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If you were here during the 2016 quakes, you probably became aware of the sad depletion of the spring water in Suizenji Jojuen. Thankfully, things seem to be back to normal now. This article describes research about what happened.
-- Kirk
Groundwater Drawn Downward After Kumamoto Quake - Eos
A unique set of high-frequency groundwater level monitoring reveals a loss of approximately ten million cubic meters of groundwater after a major earthquake.

Hi friends.
Many international friends might have enjoyed Hanami in Spring. Lots people had a party under beautiful cherry blossoms. If you enjoyed it well and you treat Japanese culture wonderful, how about to enjoy Tsukimi. Yes, it just enjoy the beautiful full moon and Autumn nature, harvest, sounds, winds, clear atmosphere.
The historical roots are below. But I like just watching beautiful moon with alcohol, it gives me lots power and refresh.
This is the webpage of Kumamoto Oshiro Matsuri.中秋の名月 Tyushyu no Meigetsu, Beautiful moon in middle Autumn is on 13 September this year but you can enjoy beautiful moon with Kumamoto castle together in October at Oshiro Matsuri too.
https://kumamoto-guide.jp/oshiromatsuri/#wrapper_access
Especially on 13,.14 September, there are tea ceremony there.
https://kumamoto-guide.jp/oshiromatsuri/events/detail/35
When you enjoy the beautiful moon, I might also enjoy, your friends might also enjoy on the our earth. Hoping you like and you enjoy the beautiful moon loving culture'' 月を愛でる(つきを めでる) too.ーAtsuko(*Ü*)☆*°
Tsukimi culture.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2431830013543181&id=1139215269471335

Hi, Joe Tomei here. We've just gotten a message asking about the Mizu Akari festival at Kumamoto Castle (Oct 12-13) and if there will be any Taiko performances. A quick search doesn't turn up any schedules, so if anyone knows of an online schedule, please post in the comments! Thanks!

Here's an inquiry from a reader. If you are willing to share information, please write a comment. Thanks! -- Kirk
--- start quote ---
Our family is looking for a reliable dentist/orthodontist. We’ve been to a number of places in Kumamoto, from small operations to the Itou-Clinic machine and are not happy with any of them.
Has anyone out there had success in finding someone in town who is decent and reliable? Bonus points for overseas-educated-and-on-top-of-current-standard-practice dentists....
--- end quote ---
If you collect enough bonus points, you might win a new car!! Or, maybe not. ;)

Hello friends.
Fortunately, typhoon doesn't come to Kumamoto but unfortunately it might suffer around Tokyo. Please share these information to your friends around Tokyo not to be suffered from typhoon.
Just hoping not to have any damage anywhere. And we should know and learn how to escape disaster and preparing before it even if we don't have it this time. Please think it as our problem.ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://www.facebook.com/6321018343/posts/10156431662188344/?sfnsn=mo
It is the disaster warnings.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/587/?fbclid=IwAR2bR2qWk7C2boNLqNDm9UIy11_tvsulGKhSg6h21Wv-qiKiSicc1fgaSVU
https://disaportal.gsi.go.jp/

Hi everyone,
As the weather is improving and autumn will soon be upon us, I thought I'd share a map that has a list of places to rent bicycles in Kyushu. There is also info on a number of cycling trails.
Kyushu is a wonderful place to cycle around! If you haven't explored it much on two wheels, I can't recommend it enough.
Happy cycling
- Chris Ott
Rental Cycles - exploring Kyushu by bicycle - Google My Maps
Seeing Kyushu by bicycle is always a treat. Unfortunately, you first need a bike. So here is a list of some places in Kyushu that rent bikes. Places marked by an orange dot are near (sometimes not so near) to official cycling roads. Places marked by blue dots have no nearby cycling trails. Links for...

Hello friends.
If you have elementary school students, it's good opportunity to watch VOLTERs game!! Kids might get this flier from their school. It says elementary school and junior high school students are free for the first two games on 21, 22 September. And the guardian are at half the price, 1000yen /person. You should book by reading that QR cord.
It's the first two games, Don't miss it!!
Cheer them together to become a team of B1 league.ーAtsuko(*Ü*)

Olivia here,
There is Yukata and Japanese dance workshop organised by Billy Foxtail,
Please take a look at details in the poster.

This video is about the establishment of the new Kumamoto Consultation and Support Plaza for Foreign Residents on the 2nd floor of the Kumamoto City International Center. The website hasn't been completed yet but there's a short PDF about it at the following address:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/plaza/
The center is able to accommodate people who have matters they wish to discuss (difficulties they are facing, matters they don't understand, problems they have noticed and want addressed, etc.) in a wide variety of languages. I spoke with Mr. TANABE Junichiro, one of two coordinators for the new plaza and, of course, he was very fluent in English. If the staff is unable to converse is a language, they are set up to get immediate help from interpreters online.
Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Closed: 2nd and 4th Monday of each month, and December 29th to January 3rd
TEL: 096-359-4995
FAX: 096-359-5112
E-mail: [email protected]
I attended the opening ceremony and a discussion session with the mayor with Jackie Benke. The two of us represented Kumamoto International, which the city invited as one of about eight groups of foreign residents.
At first I was going to share the link to this video but TKU took it down quite soon after putting it up so I thought I'd go ahead and post the copy of the video that I made. I hope I don't get sued. ;) It's for a good cause, after all.
I'd like to thank Jackie Benke for attending the event with me and kindly tolerating my various quirks. TKU had the good sense to include a couple of shots of Jackie but avoid shots of my bald head -- after all, the news is shown at dinner time. -- Kirk

TKU published a video report about the fireworks display today. You can find it (probably for a limited time only) at the following URL:
https://www.tku.co.jp/news/江津湖花火大会%E3%80%80１万１３０発の花火/
The images are screenshots from the web video.
-- Kirk

As of noon today, preparations for the fireworks display in Ezuko are continuing as planned. That might change, though. The next official announcement will be at 3 PM. I'll try to post a little note in a comment below when that information comes in.
-- Kirk
☆花火大会の開催について☆（１２時更新） ｜ お知らせ
『水の都』熊本市で開催される「熊本復興祈念 再春館製薬所 ＴＫＵ 江津湖花火大会2019」の公式ホームページです。今年も、平成28年熊本地震からの復興を願って開催します。10,130発の花火が打ち上げられ、漆黒の夜空と湖...

Olivia here,
I am helping a friend who is performing Ballet and Tango dance on Saturday, October the 26th, 6pm.
The show will be held in Kumamoto Shimin Kaikan, シアターホーム 夢ホール.
Those who are interested can send message to me or Kumamoto International message section.
Thank you for reading this post 😃

I hope the heavy rain doesn't make any suffered in Kumamoto, in anywhere.
Hi friends.
Here is the facebook page telling the map at fireworks on this Saturday. I've post and Kirk post good one again. But it's written in English and Chinese, so I would like to post it again. Hoping lots friends enjoy it safely.ーAtsuko(*Ü*)
https://www.facebook.com/1713733258741881/posts/2098964383552098/

Kirk here. In a separate post, Joe mentioned a friend who was interested in cycling:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2892183834188363?__tn__=-R
This gives me an opportunity to collate and reintroduce some old information that I've posted previously about the Yuka Family Road, a cycling road.
First, the post I'm sharing has a YouTube video that will give you a taste of what cycling on the road is like. Also, you can see a video of the full route (!!) with Japanese narration here:
http://youtu.be/Hw8MyeAE0oA?t=50m14s
Second, are some maps -- a pdf of a map to which I added some English ages ago and a digital (though not Google) map:
http://www2.kumagaku.ac.jp/teacher/~masden/kumamoto-i/yuka_cycling_map.pdf
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/--10322898
Third, here's a post about a venerable old tree that you can visit by taking a short detour from the cycling route:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2635849163155166
Fourth, here's a page on Wikiloc.com with information about other biking possibilities in Kumamoto. It doesn't mention the Yuka Family Road, however:
https://www.wikiloc.com/trails/cycling/japan/kumamoto
Hope this helps!
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/331435960269610

Hi everyone, Joe Tomei here. a good friend of mine is coming to visit and he and a friend are going to be doing some cycling. He asks:
====
Can I ask for tips or advice on places to visit in Kumamoto for a short trip? I know JNTO has some good information and I was wondering what are some good scenic places to visit in the first week of October. In addition do any good scenic spots, are there any fine road bike routes, up to 90 km, that are popular with cyclists? I will be travelling by public transport, and with a bicycle, in a "rinko-bukuro".
=====
If you have any suggestions, please put them in the comments. Thanks!

Kirk here. I recently got the feedback you see in the image about a stupid mistake I made in a post. I wrote "brake" when I should have written "break." I must admit that I do this sort of thing far more often than I should -- not only on this page but in other contexts as well. No one is perfect but I seem to have a particularly strong tendency to make such errors. So, my initial reaction was "Oh no. I did it again. Well, it's good that he told me about it so that I can fix it." Then, the import of the second sentence sunk in. Basically, I was being told that because I have a tendency to make such errors, I'm not qualified to teach English -- an ad hominem attack. In other words, unlike the first sentence, the second sentence placed the focus on me and what I am or am not qualified to do, not on what I wrote.
In October of this year, Kumamoto International will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The group existed as a mailing list for a little more than 10 years and then in 2011, I started this Facebook page. Over the years, the mailing list and page have been relatively peaceful but, from time to time, we've had problems. One thing I've learned from dealing with conflicts that have occurred here is that ad hominem attacks (insults, etc.) have no place here. Even focused, reasonable criticisms can sting -- especially when they point to a real problem, as was the case with the comment about my use of "brake," given my long history of typos and stupid errors. Adding a "dig" or an insult or saying, in effect, that you should shut up because you're not qualified to speak only serves to create a hostile atmosphere. So, I draw the line at ad hominem attacks. Here's the address of an earlier post about this policy:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1676434289096663
Generally speaking, I believe in dialogue. Thus far, however, I haven't had any success in cautioning people about ad hominem attacks after such comments have already been made. I probably haven't gone about things as skillfully as I might (though I try to control myself sometimes my emotions get the better of me), but, for whatever reason, I've never had a person whom I warned about an ad hominem comment respond by saying something like "I see your point. I'll be careful to focus on the content, not the person, from now on." In each case, the person I've cautioned has responded negatively, either with more blatant ad hominem vitriol, troll-like activity, condescending comments, or some combination thereof.
So, in the future, I think I'll refrain from trying to get people who engage in ad hominem attacks to see the error of their ways. Instead, I'll probably just ban them, without explanation. That may seem to be rather Draconian and undemocratic but, for me, there's an element of self-preservation. Interactions on this page that become hostile really take a toll on me, both emotionally and in terms of the time I wind up spending on them.
In writing this, I'm reminded of a comment I got in response to an essay I wrote about name order: "Suck it up buttercup! Play by the local rules!"
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134/2639886286084787/
The part about playing by local rules is OK; it's a legitimate opinion, though I don't think the issue is that simple. The problem is with the condescension evident in the use of the term "buttercup" (implying that my personal weakness and oversensitivity is the real problem). I'm not sure that "zero tolerance" is the right approach for such language, especially in regard to people who have been participating in Kumamoto International for some time. On the other hand, I don't plan to be particularly patient with rhetoric like this because I see the intent as being basically the same as ad hominem attacks -- belittling the person making the argument instead of focusing on the argument itself.
Finally, I'd like to say that I recognize that people who have made ad hominem comments are not necessarily bad people. In fact, I assume that they are people who, in the right context, can be caring and considerate, and who are loved by the people close to them. I don't condemn them as human beings but, if they have demonstrated a willingness to insult me or other members of this community in order to express some point of sentiment, I'm not willing to continue to facilitate such behavior by providing access to this forum. I don't like being the target of such behavior and I don't want to subject other members of this community to it either.
I hope the Kumamoto International community (other editors and readers) will approve of this approach. If you don't approve, please feel free to explain your reservations in a comment. My only request is that you focus your comments on the merits and demerits of the approach -- not on what a lousy, incompetent person I am. ;)

This English article doesn't mention Kumamoto but the following Japanese BuzzFeed article contrasts the situation in New Zealand with that of Kumamoto (i.e. the refusal of Kumamoto's City Council to allow Yuka Ogata to bring her baby into the chambers and their sanctioning her for not acquiescing quickly about the matter). -- Kirk
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jp/saoriibuki/new-zeland-baby
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/22/australia/new-zealand-baby-parliament-intl-hnk-trnd/index.html
New Zealand speaker feeds lawmaker's baby during debate in Parliament
The New Zealand Parliament invited a special guest onto the chamber floor Wednesday -- a newborn baby.

A while back I posted about this research, which was conducted at Kumamoto University by Prof. Hari Devkota and others:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2832931773446903?__tn__=-R
Congratulations to Hari-sensei and his team!
-- Kirk
A Japanese study shows how Matcha tea could help reduce anxiety - Thrive Global
“We hope that our research into Matcha can lead to health benefits worldwide.”

This is a news article about the first partnership between a same-sex couple to be legally recognized by Kumamoto City.
In March of this year, I posted a bit of news about the city's decision to recognize such partnerships:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2463113487095402
This couple is the first to take advantage of the new system. Their relationship will be formally recognized in their koseki (family registers).
熊本市が同性のパートナー初公認 「いろんな幸せの形ある」｜全国・海外のニュース｜徳島新聞
性的少数者（ＬＧＢＴ）のカップルを、結婚に相当する関係として公認する「パートナーシップ制度」を４月に導入した熊本市で８日、戸籍上は同性のカップルが、初めてパートナーとして認められた。

Hello friends.
Heavy reader of Kumamoto ーi might know about William Eugene Smith and the movie about Minamata, now it’s on the way of making. Yes, the main actor is Johnny Depp.
My friend Nakamura Kei joined to make the movie as an actor. Some of you might know him. Yes, he does English Rakuto and manages guest house in Nishihara-mura. I invited him my school, I work at, as guest speaker about Minamata. He loves Minamata.
Eugene’s photos tell lots important things and touch my heart. Further, his story is so inspired.
I’m looking forward to watching the movie “Minamata ” next summer.
If you can’t wait to watch the movie, you should meet and talk with Kei soonーAtsuko(*Ü*)