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Fortunately, it looks like we'll have a sunny enjoyable weekend in the Minamata area. 幸い、週末の水俣旅行では天気に恵まれそうです。We have a good group but a few more university students would be welcome. ほどほどの人数のグループになりそうですが、まだ少し余裕があります。If you're interested, please fill out the following form. 興味があれば、次のフォームを記入してください。
https://goo.gl/MuF6Zk
-- Kirk

A student at Gakuen University is conducting a survey on impressions non-native Japanese have regarding the type of English spoken by that ubiquitous comedian, Tetsuro Degawa. Those who have ever watched TV in this country are likely familiar with him even if unaware of his name. The way he speaks English certainly inspires strong reactions. If you have a moment, please respond. This link leads to an introduction by the the student, a few Youtube videos, and the survey. - William
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrStZLYMRRR3AAB-s1jvieFsr8DMXiIwWvhrGcCzwTn9O4gg/viewform
What do you think of this Japanese comedian's English?
Hello. I’m Keishi Otsubo. I’m a fourth year student at Kumamoto Gakuen University. I am doing a survey about communication between Japanese and foreigners and I am interested in your impressions about Tetsuro Degawa's English. Please watch these videos before you answer the questions. https://youtu....

A major earthquake occurred in Kagoshima. I think it was probably strong enough for people in parts of southern Kumamoto to feel. I'm not aware of any mudslides being triggered by this quake. That may be quite lucky. Heavy, slippery mud and earthquakes are not a good combination.
Magnitude: 5.2
Highest intensity on Japanese scale: 5+
-- Kirk
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/6/20170711120030495-111156.html

Mobile vendors in Japan have assumed a number soft melodies to announce their presence. There is the whistle-like "tooo-fuuu" to announce the tofu truck which comes around in the morning and the mournful ramen melody heard around midnight for those having not yet eaten. In winter, there is the yaki-imo truck, which promises the potatoes are rock-roasted, and on weekends, when dad is home, trucks pass by with rather rackety announcements to sell you laundry polls (always the same price as 30 years ago, they claim) or to collect your used electronics.
They each have a sound and a predictable appearance, but perhaps none is more beloved than Donkey Bread (robanopanya「ロバのパン屋」). Its melody is evocative of the jaunty gait of the donkeys used before today's minivans, and it generally appears 'twixt that time when housewives have finished their housework and must begin preparing lunch - exactly when toddlers too young for kindergarten grow stir-crazy. (I know this because I remember. Trying hard not to cry here.)
Donkey Bread was born in Kyoto in the early Showa era to sell steamed bread, and by 1950, there were 200 outlets nationwide, though few are left. Tani Hideo-san (78) is the last in Kumamoto. Since 1961, he and his wife (77) have awoken at 3:00 to steam some 1,500 pieces of bread filled with various flavors which he sells for 50 yen apiece ("Or two for 100 yen!" he jokes). Until the late '70s, he used a donkey cart, then switched to the same van he uses today. He reflected, "Long ago, I'd travel as far as Misumi, which took seven hours, including grazing time for the donkey."
Sadly, Tani-san has decided that it is time to hang up his baker's spurs, largely due to a neck injury he suffered in a fall last year. However, he is aware of his legacy. "I know that many are nostalgic of this melody. I hope there will be someone to succeed me."
Tani-san's equipment is all well maintained and stored at his house, simply waiting for a successor. Let me know if you are interested.
A photo of a young Tani-san with his donkey and the original article from Kumanichi are at the link. - William
https://this.kiji.is/256946125467844610?c=92619697908483575
移動販売「ロバのパン屋」愛された60年　店主、体調崩し閉店 - 熊本日日新聞
営業車として使っていたワゴン車と谷秀夫さん。棚には販売していた８種類の品名も＝熊本市南区１９７０年１０月、台車を引く馬の世話をする谷秀夫さん＝熊本市　「♪ロバのおじさんチンカラリン」のメロディーで、約６０年親しまれてきた移動販売の蒸しパン店...

Rick Brezina of Amakusa continues to hold his own in the Red Bull X-Alps competition. He's near the middle of the pack right now, which, considering the level of the competition, is an amazing feat! And, of course, it ain't over 'til it's over! Click on the image from to see a video of him coming in for a beautiful landing (the image is from the video). Click on the following link to see another post I made about the competition with links to more information, including information about how to follow his progress live.
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1509281062478654
More importantly, I'm planning to following this post up with a comment about how to cheer him on so please take a look at the comment and send him your words of encouragement!
-- Kirk
got you! moving on...Got it! #ricksxalps #redbullxalps #montbell ＃熊電 #YAESU #APRS ＃モンベル #リック ＃偉大なる小さな一歩 #GAIN #gorickgo #TP3

A note from the Kumamoto International Scary Things Desk (which, in Japan, is jishin, kaminari, kaji, oyaji 『地震雷火事おやじ』): The thunder you're currently hearing is likely cloud-to-cloud, which explains the absence of visible lightning. The cool, dry jet stream.from the west is scooting above the warm, wet air from the south with a high speed differential, creating electrically charged regions between the two cloud layers which must be equalized; hence, my dog spending the morning under the table (for every action, there is a reaction). Since it's another rainy Sunday, one may as well ponder this. Below is a chart to help you start. - William

This Japan Times article features a YouTube video (in Japanese) about the importance of the igusa crop (the raw material used to make tatami mats) in Kumamoto. It ends with the female model eating her chop sticks, which are made from igusa.
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/08/business/corporate-business/tatami-promoters-kumamoto-develop-rush-flavored-edible-chopsticks/
Tatami promoters in Kumamoto develop rush-flavored 'edible chopsticks' | The Japan Times
When you have finished your meal, you can eat your chopsticks! A group in Kumamoto Prefecture promoting the wider use of tatami has developed "edible chops

Earlier today I wrote about rain warnings issued for today:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1516140385126055/?type=3&theater
I found the official warnings to be puzzling because the weather seemed good and stayed good for quite a while. Then, on the news this evening, I saw a video similar to the one I've uploaded predicting heavy rain in the middle of the night. "Oh, so that must be what the warning was about -- something predicted to happen in about 12 hours!", I thought. I was watching NHK TV but I found a similar animated prediction at the following address:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/radame/index.html?areaCode=214
Warnings would be much more helpful with links to more information about what the warning is based on, when the bad weather is predicted to arrive, etc.
-- Kirk
P.S. I saw another program indicating that the meteorology agency has trouble getting good data at sea. So, perhaps the early warning had something to do with such uncertainty. The TV program said that the weather agency was unable to predict the severity of the rain that hit northern Kyushu because they don't have good real-time measurements of what is happening at sea. Still, adding some probability estimate or other explanation about timeframe etc. to severe weather warningss would be helpful, I think.

Wow! A T-rex type creature in Amakusa! If true, the Wikipedia page on gorgosaurus will have to be rewritten, as no Asian finds are mentioned.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201707060047.html
-- KIrk
Dinosaur tooth from Kumamoto dig may be of a gorgosaurus：The Asahi Shimbun
KATSUYAMA, Fukui Prefecture--In the home of dinosaur fossils here in Japan, scientists have a new di

It's sunny out but new warnings have been issued. What you see is a Google Chrome translation of a web page that records e-mail warnings that are sent out in Japanese:
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/rireki/saigai/430000.html
This information seems to match up reasonably well with the information on the JMA site:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/warn/349_table.html
By the way, this page is indexed here:
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/now.html
What follows is a bit of tangent but I'd like to write a little note about a similar kind of announcement that was sent out to to smartphones yesterday but was surprisingly unhelpful. Yesterday at a little after 1 PM, many of my students got a sudden warning message (I think it's called a 緊急速報, "emergency alert") on their phones that said to check the prefecture's website, but did not give a URL. We looked at the top page of the website but could find anything that might explain the sudden warning. I'm not sure who is responsible for such messages. I looked on the web to try figure the system out or to find an archive of the messages that have been sent out but didn't have much luck. At any rate, whoever is responsible, it was disappointing to see that people were being made to search for a needle in a haystack when one bureaucrat somewhere (again, I'm not sure who is responsible) could save everyone that trouble by simply adding a link! I didn't get the notice on my phone but all of my students told me that they couldn't find a link in the notice they got.
-- Kirk
P.S. I can't find it on the internet but I once saw a cartoon of a guy standing in front of a sign that says "IN CASE OF FIRE" (or was it "emergency"?) and reading an extremely long page of fine-print text as the flames of a fire are clearly approaching. The way officials put out emergency information on the internet here often reminds me of that cartoon.

I happened to come across this promotion video for Minami Oguni today. I'm linking to the full version but there's also a shorter version at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY2r8dh1Ing
Scenes of an outdoor bath in Yamamizuki, a fantastic onsen ryokan in Kurokawa, are included in both versions. There's no text to indicate the name of the facility, but I recognize the distinctive location of the outdoor bath -- right next to an outdoor stream. I thought it was interesting that the video noted that the "scene has been taken in the men's open-air bath only for the commercial use" (0:59 in the short version). Actually, I don't think it's technically correct to say that this is the "men's bath." When I was there, modestly towel-clad women were able to enter the area, so it was actually a "kon'yoku" (open gender) bathing area. In reality, though, in modern Japan "kon'yoku" usually means "almost all men," with an occasional visit from an intrepid woman.
Speaking of "kon'yoku," the full-length version also shows some scenes of an outdoor bathing area in Manganji (skip to 3:10 if you're in a hurry). You don't see anyone bathing here but, actually, this is a "kon'yoku" bathing area as well. If you're a woman (or even if you're a man), you need to be considerably bolder to bath here than to merely enter the male area in Yamamizuki under towel cover. At this Manganji bathing site, the only place provided to undress and prepare for bathing is in full view of passersby. Many years ago, my wife and I took the plunge here after the sun went down (we didn't have the courage to attempt it in broad daylight). My wife was surprised to spoken to while bathing by an elderly man just a few feet away. It was an interesting experience but she hasn't requested another visit to that spot since. :)
If you're interested in kon'yoku see
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/12/25/dont-forget-your-wrap-towel-our-female-reporter-experiences-japanese-mixed-public-bathing-for-the-first-time/
"Don’t Forget Your ‘Wrap Towel’! Our Female Reporter Experiences Japanese Mixed Public Bathing for the First Time"
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/12/10/lifestyle/last-splash-immodest-japanese-tradition-mixed-bathing-may-verge-extinction/
Last splash: Immodest Japanese tradition of mixed bathing may be on the verge of extinction
http://metropolisjapan.com/the-konyoku-experience/
THE KONYOKU EXPERIENCE: Dipping into the diminishing culture of mixed-gender bathing
(illustration obviously done by someone who has never experienced the real thing)
Though I'm sure the topic of mixed bathing has been looked at by and discussed in English by academics, I don't have a good knowledge of that literature. All I could find is a book called "Japan: A View from the Bath"
https://www.amazon.com/Japan-View-Bath-Scott-Clark/dp/0824816579
but don't know how well or extensively it deals with the kon'yoku tradition.
In Japanese there's
混浴と日本史
https://www.amazon.co.jp/混浴と日本史-下川耿史/dp/4480858040/
which I haven't read yet but looks very interesting had has received good reviews.
-- Kirk
P.S. Here's the address for the full version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf-pHjO3sa8
（Full ver）Minamioguni tourismpromotion video（南小国町観光プロモーションビデオ フルバージョン）
Minamioguni It is a tourism promotion video of the town.I think that if you could touch the traditional life of Japan through the hot springs and experience....

A note from the Kumamoto International Deluge Diversion Desk (merged with the Alliteration Desk due to budget cuts):
There is a small town called Tsunagi which is sandwiched between Ashikita and Minamata on the Yatsushiro Sea. There is also an artist named Nishino Tatsu (西野達) from Tokyo, who is apparently world-renowned but not world-renowned enough for me to Google him because I do not do art. According to the article, though, he is famous for his temporary structures.
The two have collided in a collaboration to create a one-room hotel on stilts over the sea, which was enough to catch my attention. The purpose is to attract attention to the now-defunct Akasaki Elementary School, once known as the only "maritime elementary school" nationwide, and its surrounding scenery. And it deserves attention. Here are the specs:
- On friggin' stilts over the sea
- There is a nearby uninhabited island called Hadakashima (裸島, はだかじま); hence, it will be called "Hotel Hadakashima
- One room with toilet and shower
- The windows of the structure will be repurposed from Ahikita's Akasaki Elementary School
- Other materials such as shoji from the school will also be repurposed for the building
"We aim to make it a room of memories of the children of Akasaki Elementary" Nishino-san said. At the groundbreaking (seabreaking?) ceremony held yesterday, Nishino-san said, "Unlike a faceless business hotel, this will be a very personal room. The fascination is to be reunited with your childhood past." Construction starts in the middle of this month and is scheduled to be completed in early September. The hotel, being single-room, accepts only one group per day. Reservations will be taken from August for stays running from October through December (thus avoiding the typhoon season - but if you go, bring a jacket). No word yet on rates, maximum occupancy, how to make reservations - or even how to get to the hotel (boat?), but your faithful correspondent will keep you up to date.
The article has a photo from the groundbreaking ceremony and a sketch of the hotel by Nishino-san. - William
https://this.kiji.is/255859948855592438?c=92619697908483575
旧赤崎小の“思い出”移築　海上ホテル地鎮祭　津奈木町 - 熊本日日新聞
西野達さん（左端）らが出席してあった「ホテル裸島」の地鎮祭＝津奈木町西野達さんが描いた「ホテル裸島」のアイデアドローイング（イメージ図）　津奈木町が世界的現代アーティスト西野達さん（５７）＝東京＝の作品として、旧赤崎小付近の八代海（不知火海...

I'll be taking a group of university students to Minamata for an overnight trip next weekend (July 15th to 16th). It's a mixed group of Japanese students and exchange students from various countries. I'm posting about it here because I would like to invite interested university students (any university in the area and, of course, students of any nationality) to join us. We already have about 20 people but it would be nice to have a few more.
On Saturday, the 15th, after lunch at Fukuda Noen (located on a mountain by the sea; see second picture for a sample of the view) we'll visit Hot House, a facility in which people with congenital Minamata disease work (first picture). I've gone there almost every year for quite some time now and it's always very interesting and enlightening to actually meet people whose lives have been deeply affected by mercury poisoning, not just hear a lecture about them. We'll also tour various points related to the history of Minamata disease.
Saturday night we'll stay in an onsen ryokan (hot spring inn) in the Yunotsuru area, a picturesque village in the mountains near Minamata that is famous for its hot springs and terraced rice paddies. Sunday we'll have fun visiting a "roller luge" facility in Ashikita and going to the beach in Otachimisaki (third picture). If you are interested, please fill out the following form:
https://goo.gl/MuF6Zk
Costs including transportation, meals, entrance fess, etc. will be slightly over 10,000 yen (relatively cheap as such overnight trips go). If more people want to go than we have room for, people will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.
If you have any questions, please go ahead and fill out the form, check the "not sure" option, and type in your question. I'll get back to you by e-mail.
-- Kirk

According to yesterday's RKK evening news, the heavy rain has been caused by "back-building" systems that dump large amounts of rain in one area without seeming to move much. Here's an explanation from Wikipedia:
"A back-building thunderstorm, commonly referred to as a training thunderstorm, is a thunderstorm in which new development takes place on the upwind side (usually the west or southwest side in the Northern Hemisphere), such that the storm seems to remain stationary or propagate in a backward direction. Though the storm often appears stationary on radar, or even moving upwind, this is an illusion. The storm is really a multi-cell storm with new, more vigorous cells that form on the upwind side, replacing older cells that continue to drift downwind. When this happens, catastrophic flooding is possible."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderstorm#Back-building_thunderstorm
The image was taken from an academic paper on the topic:
http://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/workshops/WS2006/abstracts/Session02/2_4_Schumacher.pdf
-- Kirk

One more note: The red and purple areas are at high risk for landslides. If you are in a vulnerable location, you may want to consider evasive action. If you are considering driving, I recommend that you avoid mountainous roads in red and purple areas. This information was taken from:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/doshamesh/
-- Kirk
P.S. Even as the rain settles down, the soaked earth on slopes can be dangerous. Let's home we don't get any quakes before the water can drain out of the soil.

Tornado warnings have been issued for some parts of Kumamoto. English information about such warning can be found at
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/radnowc/
It's good that the JMA puts this information out in English as well as in Japanese, but it's easy to miss. There is a list of warnings for Kumamoto
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/warn/349_table.html
but no mention is made of tornados there. Actually, the same problem exists on the Japanese site. If they could do a better job of collating and cross referencing the Japanese information it would do a world of good. First, Japanese people wouldn't have sit and painstakingly try to find information at a time when if might be necessary to move quickly to take evasive action. Second, better organization of the Japanese information would probably lead to a similar improvements on the English side of the site, which tends to mirror the Japanese.
By the way, here's a little review of two useful sites to help you watch the weather until things calm down. First, my favorite radar site:
https://weather.yahoo.co.jp/weather/zoomradar/
It gives you a pretty good sense of where the rain clouds are now and where they are headed. It is based on the same information as the JMA site but allows you to zoom in to your own neighborhood.
To check on evacuation information go to
https://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/43/
This is in Japanese but you can translate it with the Google Chrome browser.
-- Kirk

To add to the fun, the Meteorology Agency has issued a tornado and strong wind warning for the Kumamoto, Amakusa, Ashikita, and Kuma regions. Strange as I'd just taken my dog out during a break in the deluge (thank you, JMA!), and there wasn't a breath of wind. Perhaps the calm before another storm. Hold on to your 帽子, just in case. - William

From the Kumamoto International "Whoops" Desk: A concrete two-story shop/house damaged in the quakes was condemned by the city, which contracted with a demolition company who farmed out the work to a subcontractor that got right on it until, halfway through the job, they realized the building they were demolishing was wood, not concrete, so they stopped. Figuring out the correct building was next door, they went ahead and demolished that, but the real estate company (uh-oh) which owns the partially dismantled building is not happy. Negotiations for compensation are underway.
A bit of humor (as long as you're not the ones who screwed up) to lighten a rainy day.
Story and photo at Kumanichi (partially dismantled house left, now demolished concrete house right):
https://this.kiji.is/255528254693475834?c=92619697908483575
誤って隣の建物壊す　地震の公費解体工事　熊本市中央区 - 熊本日日新聞
公費解体の対象物件と取り違えられ、一部解体された空き店舗（左）。本来、解体対象だった店舗兼住宅は解体され、更地となっている＝熊本市中央区　熊本市は５日、熊本地震で被災した建物の公費解体事業で、業者が解体対象を誤り、被災していない別の建物を一...

Due to the deluge of news regarding the, uh, deluge, stories and updates will be collected below in the comments section.

Check
https://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/43/
for more information about evacuation notices. You'll need Google's Chrome browser if you want to translate the Japanese into English. -- Kirk