Results on Kumamoto tourism are in, clarifying that earthquakes are not a big draw. The blue bar indicates day-trippers and the brown over-nighters (left axis, unit 10,000) while the polygonal graph shows the number of foreign visitors (right axis, unit 10,000). In total, the number of visitors fell to a level not seen since 1997 (the year my daughter was born - and she’s in college now!), with the Aso region seeing a 37% drop. Of interest but not reported in the article is the “Kumamon effect.” Our cuddly character was unveiled in 2010. This may have contributed to the steep increase in foreign visitors from 2011. So 2016 was not a good year for Kumamoto tourism, but considering the increased transportation links (air, sea), 2017 should see a return to the Kumamon curve. - William