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This article is primarily about New Zealand's All Blacks but Kumamoto comes up in the article because Kumamoto will be one of the venues of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
-- Kirk
All Blacks to start World Cup against Boks
The All Blacks' 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign hits a critical juncture just two days into the tournament. The matches and venues for the tournament...

A wonderful Facebook page called "Yokai Attack!" exists for those interested in the former (and that's the 伸ばした'd yō - ようー - for those trying this at home). An article posted there today regarding youkai https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/11/japan-yokai-monsters-halloween/413557/ led me to wonder whether there are Kumamoto-specific types - and, thanks to the magic of Wikipedia (Japanese only), we now know that there are! Check here ... or under your bed. - William https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:%E7%86%8A%E6%9C%AC%E7%9C%8C%E3%81%AE%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA
The World's Leading Country for Monsters
A Halloween reminder: No one does the supernatural quite like Japan.

The launching of the "Kawasemi Yamasemi" luxury sightseeing train got a lot of press earlier this year and two mentions on this page:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1351394281600667
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1363058077100954
An accident has occurred but fortunately there were no serious injuries.
The train was touted as having the potential to contribute to the rebuilding of Kumamoto. I hope this relatively minor accident has not affected its potential to do so.
-- Kirk
Train hits truck stuck on railway crossing in Kumamoto Pref., 11 passengers injured - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- A sightseeing train hit a flatbed truck stuck on a railway crossing in Kumamoto Prefecture on Nov. 3, injuring 11 train passengers, Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) said.

Mika Stoltzman is a musician who hails from Amakusa and occasionally returns to Kumamoto to perform. You can stream or download the audio of this performance on New York City public radio.
More about Mika Stoltzman:
- She was born in Hokkaido but grew up in Amakusa.
- She graduated from Kumamoto Music Junior College, the predecessor of the Heisei Collge of Music: http://www.heisei-music.ac.jp. She must be their most famous graduate.
- She has a Facebook page which, among other things, features a picture of her with jazz legends Chick Corea and Steve Gadd, who have both been supporters and collaborators: https://www.facebook.com/mikarimba/photos/a.520141474722369.1073741827.172692229467297/1441394429263731/?type=3&theater
-- Here's the address of a YouTube video that is an example of both her roots in Amakusa (an image toward the beginning of the video) and her musical collaborations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXNNhJF_I_w
-- Kirk
http://www.wnyc.org/story/musicians-mika-and-richard-stoltzman/
Musicians Mika And Richard Stoltzman Perform Live!
Musicians Mika and Richard Stoltzman join us to discuss their work and perform two pieces live from their new album “Duo Cantando.”

Yushima (湯島), a 6.5KM-circumference island midway between Amakusa (Oyano) and Shimabara also known as "Discussion Island" (だんごうじま、「談合島」) as leaders of the Shimabara Rebellion often met there to strategize, is home to about 300 people (the vast majority over 70) and some 200 cats. Hence its nickname: Cat Island. The island is famous for octopi, which are really just cats with eight legs. A small ferry to Yushima departs from Oyano five times daily, Y600 O/W. (link: http://www.city.kamiamakusa.kumamoto.jp/q/aview/406/1585.html ). If visiting, bring kitty snacks to avoid catastrophe.
Kumanichi in its print version is publishing a series of Yushima cat-a-day photos taken over the course of a year in order to publicize "the drama of the cats' lives and the warmth of the local people" and help feed your feline fix. The newspaper has also set up an Instagram page for those who can't abide the purrrgatory of waiting for each issue - link below.
Remember, you can make a cat float - you just need two scoops of ice cream, root beer, and a cat. - William
https://www.instagram.com/kumanichi_nekoshima/

Castle restoration updates: No, what's going on atop the main keep is neither snow nor some kind of festival. It is a couple of really big tarps to keep the rain off while they remove 7,200 tiles that cover the roof; their replacement is slated (ha ha! - get it?) to begin in December. A video of the tarps' installation is at the link. Also, support structures for the dismantling of Idamaru turret are now in place for its dismantling, also expected to begin in December. - William
熊本城大天守に“白かぶと”　復旧工事、瓦ぶきへ準備 - 熊本日日新聞
熊本城の大天守に設置される白いテント形のシート＝２日午後１時５０分ごろ、熊本市中央区（池田祐介）　熊本市は２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。２０１９年の復旧を目指す天守閣では、大天守の最上階（６階）に、テント形の白...

"Back in December 2015, Hong Kong Airlines launched the first direct air link between Hong Kong and the city of Kumamoto, on the Japanese island of Kyushu. An earth­quake closed the city’s airport four months later, and Hong Kong Airlines suspended the twice-weekly service.
This month HK Express will resume the connection, with twice-weekly flights operating every Thursday and Sunday from November 16."
-- Kirk
HK Express to restart direct flights from Hong Kong to Kumamoto
Also in travel news: Rosewood Phuket to open this month and Charlotte Travel’s two-night package deal to Cebu

I found this article about moving production of the Honda Super Cub back to Kumamoto to be very interesting. There's been a trend in Japan, as in other developed countries, to move production abroad, where labor costs are lower. This move in the opposite direction is good news for Kumamoto.
If you're interested in this topic you may also want to take a look at the following article:
"How the Super Cub shaped Honda's identity"
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/How-the-Super-Cub-shaped-Honda-s-identity
The bike has sold 100 million, making it more popular than any other single model of car or automobile.
-- Kirk
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Honda-repatriating-popular-motorbike-production-from-China?page=1
Honda repatriating popular motorbike production from China- Nikkei Asian Review
TOKYO -- Honda Motor is set to shift production of its mainstay Super Cub motorcycle back to Japan from China after five years, as the cost advantage

I took a little trip to Kurokawa Onsen today and was very glad I went. The colors are brightening up and I found a nice bath that only costs 100 yen! It's called Anayu Communal Bath (穴湯共同浴場):
http://www.food-travel.jp/kumamoto/anayu.html
When we were there, it was empty so I could take a picture of the inside. It's a kon'yoku (men and women together) facility, but privacy is not insured (while you're bathing, others may open the door to have a look). I didn't have time to bathe there but a friend told me that he had it all to himself and enjoyed it.
-- Kirk

Best wishes for a truly kowai Halloween (or 「諸聖人の祝日の前夜」, as no one ever calls it) to all our Kumamoto International friends, and a treat: The Great Pumpkin, Japan-style. - William

Here's a message that was sent to the page by Shenee Douglas (posted with Shenee's permission):
"Hello Kumamoto International,
A lovely Japanese lady is looking for a Japanese speaking foreigner to share info about their country to a group of people over the age of sixty.
The class is held once a month on 2nd Wednesdays from 1:30 - 2:30 at Akitsu Kouminkan. The pay is 6000¥ for two hours. She speaks good English, so she may be able to help with translation if the person is not able to present it all in Japanese.
Her name is Noriko . # is 080-1715-3594.
People who are interested should mention my name when they call."
-- Posted by Kirk

Here's an inquiry about finding a running coach. Personally, I have no idea. If you can help, please write a comment for contact Jackie. -- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1633451360061623

It looks like the winds will be picking up in the next 12 hours. I hope it's a relatively mild storm for Kumamoto. One bit of good news in the no news is good news category is that the Yahoo page listing calls for evacuation in Kumamoto is empty:
https://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/43/
-- Kirk
P.S. Here's the URL of the site I took the image from:
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

Another storm is heading in our direction. I hope it won't be too bad. More later.
-- Kirk

By the way, if you're interested in Kumamoto local basketball team, the Volters, you can find statistics about them here:
http://basketball.asia-basket.com/team/Japan/Kumamoto-Vorters/18427
-- Kirk
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/10/17/basketball/b-league/b-league-stage-2018-star-game-kumamoto/
B. League to stage 2018 All-Star Game in Kumamoto | The Japan Times
The B. League on Tuesday announced that the 2018 All-Star Game will be held in Kumamoto. The event will take place on Jan. 14. It will be televised by NHK

Kumamoto's voting rate in Sunday's election was under 60% but even that was above the national average of 53.68% (the second worst in Japan's modern history) and a notable jump from mere 50% of 2012. A new aspect of this election is that 18 and 19 year olds could vote but their national voting rate was a mere 41.5%:
http://www.sankei.com/politics/news/171024/plt1710240100-n1.html
-- Kirk
http://go2senkyo.com/articles/2017/10/24/33256.html

It looks like Prime Minister Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (Jiminto) has won a major victory. Tomorrow's newspapers will present a national overview of the election but since this is a Kumamoto page, I'd like to focus in on the projected winner of Kumamoto City's first ward, Minoru Kihara.
I think it's fair to locate Mr. Kihara on the far right of Japan's political spectrum. He was one of a group of ideologues who signed a paid advertisement published in the Washington Post that former University of Chicago Professor Norma Field described as a "a compendium of rightwing revisionist talking points on the 'comfort women.'" Field indicates that backlash to this extreme political ad was one factor that led to the passage in the United States House of Representatives to "House Resolution 121 that called on the Japanese Government to 'acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces’ coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as "comfort women" ….'"
https://www.globalresearch.ca/japans-world-war-ii-comfort-women-revisionism-comes-to-the-u-s/5453023
"The Facts" ad, listing Mr. Kihara's name, can be found here:
https://img.atwikiimg.com/www22.atwiki.jp/doc_exam2007/attach/1/23/thefact_070614.jpg
Mr. Kihara is also a member of Nippon Kaigi, described as follows in a New York Times article:
"A U.S. Congressional report on Japan-U.S. relations from early this year mentioned Nippon Kaigi as one of several organizations to which Mr. Abe has ties that believe that 'Japan should be applauded for liberating much of East Asia from Western colonial powers, that the 1946-1948 Tokyo War Crimes tribunals were illegitimate, and that the killings by Imperial Japanese troops during the 1937 "Nanjing massacre" were exaggerated or fabricated.'"
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/opinion/tea-party-politics-in-japan.html
Despite the low numbers of foreigners in Kumamoto, he still manages to be very upset by proposals to improve the conditions of foreigners residing in Japan. One example of his xenophobia that I found particularly interesting was the "video letter" to be found on the following page:
http://kiharaminoru.jp/modules/channel0/2013/02/
In it, Mr. Kihara rails against the following change in the law governing foreign residents:
"On July 9, 2012, the alien registration system was abolished and foreigners are now able to apply as part of the Basic Resident Registration System. Foreigners who reside in Japan for more than three months need to register for national health insurance."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Insurance_(Japan)
The law is intended to insure that all foreign residents of Japan have health insurance. Mr. Kihara and his accomplice on the ultraconservative "Sakura Channel" opine that this will allow foreigners to abuse the system and steal tax revenues paid in by law-abiding Japanese. In retrospect, this claim seems similar to the "The Facts" ad placed in the Washington Post in that it is so far to the right that even the Abe administration has not embraced it. As far as I know, with the exception of ideologues like Mr. Kihara and his friends in Sakura Channel and Nippon Kaigi, the extension of health care to foreigners with three-month or longer visas has been entirely uncontroversial.
-- This screed has been brought to you by Kirk

Thankfully, this powerfully cyclone is not predicted to make a direct hit on Kumamoto; the eye of the storm is projected to pass to the east of Kyushu. Still, it is very powerful and likely to bring us a lot of rain and some strong winds. The storm is a category 2 now but TropicalStormRisk.com predicts that it will reach its peak strength of category 4 by tomorrow evening.
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com
As you can see from the satellite image, it's a very big system with a clear eye, even though it is not yet at peak strength.
It is predicted to be closest to Kumamoto on Sunday. I heard on the news that parts of Amakusa will hold their elections tomorrow (Saturday), a day early, to insure that the storm does not prevent them from delivering ballots on time.
-- Kirk
http://www.jma.go.jp/jp/gms/index.html?area=0&element=0&time=201710202030

Notwithstanding World War Two, war-wise, Kumamoto is most noted as the point where Saigo Takamori's Satsuma army was turned back by government forces between February and April, 1877 during the Seinan Senso (aka Satsuma Rebellion). Saigo's hope to easily seize Kumamoto Castle had deteriorated into a winter siege when, in March, government forces attacked and routed Satsuma forces guarding the northern approach to the castle at Tabaruzuka near present-day Ueki. It was all downhill for Saigo from there (figuratively - the Satsuma forces fled back south via Hitoyoshi to avoid government troops which had landed to their rear in Yatsushiro, implying plenty of uphill climbing), and Saigo eventually committed seppuku in August near today's Kagoshima City.
Tabaruzaka has a museum displaying artifacts from the war and with a preserved battlefield very much worth visiting, but distance is a problem (say us modern, lazy folk, conveniently ignoring that Satsuma troops hiked there from Kagoshima in the depths of winter). To mark the 140th anniversary of the battle, the museum has organized an exhibition at Kumamoto Shintoshin (that big building near the station) centered on contemporary clothing: government uniforms were modeled on those used by France, and the Satsuma forces wore a mixture of western and Japanese items. The exhibition is free and will run through October 27. The museum director noted the purpose to draw attention to Tabaruzaka as the "Genkan of Kumamoto" and attract more visitors to the museum. (The below painting from 1877 shows the Battle of Tabaruzaka with government troops on the left and Satsuma troops on the right.) - William
https://this.kiji.is/293700784796402785?c=92619697908483575

The East Asia Citizen Coexistence Film Festival begins tomorrow evening (Friday) at Kumamoto Gakuen University. I've already posted about the following three films which are either entirely or mostly in English (with Japanese subtitles):
"The True Cost"
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1627388270667932
"Children's Tears: Searching for Japanese Fathers"
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1628577617215664
"Hello?! Orchestra"
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1629082163831876
Friday evening's content will be in Korean and Japanese. If you're interested, please check out the official website.
-- Kirk