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The Kengun Arcade was attached to the Sunlive department store, and when that came down after the earthquake, so did the arcade. It took awhile to clear away the rubble of Sunlive (its replacement is expected to be complete by September), but in the meantime, restoration of the arcade supports and roofing was completed on Feb. 20. While local shop owners are happy that the arcade has been restored, they long for the return of their anchor store.
End of the trolley line, Mr. Donuts, funky old stores, and not far from the zoo and lower Lake Ezu - if you have a free afternoon, please visit! - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20170220007.xhtml
商店街にぎわい戻って　健軍アーケード修復完了－熊本のニュース│ くまにちコム
熊本日日新聞社が取材した熊本のニュース。新聞紙面に掲載前の記事もお伝えします。

Some questions arose about what will happen with the previous #1 Amakusa bridge. The new bridge is part of an entirely new "southern bypass" that will eventually link Ueki with Hondo (and "eventually" in terms of roadwork means "maybe within our lifetimes"). A map is below with captions: green: complete; solid red: under construction; red dash: planned; red dot: desired but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As the new bridge links to a tunnel system through the Uto Peninsula and not surface roads, the old bridge is still necessary for local use, so apparently, both will remain. An illustration below shows the planned configuration.
One reader noted that this might require a name change from "Amakusa Gokyou" to "Amakusa Rokkyou." Interesting thought. - William
http://k-keikaku.or.jp/xc/modules/pc_ktech/index.php?content_id=1942

Good news for Higo gephyrophiles (or pontists - choose whichever word describing a bridge lover that you'll never use again): the final deck section of the new Amakusa #1 bridge has been installed.
With the arch completed in November, the 460 meters of decking have been raised from barges in a total of five sections. The last section, weighing 225 tons and 45 meters long, was hoisted and successfully attached today, Feb. 20. Bridge finishing and ancillary roadwork will take another year to complete, with the bridge expected to open in March, 2018. In conjunction with other road improvements, the bridge is expected to halve the current driving time between Kumamoto City and Oyano, Amakusa. - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20170220006.xhtml

Joe Tomei here, this from Richard Lavin at Kumamoto Kenritsu Dai
Tomorrow, February 21st, 2017, Professor Ken’ichi Tasaki will deliver his final lecture, titled “Between Experimental and Clinical Psychology”, and Professor Yoshitoshi Murasato will deliver his final lecture, titled “Towards the Reconstruction of the Image of Sir Philip Sidney”. Both lectures will be delivered in Japanese. There will be a chance to mingle informally with the professors, who will retire in March, afterwards.
Date: Tuesday, February 21st, 2017
Time: 1:00 pm ~ 3:30 pm
Place: 中講義室 1 (Chuukougishitsu 1, Lecture Hall 1)
http://www.pu-kumamoto.ac.jp/event/detail.php?id=49
公立大学法人熊本県立大学のオフィシャルサイトです

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Joe Tomei here, sorry this is a little late, but if you can join us at Gakuen tomorrow, please do!
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Hello members of Nankyu JALT!
My name is Mutsumi. I teach English to kids at my home in Kumamoto. I’m a member of ETJ(English Teachers in Japan), and planning to start a regional English teachers group in Kumamoto. We are going to have our first meeting on Feb. 19 th (Sun). Yes, this coming Sunday! There are only few teachers planning to attend the meeting so far, so I decided to post this note on JALT’s facebook hoping some people are interested.
There will be two presentations at the meeting. One is by Joe Tomei of Kumamoto Gakuen University on Extensive Reading, and the other one is by me on Children’s Book Activity. The purpose of the group is for the teachers to share ideas, problems, opinions, information etc., and help each other.
When: Feb. 19 th (Sun), 2017 1~3 o’clock
Where: Kumamoto Gakuen University Library
Free of charge!!
If you are not running the Kumamoto Castle marathon (or if you are!), please drop in to see what’s happening. Even if you can’t come to the meeting on Sunday, I will be happy to let you know about other meetings we might hold in the future, so let me know if you’re interested.
Thank you.
Kumamoto-iの皆様、こんにちは。
私は、廣岡睦美と申します。熊本の自宅で英語教室をしています。この度、ETJ(English Teachers in Japan) の熊本グループを立ち上げようと計画しています。第一回目の会合を今週の日曜日１９日の１３時から、熊本 学園大学の図書館で開催予定です。参加者が少ないので、直前ですが、こうしてお誘いをしています。会の目
的は、英語講師（教師）が、簡単なプレゼンテーションをしたり、それぞれ持ち寄った、アイディアや、教材、問題、情報等をシェアして、助けあい、横のつながりを作る事です。もし、よろしかったら、気軽に参加してみられませんか。詳細は、上の英文を参照にされてください。もし、今回の会合に参加できなくても、グループに興味がある方は、お知らせください。これからの会合の情報を提供させて頂きます。

Kumamon has reportedly received 533 Valentine's Day gifts, according to the Kumanichi - enough to fill ten boxes. A little calculation (let's see ... carry the zero ...) shows that to be 533 more than I received.
The paper notes that his heart haul is his largest yet, 30% greater than last year, and includes loving sweets from such countries as Taiwan and Hong Kong. According to Kumamon's spokesperson, "We are delighted that fans both domestic and foreign have shown their love following the quakes." Plans are underway to return the love on White Day, March 14.
A reporter trying to interview the always-energetic Kumamon asked if these gifts would destroy his diet, and the rolly-polly guy suddenly froze. As is his custom, there was no comment. - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20170216004.xhtml

Here's another article on Kumamon's revenue-generating ability:
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201702160058.html
-- Kirk
Kumamon bear earns record 128 billion yen in wake of quakes：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Kumamon is not your average black bear. For starters, he fuels an industry that pulled in

Sales of Kumamon mascot products hit record Y128 bil after quake
Products bearing the image of "Kumamon," the black bear mascot of quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture, racked up sales of at least…

A note from the Kumamoto international pro baseball desk (if you're anti-baseball, please stop reading here): Some watch baseball because they love the game; others, because they enjoy the atmosphere; and still others, because they want to hook up. We at the desk do not judge.
An all-avian featherbuster is set for Saturday, May 13, when the Softbank Hawks talon off against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles - the ultimate clash of iPhones vs online shopping - at Kumamoto's beautiful Fujisakidai Stadium. The venue was once home to Kato shrine until the shrine was moved closer to the castle in the Meiji Era, but the 600-year old camphor trees ringing the stadium still provide a gorgeous foreground to a stunning view of Mt. Kimpo, particularly at sunset. Recent renovations to the stadium have pretty much (but not entirely) eliminated previous avenues for sneaking in without a ticket, according to one of our desk members; if you plan to attend, be aware that admission starts from 4,000 yen, with tickets going on sale this Saturday. More info is at the link. - William
https://wws.kab.co.jp/event/hawks2017/
KAB 熊本朝日放送

As we approach the first anniversary of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. The page has just passed the 3000 like mark -- more than double the number of likes before the quake. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my partners in crime (fellow editors, that is) for their help over the past year. I started the page as a personal project but am extremely grateful that others have volunteered to help provide information in English about Kumamoto, especial in the aftermath of the earthquake. If anyone reading this would be willing to join the editorial board and donate some time to help with editing tasks on the page, please send a message to the page.
-- Kirk

"Anaba" (穴場) is a wonderful Japanese word that succinctly sums up the rather more clumsy English phrase "a good place not many people know about." From today, Kumamoto International is adding an Anaba Desk. Anyone who has lived for any length of time in Kumamoto has undoubtedly stumbled upon tiny shops that, for whatever reason - items provided, service, atmosphere, fascinating proprietors - are well worth visiting. We invite all of our readers to message us with your discoveries so that we may share them with others. You will be rewarded with recognition and KumaBit Coins*.
If you're female, you can stop reading now. If you're male, you'll notice that females sometimes suggest you get your hair cut, gently at first but with greater urgency as your hirsuteness progresses. Here is my anaba suggestion for the day.
The barbershop I've patronized since coming to Kumamoto over 20 years ago used to be called El Dorado; after its owner died of old age, it moved from its ancient digs to a newer location and for some reason changed its name to "Be Happy," but they brought with them their barber chairs, the kind you father remembers from when he was a kid. Awesome barbers, but don't panic at their appearance: older, and with terrible haircuts themselves; though their sight has faded a bit, they know what you want and, having grown accustomed to my curly mop, can now handle gaijin guy hair of most any consistency. They are very thorough, shaving your neck and even the hairs off your ears with a straightedge razor. The atmosphere is very guy-friendly: NHK radio playing, conversation only at the bequest of the customer, very pragmatic. Their fee used to be 1,000 yen but was raised to 1,200 yen a few years ago. No tipping - this is Japan - but I always give them a case of Asahi before New Years.
They are located on Suizenji Ekimae Dori just off Densha Dori. Tell them the gaijin sent you and they'll probably understand. - William
*Note: KumaBit Coins are something we made up and have no value.

Joe Tomei here. The KGU Green Philharmonic orchestra will be giving their 23rd annual concert on 26 Feb in the Takahashi Morio Hall on the KGU campus. We will be playing
Gluck Iphigenia in Aulis
Kabalevsky The Comedians Suite
Schumann Symphony #3 (Rhenish)
The concert is free and begins at 2pm, doors open at 1:30. If you come, please say hello to me, I'll be the old ojisan in the horn section.

Billy Bento is offering a Korean quesadilla lunch set. Visit his Facebook page - or, even better, his shop - for more details.

Spring whispers its advent with the fragrant blossoming of the Japanese plum (ume no hana 梅の花). Sturdier and sparser than the cherry, plum blossoms signal the beginning of spring, while cherries signal the end; the plum tree is also smaller and scraggly, often poking not more than a gnarled branch or two over the wall of someone's garden, yet even from these unlikely sources come the most beautiful blossoms.
In fact, the Japanese plum is more closely related to the apricot (think of the smooth-skinned plums you eat compared with the fuzzy surface of the ume). The fruit is not eaten but is often used to make umeshu (梅酒; sometimes translated as "plum wine") by steeping green plums in shōchū (焼酎). It is traditional in Japan to make umeshu, store it for so long that it is forgotten, and then finally dispose of it once realizing that no one is ever going to touch the stuff.
While visible from home gardens and at shrines, the best place to view plum blossoms is at Iida maru (飯田丸, pictured below) at the castle, where some 140 trees grow. According to this article, some of the area is still restricted, but there should nonetheless be excellent viewing and photography opportunities. Blossoms are expected to reach full bloom towards late February; one castle employee was quoted as saying, "We'd love people to come view the plum blossoms and to hasten reconstruction." - William
http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nnp/kumamoto/article/303870
熊本城に春の兆し　紅梅咲き始める
熊本地震で被災した熊本城（熊本市中央区）の飯田丸梅園で、傷ついた天守閣を背に紅白の花が咲き始めた。立ち入り規制区域...

Heartbreaking but hopeful: stones from the castle walls are pictured below in order of what is thought to be their original locations based on size, shape, and historical photographs. Now comes the task of putting them back. - William
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003493836
Zoom Up / Kumamoto Castle restoration progresses
KUMAMOTO — Stones of various shapes are arranged in orderly rows in a field. They are part of the stone walls of Kumamoto Castle, which is designated as a special historic site by the central government, in Chuo Ward, Kumamoto. The largest ones weigh more than a ton.

Here's something for those of you interested in teaching opportunities.
-- Kirk

A note from the Kumamoto International desk of improbable realities: There is apparently a village south of Hitoyoshi called 相良村 (Sagara Mura) which contains a location with a name containing an improbable number of "kawas" - 川辺川河川敷 (improbably pronounced "Kawabegawa Kasenjiki" - we'll report later on the difference between 川 and 河) - but that's not the point.
Mari (below left) and Koro (right - I think; let's face it: they look pretty much the same) are simply following their dream of becoming police dogs, but they both had the misfortune of being born toy poodles. While their larger canine brethren laughed at them, they trained and trained and yesterday took their test in 川辺川河川敷 which involved navigating an obstacle course and finding their handlers hidden in thick brush within 10 minutes (Mari did it in 10:30, Koro in 6:55). Toy poodle police dogs are rare in Japan, and if these two pass (results will be released in March), they'll be the first in Kumamoto and will begin work in April.
A police official said that the Kumamoto quakes have demonstrated the need for small dogs able to navigate the cramped spaces of collapsed buildings to alert their handlers of survivors. Standard poodles were originally bred as retrievers, and their diminutive cousins retrain that trait, so perhaps it is not as improbable as it seems. Dog speed, Mari and Koro! - William
https://this.kiji.is/200128234382099956?c=92619697908483575

"The city of Kumamoto suffered the third-largest net outflow of 1,540, and the Kumamoto Prefecture town of Mashiki, hit hardest by the powerful quakes, saw the sixth-largest net outflow of 1,319."
-- Kirk
Population influx into greater Tokyo slows down
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The number of people who moved into the greater Tokyo area exceeded that of people moving out by 117,868 in 2016, marking a net population inflow for the 21st consecutive year, the internal affairs ministry said Tuesday.

Hi everyone! The Sojo University Teaching and Learning Forum is tomorrow. Check out our program here. - Levy
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxlxSAjh7BDmX3RKcTNTdjJ2RkE