamoto Pure Forum" (熊本ビュアフォーラム) are at issue. I became aware of this group while trying to look into Moonie connections with the establishment of Kumamoto's "family education" law (くまもと家庭教育支援条例). I wrote a little about that here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/167033417187237/posts/1164986174058618
At any rate, local Moonie connections are coming to light. The URL for the first video is here:
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a05f8d75b1619428298188f698a529fc855ca466
In it members of the local Communist Party (the political party that has most consistently opposed Moonie influence -- other parties seem to be playing dumb) are asking the board of education to cut their ties with the "Pure Forum." The board said something about doing so.
Here's the URL for the second video:
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/18ecbf2a6a3ebc63abd8944fc621cbc963983a45
In this one local politicians who have been affiliated with the "Kumamoto Organization of Peace Ambassadors" (my unofficial translation of 平和大使協議会) are named. They all claim to have been unaware of the Moonie connections -- in other words they didn't even read the pages on the group's website!! I've already written about this here:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid064MEDCaokvdHZvuRT6svBLftmKb9CxPYbatfEis9wEmFofMLT7kv6Lo4gwJiZe9Bl
As I've said before, the rot runs deep!

William with bit of a personal note: my wife is combating cancer. I have taken this up as her theme image.
Navigating the byzantine of the Japanese health system (wonderful as it is) can be confusing enough for natives. If questions, we are here to assist.

Kirk here with news about the prefecture's plans to use Kumamon to rebuild the local tourist industry:
"Kumamon-themed attractions have sprung up across the prefecture, including a park next to an international cruise ship terminal with dozens of bear statues. The prefecture will subsidize the cost of developing other projects. In the city of Kumamoto, events will be held frequently at the central train station, airport and other locations to give visitors the chance to interact with the mascot."
Kumamoto turns to trusty mascot Kumamon for post-COVID tourism boost
Authorities are developing bear-themed attractions across the region, betting they will spur an influx of overseas visitors when some of the world’s strictest border restrictions ease.

Kirk here. I'm not aware of any severe damage in Kumamoto but the storm itself was nothing to sneeze at, so to speak. Tsushima and South Korea were hit particularly hard.
"The JMA observed a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 161 kph in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, in the early hours of Sept. 6."
Typhoon No. 11 pounds northern Kyushu as it swirls northward | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Powerful Typhoon No. 11 passed through the Tsushima Strait and neared the northern Kyushu region on the morning of Sept. 6, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and the threat of landslides and flooding.

William Getting to Kamiamakusa is not difficult: an extremely scenic train ride to Misumi (which in itself is worth the trip), and then a taxi - or a direct bus from Kotsu Center for a bit over about ¥1,500. This is what you get: bring your swimfins. Our friend Enrico at KamiAmakusa Real Experience has details: https://www.facebook.com/KArealexperience

Kirk with more about calls for the elderly to evacuate and general disaster information (more for future reference than for this specific typhoon).
Kumamoto City has a Disaster Prevention Information Portal. The website is in Japanese but it uses Google translate, which works pretty well:
https://city-kumamoto.secure.force.com
Today I've gotten interested in the call for the elderly and people with special needs to evacuate. The announcement from the city says that this applies to 731,464 people. That's the entire population of Kumamoto City -- not the number of people who are in the category to which a Level 3 announcement applies. Then, if you look at the number of people who have actually evacuated at this point (341 for the whole city), you can see that most people (even the elderly and people with special needs) didn't think the announcement required their evacuation.
Now, as I posted earlier today, government guidlines indicate that people like me who are in areas where there is no danger of flooding have no real reason to evacuate, despite the "Level 3" announcement. So, in that sense, I think the low numbers may be just about right if only people who live in vulnerable areas and who have special needs (or poor health, etc) have evacuated. What bothers me, though, is how confusing the system is. The city didn't include links of the sort I dug up today regarding exemptions with their calls for evacuation. So, how were people to decide whether or not the announcement applied to them?
I have difficulty understanding why government officials seem to have no qualms about making such confusing announcements. :(

William Shimabara (島原), on the east coast of the Nagasaki peninsula and just across Ariake Sea from Kumamoto, lies in about as precarious a position imaginable: it was sandwiched not only between warring clans during the Edo period but between Mt Fugen and the Ariake Sea, which produced one of the deadliest tsunami in human history: the 島原大変肥後迷惑 (Shimabara Taihen Higo Meiwaku), which can be (very) loosly translated as "Disaster of a day for Shimabara, bummer for Kumamoto." Read about it here: https://tinyurl.com/27wnx68a
Volcanoes, being mostly granite, don't absorb much water, but their weight often results in springs around their edges. Shimabara abounds in springs. The samurai who lived there in what is called a "bukeyashiki" (samurai mansion, 武家屋敷) relied on the water, channeled on both sides of the lanes, for both living purposes and as a layer of defense for their houses. Many of these survive in Shimabara and are famous for their koi (bring fish pellets).
Everything is walking distance if you have enough time. Take an early ferry and spend a gorgeous autumn day absorbing the beautiful scenery and unparalleled history; skip the unimpressive castle. Notice that the stone in the two photos below is volcanic tuff, created from solidified volcanic ash.
Shimabara ferry website: https://www.kyusho-ferry.co.jp/world/index_en.html
Google "島原鯉" for some amazing images - and please send us those that you've taken yourself for posting.

Kirk with a little more recent information about whether or not you need to evacuate:
https://www.bousai.go.jp/oukyu/hinanjouhou/r3_hinanjouhou_guideline/pdf/EN_ura.pdf
I think the content is basically the same as what I posted earlier but this is easier to follow.
I found the link to it on this page. There are links to many other languages:
https://www.bousai.go.jp/oukyu/hinanjouhou/r3_hinanjouhou_guideline/

Kirk with some information about how to interpret disaster information issued in Kumamoto.
In short: Evacuation advisories are already being issued for parts of Kumamoto Prefecture, including Kumamoto City. However, even if you are in an area for which evacuations are called, you may not actually need to evacuate so check the flow chart.
The screenshots I'm adding to this post are from a pdf that can be found at the following address:
https://www.bousai.go.jp/oukyu/hinankankoku/h30_hinankankoku_guideline/pdf/campaign_en.pdf
If you'd like a Japanese copy you can find it here:
https://www.bousai.go.jp/oukyu/hinankankoku/h30_hinankankoku_guideline/pdf/campaign.pdf
Kumamoto City is now at level three. You can find information about current evacuation warning levels here:
https://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/43/43100/
This is in Japanese but it is possible to view it in English with Google Translate. The color codings (e.g. level 3, red, etc.) is the same as the screenshots I've provided.
But, even though the evacuations have been called for in Kumamoto City, that may not apply to you. It depends on whether your specific housing situation and/or health situation makes you vulnerable to flooding, landslides, power failures.
Kumamoto Prefecture has a disaster page with a map and translation options:
https://portal.bousai.pref.kumamoto.jp/
I looks like an improvement over the previous site but it's still pretty awful. One problem is that the evacuation level for Kumamoto is not yet reflected on it, even though the Yahoo's commercial site already has the information. Secondly, I found the implementation of the Google translate service (official added by the prefecture) to be quite buggy.
Why is disaster information in Japan such a disaster?

Kirk here with another typhoon update. The image is from Ventusky.com, which Douglas introduced to me. (Thanks!) I think it will be my go-to site from now on:
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=34.01;129.42;6&l=gust&t=20220905/1800
The image (and link) show information for estimated wind guts at 3 AM Tuesday morning. It looks like those of us in Kumamoto (particularly in Amakusa) may have some gusts of wind that are close to highway speeds (imagine sticking your hand of the window of a car driving at normal highway speed).
The site also allows you to check estimations regarding rainfall and other aspects of upcoming weather.
The times are local (Japan times for me), which I appreciate. I was a bit cavalier in my criticism of the JMA use of UTC on the English-language versions of its typhoon site (it uses local time on the Japanese version). Thanks to a comment from Frank, I have since learned that UTC is quite common on many such sites -- something I didn't take into account. Still, I wish the JMA would and a local-time option.

Kirk here with a little photo from a little stroll in Ezuko last night. We were able to park very easily. Highly recommended if you are close enough to get there.
Disclaimer: Past sunset performance is no guarantee of future views. Your experience may vary. ;)

(Fiona) One of the things I enjoyed most on my recent trip to the UK was the chance to go to a pub quiz. Even in my small hometown there's probably a quiz happening at one pub or another on every day of the week. There used to be a monthly quiz night in Kumamoto too that ran for several years at Cafe Lafcadio on Monday nights. When that stopped I tried to organise quiz nights myself, but as with running an escape room, I ran into the problem of not knowing many people who are interested in such activities. When the pandemic hit I switched from in-person quiz nights to hosting quizzes on Zoom/YouTube instead, but it's a lot more fun to meet up and enjoy a quiz together over a few drinks. When Covid numbers start to go down I'd like to organise another quiz and would like to find people who are keen to get involved. I usually use my school in Higashi-ku for game nights etc as it can fit up to ten people, but if anyone has a larger place available downtown that would be great. If you're interested in being a quizmaster, joining as a player, or are keen to take part in games nights or possible future escape rooms, please leave a message in the comments or contact me via the Kumamoto-i inbox.

Kirk here with some information about Munetaka Murakami, formerly of Kyushu Gakuin High School:
"Twenty-two-year-old Munetaka Murakami's season home run total entered some rarified air Friday when he became the youngest Japan-born player to hit 50 and the first since Hideki Matsui did it in 2002."
Munetaka Murakami's assault on baseball record book taking Japan by storm
Twenty-two-year-old Munetaka Murakami's season home run total entered some rarified air on Sept. 2 when he became the youngest Japan-born player to hit 50 and the first since Hideki Matsui did it in 2002.

Kirk here. William just posted about some disaster response equipment that Uki City has acquired. Fortunately, it looks like they won't need to use it right away because TropicalStorm.com is predicting that we won't get a direct hit. Still, you never know; the rains could be quite heavy. Judging from the projections on TropicalStorm.com I would guess that the wind and rain would be at their worst for those of us in Kumamoto around Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning, but I could be off quite a bit.
I got an e-mail from the Kumamoto International Foundation with a link to the JMA (Japan Meterological Agency):
https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/map.html#4/39.3/135.132/&elem=root&typhoon=all&contents=typhoon&lang=en
I almost never share links to the English side of the JMA site because they publish their times in UTC. The only reason for that I can imagine for this is that they are more interested in making the page easy to understand for their meteorologist buddies in other countries than in helping foreigners who actually live in Japan. :( At any rate, if you look at the JMA site, you have add 9 hours to every time you see.

William Uki City sits at the north-eastern edge of Yatsushiro Sea. The shape of the sea and its orientation act as a funnel to create very large tidal surges which have numerous times overwhelmed the sea walls, destroyed houses, and taken lives. Kumanichi reports on some new equipment the city has acquired for disaster response. Some of the vehicles are breathtaking. Many photos and a Youtube video are at the link.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/778317

William Yushima is a small island between Misumi and the Shimabara peninsula which is famous for cats. Kumanichi reports on a particular cat named "Rosu", an" 8-year-old male who is also known as "Boss Cat" (aren't they all). Apparently, he has gone missing, which has left the island denizens distraught.
The island is accessible in 15 minutes by ferry from Misumi; the ferry fare is apparently negotiable. If you like cats, it sounds like a pleasant day trip, and if you stumble across Rosu, let them know. Youtube intro to Rosu and Kumanichi article: (it's nice to live in a town where the major news story is a lost cat):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXHWSpjdESM&t=1s
https://kumanichi.com/articles/778250