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I've already written about Yuka Ogata's reelection but today I learned that an NHK video about her reelection campaign is available on the web. To find it, you need to click on the following link (not the photo) and then scroll way down until you see 「子連れ議員の選挙戦」 in a tab on the left-hand side of the screen. If you click on that, you should be able to view the video, which is entirely in Japanese, unfortunately.
The video explains that the roots of Ms. Ogata's interest in politics is her experience working for the United Nations.
-- Kirk
https://www.nhk.or.jp/senkyo/database/touitsu/2019/43/

Want to dance in a 'Sea of Guinness'??!! 🍀 Given that Kumamoto has an annual St.Patrick's Day parade, a few Kumamoto residents come together during the year to practice and learn Irish dances (céilí style) for fun and future performances! There will be an Irish Dance Session this month on Saturday, April 27th, from 9:15am-11:45am, so please feel free to come along! 次回のアイリッシュ・ダンス・セッションは4月27日(土)の午前中になります!! 🎻🎤だれでも歓迎します! All limber legs welcome! Timber ones also welcome to try 'the Guinness'!!!! We'll do three dances and our newest one is called 'The Siege of Ennis'... AKA 'Sea of Guinness'! 新しいダンスは「シー・オフ・ギネス」とよばれている🍺 楽しみだ!!
★ Location: Sunatori CC・砂取地域コミュニティセンター Address：熊本市中央区神水本町6番29号 (市立体育館の後ろ)
★ 300 yen p/person (小学校 are 150 yen)
★ Access: 駐車場有・市電はめっちゃ近い!! 八丁馬場や市立体育館前から歩いて7分。Hacchobaba and Shiritsu-taiikukan-mae tram stops are just a short 7-minute walk away! Parking at center, but the roads are narrow 🚙
Event pageと詳細はこちらです: https://www.facebook.com/events/2388957117805423/　ぜひシェアしてください! Please invite others to join! Please RSVP on the event page by Thursday, 25th April (3pm) if you haven't already👍 参加希望者のRSVPは4月25日(木曜日)の15時までに...Event Pageのcommentで名前教えてね!!🍀👣🍀🎶🍀 よろしくお願いします - Ruth (from Ireland)

A lot of progress has been made since the quakes first struck but this article reminded me about how much was lost and how many are still suffering. -- Kirk
16,500 still living displaced on 3rd anniversary of Kumamoto quake：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--On the third anniversary of a powerful earthquake that jolted the city here and the surrou

Kyodo published a photo from a remembrance ceremony for the 273 who lost their lives in the quakes held at Kumamoto Prefectural Hall. The article contains an oddly inspiring quote: "Sorrow is endless, but I strive to live an independent life and contribute however I can to rebuild our village." This was spoken by Minami Aso farmer Takanori Masuda-san, who lost his wife in the quakes - and is now aged 81! Sorrow may be endless, but so also may be resilience, at whatever age. - William
熊本地震、犠牲273人追悼　発生3年、再生誓う ｜ 共同通信
史上初めて震度7を2度観測し熊本、大分両県で273人が犠牲となった熊本地震は14日、発生から3年を迎...

I once had a student who wanted to train to become a pilot. He was a good student but told me that since he didn't pass the test on his first try, he couldn't take it again and would have to choose another career. That was a lesson for me on how difficult it can be to become a pilot in Japan. I'm glad these two were able to continue their preparations and be successful, despite the quakes.
-- Kirk
Twins taught to fly at quake-hit Kumamoto university campus to join major airlines - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- Twin brothers who learned to fly at a university campus damaged by the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake will join two major Japanese airline compa

Seaside onsen somehow occurred to me. My favorite, years ago in Kagoshima, had a salty, reddish (due to iron) water in its outside bath; sadly, it's been closed. But many salt water onsen remain in Kyushu's coastal nooks. Pictured below is one near my favorite haunt. The link provides some hints. Others would be welcome in the comment section. - William
九州で一度は入っておきたい絶景露天風呂33選　実際に見て入浴して選んだ決定版！ | 特集
まるで海とつながっているような感覚が味わえるオーシャンビューの露天風呂や雄大な阿蘇五岳や由布岳、渓流が横を流れる野趣あふれる露天風呂など、景色と自然を満喫できる九州でおすすめの絶景露天風呂を紹介。現地...

Approaching the third anniversary of the quakes, physical changes to Kumamoto become increasingly apparent. My neighborhood in the center of town, Oe, has simply seen old houses razed and replaced by condominiums, but other areas - particularly Aso - have seen large-scale geomorphic alteration.
The Tateno Gap had been the main entryway to Aso, with both Route 57 and the railway running through it. In the below map, yellow indicates "Run away!", while red indicates "Too late." Route 57 has been rerouted through a tunnel down to Akamizu, but the railroad issue remained. Click on the Kumanichi link (their photos are un-copy-paste-able) for a startling image of how much the geomorphics have changed to allow the reopening of the rail line, slated for mid-2020. - William
https://this.kiji.is/489208560489530465?c=92619697908483575

Hi! Kirk here. I used to be able to write drafts and schedule posts for this page. Now, however, I only see a button that says "Share" -- no other options. Can others of you confirm that Facebook has changed the interface? I found it very helpful to be able to schedule posts in advance so that they would come out at an appropriate time (e.g. a few days before an event) or so that I could make the flow of posts a little more even. I suspect, though, that Facebook wants us to do everything live, so that we spend more time on line. Sigh . . .

Though she is not mentioned in the title, I recently found that the New York Times published an article last year that includes several paragraphs about Yuka Ogata, the local politician who was recently reelected.
In addition the the New York Times article, those of you who are interested in difficulties women face in Japan may also wish to take a look at the following article:
Japan’s Attitude Towards Women
https://izanau.com/article/view/sexual-harassment-in-japan-1
It briefly summarizes an number of instances of harassment and other issues that got media attention, including Ms. Ogata's case.
-- Kirk
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/magazine/why-does-japan-make-it-so-hard-for-working-women-to-succeed.html?fbclid=IwAR0ME0O_iGpja7ohCr3muI7Ne6D4WBbnAh5BUjCGJaKXaAYUNCZC-k5ljaU
Why Does Japan Make It So Hard for Working Women to Succeed?
Even in one of the world’s most advanced, affluent and democratic countries, women have been kept on the margins of business and politics.

New money is on the way, in commemoration of the new age. And, the guy on the new 1,000 yen bill, Kitasato Shibasaburo, is from Oguni (north of Mt. Aso, in Kumamoto Prefecture). Here's what Wikipedia has to say about him:
----- start quote -----
Kitasato Shibasaburō (北里 柴三郎, January 29, 1853 – June 13, 1931) was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin.
Kitasato was nominated for the first annual Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1901.[1] Kitasato and Emil von Behring, working together in Berlin in 1890, announced the discovery of diphtheria antitoxin serum. Von Behring was awarded the 1901 Nobel Prize because of this work, but Kitasato was not.
. . .
Kitasato was born in Okuni village, Higo Province, (present-day Oguni Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyūshū). He was educated at Kumamoto Medical School and Tokyo Imperial University.
----- end quote -----
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitasato_Shibasaburō
-- Kirk
P.S. Personally, I think it would be nice if the Japanese government would just give us all a little "starter kit" (say ten of each new type) of the new bills, in commemoration of the start of the new age and all. But, alas, I think we are going to have to hand in our old money in order to get the new stuff. :(
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190409/p2g/00m/0bu/025000c
Japan to redesign 10,000, 5,000, 1,000 yen banknotes in 2024 - The Mainichi
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan will introduce new 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen bills in 2024 with cutting-edge anti-counterfeiting protections in the f

The Guardian has an interesting explanation on the physics of pyroclastic flow - that mixture of rocks, ash, and superheated gas that subductive volcanoes emit. Pyroclastic flow can reach 400 kph and can travel uphill as rapidly as it does downhill. Scientists have found that increased pressure at the rear of the flow raises the front, creating a sort of air hockey table effect in which surface friction is greatly reduced.
So remember 400 kph when volcanic warnings are issued. - William
'Hovercraft effect' may explain deadly speed of volcanic gas clouds
Superheated gases and rock fragments can reach speeds of up to 400mph by travelling on cushion of air, say scientists

Many elections were held yesterday throughout Japan. In Kumamoto, the members of the prefectural and city councils were chosen. The one politician we've discussed a lot on this page is Yuka Ogata, who has taken a lot of flack for attempting to bring her baby to the council chambers and for using a lozenge to suppress a cough while addressing her colleagues. Fortunately, the negative press she got over these issues was not enough to prevent her reelection.
The article says that she focused her campaign activities on the challenges faced by working families with children. She gave speeches on these topics in parks where such families tend to gather.
The article also has pictures of her campaign headquarters. You can see how she has been balancing work with parental responsibilities as a politician.
-- Kirk
議場に乳児同伴の緒方夕佳氏、再選　熊本市議選：朝日新聞デジタル
　乳児同伴で本会議場に入ったり、質疑中にのどあめを口にして懲罰を受けたりして議論を呼んだ緒方夕佳氏（４３）が、熊本市議選東区選挙区（定数１３）で再選を果たした。　「子育てと仕事を両立しようとしている女...

Work has begun on what will eventually be a 350M elevated walkway around the eastern side of the castle from which reconstruction can be viewed. The initial portion is expected to open in October linking to Josaien, and completion by next spring. A Youtube video introducing the course way is below. - William
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmDsVa4hLLc

A friend mentioned that she's been feeling quite drowsy recently - of course, she has two elementary-school aged children, but a distinction exists between exhaustion and drowsiness. When younger, I was not affected by pollen allergies (or, colloquially, "hay fever" - in Japanese, "kafunsyo, 花粉症), yet age often impacts allergies, and at 54, I'm suddenly susceptible. No cure is available, but some hints on how to mitigate symptoms are here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever/ (my dog is alarmed re: the pet part). - William
Hay fever
Read about the symptoms and causes of hay fever, and who's affected. Also discusses the various treatment options.

A note from the Kumamoto International Desk of Irony (don't catch us on a bad day): in advance of the new reign name, Reiwa (令和), the Kumamoto Department of Motor Vehicles has announced that it will from May use the Gregorian Calendar as its main dating system on its licenses with the reign name following in parenthesis; the purpose is to make the document more understanding to non-Japanese (and, likely, to Japanese, too). Ironically, the Kumanichi article gave the example 「２０２４年（平成３６年）〇月〇日まで有効」- "valid through 2024 (Heisei 36)." There will be a 2024, but 平成36年 will never exist.
The article also touches on anticipation of disagreement on which reign name should be used on licenses and how to deal with drivers' requests. - William
運転免許証に西暦も　熊本県内で４月から ｜ 熊本日日新聞
５月１日から新元号になるのに合わせ、熊本県公安委員会は４月１日から、これまで元号だけで表記していた運...

This was interesting to watch. The population of cities since the 1500s to the present.
Watch New York fly out of the gates. And then see Tokyo murder the whole board!
—Tristan Vick

What follows is an announcement from the good folks at Kumamotojet.com. (Copying and pasting by Kirk)
http://kumamotojet.com/shin/
The 2019 Winter YOKA is here! This YOKA features the following...
Winter Moments and Welcome Back Home by Ola Akindes
Yuki Matsuri by Kelli Yogi and Lottie Caddick
Aru Ressha — JR Kyushu Sweets Train by Emilie Mitchell
Getting on the Citrus Train (And other fruit-related adventures) by Hester Mullen
Entrancing Ehime by Jenifer Vosper
Welcome Back Home by Ola Akindes
The Wee Bopper on Flower Park Hill by Ruth Madden
The Legend of the Unkai by Zaynab Nakhid
Phonics Escape Room by Ming Ching Bay
Photos by Chase Sutherland, George Leach and Lily McDermott

Voter interest in elections is frequently discussed but this article is about lack of interested from politicians. Actually, I think I saw something about this on TV -- jobs in prefectural assemblies and other local bodies often don't pay enough to be attractive to people with other options. As a result, many of the positions in Kumamoto's prefectural assembly went uncontested.
-- KIrk
EDITORIAL: Democracy in peril as so many local assembly seats uncontested：The Asahi Shimbun
In the 41 prefectural assembly elections to be held on April 7 as part of this spring’s unified loca

Kumamoto is generally a safe place. My kids had to pass through the red light district (yukaku, 遊郭 - it extends south of Shimotori to Shirakawa, and not coincidentally, the far side of the river is studded with love hotels) on their way to and from juku and never experienced any problems. The area around Kamitori/Shimotori is called "hankagai" (繁華街), meaning a commercial/entertainment area. (When my kids were young and I asked them where they were going, they answered "町" machi, downtown - in Kumamoto, this has the same meaning as 繁華街).
But some dubious activities do occur, mostly involving touts (kyakuhiki, 客引き) who lure generally previously inebriated customers into dens of ill repute - known as fuyoku (風俗）- entertainment and amusement trades such as bars, restaurants, mah‐jong parlors - and fleece them. Kumanichi reports that a new prefectural ordinance has begun which prohibits such activity in the 繁華街 area, though distribution of flyers and tissue is still allowed - Good thing: I like free tissue. - William
https://this.kiji.is/485222286095565921?c=92619697908483575

As William has pointed out, we now know what the new era name is: Reiwa. But, as this page indicates, we won't actually enter the new age until May 1st so "be calm" (heisei wo tamotte).
-- KIrk
https://bokete.jp/boke/71492987/rating/302015622