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The elderly are a repository of knowlege, so when Joe mentioned Tojinmachi (唐人町) - literally, "Chinatown" and is next to Shinmachi - I waited for this 74-year old guy who usually drops by for dinner to fill me in.
According to him, the neighboring Gofukumachi (呉服町) - literally, "Kimono Town" - was the red light district at the turn of the century, and many Chinese arrived in the neighboring area to fabricate kimono - hence the name. The entire area is a wonderful place to wander about. - William
熊本市の公式観光サイト。熊本城や水前寺成趣園などの観光地をはじめ、グルメ、イベント、特産品など、心にグッと来る熊本の魅力を紹介します。

Take the B tram to the Shinmachi stop, turn right, and you're there. Spend some time wandering around the neighborhood.

Kirk here. I happen to be a fan of the Kyushu Shinkansen. I was interested to read this article to see how it compares with other Shinkansen lines.
Everything you need to know about Japanese BULLET TRAINS
Rugby fans visiting Japan for the World Cup are in for a treat if they use the country's bullet trains to reach the stadiums. The fleet contains some of the most advanced high-speed trains in the world.

A note from the Kumamoto International Desk of Not Really Interesting News but a Good Chance to Improve your Japanese (our title plackards are so long there's no room for our names): Kumanichi reports a drastic increase in Internet phishing (phishing sagi, フィッシング詐欺 - the 'ph-' is pronunced as an 'f' because English is weird) focused on NTT's Docomo phones, with 80 cases in August alone netting some 5.8 million yen. The mails dangle their bait by appearing authentic, suggesting alarming (the word used for this - あおる - was new to me and has a wide range of uses - Weblio is your friend) topics, and asking the user to provide login credentials which were then used for online shopping (キャリア決済, carrier kessai) and then fenced.
If receiving any financial-related email with a link, do not open it. Log off and go straight to the main site. - William
ドコモ装う詐欺急増　熊本県内で被害80件、580万円 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
携帯電話大手「ＮＴＴドコモ」を装ったショートメールを携帯電話に送り付け、偽サイトに誘導して個人情報を...

Our friend Sean Benward is announing an event:
Ezuko is Kumamoto's ecological treasure. Providing sanctuary all year round to visitors from around the world.....and humans too.
I can't wait to share my love for the lake with 20 youngsters. Together we learn about the plants ans animals that call the lake their home, pick up trash and talk about what humans do the impact the lake and what we can do together to minimize our collective footprint.
This is limited to 20 children and we are already half way there. This is a great opportunity to get the kids outside, in nature, participating as a community to keep our planet amazing. Oh, and maybe learn some English
Reservations are mandatory for insurance reasons. Se please reserve now. Looking forward to seeing all of you.

Our friend Liz Suenaga introduced this charming, concise piece on stone walls (石垣, ishigaki). Kumamoto is composed of them, from the agriculture retaining walls in the mountains to the ancient bridges to, of course, the castle. They all have absorbed centuries of time and reflect it back.
One point the article doesn't mention is their durability - practically infinite - compared to concrete, which will last a mere few decades. Stone masons recently widened the Shirakawa banks, painstakingly, shaping each rock to fit by hand with chisels. It took a long time to finish and was expensive in the short term, but my great-great-great grandchildren will likely see it. - William
https://kyotojournal.org/nature/stone-wall/?fbclid=IwAR1pGYseOoWSDd-4UzmFY_ohHIyTGE1zQVhixz8G-nDvb5Z8XAU4EwIaCiU

Good morning friends, nice weather today.
Please check it. Not only this website but also this post on facebook are so useful. It helps your Kumamoto life more livable٩( ᐖ )۶ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2423038204639477&id=100007999632936

I know as much about rugby as I do hockey or lacrosse - that is, zero. But it's never too late to learn. Kumamoto will host the matches betwen France and Tonga (never underestimate a Polenesian) on 10/6, and Wales (or, as Trump would have it, "Whales") and Uruguay, who is the guy next to Paraguay (-guay means river) on 10/13, both matches to be held at KK Wing. If you want to get into the spirit and do some shopping, a welcome center is being erected in front of the new Hanabata Kotsu Center. And it has put Kumamoto on the map. - William
Japan set to host 'special' World Cup as rugby steps into the unknown
Japan has been a quiet presence on rugby's international stage for decades, but now the Far East nation is set to soak up the limelight.

All who experienced the Kumamoto quakes remember the deprivation, particularly of water and gas. There's not much to do about the latter, but the former were donated in such large amounts that a surplus remains. One Yokohama-born gentleman, Miyata Kazuhiro - an actor and racing car driver who totally looks like it - took the wheel to have 7,200 500ml bottles of excess potable water delivered to Miyagi Prefecture, still suffering infrastucture damage after the recent typhoon. (The article contains two interesting kanji: raiyuu - 来熊 - which means to come to Kumamoto, and kiyuu - 帰熊 - which means to return to Kumamoto.)
Preperation to care for oneself in case of disaster is essential. Once that's ensured, care for others. Think beforehand about what you can do. - William
期限切れ水　千葉のために　熊本市保管の地震支援物資　宮田さん（熊本市）自費で送る ｜ 熊本日日新聞
台風１５号で被災した千葉県を支援しようと、熊本市北区の宮田一裕さん（５１）が、熊本地震の支援物資とし...

A tropical storm is expected to pass very close to Kumamoto on Sunday, 9/22. For those not familiar with tropical storms, they're similiar to normal storms but come with a bit of fruit and a miniture paper umbrella skewered on a toothpick. - William

Hi, Joe Tomei here, I'd like to move this up front. If interested, please contact at the link below and share this with those interested!
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As some of you know, I hold cultural eikaiwa classes, called Teikaiwa! Thanks to the many students and supporters over the years, we'll celebrate our 5th birthday this year, on Sept.26th and 28th! ふるってご参加ください!! If you've Japanese friends or colleagues who enjoy English, culture and cake, and would like to join the upcoming party, or regular lessons, certainly send them this information. よろしくお願いします🙏 - Ruth
Teikaiwaの誕生会パーティーは9月26日(木)と9月28日(土)にします✨🎈🎈🎈👏 Teikaiwa's 5th Birthday Party - twice this month!! ふるってご参加ください!! ろうそくを５本!!! 🎂 🎁✨土曜日の前半... 料理教室もあります!! アイルランドのスコーン、パイとビスケットの作る方を教えます!! Come early on Saturday and make party pie and birthday biscuits!! 🍞🍳 **9月23日までにRSVPしてください📨 [email protected]へ**
① 9月26日(木)のパーティーは12:30-3pm 🎂1人は1200円
② 9月28日(土)の料理教室は10:30-12:30pm 🎂1人は2800円👇ぜひパーティーも含まれている・飲み物持って来てください　
② 9月28日(土)のパーティーは12:30-2:30pm 🎂1人は1200円　
🍯🥄 皆さんは一品料理持って来てください🍝🍣😋🍛 参加者の皆様は贈り物をもらいます!! Come blow out the candles with us and enjoy English party style and customs!! Everyone gets a gift!!
Teikaiwa will have two Birthday Party dates this year - as some people can not attend during the working week! パーティータイムを楽しみながら、パーティーゲームをして、英語でしゃべって、皆さんの美味しい料理を楽しみましょう💖😊😽
場所: 保田窪本町 🚙アクセス: 東海学園前駅から歩いて4分☘️ ✨コインパーキングと交通手段も便利!
リラックスした雰囲気でおしゃべりがはずみ、自信を持って話せるようになります!! 要予約: http://teikaiwa.wixsite.com/teikaiwa/contact や [email protected]へください。締め切りは9月23日(月)までに👌 誰でも歓迎します✨All levels welcome! Certainly share with friends and family who would enjoy this fun experience! よろしくお願いします🙏

Kent Nagano, renowned conductor whose grandparents are from Yamaga, is coming with members of the Hamburg Philharmonic on 7 November to play at Yachiyoza.

"Venues in Fukuroi in Shizuoka Prefecture, Kumamoto and Oita have also been refurbished."
The headline indicates what is replacing a lot of so-called "squat" toilets. Come to think of it, from a Western perspective (or, at least from my perspective) Japanese toilets run the gamut -- from toilets that struck me as "primitive" when I first came to Japan to the high-tech toilets described in this article. I recently took a short trip back to the U.S., and I have to admit that, after having gotten used to the "high-tech" toilets that are common in Japan, I found the toilets I encountered in the U.S. to be lacking. -- Kirk
Rugby venues install high-tech toilets to impress foreign fans：The Asahi Shimbun
Foreign visitors coming to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup that starts on Sept. 20 will be reliev

Here's a paragraph from this article:
"Of all my experiences, however, few have made as profound an impression on my life as my involvement in Montana’s “sister state” relationship with the prefecture of Kumamoto, Japan. I first visited in 1990 and was hooked immediately. Never before had I come home from a far away place and felt such a compelling desire to return. To my delight, I did return to Kumamoto — again and again — and made friendships that rank among the most important of my life."
I've enjoyed hearing Mr. Marquand's voice narrating documentaries and news programs about about Kumamoto that aired in Montana and that I was later able view on VHS tape or DVD. In his article, Mr. Marquand expresses his gratitude to the people of Montana and Kumamoto. I think I'm one of many, many people on both sides of the Pacific who would like to thank him in return.
-- Kirk
Thanks, Montana - and Kumamoto
As I prepare to say farewell to Montana and enter a new chapter of life, I find myself reflecting on the 45 years that have passed since I arrived as

Kirk here with some information about an opportunity that I think should interest some of you. It's about an event to be held in Kikuchi on Tuesday, October 15th. The Japanese announcement says that they are looking for volunteers to dress up as "Kikuchi Musha" (samurai warriors of Kikuchi) and participate in the "Musha Gyoretsu" (parade of warriors) to be held on that day. The Facebook announcement also says that all interested persons are welcome . . . women, men, foreign, Japanese. I am quite sure that they are sincere about wanting non-Japanese people to participate because this morning I got a message from the mayor of Kichichi, Mr. Egashira, asking that I tell readers of this page about the opportunity.
If you are interested, you need to call 0968-25-0513 by the 24th of this month. One of the people who might answer the phone speaks English quite well but there's also a good chance that your interlocutor will not be fluent in English. So, if you're not confident in your ability to communicate in Japanese, you may want to ask a friend for help. Also, on the 15th you will receive instructions in Japanese so it might be a good idea to recruit a Japanese-speaking friend to participate with you if you are worried about understanding these instructions. (This is not a requirement of Kikuchi City -- just something that I am recommending.)
As of this morning, there are plenty of openings. It is possible, however, that the available positions will be taken up before the September 24th deadline. So, if you are interested, don't delay. I've been told that they will approve requests to participate on a first come, first served basis.
By the way, if those of you who participate might be willing to share a photo or two and/or a brief report about the experience, I'll be more that happy to share that on this page.
https://www.facebook.com/kikuchikanko/posts/1391086474374737?__tn__=-R

Our friend ‎Tayla-Paige van Sitter posed this question:
"Hello! I’m trying to cut down as much plastic use as possible.
I was wondering if you knew of / could use your sources to find out places (shops and brands) that are most sustainable / least plasticy.
For example; fill up stations for grains , washing products/ unwrapped veggies and other food.
I know it’s a big question but would be cool to get this ball rolling with as many people as possible aware of it too....
Thanks so much!"
Damage plastic causes the environment is increasingly obvious. My home state of California has banned single-use plastic for most items. I'd suggest finding a local grocer. We frequent Iwanaga in Oe, but most locales have their own. This both benefits local agriculture and employment, and they tend to bag their products less. Also, if you notice an egregious use of plastic, a word to the owner (note: not manager) is likely to result in a change. - William

The place name "Kengun" means "healthy (or strong) army" and seems to stem from the military airport and army base that was located there in the war years. A Wikipedia article on the area says that the community developed as the homes of people who worked at the base were built around it.
This article reminds us of the continuing military importance of the area.
-- Kirk
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/15/national/defense-ministry-set-electronic-warfare-unit-kumamoto-prefecture/t
Defense Ministry to set up electronic warfare unit in Kumamoto Prefecture | The Japan Times
As part of an effort to strengthen the defense of outlying islands, the Defense Ministry plans to set up an electronic warfare unit at the Kengun station o

Here is a request to our community: a daughter of a high school friend currently studying linguistics at UC Berkeley would like to do a gap year in Japan. She's interested in studying the Okinawan language. She'd mentioned JET, but I advised against that. Does anyone have a suggestion for a bright college student eager to learn the Okinwan language? -- William

I think this article is interesting in part because of the research it introduces but also because of this photo of the Kengun Arcade after the quakes. I hadn't seen this photo before. Here's a link to another article that misidentifies the arcade as being in downtown Kumamoto:
https://www.miragenews.com/international-collaboration-develops-model-for-forecasting-largest-expected-earthquakes/
-- Kirk
https://globalnews.ca/news/5865354/western-university-research-earthquake/
Western University shakes up research into earthquake intensity
Thanks to work done by researchers at Western University, predicting the intensity of aftershocks just got a bit easier. Scientists there have developed a new way to forecast the magnitude of an earthquake within a series of seismic events. The study stems from the 2016 Kumamoto, Japan, earthquake t...

Nature doesn't respect boundaries that human beings draw on maps. This dam may have been built in Nagasaki Prefecture but the damage to the Ariake Sea affects people in Kumamoto too. Personally, I think it was a big mistake to build it in the first place.
-- Kirk
Japan's Supreme Court orders review of Nagasaki dike floodgate case | The Japan Times
The Supreme Court on Friday scrapped a lower court ruling involving the floodgates of a dike at Isahaya Bay, sending a protracted legal battle over a state