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The problematic landing occurred in Nagasaki but the plane was from Sojo University in Kumamoto. Fortunately, no one seems to have been injured seriously. -- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/06/29/national/small-plane-makes-belly-landing-nagasaki-airport/#.WVT2XcaB2qk
Small plane makes belly landing at Nagasaki airport | The Japan Times
A twin-propeller plane made a belly landing Thursday at Nagasaki airport due to mechanical trouble, causing a brief runway closure and the cancellation of

I'm sharing this article about bicycle racing (keirin) because Kumamoto City's keirin stadium is in trouble. I saw a TV news story about this on TV yesterday (RKK). It seems that even before the quake, the number of people supporting keirin in Kumamoto was on the decline and then the damage to the facilities caused by the earthquake has put the facility (which is run by the city) in an even more precarious situation. Much damage remains unrepaired so the facility has not be able to reopen since the earthquakes struck.
The stadium is located in Suizenji, inside the Suizenji Undo Park:
https://goo.gl/maps/zJ28kXpVzmD2
Here's the address of the Japanese Facebook page of the facility:
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotokeirin/
-- Kirk
https://www.wired.com/2015/12/jasper-clarke-inside-the-fast-paced-world-of-japanese-keirin/
(PHOTOS) Inside the fast-paced world of Japanese cycle racing
Keirin racing is the most extreme sport you've never heard of. Jasper Clarke spent a day with students at a local school.

A ‘globally precious find’! Sounds exciting! By the way, if you're into paleontology (and who isn't these days?), check out this event coming up in July:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1488012107938883
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201706270007.html
Fossilized lizard bones called a ‘globally precious find’：The Asahi Shimbun
MIFUNE, Kumamoto Prefecture—Fossilized bones unearthed in 2004 might be the first proof that a girdl

Interested in getting some help with your Japanese? If you have Wednesday or Sunday mornings free, you can get some help at the International Center downtown for just 100 yen per session.
The following page is a pdf file that features an explanation in simple Japanese followed by the same information in English.
-- Kirk
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/Upload/topics/p1_5706_215862011281419.pdf

There's a group called "Kumamoto YWCA International Neighbors" that plans occasional events to help people learn Japanese, etc. The event described on the page I'm linking to is already over but I'm sure there will be similar events in the future. If you're interested, please use the contact information included in the message to inquire. -- Kirk
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/topics/13519
Yahoo! Groups

This is my favorite radar site. If you, like me, are a cyclist, or have some other reason to want to time your movements so as to avoid getting soaked, I recommend you check out this site. Zoom in on your current location and then "play" the images to get a rough animation of how the rain clouds have been moving and where they are expected to go. The images should help you decide when you can "make a break for it," even on rainy days.
-- Kirk
雨雲ズームレーダー - Yahoo!天気・災害
全国各地の実況雨雲の動きをリアルタイムでチェックできます。地図上で目的エリアまで簡単ズーム！

The Autopolis course is in Oita, near the border with Kumamoto. Here's more information in English:
http://racingcircuits.info/asia/japan/autopolis.html#.WU_A3MaB2MI
I usually hear about events at this place after the fact, sorry to say, so I haven't been able to give people notices in advance. If you're interested in car racing, however, you might want to try to learn more about the facility.
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/06/23/travel/off-races-super-gt-oitas-autopolis-course/#.WU_ACsaB2MI
Off to the races: The Super GT at Oita's Autopolis course | The Japan Times
Drive an hour south of Fukuoka and take a right at the city of Hita and you'll find yourself skirting the edge of Lake Bairin. Mountains rise up from the w

MSU expands cooperative relationship with Japanese town
The agreement will further strengthen the cooperative relationship between MSU and the Japanese town of Mifune, the site of a dinosaur museum that has partnered with MSU’s Museum of the Rockies.

You might notice that Kumamon never speaks - but if he did, he'd probably sound like Jim Cummings. I hope you're all enjoying rainy season. - William
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0i7JU9SijE
The Rain Rain Rain (came Down Down Down) English
I dont own anything remotely Disney. This is the English verison of the Rainy day song in the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Lyrics: the Rain Rain Rain c...

As the English side of the attached flier explains, a symposium on the impact of the Kumamoto earthquake on immigrant single mothers will be held on July 9th. I'm not sure how much of this will be in English and how much will be in Japanese. I suspect that most will be in Japanese but, if you are concerned about whether people who do not understand Japanese will be able to understand the discussion, call the cell phone number marked "English" for more information.
-- Kirk

Special Olympics Nippon released the promotion video with English subtitles. Please watch it, and if interested, please be a volunteer to help athletes' smiles shine! Contact Special Olympics Kumamoto by emailing to [email protected] or faxing to 096-288-2782. We're looking forward to seeing you at Special Olympics.
One more piece of information about Special Olympics Nippon--- SON was born here in Kumamoto!. -- Yuichi
https://youtu.be/tRmDIONaAaU
Special Olympics Nippon Promotional Video_English

The gentle rolling of this most recent (23:31) quake indicated it was far off - good news for us in Kumamoto, but bad news for those at the epicenter, which was just off the coast of Oita. It was a magnitude 5 and seems to have occurred along the same fault that has been rupturing from Kumamoto. - William http://www.jma.go.jp/jp/quake/5/20170620233150495-202327.html

A powerful earthquake (M5) occurred in Kyushu, focused on the Oita area. At my location in Kumamoto, however, it was barely noticable. -- Kirk
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/6/20170620233150495-202327.html

Replica of famed sword gifted to quake-stricken Kyushu shrine：The Asahi Shimbun
ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--A replica of a long-lost sword was presented to Asojinja shrine in a cerem

Shizuoka Pref. city gets thank-you visit from Kumamon for disaster aid - The Mainichi
NUMAZU, Shizuoka -- A special guest came all the way to this city from Kumamoto Prefecture on June 16 to thank a local volunteer disaster relief group -- superstar mascot Kumamon.

A note from the Kumamoto International Meteorology Desk: That our ancestors could somehow predict heavy rain without satellites is quite amazing - perhaps it's the oppressive humidity with an ominous south-eastern wind. Which is what we have now. My wife keeps her ear close to the ground through the other cronies in the neighborhood, who are annoyingly polite but know more than you'd suspect, and word has it that big rain is coming from tomorrow afternoon for the next week. If you don't want to get wet, you should probably leave the country for a bit.
Keep an eye on the rain front at http://www.jma.go.jp/jp/radnowc/ - William
気象庁 | レーダー・ナウキャスト(降水・雷・竜巻)

A while back, I conducted a survey on this page about how foreigners should be addressed (that is, to "-san" or not to "-san") when speaking Japanese.
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1420383221368439/?type=3&theater
The overwhelming result from non-Japanese who speak Japanese was "don't leave off '-san' just because I'm not Japanese."
At the time, I think I mentioned that the consistent practice of not addressing foreigners with "-san" or some other honorific suffix on a local TV show prompted my interest in this topic. Well, the program was TKU's Wakkatto Land (若っとランド). Through Facebook, I informed them of the survey results but, sadly, they chose to ignore me. Facebook indicated to me that my message to them was "seen" but they did not respond and yesterday's program proved that they also ignored the content of my message when they made their program.
The image you see is of the message I posted on their page in response to the latest program. Here's the URL for this message:
https://www.facebook.com/TKU.WakattoLand/videos/541869055936737/
If you go to this page and are unable to see a Japanese message from me, that would mean that TKU took it down or otherwise made it invisible to visitors.
I'm not sure what my next step should be. In a way, it's a small issue. In another way, however, I think the symbolism is important. By their refusal to even discuss the results of a survey completed by 80 people, they have indirectly given me the message that they will portray foreigners in whatever way they damn well please and that they have no intention of taking the concerns of Kumamoto's foreign community into account when they use foreigners as fodder for their programming. That's something I'm hesitant to let stand.
-- Kirk
😡

This isn't Kumamoto specific, but it's as much a part of life here as it is in the rest of Japan. :)
-- Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC5Dr9lV6ro
Japan Has The Robo-Toilets Of The Future | Elise Tries | NPR
Japanese toilets have come a long way from the early 20th century, when many people still used "squatters," which were commodes built into the floor to squat...

A limited-edition, Kumamoto-themed coke bottle has been issued. -- Kirk
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/06/14/coca-cola-releases-five-new-gorgeous-limited-edition-bottles-in-japan/
Coca-Cola releases five new gorgeous limited-edition bottles in Japan
Each of the locally-themed designs will be limited for sale in different regions of the country.

Sounds like good news for Kumamoto's tourism industry:
"The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry will designate six ports, including Yokohama, as targeted international cruise ship hubs and consider making additions to the list in the future. The five other ports are Shimizu in Shizuoka Prefecture, Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, and Motobu and Hirara in Okinawa Prefecture."
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/06/02/national/diet-enacts-law-upgrade-ports-cruise-ship-boom/#.WUHi4MaB2-q
Diet enacts law to upgrade ports for cruise ship boom | The Japan Times
The Diet enacted a law Friday for upgrading key ports across Japan to attract more tourists on cruise ships under joint efforts by the public and private s