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I just posted about the upcoming rugby test match in Kumamoto:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1471703799569714/?type=3&theater
Here's some of the same information delivered in Head Coach Jamie Joseph's mellifluous Kiwi accent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNdkarKZsoI
-- Kirk
リポビタンDチャレンジカップ2017 ジェイミー・ジョセフHC コメント

"Japan host Romania on June 10 at Kumamoto’s Umakana-Yokana Stadium, which will be renamed Egao Kenko Stadium in February."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/01/27/more-sports/rugby/jrfu-announces-venues-brave-blossoms-june-test-matches/#.WTAEfsaB364
Ticket information can be found (in Japanese) at:
https://www.rugby-japan.jp/2017/03/03/lipod2017_ticket_info/
If you need help with the language, the translating function on Google's Chrome browser might prove helpful.
Parking will be severely restricted on the day of the match. Check the website for details.
-- Kirk
#Rugby

For the opening of Jyosaien (城彩苑) in 2011, a Tokyo company with the cool name of Toppan Insatsu (凸版印刷 - "relief printing") produced a virtual reality presentation of Kumamoto Castle called "Wakuwakuza" (湧々座), which is still on display there. Later, Kumamoto University Professor Koutaki Gou (上瀧剛助教 - another cool name) realized that this data could be useful for reconstruction.
Toppan has provided some 40,000 highly detailed images of the pre-quake castle, and Prof. Koutaki has created a computer program that matches each stone to its original position. The method is still time-consuming as each stone awaiting restoration must be imaged for its location to be sourced (improvements are under investigation), but it is an important step which somehow makes this tremendous endeavor seem possible. - William
More about Wakuwakuza can be found here: http://9tabi.net/kumamoto/kumamoto00/kumamoto080.html
and the Kumanichi article here: https://this.kiji.is/242830341186422269?c=92619697908483575
熊本城、石垣修復で産学連携　熊本大院と凸版印刷 - 熊本日日新聞
熊本地震で崩れた熊本城の石垣。右奥は天守閣＝今年１月　熊本地震で崩れた熊本城の石垣の修復工事を効率的に進めるため、熊本大大学院先端科学研究部（熊本市中央区）と凸版印刷（東京）は３１日、連携協定を結んだと発表した。凸版印刷が所有する被災前の熊...

This video from the Kumanichi (the local newspaper) shows a remotely operated piece of heavy equipment being used to remove fallen stones. The possibility of further collapse makes the area too dangerous for human workers. This is the first such use on a site of such historical importance. The five "claws" that grasp the stones are made of (or coated with?) a rubber-like material. The stones must be handled carefully because they will need to be used again when the wall is reconstructed.
-- Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-MswEMs5M
無人重機が崩落石を回収 熊本城飯田丸五階櫓
熊本市は２９日、熊本地震の影響で立ち入りを規制している熊本城の復旧工事を報道陣に公開した。余震による２次被害を避けるため、飯田丸五階櫓では、遠隔で操作できる無人重機が崩落した石を回収。文化庁によると、国の特別史跡で無人重機を使用するのは初めて。

JR Kyushu’s luxury sleeper train returns to boost Aso：The Asahi Shimbun
FUKUOKA--Kyushu Railway Co.’s luxury sleeper train Nanatsuboshi (Seven stars) will run through the A

This news article about tattoos and onsen in Japan got me wondering about the situation here in Kumamoto. I searched in both English and Japanese and the best information I was able to find about where people with tattoos can enjoy a nice soak was on the following English page:
https://en.unknownjapan.net/tattoo-friendly-onsens/
If there are other tattoo-friendly spots in Kumamoto that you'd like to recommend, please write a note about them in the comments.
-- Kirk
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003720878
Bathhouses in fog about accepting people with tattoos
While the number of foreign tourists to Japan increases, operators of bathhouses and other such facilities are perplexed, after the government approved a written statement that said access to public bathing facilities should not be restricted just because customers having tattoos, at a Cabinet meeti...

Stunning crescent moon in Kumamoto's early evening sky tonight. Ramadan mubarak to all of our Muslim friends on Kumamoto International. - William

Large disparities in temperature between the bottom of basins and higher atmosphere often result in fog. Mt. Aso is famous for this; the phenomenon is known as 雲海 (unkai, "sea of clouds"). A recent video taken of the Grand Canyon in the US showed the same phenomenon. So here you are: Dueling videos of 雲海. - William
https://vimeo.com/217407298
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRl5D096E-w
SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM: KAIBAB ELEGY
Millions of visitors a year come to Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the most visited national park in…

A snake caused a brief power outage in parts of Kumamoto City yesterday. -- Kirk
http://rkk.jp/news/index.php?id=NS003201705251754200111
RKKラジオAM1197kHz・ワイドFM91.4/92.3/94.2MHz、RKKテレビは3ch！九州・熊本のラジオ＆テレビ放送局(TBSテレビ系列)です。

JCI stands for "Junior Chamber International." Their website says that "JCI is a nonprofit organization of young active citizens age 18 to 40 who are engaged and committed to creating impact in their communities. Active citizens are individuals invested in the future of our world. JCI gathers active citizens from all sectors of society."
https://jci.cc/about
Another web page says that the "2017 JCI Academy in Kumamoto will enable the participants, the future leaders of JCI and the community, to deepen mutual understanding among one another. At the same time, it will provide an opportunity for participating members from JCI Japan to establish a connection with overseas delegates, so that the Japanese delegates can be even more involved at the international level in the future."
They are looking for host families and volunteer interpreters to help with this event (the following pages are in Japanese):
http://2017jciacademy.com/f/interpreter/
http://2017jciacademy.com/f/family/
-- Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1J2-B8u60A
【full ver】JCI Academy kumamoto

There have been some recent reports about cracks in the ground in Oita Prefecture, our neighbors to the east. When I first saw something about this on TV I assumed it had something to do with seismic activity, but the article says that the cause is unknown.
-- KIrk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/23/national/ground-cracks-form-oita-city-prompting-evacuations-amid-landslide-fears/#.WSTSAMaB2-o
Ground cracks form in Oita city, prompting evacuations amid landslide fears | The Japan Times
The city of Bungo Ono, Oita Prefecture, has seen cracks in the ground in 81 locations, leading the municipal government to warn nearby residents of possibl

This article came out a few weeks ago but I just found out about it today. -- Kirk
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170430/p2g/00m/0sp/040000c
Soccer: Monaco show support to Japan's quake-hit Kumamoto in Ligue 1 game - The Mainichi
MONACO (Kyodo) -- French Ligue 1 leaders Monaco showed their support for relief efforts in quake-hit Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, on Saturday, when they held their home game with Toulouse as a charity match for the region.

The U.S. television program (PBS) "This is America and the World" did a segment about Kumamoto:
http://www.thisisamerica.net/videoarchive_2016-2017.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5riu2c1JCbY
-- Kirk
TIA&TW - Treasures of Kumamoto, Japan
Episode 2031: Treasures of Kumamoto, Japan On this program This Is America & The World and Dennis Wholey travel to southern Japan to experience Kumamoto pref...

This is from the 19th. NHK doesn't keep videos up for long so get it while it's hot!
-- Kirk
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170519_23/
Kumamoto Castle repair work shown to media- News - NHK WORLD - English
Work to restore the main tower of Kumamoto Castle was shown to media on Friday, about one year after a series of earthquakes struck Kumamoto City, western Japan.

Map makers track Kumamoto quake damage and recovery：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Devastating earthquakes changed the face of this city in April 2016, and the task of asses

The photo you see was taken a few days ago in Ezuko, Kumamoto City. I was prompted to look for photos of fireflies (hotaru) in Ezuko by an RKK news segment I saw. The segment talked about how, when the weather is right, the fireflies are putting on evening shows in Ezuko these days. I'm a big fan of the Ezuko area but have never been there after sunset (7 to 9 PM or so) to enjoy the fireflies on a warming evening. I may even go tonight!
-- Kirk
https://twitter.com/zanshin_photo/status/864740096452419584
しんいちphoto on Twitter
“江津湖のホタル 2017年5月16日撮影 #photography #photo #写真好きな人と繋がりたい #トワイライト #熊本 #KUMAMOTO #江津湖 #ホタル #蛍”

Leanne Vibe shared the link to this article on the Kumamoto-i mailing list:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/13512
Thanks Leanne! Even though I started the mailing list, I have tended to neglect it in recent years. Readers of this Facebook page show know, however, that interesting and valuable information is shared on the mailing list and I often neglect to share it again here. Also, an e-mail forum has some advantages to Facebook (easier to strike up independent conversations with people, no manipulative algorithm that winds up determining what you do and do not see, etc.). So, some of you may wish to participate in the mailing list if you don't already.
Favorite line from this article: "Q: Where do you go to escape Kumamoto? A: Kumamoto IS my escape."
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/05/13/people/paraglider-richard-brezina-not-stranger-high-adventure/
Paraglider Richard Brezina: 'I am not a stranger to high adventure' | The Japan Times
Canadian native living in Kyushu recalls his experiences of extreme sports in Japan.

A long time ago, I set all of the posts from this page to be tweeted and then forgot about it. If you prefer Twitter to Facebook, you might consider following us there, but the way posts get cut short can make it hard to understand the intended point.
https://twitter.com/Kumamotoi
-- Kirk
Kumamoto-i (@Kumamotoi) | Twitter
The latest Tweets from Kumamoto-i (@Kumamotoi). I'm an international mailing list about Kumamoto, Japan. Kumamoto, Japan

I came across this bit of information today: The tallest man to be drafted to play in the NBA is from Kumamoto. Wikipedia says that Yasutaka Okayama was 7'8" (234 cm) when he was drafted, making him a bit taller than Manute Bol. Bol is still the tallest person to have played in the NBA because Mr. Okayama declined to enter into negotiations after he was drafted. -- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2015/05/20/basketball/hoop-hero-okayama-reflects-lost-chance/
Hoop hero Okayama reflects on lost chance | The Japan Times
Long before recent international Japanese basketball stars like Yuta Tabuse, Yuki Togashi and Yuta Watanabe, there was Yasutaka Okayama, who might have mad

'River' of paper lanterns glow for Kumamoto quake victims：The Asahi Shimbun
MINAMI-ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--About 8,000 messages of support from around Japan to the victims of