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Joe Tomei here. Just in time for the long holiday, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott, the JET Prefectural Adivisors, share their email to the JET participants. As always, I'm really grateful to them for letting me post it here. I've slightly edited some sections, marked with square brackets [xx]. I'm also going to post separately the information they shared about volunteering.
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A note about the worsening infection situation
The Covid-19 cases are beginning to rise in Japan again, and Kyushu is no exception. Here is a related news article in English below:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/21/national/tokyo-coronavirus-deaths/#.XxeFaeSCiM8
Fukuoka Prefecture recorded its highest daily increase yesterday (July 21) with 53 cases, with 39 being in Fukuoka City: https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/item/n/628406/ (Japanese)
It is now three days in a row that over 20 cases per day have been recorded.
Tokyo is on a level-four coronavirus alert, the highest on its rating scale) and Governor Koike is advising residents to avoid unnecessary outings. https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/tokyo-raises-its-coronavirus-alert-to-the-highest-level-due-to-a-recent-spike-in-cases-071520
Today, Osaka confirmed 120 new cases of coronavirus, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200722/k10012528251000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_001
Three additional COVID-19 cases in Kumamoto Prefecture (17-21 July)　
Even closer to home, there have been three new cases recorded in Kumamoto over the past week.

On 17 July, a journalist dispatched to the Kuma Area from Yokohama was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19. All 3 of his close contacts (a colleague, another journalist and a taxi driver) all subsequently tested negative.
https://this.kiji.is/656830947007202401?c=92619697908483575
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32300&sub_id=41&flid=243947
On 20 July, a male resident of Minami-ku, Kumamoto City tested positive after developing a light cough and fever on 14 July. He apparently had contact on 11 July with someone in Fukuoka Prefecture who later tested positive. He went to work on the 13th and 14th, then started trying to recover at home from the 15th. His family are being treated as close contacts.
https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileDsp.aspx?c_id=5&id=27681&sub_id=140&flid=212756
https://this.kiji.is/657887158093431905?c=92619697908483575
https://this.kiji.is/657915151006811233?c=92619697908483575
Yesterday (21 July), a woman in her twenties tested positive after developing a fever and cough on 20 July. She was contacted by the Health Centre in Fukuoka Prefecture after they determined she had been in contact with someone in Fukuoka on 15 July, who later tested positive. The woman went to work from the 17th to the 20th, then stayed at home on the 21st to recover. Her family are being treated as close contacts and the existence of any other close contacts is under investigation.
https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/corona/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&type=top&id=28973
This brings the total of confirmed cases in Kumamoto Prefecture to 52.
"Go-To Campaign" General Information
You may have heard that the Japanese government has set up the Go to Travel campaign, to promote domestic travel and to help boost local businesses. The campaign subsidises up to 50 percent on your costs for transportation, hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and shopping, all within Japan. The campaign begins today (trips taking place from today onward are eligible). Trips to and from Tokyo are excluded from the subsidy.
For day trips, the maximum eligible amount is ¥10,000 per day, while for overnight and longer trips, the maximum is ¥20,000 per night.
To receive the discount, you’ll need to book your trip with businesses that are registered with the campaign (most major Japanese travel agencies are included in the promotion and it is integrated in their booking systems. You’ll pay the discounted price when booking directly through a travel agency.)
You can read more about the campaign here: https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2020/07/japans-go-to-travel-campaign-what-you-need-to-know/
There is also an additional subsidy available for residents of Kumamoto who are planning to stay at hotels/ryokan within Kumamoto Prefecture (up to 5000 yen per night). Read more here (in Japanese) https://kumamoto.guide/kumamoto-cpn2020/
[All tax paying residents of Japan, are eligible to make use of either campaign if they wish.]
Uber Eats to launch in Kumamoto City
Uber Eats will begin service in parts of Kumamoto City starting 11 August. The delivery fee is set at 320 yen and will operate from 9am to 12am. https://www.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1266843.html
Tsujunkyo bridge releases water for first time since Kumamoto Earthquakes
Some more good news in these turbulent times, the popular tourist destination Tsujunkyo in Yamato Town has begun releasing water for the first time in 4 years and 3 months since the Kumamoto Earthquakes. Construction was well underway until two years ago, at which time heavy rains caused significant damage again. Repairs were completed this April but the release of water from the bridge was delayed due to COVID-19.
https://mainichi.jp/articles/202040721/k00/00m/040/134000c
JR Hohi Line between Higo Ozu and Aso stations set to re-open
In related earthquake recovery news, the first test run of the JR Hohi Line from Ozu to Aso was completed yesterday. The line is set to completely re-open for the first time after the Kumamoto Earthquakes on 8 August.
https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/364102
Aichi reports around record 51 COVID-19 infections as cases outside Tokyo surge | The Japan Times
Record 27 cases confirmed in Kyoto Prefecture as Tokyo sees another 200-plus day with 237 infections and Osaka posts 72 cases.

Kumanichi reports that there is now a free bus service for volunteers who wish to clean houses and clear debris in the flood areas of Ashikita (and perhaps elsewhere - the article doesn't make that clear). The bus departs from the Sakuramachi Bus Terminal every Tuesday and Thursday from July 28th to September 15th (except August 13th) apparently at 7:00 AM, though again, that is not explicitly stated, so you might want to check. - William
ボランティア、被災地へ　熊本市がバス運行開始 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本市は２２日、豪雨で大きな被害を受けた人吉市や球磨村にボランティアを派遣する無料の貸し切りバスの運...

Hi friends.
I've posted about Tsuetate before and got suggest to support for them.
Previous post
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3941213075952095&id=123734781033296
Tsuetate is beautiful Onsen village.
My friend supports there especially. I world like to share their work.
They gather items by smart supply
https://smart-supply.org/projects/kumamoto-tao-project/5f083588c08d420006041aa4?fbclid=IwAR0pvVS1Qp_QSzrnJtg0UsIIcC6Ntl8110lBLIzSAwlbK-viq8VqJdU7ZZc
Their project page
https://www.facebook.com/%E7%86%8A%E6%9C%AC%E6%B0%B4%E5%AE%B3%E6%94%AF%E6%8F%B4tao%E5%A1%BE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%82%AF%E3%83%88-101461254980429/
Donation for Oguni town
小国町つながる未来基金
https://www.town.kumamoto-oguni.lg.jp/q/aview/55/1368.html?fbclid=IwAR1RFVB8Nj4xXF8SpNn_flLargWPOgMUrzXKFPirNH_iOnXHpJhFrHn3nZI
By the way, I went to join volunteer to Soup run in Yatsushiro today. We are ラーメン党 Ramen tou. Yes, we do Ramen soup run for victims. If you eat their Ramen at their restaurant, your payment becomes donation for their works!!
If you like their spirit, you may eat it.
https://www.facebook.com/Npo%E6%B3%95%E4%BA%BA%E4%B9%9D%E5%B7%9E%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A1%E3%83%B3%E5%85%9A-1113325018694564/
You may support Kumamoto by your way.
Summer comes. Enjoy Kumamoto humid summer!!!ーAtsuko(｡•̀ᴗ-)و ̑̑✧ https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=848296215526010&id=123723284383768

Kumanichi provides some demographic stats on disaster death numbers. The upper graph shows deaths from the recent floods, totaling 65. Of those, 55, or 85%, were considered elderly (defined as 65 and over). The lower graph shows that those from the quakes, totaling 50, were more spread out over age groups, with the elderly making up 68%. A theory is that it is much more difficult for the elderly to survive a flood than an earthquake. - William
死者の８５％が高齢者　熊本豪雨２週間、避難の難しさ浮き彫り ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本県南部を中心とした豪雨災害は、１８日で発生から２週間。県内の死者は１７日午後７時現在で６５人に上...

Kirk here. I got this a few days ago and should have posted it sooner. I hope I'm not too late for anyone who might be interested.

Hi, Joe Tomei here with another update from the JET Prefectural advisors Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott. My warmest thanks to them for allowing me to share this with the list
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Relief worker helping at evacuation sites tests positive
Yesterday evening, it was reported that a male public health official in his 30s dispatched from Takamatsu City (Kagawa Prefecture) in order to provide assistance with disaster response in Kuma Area, tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return to Kagawa. One of his main roles was to inspect evacuation sites and provide support and advice on preventing the spread of COVID-19 among evacuees, including being in charge of setting up partitions in order to help evacuees avoid the 3 Cs.
The official in question arrived in Kumamoto on 8 July using public transport. After arriving in Kumamoto, he used a rental car to travel to the affected areas. He visited a number of places in Kumamoto in the course of his work, including going to the Kumamoto Prefectural Government Office for an orientation, and reporting to the Hitoyoshi Health Centre for meetings. He also inspected various evacuation centres such as Hitoyoshi Daiichi JHS and the old Taragi SHS building as well as Kuma Village. In the evenings, he returned to a hotel in Kumamoto City.
Although he had no symptoms after returning to Kagawa, he was concerned that he had interacted with a large undetermined number of people, so he elected to take a PCR test as a precaution, which came back positive. It is not known when or where the official was exposed to the virus. Two close contacts, both Kagawa City officials, tested negative.
The amount of the virus detected in the official's PCR test was determined to be small, and a second test came back negative. Kumamoto Prefecture says that it will conduct PCR tests on any working, volunteering or evacuating who is concerned they may have been exposed to the virus. It is estimated that about 400 people may have had some contact. Approximately 200 tests have already been conducted, all of which have so far been negative.
Although volunteering is being restricted to people who reside in Kumamoto Prefecture, support from health officials, government staff and disaster response experts is considered to be essential and Kumamoto Prefecture plans to continue to accept support from outside the prefecture in this capacity.
The public health official in question was confirmed to be infected in Kagawa Prefecture so this case has not been added to the total number of cases in Kumamoto Prefecture, which remains at 49.
Read more:
- https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_34455.html?type=top
- https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200713/k10012513331000.html?utm_int=nsearch_contents_search-items_002
- https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200714/k10012514341000.html?utm_int=nsearch_contents_search-items_001
A note on the situation in Kanto...
Over the past several weeks, concentrated testing has revealed a number of clusters in the Kanto area, particularly among so-called "host club" employees in the nightlife districts, contributing to increasingly large numbers of confirmed cases in the national capital area.
Numbers of confirmed cases have continued to increase steadily. On 9 July for instance, the number of confirmed infections in Tokyo reached the highest number since the pandemic began, higher than the previous record of 206 cases on 17 April. (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200709/k10012505871000.html)
Despite reporting that the majority of the cases are associated with nightlife and related businesses, the routes of infection remain unknown for a non-negligible proportion of confirmed cases. Cases have also emerged among people with no connection to the nightlife scene, raising the alarm of community spread. For instance, on 11 July, 17 people were infected by other family members, 9 at group meals, 7 at their workplaces, and 13 staff and children were found to be infected at kindergartens/nursery schools in Tokyo. https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20200711-OYT1T50222/
Osaka has also issued a "yellow" alert as cases have increased beyond a threshold set by the government there as well.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13543741
In comment, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko said that the possibility of community transmission in Tokyo cannot be ruled out, but would like to continue to monitor the situation while listening to the opinions of experts. https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN7F54R6N7FUTIL021.html
【7月13日】臨時記者会見（他県からの応援職員に係る新型コロナウイルス感染者の発生について） / 熊本県
【7月13日】臨時記者会見（他県からの応援職員に係る新型コロナウイルス感染者の発生について） 最終更新日：2020年7月14日  【7月13日】知事臨時記者会見　7月8日から12日までの期間、本県に応援派遣されていた香川県高松...

A unique problem: fishing boats in Yatsushiro have been blocked from leaving their harbors by the debris washed down from the floods. This will likely take some time to clear up. - William
八代海、大量の流木に悲鳴　漁業者「船が出せん」 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本県南部を中心に襲った豪雨によって球磨川などの河川から流れ込んだ流木やごみが、八代海に広がっている...

I was born in 1965. Apparently, floodwater levels in Hitoyoshi that year reached a record 5.05 meters. Recent rain has brought flood levels to 7.25 meters. A woman in the article is quoted: "I don't know if I can live here anymore."
Rural areas in Japan are being hit by a triple whammy: loss of jobs, loss of youth, and an increase in natural disasters.These of course lead to increased depopulation. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of Japan's hinterland is abandoned to wildlife within my lifetime. - William
浸水の水位、５５年前以上か　人吉市民「もう住まれんかも…」 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
「水の量が比べものにならんかった」－。球磨川が氾濫した１９６５年の大水害を経験した熊本県人吉市の高齢...

An acronym which I didn't know caught my eye: DMAT. Turns out it means "Ｄisaster Ｍedical Ａssistance Ｔeam," which was organized following the Osaka earthquake of 2018 and consists of coordinated medical, social, and emergency workers sent to disaster areas. Kumanichi reports that they are being deployed to central Kyushu. - William
豪雨被災の医療機関、爪痕大きく　他県ＤＭＡＴ、現場支える ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本県南を襲った豪雨は医療機関にも大きな被害をもたらし、一部は休診や初診外来の休止を余儀なくされてい...

Remember, you can access live images of Shirakawa from several locations at this site. Looks like we have more coming in. - William
http://www.qsr.mlit.go.jp/kumamoto/bousai/kasen_live/kasen_live01.html

Hi friends.
We have lots flood suffered places in Kumamoto, sadly.
Especially, this video gave me shock.
Yes, this is 杖立温泉 Tsuetate Onsen.
I have gone and enjoyed the famous Onsen many times. Even if you haven't gone there, you might know the famous name and the view of small river with lots of KOINOBORI.
I share this video to get lots support to help, to live, to reconstruct for them.
Be careful today too!!
Be safe, at first! ーAtsuko🙏🙏🙏
https://www.facebook.com/1218858892/posts/10218081035476941/?sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=i
Another one.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158729535065850&id=669535849&d=null&vh=i

Hi friends.
This is one of my favorite picture book's cartoon''もったいない ばあさん'' MOTTAINAI Grandma''
She tells the thinking about MOTTAINAI.
MOTTAINAI is very good action not to waste food, goods.
Yes, reduce, reuse, recycle way.
The page has four cartoons.
I hope not to waste emergency foods, goods, items for victims too.
I also hope you like and enjoy this story and way. ーAtsuko(｡•̀ᴗ-)و ̑̑✧
‘Mottainai Grandma’ spreads her environmental message in new cartoon series
The animated series “Mottainai Grandma” teaches youngsters the importance of respecting the environment around them.

Joe Tomei here. Several people have asked for information on how to help in relation to the floods that have hit Kyushu. Kaoru Dezaki passed on this page (in Japanese) on various possibilities. If anyone has more detailed information about these or other groups, please feel free to share it here.
私の故郷は鹿児島です。 父の実家は豪雨被害のあった鹿児島県の北に位置する長島町です。 幸い父の実家はいまのところ、何事もありませんでしたが、困っている方々のなにか一助になればと思い、現在私が見つけられた....

Spotted our first gecko of the season today. Fascinating animals, their feet are composed of a multitude of microscopic hairs that increase the Van der Waals forces - the distance-dependent attraction between atoms or molecules - between its feet and the surface, allowing them to climb about anywhere. They are your friend: they keep your house insect-free. The one I saw yesterday was munching on a cockroach. - William

Kumagawa (球磨川) is a rather treacherous river that originates in the Hitoyoshi basin and snakes through gorges before emptying into the Ariaki Sea in Yatsushiro. The mountainous region it traverses is relatively poor, and one way they sustain themselves is by taking tourists in traditional wooden boats along a section of the river. Sadly, the recent floods have destroyed many of these boats, depriving the boatmen and ancillary businesses of their livelihood. One hopes for a swift recovery. - William
豪雨が観光直撃「どうすれば」　人吉の老舗旅館、球磨川下り　 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本県南を襲った豪雨は、人吉市の観光も直撃した。老舗旅館は壁が崩れ、骨組みがむき出しになり、「名物」...

Kirk here. Here's a video that explains why so much rain has been dumped on Kyushu lately. In Japanese, the phenomenon is called "線状降水帯" (senjo kosuitai), which is sometimes translated literally as "linear rainband." The problem with "linear rainband" is that it doesn't seem to be an expression that is actually used by meteorologists in the English speaking world. "Training," on the other hand, does seem to be a term that is actually used in English. The idea is that a train of storms goes over the same area, resulting in inordinate amounts of precipitation in that spot. It's related to another phenomenon, called "back building."
I'm interested in the terminology because I'm a language geek and have a special interest in how translations go wrong. NHK got this one right, in my view, but you can find news articles that merely translate the various parts of the Japanese to invent the new English term "linear rainband" -- not a good communication strategy, in my view. I'll refrain from adding links to such English articles because doing so seems to make Facebook replace the main image and link with that article.
Kyushu slammed by storm training | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Kyushu has been devastated by unprecedented rainfall in recent days. NHK World meteorologist Sayaka Mori explains how a weather phenomenon known as a training is causing the downpours.

Kirk again. One aspect of the recent rain disasters in the Kyushu area is that "level 5" warnings on the JMA's (Japan Meteorological Agency's) relatively new scale (came out last year, I think) have been issued. Last year, I complained that the JMA neglected to publish an official description of the scale in English. I even called them to point out how providing an English explanation of the relatively clear scale would be helpful. Alas, no change. NHK has a pretty good page in English about the scale:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/587/
It's worth looking at but it shares a problem with the Japanese explanation found on the JMA site:
https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/kishou/know/bosai/alertlevel.html
The only sentence that "explains" what you should do at level 5 is the following:
命を守るための最善の行動をとってください。
Do your best to protect lives.
NHK translates this vaguely frightening (or frighteningly vague?) advice as follows:
"People should make every effort to save themselves."
One thing NHK does a better job of outlining on it's Japanese page about the scale is that by the time you get to level 5, it's probably too late to evacuate:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/saigai/basic-knowledge/basic-knowledge_20190529_07.html
So, my take on what you should do at level 5 is as follows:
"Probably too late to call for help or evacuate. So, I think you're on your own now, kid. If you're in a building with several floors, it might be a good idea to move up a floor or two. Umm, other than that, umm . . . you wouldn't happen to have a boat, would you?"
It's not very scientific or official sounding but perhaps a bit clearer than "make every effort to save yourself."
There are a lot of things I like about Japan but "clarity of expression" is not on my list of Japanese strengths.
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2657253907681358

Just so you don't have to go outside and check: http://www.qsr.mlit.go.jp/kumamoto/bousai/kasen_live/kasen_live01.html

Kirk here. When I first saw the image associated with this news article, I thought I was looking at something from the 2016 earthquake. Sayeth Yogi Berra: "It's like déjà vu all over again." And speaking of déjà vu, I've been struck by how television reports on the ongoing crisis have been interspersed with reports on ceremonies commemorating the victims of the torrential rains that hit Kyushu in 2018:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/06/national/anniversary-2018-west-japan-floods/
https://www.registerguard.com/ZZ/news/20200707/death-toll-from-flooding-in-japan-rises-to-50-dozen-missing
Death toll from flooding in Japan rises to 50, dozen missing
TOKYO (AP) " Soldiers rescued residents on boats as floodwaters flowed down streets in southern Japanese towns hit by deadly rains that were

Hi friends.
If you live in north of Kumamoto and near the river addition near the beach, you also should pay attention about the time of high tide, high water.
It's 10:30pm tonight. Today is 大潮 Spring tide, the highest tide comes till 435cm.
If the river's water has increased so much already, I recommend you to escape before it's dark, before high tide.
Be careful, stay safe🙏
Help yourself and your neighbors!
ーAtsukoヽ(≧Д≦)ノ