Kirk here. This translation of a Japanese article by AAR Japan [Association for Aid and Relief, Japan] describes two relief-supply distribution hubs intended especially to reach foreign residents in Hikawa Town and Yatsushiro City. The article makes clear that the supplies are not restricted to foreigners; nearby residents who need them can receive them as well. The effort to make the service accessible to the foreign community includes the use of simple Japanese and hiragana on signs and flyers, and, in Yatsushiro, the use of a Vietnamese restaurant and grocery store as a distribution point.
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Distribution Hubs Opened for Foreign Residents Affected by the Disaster: Emergency Assistance for the Kumamoto Earthquake
August 10, 2026
AAR Japan [Association for Aid and Relief, Japan] has opened distribution hubs in Hikawa Town and Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, both of which suffered extensive damage in the Kumamoto earthquake, where foreign residents affected by the disaster can receive relief supplies and information. Drinking water, food, hygiene products, and other supplies are being distributed free of charge. Supplies are also being provided to nearby residents who need them.
[Filipino residents receiving relief supplies in Yatsushiro City on August 9]
Assistance and Information Remain Difficult to Access
People from a wide range of countries, including Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Nepal, live in the disaster-affected areas. Many work in Japan under the Technical Intern Training Program or with Specified Skilled Worker status.
As residents continue to endure difficult living conditions, including water outages, foreign residents in particular are still having difficulty obtaining assistance and information. Since the earthquake, AAR has received reports such as, "Foreign residents are pooling their own money and buying supplies themselves," and "There are international students who say they are too frightened to sleep."
While searching for a base from which to distribute relief supplies, AAR received an offer of help from BAR.BASE, a bar in Miyahara, Hikawa Town. Located along one of the town's main roads, it has a parking lot as well as space for storing supplies. Because the bar normally opens after 9:00 p.m., its owners generously told AAR, "Until the water supply is restored, please feel free to use it during the daytime."
[AAR's Mitsuru Namatame coordinating relief activities with Tuan, left, of the Vietnamese restaurant San Pham Viet Yatsushiro]
AAR has also received assistance from San Pham Viet Yatsushiro, a Vietnamese restaurant in Yatsushiro City. The restaurant itself is closed because of the water outage, but the adjoining Vietnamese grocery store remains open. During business hours, the store and an adjacent warehouse are being made available for the distribution and storage of relief supplies.
Using Easy Japanese
Since August 8, the two distribution hubs have been providing drinking water, powdered sports drinks, emergency food, including alpha rice and halal food, body wipes, portable toilets, and other supplies. AAR staff are stationed at the Hikawa Town hub and are also available to provide advice to people facing difficulties.
[Signs and flyers designed to be easy to understand for foreign residents who are not proficient in Japanese]
To make the information easier to understand for people who have difficulty reading and writing Japanese, AAR created signs and flyers written in hiragana, using phrases such as "ものを くばるところ" ("Place where supplies are distributed") and "おかねは いりません" ("No money is needed"). AAR is also working with the local Junior Chamber and the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents to spread information about the distribution hubs.
Even now, AAR continues to receive requests every day in the disaster-affected areas for relief supplies and advice on rebuilding people's lives. While listening to concerns such as "I don't know how to apply for a disaster victim certificate," AAR will continue its activities so that assistance reaches everyone affected by the disaster, including foreign residents.
AAR asks for your support for its emergency relief efforts following the Kumamoto earthquake.
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Here is access information for the two distribution points mentioned in the article.
Hikawa Town:
BAR.BASE
689-2 Miyahara, Hikawa-machi, Yatsushiro-gun, Kumamoto 869-4602
熊本県八代郡氷川町宮原689-2
Entering "BAR.BASE Hikawa" or the Japanese address "熊本県八代郡氷川町宮原689-2" into Google Maps or another map service should show the location.
The AAR article says that BAR.BASE is being used for relief activities during the daytime while the water outage continues, but it does not give specific opening and closing times. AAR staff are stationed there to distribute supplies and respond to questions and requests for assistance.
BAR.BASE's listed telephone number is 070-7793-5486. This is the bar's own telephone number; AAR does not identify it as a relief-information hotline.
Yatsushiro City:
San Pham Viet Yatsushiro
5-9 Tanaka Nishimachi, Yatsushiro, Kumamoto 866-0876
熊本県八代市田中西町5-9
The location is in Tanaka Nishimachi, on the northwestern side of central Yatsushiro. Entering "San Pham Viet Yatsushiro" or "熊本県八代市田中西町5-9" into Google Maps or another map service should show the location.
According to the AAR article, the Vietnamese restaurant itself is closed because of the water outage, but the adjoining Vietnamese grocery store remains open. Relief supplies are being distributed there during the grocery store's business hours, and the store and an adjacent warehouse are also being used to store supplies.