Kumamoto International Archive

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

I saw this on NHK's evening news. I'm not sure by it may be a point on the East Bypass. If I'm wrong about the location, please let me know. -- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/04/national/nanmadol-third-typhoon-season-makes-landfall-nagasaki-prefecture/
Nanmadol, third typhoon of season, moves northeast along Japan's Pacific coast | The Japan Times
Typhoon Nanmadol made landfall in Nagasaki Prefecture on Tuesday morning, the Meteorological Agency said, bringing heavy rain to Japan's southwestern regio

It may be an old wives tale (in fact, it reached me via my old wife), but apparently the path of the first typhoon of the season is often followed by subsequent ones. So we have that to look forward to.
I just arrived at Kumadai and was surprised to see that half of an immense Japanese elm (椋木, mukunoki) had split and fallen on three cars parked beneath. Emergency crews are arriving, but the car owners certainly won't be driving home tonight. Hint: Not a good idea to park your car under a large tree during a typhoon, even if the spot is close to your office. Everyone, take care. - William

I just learned that first and second period classes have been cancelled at Kumamoto University and Kumamoto Gakuen University. My employer, Kumamoto Gakuen University, sent us an e-mail that said we would be notified at 10 AM about afternoon classes. -- Kirk

As I wrote a minute ago, the winds are likely to pick up in the coming hours. Flooding and landslides resulting from heavy rain, however, are probably a more significant dangers. Here's an image of a machine translation (Google) of Yahoo's evacuation page for Kumamoto.
https://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/43/
The best way I know of to access a machine translation of this Japanese page is to use the translation option on Google's Chrome browser. I probably won't have time to provide continuous updates so if you think you may be in a vulnerable area, please check the page directly. -- Kirk

It's fairly calm now in Kumamoto City but the Tropical Storm Risk website says that we should expect the winds to pick up. The "tropical storm winds" that are predicted are between 63-118 kilometers per hour (39-73 mph). On the website's scale, this is still relatively weak but, of course, strong enough to be taken seriously. -- Kirk

As William has already pointed out, a storm is heading this way. If the storm brings heavy rainfall it may prove to be dangerous but, fortunately, it doesn't look like the winds will be all that strong. -- Kirk
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/tracker/dynamic/main.html

Looks like we'll have a lil' typhoon to help us celebrate American Independence Day. It is rather small (JWTC is calling it a tropical storm), but you might expect a bit of wind and rain from midnight tonight through tomorrow evening. - William
http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/warnings/wp0517.gif

Richard Brezina of Amakusa is currently competing in the Red Bull X-Alps. The "About" page of the competition's official website says it's "the world’s toughest adventure race" and "is returning July 2, 2017 for its eighth edition. Starting in Salzburg, 31 Athletes of 20 nationalities will race a straight-line distance of 1,138km across the Alps to Monaco via 7 turnpoints in 7 different countries, including a turnpoint in Slovenia for the first time in Red Bull X-Alps history. . . It demands not only expert paragliding skills but extreme endurance, as some athletes will hike over 100km a day and gain 1000's of meters in altitude while flying."
http://www.redbullxalps.com/race/about.html
Note that the website allows you to follow Rick's progress live as well as that of all the athletes. He's not in the lead at the moment but with over 1000 kilometers to go, anything can happen. The "About" page also has a very cool video showing what the race involves.
To see a segment on a local TV that shows Rick flying and features an interview with him go to
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1404621022944659
Here's a posting from this page with a link to a Japan Times article about Rick:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1457113077695453
Good luck Rick! (not that I expect you to be looking at Facebook at the moment ;) )
-- Kirk
http://www.redbullxalps.com/athletes/profile/richard-brezina.html
Richard Brezina - Red Bull X-Alps
Richard Brezina from competed in Red Bull X-Alps 2017, hiking and flying across the Alps in the world's toughest adventure race.

Here's more about the latest earthquake:
"Including Sunday’s jolt, the Kumamoto area has experienced 25 quakes registering lower 5 or higher since the deadly April 2016 temblors.
Both Kumamoto and Oita remain seismically active but seem to be quieting down, the agency said, warning that quakes of similar intensity could strike in the future."
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/02/national/woman-seriously-injured-quakes-rattle-japan-hokkaido-kyushu/
Woman seriously injured after quakes rattle Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu | The Japan Times
Two moderately strong earthquakes rattled the opposite ends of Japan overnight, leaving one woman seriously injured, a government agency said Sunday. The q

At just after 1 AM here an earthquake occurred. The JMA Seismic Intensity was 5- at Ubuyama-mura (the Aso area) and the magnitude was 4.5. I didn't notice it in Kumamoto City; I only realized what hat happened when I turned on the evening news. -- Kirk
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/6/20170702010249495-020058.html

The Minamata Convention enters into force on 16 August 2017. For more information see
http://www.env.go.jp/chemi/minamata_eif/en/index.html
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2017/06/30/commentary/japan-commentary/fitting-tribute-city-minamata/
A fitting tribute to the city of Minamata | The Japan Times
Suffering and stigma are being transformed into action: The entry into force of the Minamata Convention.

A little over a month ago, I posted about a very tall basketball player from Kumamoto who ultimately decided against going to the U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1456348327771928
This is about a local wrestler who did go to the U.S. and seems to have had a fairly successful career. -- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201706290003.html
Wrestling legend Matty Matsuda lives on in native Kumamoto：The Asahi Shimbun
YATSUSHIRO, Kumamoto Prefecture--Long before famed 1950s grappler Rikidozan (1924-1963) sparked a pr

The problematic landing occurred in Nagasaki but the plane was from Sojo University in Kumamoto. Fortunately, no one seems to have been injured seriously. -- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/06/29/national/small-plane-makes-belly-landing-nagasaki-airport/#.WVT2XcaB2qk
Small plane makes belly landing at Nagasaki airport | The Japan Times
A twin-propeller plane made a belly landing Thursday at Nagasaki airport due to mechanical trouble, causing a brief runway closure and the cancellation of

I'm sharing this article about bicycle racing (keirin) because Kumamoto City's keirin stadium is in trouble. I saw a TV news story about this on TV yesterday (RKK). It seems that even before the quake, the number of people supporting keirin in Kumamoto was on the decline and then the damage to the facilities caused by the earthquake has put the facility (which is run by the city) in an even more precarious situation. Much damage remains unrepaired so the facility has not be able to reopen since the earthquakes struck.
The stadium is located in Suizenji, inside the Suizenji Undo Park:
https://goo.gl/maps/zJ28kXpVzmD2
Here's the address of the Japanese Facebook page of the facility:
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotokeirin/
-- Kirk
https://www.wired.com/2015/12/jasper-clarke-inside-the-fast-paced-world-of-japanese-keirin/
(PHOTOS) Inside the fast-paced world of Japanese cycle racing
Keirin racing is the most extreme sport you've never heard of. Jasper Clarke spent a day with students at a local school.

A ‘globally precious find’! Sounds exciting! By the way, if you're into paleontology (and who isn't these days?), check out this event coming up in July:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1488012107938883
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201706270007.html
Fossilized lizard bones called a ‘globally precious find’：The Asahi Shimbun
MIFUNE, Kumamoto Prefecture—Fossilized bones unearthed in 2004 might be the first proof that a girdl

Interested in getting some help with your Japanese? If you have Wednesday or Sunday mornings free, you can get some help at the International Center downtown for just 100 yen per session.
The following page is a pdf file that features an explanation in simple Japanese followed by the same information in English.
-- Kirk
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/Upload/topics/p1_5706_215862011281419.pdf

There's a group called "Kumamoto YWCA International Neighbors" that plans occasional events to help people learn Japanese, etc. The event described on the page I'm linking to is already over but I'm sure there will be similar events in the future. If you're interested, please use the contact information included in the message to inquire. -- Kirk
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/topics/13519
Yahoo! Groups

This is my favorite radar site. If you, like me, are a cyclist, or have some other reason to want to time your movements so as to avoid getting soaked, I recommend you check out this site. Zoom in on your current location and then "play" the images to get a rough animation of how the rain clouds have been moving and where they are expected to go. The images should help you decide when you can "make a break for it," even on rainy days.
-- Kirk
雨雲ズームレーダー - Yahoo!天気・災害
全国各地の実況雨雲の動きをリアルタイムでチェックできます。地図上で目的エリアまで簡単ズーム！

The Autopolis course is in Oita, near the border with Kumamoto. Here's more information in English:
http://racingcircuits.info/asia/japan/autopolis.html#.WU_A3MaB2MI
I usually hear about events at this place after the fact, sorry to say, so I haven't been able to give people notices in advance. If you're interested in car racing, however, you might want to try to learn more about the facility.
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/06/23/travel/off-races-super-gt-oitas-autopolis-course/#.WU_ACsaB2MI
Off to the races: The Super GT at Oita's Autopolis course | The Japan Times
Drive an hour south of Fukuoka and take a right at the city of Hita and you'll find yourself skirting the edge of Lake Bairin. Mountains rise up from the w

MSU expands cooperative relationship with Japanese town
The agreement will further strengthen the cooperative relationship between MSU and the Japanese town of Mifune, the site of a dinosaur museum that has partnered with MSU’s Museum of the Rockies.