Kumamoto International Archive

Archive of the Kumamoto International Facebook group, 2011–present.

Kirk here with an update from Japan Today on the murder of the young researcher at Kumamoto University:
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/67-year-old-man-arrested-over-murder-of-kumamoto-university-researcher
The article says that the police have not indicated whether or not the suspect has admitted killing Narahara. The following TV report and other reports I saw on TV today say that he has admitted "abandoning a corpse," the charge on which he was arrested.
https://abema.tv/video/episode/89-93_s10_p5148
【アベマ厳選】注目の最新&独自ニュースをチェック! - 厳選 - 元清掃員の男　女性研究員遺棄か | 【ABEMAビデオ】見逃した番組や話題のニュースが無料で視聴可能
【アベマ厳選】注目の最新&独自ニュースをチェック!が無料で視聴できます。速報ニュースのノーカット生中継から独自のニュース番組まで、話題のニュースが無料で視聴できます。

The two major faults that rip Kumamoto are the Hinagu fault, which runs from Yatsushiro to Mifune, and the Kitagawa fault, which runs along the north-eastern side of the Uto peninsula up to Aso. The latter is interesting: it is a strike-slip zone in the city but becomes a rift zone as it nears Aso. This has resulted in Tateno gap, through which the water of Aso flows - without this gap, the Aso caldera would be a large lake.
Route 57 threaded this gap until it was destroyed by erosion. Rather than rebuilding on the original route, a tunnel was built between Ozu and Akamizu, which opened the other day. I'd driven the road over the caldera lip, which has more hairpins than a harlot, so the new road should save time and energy and likely revitalize the areas in eastern Aso. - William

Kirk here with some sad news:
"According to police, Chisato Narahara worked at Kumamoto University’s Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection."
Kumamoto: Woman's corpse found in gutter identified as university researcher
The corpse of a woman found in a gutter in Kumamoto City earlier this week is that of a 35-year-old researcher

Kirk here. As someone who has advocated and applauded the cancellation of the Kawabe dam project, I can't help but feel a little guilty about the extent of the recent flooding. On the other hand, building the dam would have been another kind of disaster. Quite a dilemma.
Scrapped dam may have limited flood damage from Kumamoto rains
The estimations showed that the dam, called the Kawabegawa dam, may have reduced the peak river flow rate to two-thirds in the city of Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto.

As a callous young man, I'd visit Shiranui (不知火 - literally, "don't know fire"), a small town on the eastern side of the Uto Peninsula,, pull out my lighter, and say, "Look! Fire!" It was only recently I learned the depth of my ignorance.
Similar to the mirages common in the deserts of my native California, the phenomenon is an optical illusion in which the heat exuded from exposed mud flats at low tide confront cooler air above, causing reflected lights from Yatsushiro and boats on the sea to appear to float untethered - hence, the name would be better translated as "mysterious fire." The cause of this phenomenon went unknown until the early 20th c., so it's no wonder people marveled at it for centuries. Unfortunately, the dredging of the mudflats has drastically reduced the frequency of the phenomenon, but it lives on in yokai. - William

Spare a thought for the Japanese serow. Serows are difficult to classify: their family is Bovidae, indicating that they have four stomachs as do cows, and their subfamily Caprinae consists of mostly medium-sized bovines such as sheep and goats, but the serow is sufficiently genetically distinct that it contains no close relatives: it's neither sheep nor goat and cannot be domesticated. It lives in frosts, feasting mostly on what it can find on the ground, but will strip a tree of bark, thereby killing it. As such, farmers abhor them and will kill them whenever possible. This is unfortunate not only from a humane viewpoint but as the serow has long been a symbol of the mysteries of nature in Japan - the mount ridden by the last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, in the Ghibili movie "Mononoke Hime" was modeled on a serow.
Kumanichi points out that the number of serows in Kumamoto has fallen to some 40 and to 200 in Kyushu as a whole. This is attributed to habitat loss due to plantation farming of sugi (Japanese cedar), forcing the serow closer to human habitats for food. The article indicates this far below the number required to sustain their population in Kyushu, though the word "extinct" is used when, more accurately, it should be " extirpate" as it continues to live in Honshu.
Regardless, more must be done to protect this animal. When wolves were reintroduced to America from Canada after being extirpated there, care was taken to ensure that ranchers would be compensated for livestock losses. Transferring serows from Honshu to Kyushu would help to both increase their number and genetic diversity. Education regarding their importance and a robust program of compensation for crop losses would foster greater acceptance for this mysterious animal. Otherwise, it will likely go extinct, just as the Japanese wolf did. You can read more about the serow here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprinae - William
Caprinae - Wikipedia
The subfamily Caprinae is part of the ruminant family Bovidae,[1] and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. A member of this subfamily is called a caprine,[2] or, more informally, a goat-antelope; however, this term "goat-antelope" does not mean that these animals are true antelopes: a true antelo...

Kirk again. I'd like to followup on the post I made yesterday about the evacuation directive / instruction. First, here's an article (in Japanese) that praises the mayor's decision to make it possible for people to shelter with their pets:
https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Grape_864788/
That's good but I'm wondering about how information was communicated in English, if at all. Did any of you receive any notification that wasn't in Japanese? The one source that I thought might send out such a message was silent -- unless I missed something.
I got the following emergency text message on my phone but, on my iPhone at least, it's not possible to select the text and then paste it in to Google translate. With over 40 years of experience studying and using Japanese, that's not a problem for this old codger, but it strikes me as rather problematic if that is what everyone is getting, regardless of their linguistic preferences.

Hi! Kirk here after another long absence.
Kumamoto City has issued an "evacuation directive / instruction" (hinan shiji; 避難指示) for the entire city. The information you see in the attached image comes from the following page:
https://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/43/
This Yahoo page is in Japanese but, if you have a Google browser, you can have it translated into English.
In discussing with my wife whether or not to go to the local elementary school, the question of whether or not the shiji (directive / instruction) is legally binding came up. The answer is that no legal penalties have been established in Japan for failure to comply. So, this is different from what is called an "evacuation order" in some countries. Please note, though, the hinan shiji is stronger than hinan kankoku (避難勧告; recommendation / advisory). If there's any doubt in your mind about what you should do, it's probably better to go to a shelter before the winds get too strong.
Be safe!
https://lmedia.jp/2015/06/23/65258/

For your typhoon-induced sheltering in place pleasure: a Dekavita C mini CM starring Kumamon. - William
くまモンが口から光線！ふなっしーも怪獣化ご当地キャラが驚愕の変異！デカビタC WEB動画「元気すぎるご当地キャラ」篇
★チャンネル登録：https://goo.gl/U4Waal サントリー食品インターナショナル「デカビタＣ」が、全国区の知名度を誇る５体のご当地キャラを起用し、地方から全国に元気を届ける広告企画を２４日より展開。その企画の中心と....

Hi friends.
I would like to tell you to know the high tide time in Kumamoto especially for residents who live near riverside, downstream, near the beach.
Yes, the high tide makes high water, flood tide.
At 23:07pm 6th, Sunday midnight, the high tide will become 423cm.
At 11:28am 7th, Monday before noon, high tide will become 411cm.
Kumamoto city hazard map.
http://kumamoto-hazard.sakura.ne.jp/
Please stay safe, be careful, check and share information, and act beforehandーAtsuko(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Hi friends.
The typhoon seems horrible.
Please check information well and stay safe.
On Monday, you can't through your garbage because they won't gather them.
The information tells you the announcement of emergency notice and shelters which open near your house.
It's English version but you can choose Chinese and Korean version.
You can read Kumamoto city official twitter in English also.
Hoping you to stay safe and help each other
with your neighborsーAtsuko(´︶`)♡

Joe Tomei here with a gratefully recieved update for the typhoon and for the COVID situation from the JET Prefectural Advisors Lily McDermott & Chase Sutherland
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Dear Kumamoto,
We are sure everyone must have seen information on Typhoon No. 10 from the news, but here is just a summary of what we know so far, as well as some information related to COVID-19.
Typhoon No. 10
Typhoon No. 10 is a very strong typhoon which is expected to be closest to Kumamoto on Monday morning. You can track this typhoon here:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/2010.html
Shortly after the typhoon formed, the Japan Meteorological Agency released a warning with uncommonly strong wording. They explained that Typhoon No. 10 is characterised by its extremely low pressure even by historical standards, and it is predicted to be strong enough to cause some buildings to collapse. (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200902/k10012597111000.html?utm_int=all_side_ranking-social_004)
Due to the threat posed by the typhoon, the Kumamoto City BOE has already decided to close all of its schools on Monday, and the Kumamoto City Hall will suspend all of their services on Monday as well. City-run facilities such as the zoo and gymnasium will be closed on both Sunday and Monday. If you haven't already, please confirm with your CO about what the case is for your situation.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20200903/5000009862.html
https://this.kiji.is/674473191411549281?c=92619697908483575
Today, the Japan Meteorological Agency made another statement stating that the highest level of alert is needed, and that everyone should finish all of their preparations for the incoming typhoon by the end of today. In addition, The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport warned that rivers in Kagoshima and Miyazaki could flood because of the typhoon. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200904/k10012599841000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_001
Yamato Transport will be cancelling all deliveries in the Kyushu area this weekend. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200903/k10012599151000.html
and farmers across Kyushu have been harvesting fruit ahead of schedule (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200903/k10012598181000.html, https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200902/k10012596271000.html, https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20200903/5000009854.html).
Although little damage was seen in Kumamoto Prefecture when Typhoon No. 9 passed earlier this week, strong winds did cause power outages in some areas. A total of 1590 homes in Arao, Amakusa and Reihoku lost power in the early hours of Thursday morning (https://this.kiji.is/674088267472716897?c=92619697908483575). Power outages may also be caused by Typhoon No. 10. Depending on your apartment's pumping system, a power outage can result in your water being cut off, so we recommend that everyone set aside sufficient drinking water as well. We also recommend that you fill up your bathtub ahead of time so that you have water to wash with or flush the toilet if necessary.
Please find attached a useful poster introducing multilingual phone apps which can provide disaster-related information.
City and Prefectural COVID-19 Risk Level kept at Level 4
On September 2, both Kumamoto City and Kumamoto Prefecture decided to keep the Risk Level at Level 4 for another week. Overall, new infections are decreasing in the country as a whole, and although Kumamoto City saw 0 reported infections on the September 2 (the first time this has happened in 23 days), the statement released by the Prefecture states that new cases are still on the rise, particularly in Kumamoto City, when viewed on a week-by-week basis.
https://this.kiji.is/673830086551995489?c=92619697908483575, https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32638&sub_id=38&flid=249366
Special mass-testing to be conducted for employees of dining establishments in Kumamoto City
https://this.kiji.is/673862789849187425?c=92619697908483575
Kumamoto City announced on the 2nd that it will carry out special PCR tests for restaurant employees in the city center who wish to be tested, free of charge. Approximately 2,300 restaurants in areas such as Kamitori, Shimotori, Shinshigai, and Kumamoto Station are eligible, and the number of employees is in the range of several thousand to 10,000. Local restaurant business associations will contact individual establishments for testing, starting with places that serve alcoholic beverages located around Shimotori where clusters occurred last month.
Mayor Kazufumi Onishi pointed out that infections have not yet peaked in the city, and the situation is severe. He expressed his wish that these tests will be able to create an environment in which citizens can enjoy food and drink with peace of mind.
飲食店従業員に緊急ＰＣＲ検査　熊本市の中心市街地２３００店対象｜熊本日日新聞
熊本市は２日、新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大を受け、中心市街地の飲食店従業員を対象に、緊急のＰＣＲ検査...

Hi Joe Tomei here with something not related to COVID! I was contacted by Francisco SAS, who is organizing a Kizomba event tomorrow and the Irish Bar Celts. Here's the info
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I am Francisco SAS, an international and professional master in Tango and Kizomba. Everyone call me SAS in the Kzomba World... And Francisco in the tango world.
I have been teaching dance for more than 20 years in Europe and Asia.
I am from a Caribbean island called Guadeloupe. I live in Fukuoka where I have my dance studio called "DYL dance Studio". We are new, but we are passionate, professional and patient in teaching the dance language 🙇🏾‍♂️
About Kizomba :
Kizomba is originally a pair dance from Angola (Africa). Nowadays it's an international dance with many styles. I propose you to join me (papa SAS) at Irish Pub Celts bar to discover the Kizomba music while enjoying some drinks. I will show you some basics if you want to learn a bit about the dance. You can come by yourself or with friends. But please remember this is Covid19 time. Be responsible and stay safe.🙏🏾 We will apply safety rules for the entire event.💪🏾
Francisco Celestino
I will not show dance in pairs... Except if they come as a couple.
I will just show basic steps to people who want... No physical contact required. The place is big and not many clients. So it will be ok.
It's also why I start at 1700. We will have hand sanitizer available just in case someone wants to dance with me.
I will wear long sleeve shirts and mask of course. I also don't drink alcohol (on a general basis)... So I remain fully cautious about what will happen

Another update from the JET Prefectural Advisors, Lily McDermott & Chase Sutherland
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Hello Kumamoto,
We hope everyone had a great Monday. We have some additional updates to share:
●Coronavirus policy-related announcements by PM
During the speech on Friday afternoon in which the Prime Minister officially announced his intention to resign, as well as his address to the COVID-19 Response Headquarters the same day, he made several new announcements relating to the government's COVID-19 strategy. Here are some of them:
① A third wave of coronavirus cases is possible this autumn, in addition to other seasonal infectious diseases which cause fever, such as influenza. As a result, it is necessary to dramatically increase daily testing capacity and to be able to test for both COVID-19 and influenza at the same time. The government is hoping to increase coronavirus testing capacity to be able to conduct 200,000 tests per day, so that COVID-19 tests can be performed alongside tests for influenza.
(For comparison, currently, the highest capacity for coronavirus testing is just over 60,000 tests per day. More details: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/kokunainohasseijoukyou.html)
More details: https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/98_abe/statement/2020/0828kaiken.html
② Provided a safe vaccine is developed in time, the Japanese government intends to secure contracts to purchase enough vaccine to distribute to all citizens by the first half of next year.
More details: https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/98_abe/actions/202008/28corona.html
Abe also made an announcement on the new system by which foreigners with status of residence in Japan may leave and re-enter the country, which has been making the rounds in several news articles today. Here is more information on that...
●Procedure for re-entry for foreigners with status of residence in Japan (begins 1st September)
All foreign nationals with a valid status of residence in Japan, who are currently residing in Japan, will be eligible to leave and re-enter Japan from tomorrow (1 September 2020).
The procedure is somewhat complicated, and involves sending an application package by e-mail to immigration officials prior to departure from Japan, then submitting proof that your application was received at the airport when you exit Japan. Before returning, you will need to obtain proof of a negative test result for COVID-19 72-hours prior to returning to Japan. Please check the following documents from the Ministry of Justice's website.
See an explanation of the full procedure on the Ministry of Justice's Website here: http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001327497.pdf (English), http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001327502.pdf (Japanese)
Flow chart for the whole procedure: http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001327486.pdf (Japanese only)
●Cases in Kumamoto
In our last update we mentioned some bars in which cases were confirmed in patrons/staff. The names of two additional establishments were announced to the public yesterday. Here they are:
（1）FOOD BAR Settle - Between August 16 and 18
（2）Connection - Between August 13 and 18
（3）SPOONY - Between August 15 and 18
（4）Marble - Between August 14 and 18
（5）駄菓子バー　ねこの巣（Dagashi-Bar Nekonosu） - Between August 22 and 26　
（6）BILL BOARD - Between August 18 and 24
If you have visited any of the above establishments during the dates listed please contact the Kumamoto City Returnees/ Virus Contact Center.
Here are the cases announced since our last update (four days worth of cases) by the municipality:
Kumamoto City - 24
Takamori Town - 1
Masahiki Town - 1
Uto City - 1
You can see the full list in English here: http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html
[English] Information about COVID-19 in Kumamoto / 熊本県外国人サポートセンター / 熊本県国際協会
[English] Information about COVID-19 in Kumamoto 最終更新日：2020年8月7日 The Covid-19 Risk Level for Kumamoto has been raised to Level 4　　August　4Residents are asked to refrain from any unnecessary travel to other prefectures. Residents should also avoid areas where the “ 3 Cs” ...

I used to teach Self Defense Force members at their base in Kengun so am aware of its role in WWII, but this article from Kumanichi expanded my knowledge on the, uh, expansion of its airfield.
Apparently, British prisoners of war from a nearby POW camp (commonly known as Kumamoto POW camp) were rushed to build an airfield. A now-elderly man who witnessed the construction remembers it as such: "Prisoners of war dig up the hill while the military police watch every 50 meters. The prisoners seemed hungry and made a gesture of eating. I stole the eyes of the military police and gave the prisoners the wild grass that grew on the roadside, and I was very happy to see them eat it."
I didn't know that the airfield took part in the "kamikaze attacks" on Okinawa at the end of the war as part of the "Giretsu Ukutai"(義烈空挺隊) - literally, "exhausting duty corps"). On May 24, 1945, 12 heavy bombers flew from Kumamoto to Okinawa; only one made it. The field was also used for bombing runs on Saipan in 1944.
After the end of the war, the airfield was requisitioned by the US Army. It was returned in 1960 and relaunched as Kumamoto Airport until 1971, when the airport moved to its current location in Mashiki.
Kumanichi reports on the rediscovery of a runway on land which was later used to construct Kokutai Dourou, adjacent the Red Cross Hospital. The article is an interesting peek into Kumamoto's not-so-distant past. - William
爆撃機、沖縄へ特攻出撃　旧陸軍健軍飛行場（熊本市）　日赤通りはかつての滑走路｜熊本日日新聞
「『ヒューン』とごう音を立てて、爆撃機が砂ぼこりをまき散らしながら飛び立っていった」。熊本市東区の熊...

We're looked to be clipped by a typhoon 'round midnight Wednesday, though it's trending east, so should that continue, we may be hit head-on. Keep an eye on it here: https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html - William

My absentee ballot for the primaries didn't arrive this year, which alarmed me, so I thought to re-register myself. However, the online form only accepts US addresses, so I contacted the Embassy, who provided this Website which accepts international addresses.
I urge all expat Americans to confirm your voting status and to submit this form to ensure you receive your ballot. - William
Vote From Abroad
VoteFromAbroad.org -- Absentee Ballots for US Citizens Abroad

Another update from the Prefectural JET Program advisors,
Lily McDermott & Chase Sutherland. Some small edits in order because of the attached image file.
=======
Dear Kumamoto,
We hope everyone has had an enjoyable couple of weeks of fine weather and is doing well as the second term begins.
The Kumamoto Prefectural government decided yesterday (26 August) to keep the Risk Level set at Level 4 (https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32638&sub_id=37&flid=248357) for the time being.
Although the clusters announced earlier this month (JMU, Yamaga etc.) have settled down, and as a result the numbers of cases appears to have decreased, the current infection situation is still described to be "on the increase" (拡大傾向にある).
Within Kumamoto City, the number of new cases in the one-week period from 18-24 August was 37 people. This was the highest number for any one-week period since the start of the pandemic, and each week over the past 5 consecutive weeks has broken new records for numbers of cases (Read more here: https://this.kiji.is/671504759269901409?c=92619697908483575 -- note; this is for Kumamoto City rather than the Prefecture as a whole; higher total numbers were recorded during the JMU/Yamaga clusters if the prefecture as a whole is taken into account).
The requests from the prefecture in terms of refraining from out-of-prefecture travel, etc. remain the same. Going forward, unless there are major changes, such as a change to the risk level, or another sudden spike in cases/cluster, we are hoping to transition into a weekly update schedule going forward.
This time around, we've tried to collect some news articles as well as summarise some information found on Kumamoto Prefecture's website, etc., that we think would serve to paint a picture of the situation as it stands now, so please read on for more information. As always, stay safe and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Here are your updates:
●Current information on hospitalisation, etc.
Currently 77 people are hospitalised (19.3% of capacity), 0 of which are critical, 17 are moderate, 49 are light, and 11 are asymptomatic. You can view the breakdown of cases as well as a graph of new cases on this page here: https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_35165.html
●Breakdown of the total number of cases announced by Kumamoto Prefecture since our last update (12 August) by municipality of residence
Since our last update two weeks ago, cases were confirmed among residents of the following municipalities:
Kumamoto City - 73
Ashikita Town - 9
Uki City - 7
Yatsushiro City - 5
Takamori Town - 5
Gyokuto Town - 5
Nagasu Town - 2
Minamata City - 1
Mashiki Town - 3
Kosa Town - 1
Kashima Town - 1
Saitama Prefecture - 1
You can read brief descriptions for each case here (in English) updated daily: http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html
More detailed information is available in Japanese here (for Kumamoto Prefecture) https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_32300.html, and here https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/corona/hpkiji/pub/Detail.aspx?c_id=5&id=27681 (for Kumamoto City)
●Kumanichi Article: Mayor says clusters observed in four different drinking establishments in Kumamoto City
The following is a partial translation of an article which appeared on Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun's website this morning (27 August). https://this.kiji.is/671504759269901409?c=92619697908483575
Mayor Onishi announced on April 26 that four restaurants in the downtown area of Chuo-ku are "clusters", and has announced their names to the public. Three of these are at bars; "FOOD BAR Settle", "Connection", and "SPOONY", and one "snack club" known as "Marble" . Between 18th-23rd, August a total of 17 men and women, including 10 employees and 7 customers, were confirmed to be infected, and all four stores were closed from the 19th.
●Requests from the Prefecture
Finally, just as a reminder, the following requests are in place from the Prefecture to residents:
- Continue avoiding unnecessary and non-urgent travel outside of the prefecture.
- Tell relatives and friends who live outside the prefecture to avoid coming to Kumamoto.
- When planning family events, avoid dining in groups of 10 people or more. The prefecture requests that people who have symptoms such as cold symptoms or fever do not join in such events.
- People should take special care to reduce the risk of infection around elderly people or those with immune deficiencies in their families.
- Implement measures to prevent the spread of infection in the home, such as washing hands or bathing immediately after returning home, and to separate living spaces from family members who have symptoms such as fever.
●Occurrence of cases charted (see image file attached to this post )

Youkai (妖怪）are the pantheon of Japanese ghosts and are most popular at this time of year, late summer. Kumamoto has one which was first described in the late Meiji era: Amabie (アマビエ、甘老海), a three-legged youkai who lives in the sea off Shiranui. His (her?) appearance was accompanied by the sea lighting up - it may be that bioluminescence led to the tale - and was a harbinger (and as such doesn't look scary) of a good harvest yet plague, which I guess resulted in much food with no one to eat it.
During this time of Covoid19, interest in Amabie has been renewed. One can now buy Amabie goods such as cell phone straps in the hope he (she?) will ward off illness. Below are a few images of him (her?). - William

Hi
It's so hot today too.
残暑お見舞い申し上げます
(Zansho Omimai Moushi Agemasu.)
I world like to say hello to you.
Please take good care of yourself.
Keep cool, keep healthy.
Kumamon might feel hotter than us.
Keep smile, keep being kind like him.ーAtsuko(Ü)