Kirk here with more about the designation of Kumamoto as a "prefecture of strengthening measures." This awkward English expression is a translation of the Japanese "BA.5対策強化地域" (BA.5 taisaku kyouka chiiki) found in the following Japanese article:
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Kirk here. The other day I posted about MURAKAMI Munetaka (baseball star, formerly of Kyushu Gakuin) a his younger brother Keita:
Retro Japan: 1920s chapel at Kumamoto school preserved as place of solace for alumni - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- An old chapel at a school in this southwestern Japan city once threatened with demolition stands to this day thanks to the efforts of an a
Carlton here. A blockbuster film is in the offing for Japan but I’m not yet sure when it will open here. But it has all the trappings of an international action film that will make Japanese promoters drool: filmed in Japan on a shinkansen and starring Brad Pitt and the shinkansen along with several Japanese actors as well and a bunch of celebrity cameos too. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has already annointed it with a 7.5 rating.
‘Bullet Train’ Might Be the Worst Movie Ever Made
‘Bullet Train’ features the worst assemblage of bad acting ever collected in a single film. There is also a poisonous snake.
Kirk here. Recently, my university told me to check out the following page, which has an official announcement about measures we should be taking to deal with the latest and most contagious flavor of COVID-19: BA.5. Here's the page:
Kirk here with one old article and one new one about how the baby hatch in Kumamoto (Jikei Hospital) has been a model (to some extent at least) for similar efforts in other parts of the world. The older article (click on picture for link) includes the following sentence:
Indiana 'Baby Box' Proposal Sparks Controversy
It could easily be mistaken for a mailbox, except that one side of it is riddled with air holes.
Kirk here with a note about TSMC, the company that is in the process of building a semiconductor chip factory in Kumamoto. This company got a visit from U.S. lawmaker Nancy Pelosi on her controversial (at least in mainland China) visit to Taiwan. The second article (not the article you go to by clicking on the image) says that "TSMC is now building a $12 billion fab in Arizona to help boost chip production on US soil, but it still makes the majority of its chips and all of its cutting-edge semiconductors at home." So, Kumamoto is not the only site of the company's expansion.
Chip stocks plunge as Nancy Pelosi lands in Taiwan. Here’s why the chip sector in particular could lose big if China follows through on its threat of ‘strong countermeasures’
Taiwan plays an outsize role in the global chip supply chain, as its manufacturers are especially important suppliers of advanced chips.
Kirk here with a hometown-boy-makes-good story. MURAKAMI Munetaka, who played for Kyushu Gakuin in high school, has set a world record. Apparently, even Babe Ruth wasn't ever able to his a home run at each of five consecutive at bats, as MURAKAMI did.
Baseball: Munetaka Murakami makes home run history in Swallows' win - The Mainichi
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Munetaka Murakami became the first player in Japanese pro baseball to homer in five straight at-bats by going deep his first two time
It's hot, hot, ATSUI days, Atsuko here.
William More about water - this time, not where it comes from but where goes. Mark Twain is purported to have said regarding the American West, "Whisky is for drinking; water is for fighting over." As an Angeleno, I understand this.
William Having acquired an interest in western China cultures, I took a month off from my junior year abroad program in Beijing and travelled almost to the border of Afghanistan. (I didn't ask permission as I knew what the answer would be; that I did my homework and mailed it to my school daily likely spared me expulsion.) Much of the trip was by steam locomotive (SL), so I grew used to their sounds. First arriving in Kumamoto, to my surprise, I often heard something I could have sworn was an SL - in 1990s Japan!
Fiona here, sharing a post about a recently published manga adaptation of The Tale of Genji. It's written by Kumamoto resident Séan Michael Wilson, who has a long list of books to his name. Find out more here:
William "May you be born in interesting times," the purported Chinese curse has it. As the tragedy in Ukraine continues to unfold, Russia has severely limited its natural gas exports to Europe, which has responded both by limiting consumption and sourcing gas from other locations.
Atsuko here with lots sunflowers again.
Kirk here with some information that indicates that we've "dodged the bullet," so to speak, in regard to the typhoon. My go-to website for typhoon information, TropicalStormRisk.com, says that it is in our vicinity but now only a tropical depression, not even a tropical storm. It is projected to bring us some rain as it passes by but the winds may not even be strong enough to rattle our windows.
William Ever wonder how cockroaches know that you're looking at them? Ignore them and they'll scurry about all willy-nilly; cast even a sideways glance in their direction and they'll freeze like a boy with his hand down his girlfriend's shirt when her dad walks in.
Kirk here was some news that is not really surprising but, nonetheless, unwelcome -- a state of medical emergency has been declared in Kumamoto City and the Hinokuni Festival has been canceled. The chief medical concern is that hospital beds are filling up. I may be able to post later with proper statistics but I think RKK reported that over 80% of hospital beds are now occupied.
＜速報＞火の国まつり、一転中止へ 熊本市、きょう「医療非常事態宣言」 新型コロナ（熊本日日新聞） - Yahoo!ニュース
熊本市は29日、新型コロナウイルス流行「第7波」に伴う感染急拡大と医療提供体制の逼迫（ひっぱく）を受け、市独自の「医療非常事態宣言」を同日発令する方針を固めた。宣言の発令は1月24日～3月27日に
Carlton. Today while cycling in downtown Kumamoto running errands I passed through the assisted bathing district and came across this new or refurbished establishment covered in colorful advertising promising free guidance to many of the attractions in the area.
William Typhoon update: not particularly large and will pass quite south of us, but it should bring some welcome breezes and a bit of rain.
William The season - it has started. (Not many realize that typhoons make a "doink, doink" sound as they move across the map.) We'll keep you up to date.
Kirk here with some information about Noriaki Tsuchimoto a film director known for his work on Minamata. Today I learned that significant archives regarding his work are in the U.S. First, though, I'd like to put that information in context by introducing his work.
Minamata: The Victims and Their World
