Posts
"Eerily silent" is about all one could use to describe Kumamoto now during this four-day vacation. My wife and I had thought about going to Ashikita to help with flood relief, but, ironically, the current heavy rains have put a stop to that. The Guardian has an article on this called "Wave of Silence" - humans create a hell of a racket, and when they stop, scientists from zoologists to geologists have a field day, able to check out the earth as it would be if humans didn't exist. - William
'Wave of silence' spread around world during coronavirus pandemic
Seismologists said high frequency noise fell as much as 50% as planes were grounded and roads emptied
Hi friends.
If we haven't suffered Corona virus, tomorrow is the opening day of Tokyo Olympics.
It has been postponed 1 year!??? I don't know we can hold it, we should hold it.
I drop into Olympic official shop. It's placed 1st floor of コジマKOJIMA,
If you want to get Olympic memorial T shirts and items. They have lots.
I don't know Olympic's future, we can hold next year? postpone few years. It disappears...
There are good Anime goods also.It might be nice for souvenirs.
Yeah, you can see, they are little bit expensive.
Though, if you have these as memorial items of 2020, it might be good.
Honestly speaking, I visited and truly recommend the 2nd floor, clothes shop, ハゼヤマ HAZEYAMA because It has so cheap and many various clothes. I always take my guest to buy souvenirs at HAZEYAMA.In this season, you can buy kids YUKATA less than 2000yen!
The last 2pics are HAZEYAMA. Something like Japanese taste T shirt costs only 300yen.
Be safe, be health, be careful but Enjoy 2020!!! ーAtsuko٩( ᐖ )۶
コジマ×ビックカメラ熊本店
〒861-4109 熊本県熊本市南区日吉１丁目７−７
096-320-2900
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ptD5E7RkSWgNF4z3A
Fiona here, posting after a long absence!
Readers of this page may remember that I was responsible for the one-woman attempt to bring the escape room scene to Kumamoto back in 2018-19. International School of Spies has been on hiatus since Christmas so that I could focus on finishing up my latest book, an English language textbook for teens to adults. Escape the Classroom was published in April this year by Perceptia Press and is distributed by www.englishbooks.jp. For those who enjoyed the challenges and mysteries they encountered in the the escape room, this book contains a few familiar puzzles, and a lot of new ones, with 15 missions such as Enigma, Alibi, Hero and Survive. It also features a lot of problem-solving, communication and discussion activities and I'll be piloting the book at Kumamoto University this autumn. If any other teachers would like to give it a try they can request a free inspection copy from EBJ, or by contacting me via Messenger (Fiona Wall Minami).
Thanks for the support!
https://www.englishbooks.jp/catalog/product_info.php/en/escape-the-classroom-p-50398
Joe Tomei again. Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott also had a section about volunteering in areas struck by the recent flooding. As I'm sure there are people on this list who might be interested, I pass this on, though their advice is directed for JET participants (who are prefectural employees).
========
A note on volunteering in the flood recovery efforts
Due to restrictions on volunteering (volunteers must live in Kumamoto Prefecture), more people are still desperately needed to help in the recovery effort as volunteers in affected areas. For instance, prefectural employees are now being actively asked to go help volunteer on their days off.
The exact procedures on volunteering vary slightly from location to location (Arao, Ashikita, Kuma Area etc.) but in general, volunteers gather at a local Volunteer Centre where they sign in early in the morning (from 9am), sit through a brief Orientation (if it is your first time), and then go into a room in which they are matched with requests (you first listen to explanations of the request in Japanese, and then raise your hand if you are interested in going to that particular site).
In Hitoyoshi, most requests for volunteers are taking over two weeks to be met and work has been completed in less than 10% of cases in which a homeowner requested volunteer help. The Hitoyoshi Volunteer Centre is also dispatching volunteers to Kuma Village, where the floods were particularly deadly.
Some Japanese ability is required when volunteering (Japanese is used when buying the volunteer insurance upon entry, then filling out various paperwork, listening to the volunteer orientation, listening to case requests and then later negotiating with your volunteer team about how to get to the requested site and how to divide up the work). It is advisable to team up with someone with Japanese ability if you are interested in volunteering. Most cases require scooping out dirt out from under affected homes, so bringing your own rain boots is a must. Other supplies such as shovels are provided by the volunteer center. You are also expected to bring your own lunch to the site you are volunteering at (an onigiri or sandwich is fine).
Buses departing 7am each morning to local volunteer centres in Hitoyoshi and Sagara Village are available. Seats must be booked in advance. Information on bus services is available here in Japanese: https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_34462.html (Already fully booked for this weekend.)
If you decide to drive to a volunteer centre and use toll roads on your way directly to the volunteer centre, the toll is waived if you submit the correct paperwork to the toll booth operators. You must print out the papers before going to volunteer. The fee is waived for volunteers going to anywhere in the prefecture (Arao, Ashikita or Kuma area). You can find information about the procedure and the paperwork here on the NEXCO hompage: https://corp.w-nexco.co.jp/newly/r1/0830/
Information about volunteering in Ashikita Town in particular is available on the Facebook Page of the Ashikita International Association here:
https://www.facebook.com/AshikitaInternational/posts/2001379829994845
=====
(note: if you do volunteer and would like to share your experiences to the list, please feel free to send them to me as a message and I will post them.)
令和2年7月豪雨災害ボランティアバスの運行をスタートします / 熊本県
令和2年7月豪雨災害ボランティアバスの運行をスタートします 最終更新日：2020年7月15日 令和2年7月豪雨の被災地の復旧に当たっては、今後も多くのボランティアの方々の力が必要です。そこで、熊本県では、熊本県内の.....
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.
======
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
=====
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」...
