Posts

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.
In addition to all that attention-getting promotion material I couldn’t help but notice the big sign on the left with what appeared to be an up front job offer.

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.
Here's a link to "Minamata: The Victims and Their World" (水俣 患者さんとその世界), perhaps his best know film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB57D7ZL-GY
The movie doesn't have subtitles, unfortunately, but you can watch the whole film on YouTube.
Here's an English Wikipedia page about the film:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata:_The_Victims_and_Their_World
I was prompted to post today by the following announcement on H-Japan, a mailing list for Japan specialists. I'm posting it mainly because I think it's interesting that the archives are in the U.S. -- but, who knows, perhaps someone reading this will be in a position to apply for the grant:
--- quote begins here ---
Noriaki Tsuchimoto Research Grants
by Aaron Gerow
NORIAKI TSUCHIMOTO RESEARCH GRANTS

土本典昭研究助成金

The Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University invites applications for grants to support research utilizing the Noriaki Tsuchimoto Papers housed in Manuscripts and Archives in the Yale University Library. The collection is currently comprised of 83 boxes containing materials related to the filmmaking and other activities of the Japanese documentary filmmaker Noriaki Tsuchimoto (1928-2008), who is most famous for recording the struggles over the Minamata mercury poisoning incident and other environmental hazards.

The Council will offer up to four (4) grants in FY 2022-2023 to support research utilizing the collection at the level of up to $1200 for researchers traveling from North America and $2200 for those coming from outside North America. Grant funds will be disbursed in the form of reimbursement for travel, lodging, meals, reproductions, and related research expenses. The competition is open to scholars in all parts of the world and from any discipline, but topics that make extensive use of the collection will be prioritized. The application deadline is Wednesday, August 31, 2022. The grant must be used by Wednesday, August 30, 2023. An additional four grants will be available in the 2023-2024 academic year, with the call for applications being posted by July 2023.

For more information, please consult the CEAS website:

https://ceas.yale.edu/academics/fellowships-grants/noriaki-tsuchimoto-research-grant

Aaron Gerow
Alfred W. Griswold Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Film and Media Studies
Chair, East Asian Languages and Literatures
Yale University
320 York Street, Room 108
PO Box 208201
New Haven, CT 06520-8201
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6729
e-mail: [email protected]
Minamata: The Victims and Their World

William The cloth edging on tatami is called "heri" (畳の縁). It's etiquette not to step on heri when walking on tatami to prevent wear, but sitting on it is fine.
Our friend Victoria Yoshimura noticed that the heri on the benches at Kumamoto Airport have a familiar logo.
Update: Those interested in Kumamon-themed igusa products can contact the Yatsushiro Igusa Kyokai: https://igusa-tatami.jp/news/6079/ Fun fact! - Yatsushiro produces 90% of Japan's igusa.

William Amazon has announced that it will build a distribution center in Minami-ku, Kumamoto in September, enabling next-day delivery. It will be a 2077 square meter, 3-story building employing "hundreds of people, including drivers." On the other hand, the article also notes, "Part of the delivery business is outsourced directly to the driver as sole proprietor... under a system called "Amazon Flex," where the driver works at his convenience," which sounds ominous.
アマゾン、熊本市に配送拠点　9月開設　700万点以上の商品、県内翌日配送が可能に｜熊本日日新聞社
　インターネット通販大手アマゾンジャパン（東京）は26日、熊本市内に配送拠点「熊本南デリバリーステーション（DS、仮称）」を9月に開設する計画を明らかにした。2022年中に14都県の18カ所に設ける拠点の一つ。県内で.....

William The popular animation "One Piece" has nothing to do with Kumamoto save that its creator, Oda Eiichiro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiichiro_Oda, was born here and has been giving back by donating sculptures of his characters to draw tourists. Recently, a sculpture of his character "Jinbei" was erected at Sumiyoshi Kaigan Park (住吉海岸公園) in Uto City.
The park is adjacent to Ariake Sea, which has some of the most expansive mudflats in the world and is famous for the Nagabeta Seabed Road (Nagabetakaisyouro, 長部田海床路), also known as "The Road Leading to the Sea" (Umi e to tsudzuku michi, 海へと続く道). The 1km road, immensely popular with photographers, was completed in 1973 to allow fishermen to access the sea at low tide. The road disappears completely at high tide, and at night the lights of 24 utility poles illuminate the surface of the water like something out of Ghibli. The producer of a shochu commercial which helped popularize the road noted, "The road that appears and vanishes: it overlaps with the fragility of life."
Kumanichi has the details: https://kumanichi.com/articles/737593

Sakurajima 5 minutes ago courtesy of the live cam focused on it. Going to be pretty dusty around there for a few days at least.

William Kumamoto Castle is hosting an event called "Summer Evening Cool Opening," during which the grounds are open 4 hours longer than usual until 9 pm, and is scheduled for Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, and 15 days of Obon until the end of August for a total of 20 days. LED lights operate at night when the park is open, including outdoor tour passages and surrounding stone walls and turrets. Kumanichi reports questions raised over electricity use during a time when all are asked to conserve.
A city official said, "It's a difficult point, but it's been established as a summer event to enjoy Kumamoto Castle during a cool time, and we decided that it was within the permissible range." A night visit sounds fun.
熊本城・夏の恒例行事　節電中に夜間開園いいの？　熊本市「需給に影響せず」「逼迫なら中止も」｜熊本日日新聞社
　電力需給の逼迫［ひっぱく］を懸念して政府が夏の節電を要請する中、熊本城の夜間開園を疑問視する声が熊本日日新聞社に寄せられた。「不要不急の施設は営業時間を短縮し、行政が率先して節電に取り組むべきだ」（...

Kirk here with an update on who in Kagoshima needs to evacuate. In short, it would seem that Level 5 (calling for all persons to evacuate) only applies to people on the island of Sakurajima, not to Kagoshima City or other nearby areas. The purple you see in the image indicates Level 5. I'm sharing a screenshot of the Japanese page because on the English page (see following image), the colors of the warning symbols are obscured by the overly large English text. What's more, zooming doesn't help; the English text is configured to display on top of the symbols at all zoom levels. An additional problem, is that it's not exactly easy to switch to Japanese to see how that looks; there's not toggle or link to the original Japanese. This is another example of the assumption that anyone who might begin by looking at an English-language page couldn't possibly have any use for the Japanese-language page.
https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/#lang=en&pattern=earthquake_volcano&area_type=class20s&area_code=4620100

Kirk here. Sakurajima (Kagoshima Prefecture) has erupted and people are being told to evacuate. Quite a few English-language articles are available on the internet but I'm sharing this Japanese page from NHK because the video on the page provides the clearest view of the eruption that I have seen so far.
桜島で爆発的な噴火 噴火警戒レベル５「避難」に引き上げ | NHK
【NHK】鹿児島県の桜島で24日午後8時5分ごろ、爆発的な噴火が起きて、噴石が火口から2.5キロ付近まで飛びました。気象庁は、桜島…

William Otachimisaki (御立岬公園), just south of Yatsushiro, is a popular beach. However, it is artificial, short, and usually crowded. Venture a bit further south to Ashikita, though, and you'll find a string of beaches that offer many delights: Shirasuna (白砂ビーチ), Ashikita Marine Park (芦北マリンパークビーチ, AMP), and Tsurugahama (鶴ヶ浜海水浴場).
Shirasuna is a small, natural cove (thus least-visited) with good snorkeling and a gazebo. It is separated from AMP by a short peninnsula tipped by a fake windmill which offers a scenic walk to AMP either over the hill or on a narrow path along its edge.
AMP is popular with the volleyball gang, with several courts and public restrooms. There is also a small jetty to stabilize the sand (the beach is artificial) which terminates in quite deep water so is safe and very fun to leap from. Shirasuna and AMP share a common parking lot which costs Y500 if anyone is around to collect it.
A maintenance road connects AMP with Tsurugahama, which is the longest and most crowded of the three. It is popular with parents as its roadside parking is close by; thus, it has many concessions with icees and hot dogs.
A note about camping: I have camped several times (alone aside from my dog and in my small tent) on AMP and have had no problem. There are no signs (or at least were not last time I was there) which prohibit camping. Official cars have passed by my site without stopping to comment. But please observe etiquitte: No open fires (eschew the barbeque; bring a gas stove - even a konro will do - and gas or electric lantern), no fireworks, and leave your site cleaner than you found it.
A link to the tourism site: http://ashikita-kankou.com/
Photos: Shirasuna, Ashikita Marine Park ( - note the jetty for jumping), and Tsurugahama. Remember, you can park once and walk through all three in about an hour.

Fiona here, sharing an article from Japan Today about Jikei Hospital's baby hatch. While a woman's right to an abortion is not under threat in Japan, the article touches on a few reasons why it might not always be possible. For one, Japan is one of only ten countries where a married woman needs the written consent of her spouse. Non-married women are also usually required to get the permission of their partner. Not mentioned by the article are the high costs of getting an abortion here. The 'abortion pill' is not yet available in Japan, so surgical treatment is required. An abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy costs around 100,000 yen and is not covered by health insurance. Between 12 and 22 weeks, a hospital stay is necessary for the procedure, costing up to 200,000 yen. Understanding some of these obstacles to getting an abortion might explain why Kumamoto's baby hatch is indeed a last resort for many women.
Japan baby hatch hospital offers mothers last resort
When the alarm sounds at Jikei hospital in southern Japan, nurses race down a spiral staircase. Their mission: to rescue an infant left in the country's only baby hatch. For 15 years, the clinic has been the only place in Japan a child can be anonymously and safely abandoned. The…

Kirk here. I posted this last night but accidentally posted it as myself, not as the page. BA.5 is spreading. Take care!
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/7616423615097671

Kirk here with some COVID-19 news. The situation is not good. Kumamoto is part of the natioinal post-vacation spike in new infections. The prefectures in red all set new records yesterday. Kumamoto had a whopping 3,772 new infections!! On RKK, I saw a report about hospital beds filling up (about 70% full, as I recall -- remaining beds may fill up quickly).
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220720/k10013728041000.html
P.S. There are tons of articles in English but I chose this NHK article because I wanted to share the image a stole from it.

William with an unusual version of Kumamoto springs: Where is the Water? Our city is known globally for its spring water -the largest in the world whose drinking supply is entirely artesian. The cause is the granite substratum created by Aso eruptions which keeps rainfall close to the surface, where it pops up willy-nilly.
But as the world is quickly noticing (particularly in my native California), fresh water is not unlimited.
Kumanichi reports on TSMC's, the Taiwan-based semiconductor manufacturer (a water-intense industry), new Kikuyo fab to draw 12,000 cubic meters of groundwater daily - about 2.7% of our groundwater supply. Given an average Olympic- sized swimming pool capacity of 2,500 cubic meters, about five pools.
Groundwater-recycling technology has advanced greatly, though. In my Californian hometown, most tap water used to be poop. JASM has proposed two methods to deal with the issue:
- an advanced water recovery and recycling system to recycle some 70% of its water;
- a flooding project to fill the farmland before and after planting for recharge.
Obviously, the opportunities that TSMC will bring to Kumamoto are great. We hope that the company and governments honestly deal with water issues - what has been proposed to date is quite vague.
Photo: the fab and its surrounding land.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/730090

Kirk here with a little weather forecast. The image you see is for Kumamoto City tomorrow (Tuesday), but the forecast is pretty similar, I think, for the whole prefecture: Heavy rain in the morning.
https://tenki.jp/forecast/9/46/8610/43100/3hours.html
This International Foundation sent out this information via their mailing list (you can sign up, if you like):
Heavy rains are predicted to arrive in Kumamoto. Evacuation shelters opened from 18:00 on July 18th (Mon).
When preparing to go to a shelter, please remember to bring with you the necessities such as food, water and prescription drugs.
※ When the shelter closes , please remember to take with you any garbage that you accumulated.
（1）List of evacuation shelters:
【Chuo Ward 中央区（ちゅうおうく）】
　・Sunlife Kumamoto　サンライフくまもと（さんらいふ　くまもと）
　　096-354-3511
　・Gofuku Community Center 五福公民館（ごふく　こうみんかん）　
　　096-359-0500
　・Ohe Community Center 大江公民館　（おおえ　こうみんかん）
　　096-372-0313
　
【Higashi　Ward 東区（ひがしく）】
　・Takuma Community Center 託麻公民館（たくま　こうみんかん）　
　　096-380-8118
　・Akitsu Community Center 秋津公民館（あきつ　こうみんかん）
　　096-365-5750
　・Tobu Community Center 東部公民館（とうぶ　こうみんかん）
　　096-367-1134
【Nishi Ward 西区（にしく）】
　・Seibu Community Center 西部公民館（せいぶ　こうみんかん）　
　　096-329-7205
　・Hanazono Community Center 花園公民館（はなぞの　こうみんかん）
　　096-359-1261
　・Kawachi Community Center 河内公民館（かわち　こうみんかん）
　　096-276-0133
　・Yoshino Community Center 芳野コミュニティーセンター（よしの　こみゅにてぃーせんたー）
　　096-277-2001
【Minami Ward 南区（みなみく）】
　・Hinokimi Cultural Center 火の君文化センター（ひのきみ　ぶんか　せんたー）
　　0964-28-1800
　・Tomiai Community Center 富合公民館（とみあい　こうみんかん）
　　096-357-4580
　・Akita Community Center 飽田公民館（あきた　こうみんかん）
　　096-227-1195
　・Tenmei Community Center 天明公民館（てんめい　こうみんかん）
　　096-223-0118
　・Kohda Community Center 幸田公民館（こうだ　こうみんかん）
　　096-379-0211
　・Nanbu Community Center 南部公民館（なんぶ　こうみんかん）
　　096-358-0199
【Kita Ward 北区（きたく）】
　・Ueki Community Center 植木公民館（うえき　こうみんかん）
　　096-272-6906
　・Hokubu Community Center 北部公民館（ほくぶ　こうみんかん）
　　096-245-0046
　・Tastuda Community Center 龍田公民館（たつだ　こうみんかん）
　　096-339-3322
　・Shimizu Community Center 清水公民館（しみず　こうみんかん）
　　096-343-9163
（2）This information was released at 20:00, 18th July.
Kumamoto International Foundation
4-18 Hanaba-cho Chuo ward Kumamoto 860-0806
096-359-2121
[email protected]

Kirk here with some notes on Gohyaku (500) Rakan. The 500 rakan (disciples of Buddha) are near Reigando, where Miyamoto Musashi meditated some 400 years ago. The meaning of rakan in Zen Buddhism is described here:
https://www.japan-experience.com/plan-your-trip/to-know/understanding-japan/the-rakan-the-greatest-disciples-of-buddha
This video from Feel Fukuoka Japan includes a visit to Reigando and a brief look at the rakan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JjjfsicBvY
This picture I've selected for this post shows a rakan with his head chopped off. This sort of destruction of Buddhist culture occurred as part of this haibutsu kishaku (廃仏毀釈) (literally "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shākyamuni") movement of the Meiji period. You can read about that here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haibutsu_kishaku
The connection of the Unification Church to Japanese politicians (including Mr. Abe) reminded me of this older example of religion taking on political significance here in Kumamoto. Another example would be Aum Shinrikyo, which had a community in Aso for some time. And, of course, the persecution of Christianity in Amakusa is key to understanding the politics of the Edo period. Perhaps I can touch on those topics some other day. ;)
https://www.msubillings.edu/businessfaculty/harris/Japan/Kumamoto/Nov%2002/images/Gohyakurakan%2027_jpg.jpg

William Eminasu, the waterpark near the airport, is open for the season. It has a few water slides and one of those pools that go round and round. If you take your children there, they will love you more than they do now.
Hint: bring a groundsheet, a large picnic, and plenty of liquids. Lawn area is expansive but food pickings sparse.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/728214

William The Japan Meteorological Agency said on the morning of the 15th that a "linear precipitation zone" would occur in the northern part of Kyushu including Kumamoto Prefecture and the southern part of Kyushu from the night of the 15th to the morning of the 16th, and the risk of heavy rain disasters could increase sharply. It reminds us all to stock up on the normal suspects: https://kumanichi.com/articles/726887