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This article is about people who are still living as evacuees.
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201704150038.html
Behind the smile, Kumamoto mom has to battle her own family woes：The Asahi Shimbun
MASHIKI, Kumamoto Prefecture--Kayoko Kaizaki always has a ready smile and something humorous to impa

These three images are from an NHK video that can be found on the following page:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20170414/k10010948901000.html
I saw the report on TV a few days ago and was surprised to learn about the extent to which "slow slip" (余効変動) has continued since the quakes first hit. The image you see at the top compares a concrete block wall immediately after the quakes hit (on the left) and this month ( on the right). The wall is situated immediately above a fault and the slow movement since the quakes has caused the distance between the two parts of the wall to expand by 20 centimeters. NHK reports that GPS data confirms similar movement along the fault.
-- Kirk

The Asahi article mentions the “Laputa no Michi” (Road to Laputa), which was damaged in the earthquake. Here's a Rocket News 24 article from December of 2015 that gives you a good idea about what made the place so special:
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/12/06/we-visit-one-of-japans-stunning-secret-destinations-the-road-to-laputa-in-kumamoto/
And here are some YouTube videos that show the damage that the quake did:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnz0VDQXEAE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ht1vfN0TLI
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201704160019.html
Religious leaders offer prayers to Kumamoto quake victims：The Asahi Shimbun
ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--In an interdenominational show of faith, Shinto priests, Buddhist monks an

Timely release of the latest in the series of mini videos about Aso Shrine and the ongoing restoration project. Please be sure to view on YouTube,as each view generates a small donation towards the restoration fund....and then share to the world! This version also has English subtitles.
Posted by Charmaine.
熊本地震本震から本日で１年を迎えました。地震発災当初から多くの方に励ましの声、そしてご支援をいただき感謝申し上げます。 一年を迎え、拝殿は更地になり、倒壊した楼門は「素屋根」と呼ばれる囲いで覆われています。昨年の12月初旬より始まった楼門の足場組み立て作業を定点で追いました。ぜひご覧いただければ幸いです。 これか...

The NHK Kumamoto bureau, conveniently located adjacent to the castle in a building equipped with a rooftop camera (and with engineer types just itching for an excuse to use camera drones) has started a Webpage called "Observe Kumamoto Castle"(熊本城　いまを見つめる). The graphic at the link below shows Nationally Designated Important Cultural Assets in red and damaged walls destined for repair in blue.
Watching this will make watching grass grow look like an Usain Bolt race, but it's nice that someone is paying attention.
http://www.nhk.or.jp/kumamoto/castle/index.html

Are you raising a bilingual child, or learning Japanese yourself?
Recently published bilingual picture books (English and Japanese - hiragana) aimed at children but also useful for adults with beginner Japanese.
Featuring Ben and Maki, who live in Kumamoto, these books come with free worksheets and colouring pages. Book 1 in the series available now on Amazon.
Check out the Ben and Maki website for details.
Thanks,
- Celia
https://www.celiajenkins.com/ben-and-maki
celiajenkins | Ben and Maki

A note from the Kumamoto International Flying Mammal Desk: Your faithful correspondent observed Japanese house bats this evening, a sure sign that spring has arrived as the species follows the burgeoning awakening of insects up from their winter homes in Taiwan and southern China to more northern latitudes.
Japanese house bats are unique in that their mothers swaddle their young in tiny blankets* - William
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_house_bat
*No, they don't. I included this to battle chiroptophobia.

A bit more specific info regarding the planned performance by the aerobatic air wing, Blue Impulse.
Date: Sunday
Location: Sky (not directly stated but inferred)
Rehearsal: Saturday
More stuff: Meet flight members, get Blue Impulse goods, view a showing of the movie "Top Gun" (starring a young Tom Cruise who, infuriatingly, still looks exactly the same even at my age) at Ninomaru Park, 9:00 - 16:00.
More info at the link. - William
http://joukamachi-kumamoto.com/2017-hishousai/

"However, Tokuda said that overall the mental condition of the pets seemed to be improving. 'Until six months after the earthquake, they suffered from stress for having to adapt to the situation, and some died from shock,' he said. 'Now, they are calm.'"
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/13/national/kumamoto-veterinarian-looks-owners-pets-times-disaster/#.WO9_8FKB2Cc
Kumamoto veterinarian looks after owners — and their pets — in times of disaster | The Japan Times
In times of natural disaster, people's safety and well-being are naturally put first. The same, though, can't always be said for pets, which are also victi

“'We would like to do the reconstruction so that visitors can in some way see the larger castle keep by early fiscal 2019.'”
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/13/national/kumamoto-castle-repairs-expected-take-decades/#.WO-CM1KB2Cc
Kumamoto Castle repairs expected to take decades | The Japan Times
"Warning: No trespassing due to earthquake damage," bears a sign at Kumamoto Castle, a popular tourist destination in the prefecture, while castle official

If you have a few moments, today's a good day to get out and catch the last of the cherry blossoms. This is an iPhone picture I took in Nishikigaoka Park, Kumamoto City, a little while ago. -- Kirk

I'll be giving a little presentation this Sunday about how this page responded to the earthquake. Actually, most of my 10 minutes or so will be about how Kumamoto City and Kumamoto Prefecture could do a better job of making information accessible to the non-Japanese community. I'll be one of eight speakers. Please see the images for details. By the way, I'm told that English interpretation will be provided when presentations are in Japanese and vice versa regarding English presentations.
-- Kirk

This majestic 400-year-old cherry tree is reported to be in full bloom in Aso now. -- Kirk
http://japan-magazine.jnto.go.jp/en/1403_sakuraphoto.html
Going to see beautiful cherry blossoms | JAPAN Monthly Web Magazine
The people of Japan eagerly await the blooming of cherry blossoms when spring comes. Cherry blossoms are in bloom for only a week where they can be found, but

"On April 14, 2016, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 hit the Kumamoto region, followed by a 7.3-magnitude quake two days later. Both temblors registered the highest seismic intensity reading of 7 on the 10-point Japanese scale in some Kumamoto locations."
-- Kirk
http://www.the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003638521
NPA: Most Kumamoto earthquake victims trapped on 1st floors
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Nearly 80 percent of the victims taken out by police from under collapsed wooden houses after the April 2016 earthquakes in and near Kumamoto Prefecture had been trapped in tiny spaces on the first floors, an analysis by the National Police Agency showed Thursday.

"April 14 marks the first anniversary of the beginning of the Kumamoto Earthquake disaster, which saw a pair of temblors register up to 7 on the 7-point Japanese intensity scale."
-- Kirk
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170413/p2a/00m/0na/007000c
Editorial: Kumamoto quake anniversary a reminder to prepare for disasters - The Mainichi
April 14 marks the first anniversary of the beginning of the Kumamoto Earthquake disaster, which saw a pair of temblors register up to 7 on the 7-point Japanese intensity scale.

The article contains a link to the group's blog. You can download a pdf of the booklet there. Good reading -- and timely too! Tomorrow is the anniversary of the first Level 7 quake in Mashiki.
-- Kirk
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2017/04/10ee7340f74a-foreign-students-compile-booklet-on-kumamoto-quake-experiences.html
Foreign students compile booklet on Kumamoto quake experiences
A group of foreign exchange students at Kumamoto University has compiled an English booklet rec

If Kumamoto is the belly button of Kyushu, Misato-cho is that weird part in the center of your belly button that kind of rises up and you normally don't notice unless someone comments on it. The area did, though, make a short film which won third place in the National Promotional Film campaign sponsored by some organization that I don't feel like trying to translate and you wouldn't care about even if I had.
Anyway, it is a cute, short film of how old love came together amongst ancient bridges and a whole lot of stone stairs that begat new love that comes together amongst ancient bridges and a whole lot of stone stairs. Some things never change. (Trust me here - my wife is from Yabe.)
The film can be viewed at the link. ー William
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N636IYaQfk&t=24s
熊本県美里町ショートフィルム「恋スル 美里」 本編
熊本県美里町プロモーション動画 美里町で生まれ育ち自然がこの上なく好きな女の子「みさと」は、あるとき都会から来た一人の男の子「広大」と不思議な出会いをする…。 美里町を舞台としたラブコメディ短編映画です。ぜひご覧ください。 ■音楽 今回のショートフィルムのために作ったオリジナルです。 オープニング タイトル：風の...

With over 70 people responding (thank you all!), the following is the most popular answer to the question of whether or not adding -san to foreign names should be the default as it would be with Japanese: "When speaking Japanese, follow the norms of Japanese (use suffixes like -san) when addressing the foreigners / 日本語で話している場合には、日本語の慣例に従って「さん」などの敬称を名前につける."
I was moved to do this little survey because I have been unable to convince a local television personality to abandon her "foreign = yobisute (no -san, etc)" approach to interviewing expats living in Kumamoto. I wanted to see if I was unusual in objecting to this and, judging by the survey results, I'm not. I'll write up the results in more detail later and convey them to the TV personality in question. I'm hoping to get her to adopt an approach that the majority of foreigners (and Japanese for that matter) seem to view as preferable. If she changes her approach, she'll be a better model of how to interact with foreigners to the young TV audience her program is targeting.
-- Kirk
P.S. If you'd like to respond to the survey, please click on the following link:
https://goo.gl/forms/ZkSLMjU34XIgdYUD2

This year the cherry blossoms bloomed late and the weather was largely overcast or rainy, but there were some pretty flowers to enjoy.
-- Kirk
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170410/p2a/00m/0na/002000c
Photo Journal: Seasonal selfie - The Mainichi
Visitors take a selfie on the premises of the Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto, where cherry trees are in full bloom, on April 9, 2017. The castle has been closed since it was badly damaged by the April 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, but the Miyukizaka area of the castle grounds was temporarily opened on Apri...

We had a small one this evening -- perhaps number 130,001.
-- Kirk
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170410/p2a/00m/0na/003000c
Kumamoto Pref. sees 130,000 quakes since disaster: meteorological institute - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- Approximately 130,000 earthquakes have occurred here in the year since the double earthquake disaster in April 2016, the Meteorological Research Institute of Japan's Meteorological Agency has found.