Kumamoto International Archive

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

Here's a TV report that was broadcast yesterday. Even if you don't understand all of the Japanese, the images should give you a better idea of what happened in various parts of the prefecture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urkcoltPvTY
熊本27万人に避難指示・勧告、土砂崩れも九州大雨(15/06/11)
梅雨前線の活動が活発になっている影響で、九州では局地的に非常に激しい雨が降り続いています。特に熊本県では、10日夜からの雨量が200mmを超えていて、土砂崩れの情報も入ってきています。・・・記事の続き、その他のニュースはコチラから！ [テレ朝ｎｅｗｓ] http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ann/

Here's a scene from Uki-shi. The Japanese caption says that the waters of the Urugo-gawa are flowing over a bridge.
http://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20150611004924.html
九州豪雨、熊本・長崎・鹿児島１４万世帯以上に避難勧告：朝日新聞デジタル

Here's a picture of the Ezuko area that I student I know took near her home. She was kind enough to give me permission to share it. :)
Posted by Kirk

The situation in Kumamoto is a major news item throughout Japan today. It was the top story on NHK's 7PM news program.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/06/11/national/evacuation-advisories-issued-370000-kyushu-residents-amid-heavy-rain/
Evacuation advisories issued for 370,000 Kyushu residents amid heavy rain | The Japan Times
Heavy rain hit Kyushu on Thursday, with local authorities advising 370,000 residents in 14 municipalities to evacuate the area due to an increased risk of

A little after 1 PM, evacuations were also called for in the Mifune and Kikuchi areas.
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/osirase/index.cgi?type=1001

Here's a cool little page that shows you a little movie of how the rain clouds have been moving in the past hour. I think it may be very useful if you trying to figure out the best timing to go someplace without getting too wet.
http://kumamoto.wni.co.jp/radar/rnkg/info_frame.html

The following e-mail came to me a 11 AM. I'm sorry I wasn't able to pass it along immediately:
--- start quote ---
Those in the following areas should evacuate to a safe place immediately:JONANMACHI、TOMIAIMACHI.
If you have any concerns, feel free to contact the Kumamoto City International Foundation (Kumamoto City International Center).
(TEL) 096-359-4995 (9a.m.〜8p.m.)
(e-mail）[email protected]
--- end quote ---
As this is from Kumamoto City, only areas that should be evacuated within the city are included. I am not aware of a system to send out notifications in English to people who are in other parts of the prefecture.

This page provides frequently updated radar images that show where it is raining the hardest.
http://www.river.go.jp/xbandradar/index.html

Some evacuations have also been called for in the Tamana area:
06月11日12:44配信
避難勧告の発令
こちらは玉東町です。
以下の地区に避難勧告を発令しました。
避難勧告　発令 06月11日12時10分白木谷地区避難所は座主公民館
避難勧告　発令 06月11日12時10分西安寺地区避難所は西安寺公民館
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/osirase/view.cgi?log_id=342

Here's a Japanese page with information about where evacuations have been called for.
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/osirase/index.cgi?type=1001
I don't have time to translate in detail but I can say that the major areas involved are:
Yamato
Reihoku (in Amakusa)
Misato
Kosa
Uki-shi
Amakusa-shi
Even though I can read Japanese, it took me a while to click through all of the links on this page. I really feel that the prefecture needs to improve the way it puts out disaster information.

This page indicates that heavy rain and flooding warnings have been given throughout the prefecture. I don't think I've seen a situation quite like this before.
http://www.bousai.pref.kumamoto.jp/GmnDsp.exe?M600

Here's some information in English and a map showing where the risk of landslides if currently highest:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/doshamesh/349.html?areaCode=349

Here's an image from a website managed by the prefecture. It indicates that the risk of mudslides and flooding is quite high. Unfortunately, even if you read Japanese, I think it's difficult to get a clear idea of exactly what you should or should not do if you live in one of the red zones. I have other work to do today but, if I can, I'll try to follow up with more information. If you are worried, perhaps it's best to check with neighbors or colleagues to learn about the situation in your particular area.
I have heard that classes have been canceled at Kumamoto University but not a Kumamoto Gakuen University, where I work.
My mailbox has been filled with notifications for evacuations. Unfortunately, they are all in Japanese and I'm not able to go three them and translate all of them. When will we have a system that automatically translates the information and displays it in a format that is easy to understand?
Here's the address of the prefecture's site (from which the attached image was taken):
http://www.bousai.pref.kumamoto.jp/GmnDsp.exe?M100

We've been getting a lot of rain and one Japanese news article I found indicated that over 200,000 (everyone in Uki-shi and some areas of Yamato-machi) people have been told to evacuate:
"活発な前線の影響で激しい雨に見舞われている熊本県では１１日午前、宇城市全域や山都町の一部などで計約２万８０００世帯約７万４０００人に避難勧告が出された。これまでの分と合わせ、同県内では２０万人超の住民に避難勧告が出ている。"
http://www.sankei.com/affairs/news/150611/afr1506110010-n1.html
Here's a link to several live cameras in the Kumamoto area. The image you see is one from a camera pointed at the Shirakawa River, near downtown Kumamoto.
http://rkk.jp/livecamera/
RKK熊本放送 http://rkk.jp
九州熊本のラジオ＆テレビ放送局！(TBSテレビ系列) Ustream/Twitter/Facebook/foursquare にアクセス！

Here's some information from the June issue of the SHISEI-DAYORI (City info):
--- start quote ---
When earth and sand absorb too much rain water, landslides are likely to occur. Quite a few instances of massive mudslides happened in the past even after the rain had stopped.
Stay aware of the weather forecast and of the evacuation information released by the city government. Evacuate as early as possible to protect yourself.
--- end quote ----
For more information go to the complete post on the Kumamoto International Foundation website:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7844&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
This English page is a translation of the original Japanese announcement. The page contains a link to the Japanese in case you would like to check the translation or would like to share the same information with a Japanese person. There is also a link to a new website made by Kumamoto Prefecture that provides information, using Google maps, about areas that are at risk for mudslides, etc. The image you see on this post is of one of the maps. I think the information is valuable, but there are two problems. First, the site is only in Japanese. Second, even if you are able to read Japanese, if is very difficult to figure out how to interpret the information because the website does not provide detailed explanations, even in Japanese. I hope the prefecture will take steps in the future to fix these problems.
Kumamoto International Foundation
Cliff FailuresWater from cliffs becomes muddy.Cliffs display cracks.Small stones fall.Sound is heard to come from cliffs.Sediment FlowsThe rumbling of mountains is heard.The water level of rivers falls in spite of the continuous rain. River water gets muddy; driftwood is seen in the river. Landslid…

Here's a quote about an opportunity to participate in the Hinokuni Matsuri that was posted on the Kumamoto JETS group:
--- start quote ---
The Hinokuni Matsuri is one of Kumamoto's biggest festivals. This year the festival will be held on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8. The highlight of the festival is the Otemoyan Dance (おてもやん総おどり) on Satuday night. Groups of dancers will crowd the main streets of downtown Kumamoto and dance to traditional music playing from loudspeakers all around. Last year, around 4,500 dancers across about 50 groups participated in the Otemoyan Dance.
The Kumamoto Prefectural Office (kencho) is also entered in the festival, and they have asked if ALTs or other non-Japanese residents in the community are interested in joining! If you are interested in participating in the Otemoyan Dance, please consider joining the kencho team! The dance will start at around 7pm, on Saturday, August 8, but the kencho team will meet up before at 5pm. The dance should end at around 9pm.
--- end quote ---
The photo is of students who danced with the University Consortium Kumamoto last year. I think the Consortium will probably organize something like this for foreign students again this year. When the time comes, the consortium will probably announce the organization of a group of student dancers on their Facebook page:
Consortium Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/consortium.kumamoto
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotokibiru
Relevant post to Kumamoto JETs group:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/kumamoto-jet/d8-Qld5mEqc

A new issue of YOKA (an English-language newsletter published by the International Affairs Division with the help of current and former Kumamoto JETs) has come out. The 2015 Spring YOKA includes the following:
Half Past Ten by Christopher Hester
Last Breaths of Spring by Audrienne Manansala
Adventures in the Life of a Developing Obachan: a satire about premature aging by Jemma Gallagher
The Color Run in Kitakyushu by Mana Haleem
The Golden Country: Iwate
Continue? The Return of an ALT After JET by Matthew Khor
Photos by Jemma Gallagher, Erika Egner, and Olivia Lee
http://kumamotojet.com/documents/Spring2015YOKA.pdf

The other day I posted about the KURASHI NO NIHONGO club (Daily Life Japanese Club) at Kumamoto City International Center. Since then, the web page has been update. The new page also has links to information about the club in easy-to-understand Japanese. This program is held at the Kumamoto City International City on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday mornings, afternoons, and evenings, and on Sunday mornings and afternoons in order to give foreign residents opportunities to study daily conversation in Japanese and just enjoy talking in Japanese with Japanese support volunteers. Please check it out.
Posted by Kirk
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=6&ID=7868&LC=e&type=1

Did you know that Kumamoto has an international haiku competition? Poets from all over the world submit poems in English through the web. The deadline is September 9 and 50,000 yen will be awarded to the winning submission.
http://kusamakura-haiku.jp/index_e.html

Here's some information from the June issue of the SHISEI-DAYORI about health check ups for residents who are 40 years of age or older. For the details, please click the link below:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7866&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e