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There are times when one eats makizushi, and during those times, one might be dissatisfied with its length (insufficient for sushi aficionados, perhaps excessive for those not) - but, here, in Tamana, the longest makizushi ever recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records (those guys must have a lot of free time!) of ２,８４４.６１ meters (presumably, the last 0.61 meter was due to deceleration issues) was created. So there is that. - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20161121001.xhtml
高校生300人で巻き寿司2844メートル　ギネスに認定－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。

Our friend Billy Bento captured this magical image of lanterns afloat on Shirakawa from behind some tanabata-style decorations (dreams inscribed on slips of paper and hung on slender bamboo) tonight at the "Light of Hope" festival. Hope - and certainty that you will enjoy this photograph. - William

I suspect that many of you who live in Kumamoto City woke up to the sound of heavy rain and thunder this morning. I didn't realize it at the time but on NHK's national news broadcast this evening I learned that there had been tornado warnings and that the South Ward (Minami Ku) of Kumamoto City had experienced very strong gusts of wind -- strong enough to damage roofs and TV antennas and break a school window. I'm not aware of any English news articles about this but you can see NHK's Japanese-language report here:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20161119/k10010775401000.html
-- Kirk

Joe Tomei here, I'd like to let everyone know about a coming TED talk for students. Since the event will be in Japanese, I'll just post the flyer I received. Unfortunately, I'll be in Tokyo that day, but I'm hoping that the event is a success, and if anyone is interested, I encourage them to attend

Attached are some very dramatic photos showing how New Zealand's recent 7.8 quake thrust the seafloor up two meters. Our thoughts go out to our fellow Kiwis. - William
http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/11/17/11/28/new-zealand-quake-lifted-seabed-by-2m
New Zealand quake lifted seabed by 2m
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit New Zealand’s South Island lifted up the seabed by two metres, pushing it above the ocean’s surface.

Our friend Arthur Charron had written below about the discrepancy between the two days the Guardian had claimed the Fukuoka sinkhole had been repaired and the longer time frame he had personally witnessed. The timelapse video attached certainly indicates that repairs took at least four days. (Remember, this video is not displayed at actual speed; the only humans capable of moving so quickly are those of us juiced on coffee at 7:00 AM and late for work.) - William
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FkXsZ9Wkh
Timelapse captures Japanese sinkhole repair
Fukuoka Sinkhole Road Repair In 7 Days. A giant sinkhole swallowed a five-lane street in the centre of one of Japan's biggest cities on Tuesday morning. The ...

The minimum year requirement to qualify for nenkin was just changed from 25 years to 10 years. Article (in Japanese) here:
受給資格を10年に短縮＝改正年金機能強化法が成立（時事通信） - Yahoo!ニュース http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20161116-00000054-jij-pol
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20161116-00000054-jij-pol
受給資格を10年に短縮＝改正年金機能強化法が成立（... http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20161116-00000054-jij-pol 年金を受け取れない人を減らすため、年金の受給に必要な保険料の納付期間を25年から10 - Yahoo!ニュース(時事通信)
(via a colleague from Iwate)
受給資格を10年に短縮＝改正年金機能強化法が成立（時事通信） - Yahoo!ニュース
年金を受け取れない人を減らすため、年金の受給に必要な保険料の納付期間を25年から10 - Yahoo!ニュース(時事通信)

Ishihara Shintaro is a Japanese politician and author who, in 2000, told the Ground Self-Defense Forces that, in the event of a major earthquake, they should be prepared to subdue rioting foreigners. In doing so, he used the term "sangokujin," a pejorative term for foreigners, particularly from neighboring Asian countries. This comment didn't come to mind immediately after the quakes here but I was reminded of it recently. Ironically, the aftermath of the earthquake in Kumamoto was notable in part for the almost complete absence of the kind of anti-foreign sentiment that Ishihara went out of his way to express. Ishihara is a politician who rose to prominence in part by giving voice to a rather extreme brand of nationalism and bigotry. Now, however, Governor Koike (the first female to break the glass ceiling and become governor of Japan's largest city) is cleaning up a major mess made under his administration:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/10/06/national/ishihara-refuses-attend-metro-government-hearing-toyosu-market-soil-woes/
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2000/04/11/announcements/ishihara-warns-that-foreigners-likely-to-riot-after-big-quake/
Ishihara warns that foreigners likely to riot after big quake
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has stirred up another controversy by remarking that foreigners in Japan could stage a riot following a major earthquake and urging the Self-Defense Forces to maintain ...

The other day, I asked for opinions about Trump's victory:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1193724320700998/
I said that I hoped RKK would use some of the reactions as an indication of what the foreign community in Kumamoto thought about the election results. Alas, RKK didn't use the Facebook comments. They did, however, broadcast an interview with me. I talked about the simplicity (simplisticness?) of the language Mr. Trump used. See the following article to get the gist of the phenomenon I was trying to describe:
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a39031/trump-fourth-grade-level/
It might be interesting to readers of this page to know that an informal survey of people in downtown Kumamoto resulted in a clear victory for Clinton (see board with blue and red dots). Unfortunately for Mrs. Clinton, popular opinion in Kumamoto didn't seem to have much influence on the election. :)
-- Kirk

Our neighbor to the north, Fukuoka, has received well-deserved praise for its response to a sudden, gaping sinkhole. The photo at left below shows the giant pit and, at right, its appearance (disappearance?) two days later. Some have mentioned the influence financial loss has had; others, the glacial pace of many more road projects in Japan - these sentiments are understandable yet do not detract from the astounding rapidity of this recovery.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/15/japan-fixes-vast-fukuoka-city-sinkhole-repaired-two-days
Japan fixes vast Fukuoka city sinkhole – in two days
The 30 metre hole was repaired in 48 hours, although health and safety checks delayed the reopening

All 4,300 temporary homes completed in quake-hit Kumamoto | The Japan Times
Construction of all temporary housing units in Kumamoto Prefecture was completed Monday, paving the way for people forced from their homes by last April's

A note from the Kumamoto International Roadways & Funk Music desk: Many are aware that Higashi Bypass (commonly referred to in Kumamoto as "Higabai") was built in the 1970s to allow southwest-northeast traffic to transverse the city while avoiding its center; Kita Bypass (commonly called "Kitabai") was completed just five years ago, enabling north-south movement by connecting back to Route 3. Both routes are notoriously crowded. A fact of which many readers are likely unaware, however, is that both "Higabai" and "Kitabai" jell perfectly with the rift from the Commodores' classic, "Brick House" (audible in the attachment from the 2:10 mark).
It is our suggestion that, when you're next stuck in traffic on either road (which, if you drive in Kumamoto, will happen), you simply sing to yourself "Higabai, Higabai, Higabai now, Kitabai, Kitabai, Kitabai now, Higabai, Higabai, Higabai now, Kitabai, Higabai - shake it!" Professionals recommend this as a method of alleviating driving stress. - William
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK4af03OUQc
Commodores - Brick house 1978

As of today, it has been 7 months since the start of the quakes here. Sadly, the anniversary has coincided with a serious quake in New Zealand:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37970775
-- Kirk
New Zealand hit by second strong quake - BBC News
A strong earthquake hits New Zealand hours after a 7.8 magnitude quake killed at least two people.

Kirk wrote below about the awesome dampening effect the gooey magma chamber of Aso had on the recent rupture of the Hinagu and Futagawa faults; the article was based on this report published in the journal Science. The full report is available here. (Kind of a double-edged katana: coulda been worse; might get worse!) - William
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2016/10/19/science.aah4629.full

Here's a fairly recent article about a topic that was introduced earlier on this page.
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201611060010.html
Mt. Aso stifled Kumamoto earthquake, scientists say：The Asahi Shimbun
Kumamoto Prefecture apparently dodged even greater destruction from recent powerful earthquakes than

More castle news. Most are likely aware that the castle tower (天守閣, てんしゅかく) was destroyed by fire during the Seinan War in 1877; the current structure, composed of ferro-concrete, was built in 1960. Kumamoto City is currently in negotiation with construction giant Obayashi Gumi for restoration of the keep. Obayashi Gumi has provided a comprehensive proposal covering exterior, bridge, and wall work with one interesting twist: Making the keep barrier-free. The plan would be to install a ramp into the basement floors of both keeps and an elevator to the first floor of the small keep and the sixth of the large to enable barrier-free access to the panoramic viewing area. (The article does not mention if said elevator would stop at each floor, but it probably would.) The article notes that the keeps of Osaka, Nagoya, and Okayama castles - all reconstructed - are the only in Japan currently equipped with elevators.
Kato Kiyomasa would be impressed.
http://this.kiji.is/169620239616329206?c=92619697908483575
【熊本城のいま】（20）エレベーター案で議論も - 熊本日日新聞
天守閣に車いす用のエレベーター設置案が浮上している熊本城。復旧のひとつの議論になりそうだ＝１０月１１日（小型無人機から）　熊本市が２０１９年までに復旧を目指す熊本城天守閣（同市中央区）。市は、大手ゼネコンの大林組九州支店（福岡市）と復旧事業...

Damage to Kumamoto Castle walls linked to 1889 Meiji temblor | The Japan Times
Nearly 80 percent of the walls at Kumamoto Castle destroyed by Kyushu's earthquakes in April had also been damaged by a strong 1889 earthquake that struck

That was a nice quake! Kinda made me all teary-eyed with nostalgia. JMA puts it at a M4.2 centered in Uki. - William
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/6/740/20161111101640495-111012.html

11月12日（土曜日) 2:00-5:00 熊本学園大学　14号館高橋守雄記念ホールで、熊本地震復興応援シンポジウムと展示会「熊本と世界を繋げた人々」が開催されます。
横井小楠、矢島楫子、リーロイ・ランシング・ジェーンズは熊本・日本の近代化に大きく交換した人々であり、熊本地震でそれぞれの記念館が大きく被害されました。
参加無料ですので、興味ある方は気軽にご参加ください！

Recent news got you down? Perhaps a nice beer would help.
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/09/business/corporate-business/suntory-restarts-beer-output-plant-quake-hit-kumamoto/
Suntory restarts beer output at plant in quake-hit Kumamoto | The Japan Times
Suntory Beer Ltd. partially resumed beer production at its factory in Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, nearly seven months after strong earthquakes hit the