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Japan is not monolithic. I have a friend from Aomori who's lived in Kumamoto for 20 years but still feels like a "gaijin" here. But as usual with most countries, it's the extremes that are antipodal. In Japan's case, the most glaring are the Ainu in Hokkaido and the Okinawans.
This makes the Daichi Miura's performance of a song the Emperor wrote as a poem and the Empress set to music all the more impressing. Called "Utagoe no Hibiki" (perhaps "Reverberation of Your Song"), it might be better named "Island in my Heart" - that is, something one never forgets. Watch his eyes. He displays complete respect - even signs of gratitude - but he holds his ground. It was a startling performance: To take the Emperor's words and the Empress' music and turn it into an Okinawan ballad. - William
両陛下が作詞作曲「歌声の響」 三浦大知さん独唱(19/02/24)
天皇陛下の「在位30年記念式典」で両陛下が作詞作曲され、沖縄への思いを歌った「歌声の響」を沖縄出身の歌手・三浦大知さんが歌いました。 ・・・記事の続き、その他のニュースはコチラから！ [テレ朝ｎｅｗｓ] http://w...

When Route 57 - the main route between the city and Aso through the Tateno Gap - went bye-bye during the quakes, engineers quickly determined that its restoration was infeasible. So they started to dig - a lot. We're talking 600,000 cubic meters of excavation. And Friday, the twin Futaenotouge Tunnels (二重峠トンネル) were declared complete. The new route is scheduled to open next year after roadwork and bridge construction is complete. Coincidentally, it will connect Ozu Machi and Aso Kurumagaeri (阿蘇市車帰) - the latter meaning "vehicle return." - William
https://this.kiji.is/471904585490531425?c=92619697908483575

Joe Tomei here. Hope I'm not overstepping, but wanted to give this post a little more notice, Levy Solomon-Magistra has been teaching a monthly yoga class at the Kagonyan Cat Shelter, where all the proceeds (1000 yen per person) go to the shelter but next month is her last class and she's hoping there might be a replacement yoga teacher.
Running the shelter is not cheap, Kagonyan's web page at https://www.kagonyan.com/
says it is more than 60 man a month. Kagonyan has a facebook page as well
https://www.facebook.com/kagonyan/
I was talking to my wife who said that she donated to the shelter after the earthquake from an Amazon wishlist, when there were so many pets that were displaced. I didn't see the wishlist on the blog but there is information if you'd like to donate via bank transfer.
One thing I hate to mention, but just in case, there have been incidents where people just leave cats in front of Kagonyan's door. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to find a home for a cat, PLEASE don't do that.

A note from the Kumamoto International Camellia Desk (not to be confused with the Sazanka Desk - that's a sure way to anger my wife): Nishibira Camellia (tsubaki, 椿 - also a common family name) Park (西平椿公園) in Amakusa Town has a heck of a lot of camellia. 20,000, more or less. About half are Camellia japonica (ヤブツバキ) with the remainder comprising 150 strains collected worldwide. They sure like camellia down there.
Kumanichi notes the photographic opportunities of camellia with the Amakusa Sea as background, which the article wrote as "Amakusanada" (天草灘) - apparently, "nada" (灘) is akin to "sea," but when I checked it on Weblio, my Spanish kicked in and I thought they had no translation. The blossoms are expected to continue through March, and a festival will be held for camellia aficionados on March third (Hina Matsuri, and also my son's birthday). You'll need a car. - William
ツバキ２万本、かれんに　天草町西平椿公園 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
天草灘が見渡せる熊本県天草市天草町の西平［にしびら］椿公園で、約２万本のツバキが見頃を迎えている。広...

Here is a nice video of a neighborhood that is quite unique to Kumamoto. The neighborhood is called Kawaramachi and is located about 10 minutes southeast of downtown. The area was devastated by a fire about 3 years ago but a small portion of it still survives. My cafe is located there along with several other cool shops. This neighborhood might soon be gone as talk about building apartments is happening.On April 6th we will also have a concert at Jogglejog a bar that is reopening with about 3-4 bands.I hope the show will help educate folks on the importance of neighborhoods like this. Jay Onyskin
KAWARAMACHI in KUMAMOTO
This is "KAWARAMACHI in KUMAMOTO" by Lyu Daiwei on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Our photographer friend Yoshiko Toyama has submitted six pieces to the Kumamoto "Spread the Excitement" exhibition. They have all passed initial screening and now await popular votes. She has submitted them under the name "Toya Mayo." View some stunning images of Kumamoto and give our friend a thumbs-up at the link below. - William
https://www.kuma-kan.com/?fbclid=IwAR04TApLg2g0j6NdkB7irCMkbpZbblBP_14Uu6Rnd22BuApck76IPE_zaHQ

A note from the Kumamoto International Public Transportation Desk (we're located on a tram): The argument regarding whether the railway spur to the airport would commence from Sanrigi or Ozu has been settled in favor of the former with an additional stop at the Athletic Park (Undou Koen), a ten-kilometer spur. Kumanichi reports that JR has agreed to shoulder 1/3 of the cost but did not report on the remainder. Kumamoto Airport has been privatized and a new terminal is planned to open in 2023, so perhaps that corporation will kick in some dough with the government picking up the rest. The line should reduce travel time between Kotsu Center and the airport from an hour to 40 minutes. - William
https://kumanichi.com/news/862953/

Gondolas were a big thing when I was young. Disneyland had one connecting Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, passing through a gap in the Matterhorn. But difficult to maintain and subject to severe safety issues, it was scrapped in the 80s.
The same is the fate of Kyushu Sanko's Aso gondola. Opened in 1958, the 858 meter long line elevated passengers 108 meters from the parking lot to the peak. However, volcanic activity and earthquakes have severely damaged the infrastructure. It was shut in 2016, and Kumanichi reports on the company's decision to scrap the cableway completely. It's the end of an era. - William
https://this.kiji.is/470817363386958945?c=92619697908483575

Moji (門司), in the the city of Kitakyūshū, is as close as one can get from Kyushu to Honshu without actually being in Honshu. As such, the town was developed as a railroad terminus and port from the Meiji era. Driving north on the Kyushu Expressway, you'll see signs every few kilometers indicating the distance to Moji no matter how far south you are.
JR has renovated its railway terminal there, a gorgeous art deco style building (or perhaps an example of Japanese-Western eclectic architecture - architects, please weigh in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese-Western_Eclectic_Architecture ) whose earliest incarnation dates to 1891; it will open on 3/10. If you're looking for a fun spring getaway, this might do the trick. - William
https://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/tabi/mojiko/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1tm79fjJ4AIVhjuWCh1nbAb9EAEYASAAEgLk1PD_BwE&fbclid=IwAR0ZxJO98ex1GmtVpvLnDO_brUJM8B9Vzn5r5vrLLidXfCfeL1M5iLeJBGE
2019年3月10日、門司港駅復原。竣工から105年。門司港駅がこの春、甦ります。

This event for March 2nd is primarily for university students and JETs but
the announcement indicates that others are welcome too.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/KUMISA15/posts/2290729667917875?__tn__=-R

The current walls of Kumamoto Castle date back to the early 1600s, about the same time Harvard University was founded (priorities!). But the buttresses expanded on earlier constructions. The history of the castle dates back to 1467, when Ideta Hidenobu first erected fortifications on a hill surrounded by rice paddy. These fortifications were further developed in 1496 by Kanokogi Chikakazu. In 1588, Kiyomasa Katou was transferred to what was then the northern half of Higo and set about building the castle as we know it today.
Kumanichi reports that, during reconstruction of the Iidamaru Turret walls, material from Kiyomasa's earliest works has been identified, dating to 1599, consisting of cobblestone and clay. How the castle appeared in those days is interesting to imagine. The material will be reused in reconstruction of the turret, where 300 of 2,377 stones have been restored. - William
清正時代の石垣出土　熊本城・飯田丸 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本市は１９日、熊本地震で被災した熊本城の復旧工事を報道陣に公開した。土台の石積みを解体中の飯田丸五...

For art lovers . . .
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/fukuokanow/posts/10156164714652810?__tn__=-R

"Six Kyushu sightseeing trains will meet on March 22 at 1 p.m. at JR Hitoyoshi Station in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture as part of a wider sightseeing train summit to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the steam locomotive Hitoyoshi. "
-- Kirk
Kyushu’s Sightseeing Trains to Gather at JR Hitoyoshi Station | Fukuoka Now
Six Kyushu sightseeing trains will meet on March 22 at 1 p.m. at JR Hitoyoshi Station in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture as part of a wider sightseeing train summit to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the steam locomotive Hitoyoshi. In tandem with this meeting of sightseeing cars, of which two...

Olivia here,
If you have time to join Irish Dance session organised by Ruth, please come.
The details are below:
Come join the Irish Céili (Dance Session) Night on Friday, 8th March, from 7-9:30pm✨🍀🎻👣 Venue: Kumamoto International Center・熊本市国際交流会館（Kumamoto City International Center） The St.Patrick's Day Parade will be the next day so you may get a chance to dance there, too, if you're feeling up to it🎶 Live music, easy dances and good fun 💚 Check out the details!!

Looks like we're having our first spring, southern rainfall, expected to come down heavily until afternoon Tuesday, and the rest of the week promises similar - which is nice, as the cold snap has broken. Follow the weather at the Japanese Meteorological Agency: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/index.html If you garden, now is the time to sow. - William
気象庁 Japan Meteorological Agency
気象庁が発表する気象情報、地震・津波情報、データ、火山、気候、環境、海洋情報を掲載

Hi! I wasn't able to watch the marathon but I was interested in the results I saw on the news. I know that some athletes with national reputations (notably, Yuki Kawauchi) participated in the 30 kilometer event but I was interested to see that both the male and female winners of the full marathon were local folks: Hiroaki Furukawa (古川大晃, a student a Kumadai, who won for the second year in a row) and Seika Iwamura (岩村聖華, of Hikawa). I haven't heard anything about participation in the full marathon being restricted to local people so I'm impressed at how well hometown athletes have done.
-- Kirk
熊本城マラソン、１万４千人早春駆ける　熊日３０キロ、片西Ｖ ｜ 熊本日日新聞
今年で８回目となる熊本城マラソン（熊本市、熊本陸上競技協会、熊本日日新聞社でつくる実行委員会主催）は...

An attraction of Kumamoto is its safety, particularly for children. When my kids were growing up, even though their cram school abutted Kumamoto's red-light district, I had no qualms about their commuting alone. They could roam the entire city freely.
But that doesn't mean the city is entirely risk-free. Sadly, a Kumamoto government worker has been arrested for sexual relations with a 16-year old girl. Talk with your children. (Tip o' the hat to Jay Onyskin, and visit his cafe/bakery, Out of Step! - link here: https://www.facebook.com/outofstepbagels/ ) - William
Kumamoto: Government staffer accused of paying high school girl for sex | TokyoReporter
Kumamoto police have arrested a 52-year-old staff member for the prefectural government for allegedly paying a high school girl for sex last year

Check out the dorayaki (a kind of cake) event scheduled for the 23rd.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/ywcakumamoto/posts/2033824670033938?__tn__=-R

Five minutes until the 9:00 start of the Kumamoto Marathon on a crisp, sunny morning - perfect weather! Good luck to all. - William

>>Tristan Vick (resident behind the scenes Kumamoto International editor/moderator) here.
I don't post much due to my busy schedule, but I wanted to present a friendly offer to any and all book aficionados and fellow writers out there (and especially in the Kumamoto area).
I just finished up the third installment of my sci-fi/fantasy space opera series The Chronicles of JEGRA.
My editor is doing a second pass before the book heads off to my proofreader and beta team.
I was wondering if anyone here was interested in meeting up and having me do a first page (first 3 pages actually) critique of any current work in progress you might have.
I’ll give you my professional and honest opinion and give you tips on writing and answer any questions you might have.
If there’s enough interest I’ll name a time and place in Kumamoto.
Why am I offering a free critique?
Because I firmly believe authors helping other authors is vital to find even a modicum of success as a writer.
A rising tide lifts all ships, after all.
Also, I like coffee.
Who am I to think I'm such hot stuff to be giving people advice?
Well, to those that don't already know me (or of me) yet, I've lived in Kumamoto for 10 years and have been in Japan for over 15 years.
I studied at KGU back in 2003 -- a requirement to finish my Japanese cultural studies degree from Montana State University. I graduated with that degree and another in English Literature back in 2005 before arriving in Japan in the summer of 2006 on JET Programme, where I lived and taught in Hiroshima for 5 years.
At that time I began writing and working on nonfiction books. I've published several books in religious philosophy with the British philosopher Jonathan M.S. Pearce and a work of my own which was edited by Biblical historian and New Testament scholar Robert M. Price.
I later shifted gears to writing fiction, as that was my passion -- telling stories.
And my debut series, a zompoc that pitted zombies against superheroes, got bought by Permuted Press in 2014. That jump-started my writing career and convinced me I had what it took to become a full-time author.
After my stint with real-world publishing, I decided to dive into the Indie and self-publishing scene, as there was more freedom and opportunity to be found there than with traditional publishing.
I created my own imprint Regolith Publications to publish all my own work and switched from using Amazon's CreateSpace (now KDP Print) to Ingram Spark earlier this year.
For the past five years, I've made enough off of my writing to help supplement my teaching salary. This has allowed me to teach part-time and stay at home part-time raising my three children.
As many of you know, I really don't get out that much. But I need to start making more connections in the Kumamoto area and felt I should at least give back.
Kirk Masden and Joe Tomei have cheered me on and have always been extremely supportive of my endeavors. Now, I want to try and support others in some small way too.
So, folks, let me know if anyone would like to meet in the next couple of weeks for coffee and a critique.
If we generate enough buzz, we may make an event out of it.
Cheers!