Kumamoto International Archive

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

Good morning friends.
It's so nice news, all of residents can get 100,000yen each person.
The residents means the Person registered in Basic Resident Register in Japan.
Yes, of course, we are all Japanese citizen!!
International workers, part time workers also.
International students, and kids, wife, husband also.
Addition, it seems you don't need to visit city office.
We might have to apply online or mail, postal items.
Never go to crowded city office.
Anyways, It's nice news ーAtsuko(๑˃ᴗ˂)و♡
https://www.facebook.com/617243799/posts/10157785299018800/?sfnsn=mo
Please read it whole till details.
I just hope all of your safe and healthy.

Please copy above page and paste, put in google translate page.
I tried to attach here but couldn't.
http://itools.com/tool/google-translate-web-page-translator?fbclid=IwAR1Hymlv_vNsAXvh-uRIh0SnyYreH0oTUX837TPns5MVAfSHaSNHYC03PH0
10万円給付は「外国人も対象に含める方向」住民基本台帳に登録あれば国籍は関係なし総務省が明らかに（ハフポスト日本版） - Yahoo!ニュース
政府が新型コロナウイルスに対する緊急経済対策として実施する方針の「国民1人あたり10万円の給付」について、所管する総務省の担当者は「住民基本台帳に登録されていれば、国籍に関わらず給付の対象とする方向 - Yahoo!...

Disneyland was my former employer. We didn't close for anything, except briefly after 9/11. But Disneyland is currently shut down for an indeterminate period of time.
Kumamoto's flagship department store, Tsuruya, is similar: they never close. However, now they have, again for an indeterminate period of time, along with their associated facilities such as Wing Kan. My wife is devastated. - William
＜速報＞熊本市の鶴屋百貨店が臨時休業　従業員に新型コロナ感染疑い｜熊本日日新聞
鶴屋百貨店（熊本市）は１８日、同社ホームページで、従業員１人が新型コロナウイルスに感染している疑いが...

Joe Tomei here with another update from the JET Advisors Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott. While they are writing to the JET participants, the advice they give is certainly something that can be taken generally.
================
Hello Kumamoto,
Yesterday, the Prime Minister extended the State of Emergency originally declared for 7 prefectures to include all 47 prefectures of Japan. This means the special emergency powers (e.g., to ask businesses to close, or to appropriate property/supplies for medical use) are now available to the Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture should he choose to exercise them, until at least 6 May. Below we are summarising the main points of the Prime Minister's address when making the declaration, and the response of the Governor of Kumamoto.
Prime Minister's Announcement
In his address, the Prime Minister implored the public to continue their efforts to reduce interactions with others by at least 70% and preferably 80%. He went on to ask governors to strongly urge their residents against non-urgent and non-essential travel across prefectural boundaries.
We ask JETs to be aware of this, and to act sensibly and cautiously, especially as we approach the Golden Week holiday. This is a tough time, one where we are restricted and cannot do the things we had been looking forward to. It is a time for us to slow down in order to quicken the pace this pandemic will come to an end, if even just a day earlier. Please stay close to home this Golden Week.
NHK World News Article in English here: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200417_01/
Kumamoto's Response
Yesterday afternoon, in anticipation of the announcement concerning the nationwide state of emergency, Governor Kabashima explained that the declaration will have positive and negative effects. He said that the prefecture should strive to maximise the positive effects, increasing people's sense of urgency of the need to combat the spread of the virus, while mitigating the expected negative impact on the economy as much as possible. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20200416/5000008021.html
After the declaration was made, Governor Kabashima requested the following things of the people of Kumamoto prefecture:
1. Retail stores will operate as usual, so please remain calm and refrain from rushing to buy up daily necessities in bulk.
2. Do not make trips to and from areas where infection is spreading, especially during Golden Week.
3. Avoid the 3 Cs (i.e. closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with many people nearby, and close-contact settings such as close-range conversations). Avoid unnecessary and non-urgent outings, going out to the city centre, and especially going out to restaurants with wait staff. Working from home should be implemented wherever possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QyJcIaFiKg, https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20200416/5000008021.html
In a further address given this morning, the governor said that he is not yet planning to request business closures. He believes that any business closures should coincide with financial support for those businesses, and will ask for the close cooperation and support of the national government alongside the governors of other prefectures.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to permit drive-through testing
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has released a notice to all local governments in Japan saying that is now permissible to conduct "drive-through testing" as has been implemented in countries such as South Korea if it is deemed necessary. The government plans to increase the daily test capacity from 13,000 tests per day to 20,000. https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/item/n/601276/
Japan's state of emergency extended nationwide | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
The Japanese government has expanded the state of emergency for the coronavirus outbreak to the entire country. The measure will remain in effect through May 6.

My wife and I often welcome lonesome elderly to our genkan for some food and conversation. What can be learned from them is often astounding. Today, an elderly gent taught me that the renkon (蓮根 - lotus root) was brought to Kumamoto hundreds of years ago to provide nutrition - sort of like potatoes to the Irish, as it can be grown on very marginal land - and that the Hosokawa Crest is based on this. While I can't account for its veracity, what the elderly can teach you, if you just listen, even if it's just a folk story, is amazing. - William
(Addendum: Wikipedia has a very different explanation of the origin, and the fact that Kiyomasa had adopted his crest prior to his transfer to Kumamoto throws a big shadow on my friend's story. Correlation is not causation - but it is still interesting.)

Hi friends.
It's my good friend @Charles Waterman's post.
Sorry I could not tag him because this page might be public page.
He shared main points about the emergency declaration, ThanksーAtsuko(｡•̀ᴗ-)و ̑̑✧
･･････････････････････････････････････････
From Kyodo News about the country-wide state of emergency:
"The emergency declaration, based on a revised law enacted last month, gives prefectural governors the power to take bolder preventive steps and allows them to call for school and business closures. There are no legal penalties for noncompliance."
and
"The nationwide state of emergency will not lead to hard lockdowns."
and
"Meanwhile, the transport ministry said Thursday that all passengers departing on domestic flights from Tokyo's Haneda airport will be required to have their temperatures checked before boarding as part of measures to curb the spread of the virus. The measures will apply to all flight routes starting from Friday through May 6, the last day of Japan's state of emergency. Thermal imaging cameras will be installed before the security gates in both of the airport's domestic terminals, with airline staff conducting the tests.
The move is an effort to address concerns that passengers traveling from Tokyo, which currently has the nation's highest number of coronavirus cases, may spread the virus to (other) regions."
From NPR:
"Abe added the goal is for Japanese residents to limit contact with others by up to 80%, Kyodo News reported."

Joe Tomei here with another update from the JET prefectural advisors, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott.
=====
Here some more updates for today:
・Additional case in Kumamoto (33 total cases in Kumamoto Prefecture)
The new case (Case 33) is a female company manager/executive in her 60s in the Aso Area, who is the mother of Case 31 (male company manager/executive in his 40s in the Aso Area). She received a PCR test on April 15th which came back positive. She complained of discomfort in her throat after showing symptoms of coughing and a runny nose on the 12th, but is thought to be a mild case. She has not traveled or left the Aso Area in the two weeks before the onset of symptoms. Her husband, who lives together with her, was tested and came back negative on the 15th.
There is more information on Case 32 from Kita-ku, mentioned briefly in the previous email. According to Kumamoto City, he is a taxi driver who complained of fatigue and treated at his home on the 11th, but his symptoms worsened. He was transported by ambulance on the 14th, and administered a PCR test on the 15th, which came back positive. His is a moderately severe case, requiring the administration of oxygen. He did not go to work in the three days preceding the onset of his symptoms, but did take one passenger on the 11th. The route of infection is unknown.
In other news, authorities have come to the conclusion that no hospital-acquired infection has occurred at Kuma Hospital in Hitoyoshi. Kumamoto Prefecture says that all 165 tests performed on patients and doctors who potentially came in contact with the infected doctor were negative.
Read more here:
https://this.kiji.is/623119076716790881?c=92619697908483575
・Government-provided cloth masks begin arriving in Kumamoto
Cloth masks have begun to reach facilities for persons with disabilities and facilities for the elderly in Kumamoto Prefecture. An after-school day service in Kita-ku, Kumamoto City received the masks and distributed them to the kids. The masks are smaller than a general non-fabric mask. Despite some people questioning the effectiveness of the filter, when asked, the manager of the Kitako after-school day service said "Lack of masks will continue... it's better than no distribution." https://this.kiji.is/623142396424635489?c=92619697908483575
・Tokyo: Increasing number of emergency patients turned down by hospitals
NHK has reported that in there is an increasing number of incidents in which multiple hospitals refuse patients transported by ambulances in Tokyo. In one case, a patient who had symptoms that could potentially have been caused by COVID-19 (fever or respiratory distress, etc.) was refused admission by over 110 medical institutions, waiting over 10 hours before being admitted to a hospital over 40 km from his home.
According to the Tokyo Fire Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, in March there were over 931 cases in which patients being transported in ambulances were either refused by 5 or more hospitals, or waited over 20 minutes before finding a hospital to admit them. This is 33% higher than the number of reported cases during the same period last year. In addition, between 1 April and 11 April alone, there were over 830 such cases.
The article goes on to quote the Vice-Chairman of the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Association, as well as a physician named Dr. Fumie Harada who works at a hospital in Taito-ku, who both suggest that the reason is that many hospitals are not sufficiently prepared to handle patients with infectious diseases, and are therefore not admitting patients suspected of being infected out of fear that they would be unable to prevent an outbreak at their hospitals.
To improve the situation, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is currently considering implementing a system in which all emergency patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms are first sent to a Returnee/Virus Contact Consultation Center, given a PCR test on the spot, and then sent on to different hospitals depending on the test result.
Full article and video clip here: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200415/k10012389101000.html
【新型コロナ】熊本県内の感染確認３３人に　阿蘇郡市の会社役員の母親｜熊本日日新聞
熊本市と県は１５日、同市北区の６０代の男性タクシー運転手と、阿蘇保健所管内（阿蘇郡市）の６０代の女性...

Joe Tomei here, another CoVID update from Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott
=======
Hello Kumamoto,
Here are some additional updates for today:
・Additional cases in Kumamoto (32 total cases in Kumamoto Prefecture)
Two additional case have been confirmed since our last update. One (case 31) is a male company manager/executive in his 40s in the Aso Area. He reported his recent medical history and symptoms as follows: On 3 April, he began experiencing impairment to his sense of smell and taste. The next day, he had a cough and went to a medical clinic. On 8 April, he had a temperature of 39.5℃, and visited the same clinic again the next day. On the 10th, he went to the same hospital again, where he was confirmed to have pneumonia, and from that day he stopped going to work. Based on the decision made by the clinician in charge of his case, he was referred for a PCR test through the Aso Health Centre. In the two week period following the initial emergence of symptoms, the patient continued going to work. Although he sometimes did not wear a mask, he did wear a mask during meetings. He is thought to have been in contact with 2 family members and 5 other colleagues. https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32300&sub_id=7&flid=231719
The second (case 32) is of a male in his 60s in Kita-ku. Further details are yet to be released. https://this.kiji.is/623037048256136289
Cases 28, 29 and 30 (No 22, 23, and 24 for Kumamoto City), which we mentioned in the last update, have been confirmed to be connected with one another. Both men living in Chuo-ku reportedly worked together with the Nishi-ku woman in her 20s whose infection came to light on 13 April. https://kumanichi.com/news/1428842/
・Multilingual information offered by Kumamoto Prefecture
The Kumamoto Prefectural Government is currently working on expanding the availability of information on COVID-19 in languages other than Japanese. General public health guidance, news about new cases, and information about financial support for individuals and businesses are being posted to the official website of both the Kumamoto Prefectual Government and the prefecturally-run Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents. Here are links to the available information:
① Q&A on COVID-19 - currently available in French, Korean and Vietnamese https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/hpkiji/pub/List.aspx?c_id=3&class_set_id=1&class_id=7061
② Information about COVID-19 in Kumamoto - currently available in English only
http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html
Contains information on all confirmed cases in Kumamoto, info on consultation centres for workers/employment adjustment subsidies, subsidies for parents and guardians of elementary school students, support options for single parents, human rights support, immigration information, etc.
・Worst-case scenario projection made public by member of Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare's Cluster Task Force
Professor Hiroshi Nishiura of Hokkaido University, member of the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare's Cluster Task Force, explained the projection of a worst-case scenario for Japan if the country does not take measures to prevent the spread of infection. Nishiura explained that according to the task force's projections, if no measures are taken, the number of serious cases requiring ventilators would peak 60 days from now, with serious cases totalling 850,000 (200,000 between the ages of 15 and 64, and 650,000 over the age of 65). Nishiura explains that there are currently 13,000 ventilators available in Japan, which is about 1.5% of the total number required for the worst-case scenario. The projections assume that around half of all serious cases would result in death, meaning a total of 410,000 would be expected to die from COVID-19 in Japan if no measures at all were taken to prevent the spread of infection. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200415/k10012387961000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_003
・Public apology by Vice-Governor
Vice-Governor Tajima made a public apology for forwarding false information claiming to come from within the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo. The Vice-Governor received the message from a friend over the LINE messaging app and forwarded the LINE message to management within the kencho, which spread throughout the prefecture. https://this.kiji.is/622929671866762337
In fact, we have also received LINE chain-mail messages from various sources including such false information as "hot water kills the virus so take a hot bath and drink warm water". In addition to hoax information, scams that are taking advantage of the situation have also been reported. Please beware of any text messages, emails and phone calls you receive. (e.g. receiving a suspicious call from someone claiming to be a city official, phone calls from the government telling you to go to a specific place for disinfection, suspicious mask sales advertisement emails, messages claiming that someone will send you free masks, etc.)
・Governor Kabashima agrees to a 30% pay cut
Governor Kabashima has decided to take a 30% pay cut in recognition of the economic difficulty people are facing in the prefecture. The two vice-governors are also taking a 20% salary decrease. At the national level, MPs are also making arrangements to cut their remuneration by 20 per cent for at least one year. https://this.kiji.is/622990079876023393

Joe Tomei here. This was shared with me, some information cartoons about CoVID
https://nusmedicine.nus.edu.sg/medias/news-info/2233-the-covid-19-chronicles?fbclid=IwAR0aYvD4TZQhALcujOIntY1c-kcj0798K3sfOxIErwzEGVCExN4-dPLkX7s
Along with their Japanese translations
http://jstm.gr.jp/news/covid-19%e3%82%af%e3%83%ad%e3%83%8b%e3%82%af%e3%83%ab/?fbclid=IwAR3crt9DgPEgnqyelFyIJ97615C2HWFQVVfuSxJOo0BfLHWNPTRtm1e-_hI
A lot of new vocabulary floating around, so this may be of interest to people on the list.

Joe Tomei here, a group for restaurants doing takeout in this time of social distancing
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rooting.for.kumamoto.food/
Japanese, but the automatic facebook translation should get you sorted.

Hi friends.
Sorry for my poor English explanation.
But I think if education center and schools have given the documents written in English, i don't need to have and share such a poor explanation.
It's also a kind of suggest for our need.
The new education age seems to come in Japan too.
The changing might be slowly, unfortunately.
Just Be curious, Challenge, EnjoyーAtsuko(Ü) https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=879718539107725&id=100012087617313?sfnsn=mo

Joe Tomei here, passing on the email update from JET advisors (Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott) at kencho. My sincere thanks to them.
=====
●Three additional cases in Kumamoto City
Three additional cases have been reported in Kumamoto City, two today and one yesterday. Today’s cases are two males, both residing in Chuo-ku, one in their 40s and the other in their 30s. https://kumanichi.com/news/1428800/
On Monday, 13 April a woman in her 20s living in Nishi-ku and employed in the dining/hospitality sector tested positive. An investigation into her recent movements and contacts is ongoing. https://this.kiji.is/622319828012876897?c=92619697908483575
The total number of confirmed cases in Kumamoto is now 30.
●Patients and staff at Kuma Hospital test negative for COVID-19
Kumamoto Prefecture has been conducting tests on the people suspected of being in contact with the male physician employed at Kuma Hospital, who tested positive over the weekend. All 154 people who were suspected of being in contact have been tested, and all have been negative. The prefecture is now investigating whether or not there are any remaining contacts who need to be tested. https://this.kiji.is/622688757866906721
●Kumamoto City close to running out of specialised beds for severe cases
At a press conference on 13 April, Mayor Onishi said that medical facilities designated for handling patients with infectious diseases in Kumamoto City are almost at full capacity (currently, all confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kumamoto are still being treated at government-designated facilities and not in the general medical system/privately run hospitals and clinics).
The city classifies patients into four categories; "asymptomatic", "mild", "moderate" and "severe". There are currently a total of 8 specialised beds with intensive care capability to be used for severely and moderately ill patients. However, as of March 13, a total of 6 people, including one outside the city, are being treated in these beds. (Mild or asymptomatic patients are currently being accommodated separately, with 28 beds available.)
Mayor Onishi explained to the public that as the designated facilities are currently operating at their limit, it will be very difficult to respond if new severe cases come to light. There have been 22 confirmed cases in the city (28 for the prefecture as a whole). In the city, 3 are classified as severe, 2 moderate, 5 mild, and 7 asymptomatic. Four have been discharged and one death has been reported so far. https://this.kiji.is/622612589509117025?c=92619697908483575
●On the situation in other parts of the country
Tokyo has seen an increasing confirmed cases in one week since the national government declared a state of emergency. Cases have been confirmed across a broad spectrum of society, including judo and sumo wrestlers, TV newscasters and recently, the family of a Japanese Member of Parliament, who happen to live in official housing provided to members of the House of Representatives.
Particularly concerning are the large numbers of hospital outbreaks, as well as outbreaks at elderly care centres which are currently coming to light across the country. You can read an article in English about this here: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13293873
One particular hospital in Tokyo located near Ueno Station called "Eiju General Hospital" which describes itself as "a regional flagship hospital" reported over 160 cases in a mass breakout at the hopsital, and 20 patients have died. A public apology has been posted on their official website. https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye3953699.html
Nakano Egota Hospital, also in Tokyo, is reporting 92 cases. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13293542
Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare's Nationwide Hospital Map
Some hospitals and clinics caught up in the situation are limiting or shutting down new patient intake. The government has released a map of hospitals across the country and their situation with respect to patient intake. https://cio.go.jp/hosp_monitoring_c19
Using this map you can confirm which hospitals are operating as usual, have introduced restrictions on patient intake, or have closed all new intake entirely. Hospitals that have not responded are in grey. Here is a screenshot of the map surrounding Kumamoto City:
[attached below]
State of emergency business closures in effect:
After being implemented in Tokyo earlier this week, official requests for business closures have now been implemented in all 7 prefectures where a state of emergency was called, including Fukuoka, which largely follow the same agreement which was reached between the national government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. In Fukuoka, from today until 6 May, over 12,000 non-essential business are expected to close, including cabarets, bars, internet cafes, karaoke boxes, gyms, pools and sports clubs, pachinko parlours, game centres, theatres and cinemas, exhibition halls, museums, and libraries.
Where the state of emergency applies, business hours for restaurants, izakaya and cafes are restricted from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm, except for home delivery and take-out services. Izakaya may only serve drinks for one hour, between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200413/k10012384221000.html

One of my wife's students is here. She is 13; her father is a doctor and her mother a nurse. Her parents are so busy that no one is able to look after her house, so she hasn't taken a bath for a few days.
My thoughts go out to those on the front lines - and to their families. - William

Japan is composed of a spine of volcanoes extending from the sea south of Kagoshima to northern Honshu. This is due to complicated interactions between the Pacific, Philippine, North American, and Eurasian plates upon which Japan floats. Mount Kimpo is a granite monolith located just south of the castle - in fact, it is where the castle's rocks were quarried. It is a dormant volcano - imagine if it erupted again! - lying between the active Unzen and Aso volcanoes. Sort of like a mini-Aso, it has a caldera which is heavily cultivated with grapes and citrus. Now is a good time to visit. You can take a bus from Kotsu Center to Touge Pass　(Tougenochaya Kouen - 峠の茶屋公園) and then hike to the peak from there - it is a most pleasant walk. The view from night is particularly spectacular. - William

Joe Tomei. This last one is a good explanation about what is happening in Fukuoka. I'd just observe that Kumamoto has much less public transport than Fukuoka, which possibly may account for the slower spread. Unfortunately, if that is the case, it will not be preventative, it will simply have us climbing the exponential rise later. Again, thanks to the Prefectural Advisors for the Kumamoto JETS, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott, for allowing me to share these.
●Some additional comments about Fukuoka
Fukuoka was one of the prefectures in which a state of emergency now applies, and since it is so near to Kumamoto we think it's worth taking some time to talk about the situation in Fukuoka in a bit more detail.
Many people have wondered why Fukuoka was included when places such as Hokkaido and Aichi were not, despite Hokkaido and Aichi having higher total numbers. At a press conference last night, the head of the government's coronavirus advisory committee Shigeru Omi gave a clear explanation of why he recommended the inclusion of Fukuoka.
The reason is that although the cumulative number of cases is higher in Aichi and Hokkaido, the recent rate of increase in Fukuoka is much higher. In a one week period, cases in Aichi and Hokkaido increased 1.4 times and 1.1 times respectively, whereas in Fukuoka the rate of increase over the same period was 6.2 times. Stated in other terms, in Fukuoka, the time it took for the the number of cases to double was the shortest in the whole country, at 2.9 days as of 6 April. The proportion of cases for which the route of infection is unknown in Fukuoka is also the highest in the country, at 72%.
Read more about this (in Japanese):
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN4735VYN46TIPE03B.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200407/k10012373831000.html
In a press conference yesterday the Governor of Kumamoto said that he is taking these developments very seriously. Governor Kabashima asked people in Kumamoto to avoid travel to any of the prefectures for which a state of emergency was declared, including Fukuoka. He also asked people living in those areas not to return to Kumamoto at this time, underlying the importance of minimizing our movements and social interactions to curb the spread of the virus.
緊急事態宣言、なぜ福岡も？　愛知より感染者少ないのに：朝日新聞デジタル
　感染者数が全国で9番目（5日深夜現在）の福岡県にも緊急事態宣言が出される。背景には、1週間（3月30日～4月5日）で累計感染者数が6倍超に急増したことがあるとみられる。　朝日新聞の集計で5日時点の累…

Joe Tomei again, with a clip from the JET advisories
●Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare LINE Collaboration Survey
You may have received a notice on your mobile phone in the LINE application to participate in a survey about your recent health. The results of the first survey has been released by the government. Nationwide, around 27,000 LINE users reported having a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius lasting for more than 4 days. The rate of fever among people work in the sales and hospitality industry was about twice the national average. By prefecture, Okinawa was the highest, followed by Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Osaka, which all exceeded the national average.
https://news.nicovideo.jp/watch/nw7008657

Joe Tomei here. I've just gotten some of the updates sent out to JET participants by the Prefectural Advisors. Rather than post them all here, I'll just pick out some sections, but in the future, I'll try to pass them on here. This first one is about being encouraged not to eat out and here are some options for take out and delivery.
●Take-out and delivery food options
With the PM's request to avoid eating out in mind, here are some websites where you can find take-out/delivery.
Takeout2020: Lists restaurants in Kumamoto which have begun providing take-out. You can place your order over the phone and pick-up at the restaurant. It includes a wide variety of options not only in Kumamoto City but also some in Tamana, Kikuchi, Yamaga, Yatsushiro, Kuma, Amakusa and Uto.
http://kumamoto.takeout2020.net/
Demae Can (https://demae-can.com/) and Rakuten Delivery (https://delivery.rakuten.co.jp/): Input your area to find local pizza/bento delivery options. Demae Can delivery drivers are also taking some special coronavirus measures, including gargling, temperature checking, alcohol disinfecting, mask wearing etc (read more: https://corporate.demae-can.com/pr/news/demaekan/post_500.html)

Kirk again. I just posted about low testing levels in Japan.
Here's an article about such concerns -- though the specific issues I brought up in my previous post are not all addressed.

It's also true that the US embassy has expressed concern about the lack of testing:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200404/p2a/00m/0in/014000c
When I first heard that I laughed, thinking it was the pot calling the kettle black. It's true that the US government is no paragon of virtue in regard to its pandemic response but, after studying the matter a bit more, I think they may have a point in regard to testing levels here.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/japans-sudden-spike-coronavirus-cases-tokyo-olympics-postponement/story?id=70041840
Japan's sudden spike in coronavirus cases after Tokyo Olympics postponement raises eyebrows
The sharp rise in cases and deaths has prompted speculations that Japan had previously understated the scope of its coronavirus outbreak.

Hi! Kirk here. I hope what I'm about to say doesn't cause excessive concern but I think that at least moderate concern is warranted regarding the low levels of COVID-19 testing in Japan.
If you go to the Wikipedia article on COVID-19 testing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_testing
you can scroll down to see how Japan's testing levels compare with those of other countries. They are quite low. Even the United States has managed to test lots of people, though their slow start was pointed to as one cause of the current catastrophe there.
If I had only been paying attention to the Japanese media, I don't think I would have become concerned about testing levels because the issue doesn't come up much on the Japanese news shows I watch. It was listening to news reports from the U.S. that got me thinking about how many tests were being conducted.
I suspect that much of the media here is actually avoiding the issue -- not wanting to cause concern by criticizing the government's approach. Here's one example. YAMANAKA Shinya is a highly respected stem cell researcher and a winner of the Nobel Prize. The Japanese media is usually pretty good about covering him but, for some reason, much (not all, of course) of the media seems to be ignoring his calls for more testing. If you search for news articles about him in English you may find this article about his research but nothing about his calls for more PCR tests for the new corona virus:
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Science/Yamanaka-to-distribute-iPS-cells-for-testing-this-year
The Japanese government has said they will increase testing:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/04/09/national/science-health/drive-thru-services-japan-coronavirus/
Still, I'm concerned that, for whatever reason, Japan has been lax about testing and that that may not bode well for the future.
But I'm still glad to be here and not in my country of origin, the USA. The low numbers of deaths means that the situation here is a good deal better than that in most of the US.
https://scienceportal.jst.go.jp/news/newsflash_review/newsflash/2020/04/20200408_01.html
2020年4月8日ニュース「徹底的なPCR検査を強く求める山中伸弥教授が5つの提言」 | SciencePortal
2020年4月8日ニュース「徹底的なPCR検査を強く求める山中伸弥教授が5つの提言」最新の科学技術情報を伝えるポータルサイト。サイエンスポータルが独自に編集した科学技術関連ニュースをご紹介します。

The castle will be illuminated on two nights, April 14th and 16th. A good place to watch might the the promenade along Tsuboi River. Just remember social distancing. - William
熊本城、終夜ライトアップ　地震４年の１４、１６日　復興、感染防止の願い込め｜熊本日日新聞
熊本市は熊本地震の前震と本震から丸４年となる１４、１６の両日、被災した熊本城天守閣を一晩中ライトアッ...

Joe Tomei here. With the current situation concerning CoVID19, I'd like to invite some people who would like to post about developments in Japan in general and Kumamoto in particular. We'd especially like people who could bring attention to Japanese announcements and information with rough translations. They need not be in perfect English. If you are interested, please send me a message. Thanks