Kirk with something has only the weakest connection to Kumamoto. This came up when I searched for news about Kumamoto because the Guardian pointed out that the kiwi yuru-kyara that greated New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, paled in comparison with the gold stardard of Japanese mascots – Kumamon. I thought that perhaps Prime Minister Ardern might be on her way here for Kumamoto’s water summit but, alas, no such luck.