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For more information in English about this project to get 2,500 people together to break a Guinness World Record in celebration of the 50 anniversary of the building of the Amakusa Gokyo (system of five bridges), see
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1094213633985401
-- Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1p_CuywACk
天草五橋Hand in Hand 参加者募集CM
天草五橋開通50周年記念プロジェクトとして、天草2号橋から4号橋までを約2500名の参加者が手をつなぎ、島と島をつなぎます。皆さんも一緒に天草から元気と笑顔を届けましょう！

We had a Shindo 4 quake earlier this evening, the epicenter of which was Kashima-machi (near Kumamoto City). The image is from a Japanese news video:
http://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye2841421.html
-- Kirk

Kumamoto's Shugakukan High School will play their first game in the Koshien tournament on Friday at 3:30 PM:
http://www.asahi.com/koshien/schedule/
-- KIrk
http://kab-koshien.jp/victoryteam/
めざせ！甲子園 第98回 全国高等学校野球選手権熊本大会
めざせ！甲子園 - 第98回全国高等学校野球選手 権熊本大会 - ワクワク、ドキドキ甲子園。KAB熊本朝日放送は、今年も頑張る高校球児を全力で応援します。

Kumamoto earthquake takes toll on camera sales - Amateur Photographer
Sales of Olympus and Nikon cameras fell in the weeks following the Kumamoto earthquake in April, according to statements released by both companies.

The temperature in Kikuchi-shi rose to 38.5 C (101.3 F) -- high enough to make national news. The temperature near the train station in Tajimi-shi in Gifu is reported to have risen to 40.7 C (105.2 F) so even Kikuchi wasn't the hottest place in Japan.
Yahoo's weather says that the temperature will rise to 35 again in Kumamoto City.
-- Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESQUafkRefc

Kumamoto Castle: Repeated Damage Due to Natural Disasters and the Repairs Performed – HeritageDaily – Heritage & Archaeology News
Two major earthquake occurred sequentially on April 14th and 16th, 2016 which caused significant damage across the Kumamoto region. Kumamoto Castle, the symbol of Kumamoto, suffered serious damage including the collapse of stone walls, damage to several small turret towers, and damage to the main ca...

A small plane had a bad landing at Kumamoto Airport. Fortunately, no one was killed, but one person was injured and the accident forced the closure of the runway for several hours. You can see a video of what happened at the NHK page.
-- Kirk
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160806/k10010623981000.html
小型機が着陸に失敗 男性１人けが 熊本空港 | NHKニュース
６日昼すぎ、熊本空港で４人が乗った小型プロペラ機が着陸に失敗して滑走路上で動けなくなり、乗っていた男性１人が軽いけがをしました。熊本空港は５…

I took a group of students to Otachimisaki Beach on Sunday. I hesitate to share photos of their smiling faces without their permission but I can share this photo of the beach. It's an iPhone "pano" shot, so you should be able to slide it from left to right to get a sense of the place.
It was a very hot day but perfect for swimming!
Here's a map showing the location:
https://goo.gl/maps/DDzgF1DM1aC2
It's really very accessible from Kumamoto City, as you can use the expressway for most of the trip there.
-- Kirk

Have some free time on the morning of September 25th (a Sunday) and looking for something interesting to do? How about helping the people of Amakusa break a Guinness World Record in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the building of the Amakusa Gokyo (the five bridges linking the islands of Amakusa)? The goal is to create a human chain of 2,500 people over the bridges. The Guinness World Record to be broken is the "Longest pinky swear chain" (指きりげんまんを行った人々の最も長いチェーン).
I hate to admit my own ignorance, but when I first saw the words "pinky swear chain" I thought it was an example of a translation of Japanese ("yubi kiri genman") that didn't really make sense in English. In fact, however, it seems that "pinky swear" has been used in English since at least 1860:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_swear
What I think is even more interesting, is that "pinky swear" (along with a song much like the Japanese "yubi kiri genman" song) came into English at a point in history when only a handful of English speakers would have had direct contact with Japanese people. I imagine Commodore Perry, or a member of his crew, performing a little "yubi kiri genman" ceremony with a Japanese samurai and then introducing this exotic ritual to his compatriots upon return to the U.S. :)
At any rate, if you are interested in this event and would like information on how to enter, please see (or get some help with) the following Japanese page:
http://ahhp.jp/entry/
-- Kirk
http://ahhp.jp
天草五橋 Hand in Hand｜天草五橋架橋50周年記念プロジェクト
2016年（平成28年）は、天草五橋開通50周年、雲仙天草国立公園編入６０周年という大きな節目の年。

Kirk had posted about the unusually hot weather below, leading me to think about something I'd heard recently: that mikan (tangerine) cultivation in Kumamoto may become unfeasible in future. I was unable to find any specific information about this on the Web but did find this site which contains several tabs covering global warming's ramifications in multiple areas in Japan. The link below is to the agricultural tab, which covers mostly rice production. Fortunately, it appears Kumamoto will not be greatly affected in that area; it would be sad to lose the mikan. Maybe avocados? - William
https://www.natureasia.com/ja-jp/advertising/sponsors/climate-change/agriculture

Visiting Taiwan legislative speaker offers donation for Kumamoto recovery | The Japan Times
The head of Taiwan's legislature handed over a donation 24.55 million New Taiwan dollars (about ¥80 million) to Japan on Tuesday on behalf of Taiwanese peo

Today was 34 degrees Celsius (about 93 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kumamoto City but the six days before that were all over 35 C (95 F). Days over 35 C are official designated as moshobi (extremely hot days, scorchers) and recorded in statistics. Last year we had 10 for the whole year so six in a row is fairly remarkable. Unfortunately, more hot weather is predicted for the weekend.
-- Kirk

Honda's quarterly profit sinks 6% after Kumamoto quake damage | The Japan Times
Honda Motor Co. recorded a better-than-expected ¥174.6 billion profit ($1.7 billion) for the fiscal first quarter, as it gradually recovers from damage cau

Quake-wrecked railway in Kumamoto back on its feet in tourist-hungry Kyushu | The Japan Times
The Minamiaso Railway Line in Kumamoto Prefecture partially resumed operations Sunday following a 108-day hiatus caused by the earthquakes earlier this yea

Family of girl who killed self over bullying sues Kumamoto govt | The Tokyo Reporter
The family of a girl who committed suicide after being bullied is suing her classmate and the Kumamoto prefectural government for tens of millions of yen

A note from the Kumamoto International Pyrotechnic Desk: Below please find attached a list of the three main firework events planned for summer, all of them conveniently located far from where my dog lives: August 5 in Ueki, 12th at Kumamoto Port, and 15th in Kawashiri. In addition, there will be firework displays in Tamana on 8/5, in Kikuchi on 8/6, and in Hitoyoshi and Yamaga on 8/15. Detailed info can be found here. - William
http://www.city.kumamoto.jp/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&type=top&id=13306

A note from the Kumamoto International Entomology Desk: It's mosquito season! - a mutual buffet, with them getting yummy hemoglobin and us being offered the smörgåsbord of West Nile, zika, or dengue. Have you ever wondered how mosquitoes are able to concentrate on your ankles?
Scientists have long known that mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide plumes humans emit, but recent studies have shown that, after zeroing in, they are additionally attracted to odors given off by the plethora of bacteria that live on human feet. (The Darwin Awards long ago went to those who flew directly into a swatting palm - and remember, it is only the females that bite - males mate and immediately move on to the Great Ankle in the Sky.)
Don't think that being extra-hygienic with your tootsies will help: the hyper-sensitive receptors on mosquito antennae will foil even the most meticulous cleanliness and attempts to cover up with perfumes or mud layers. All that seems to work are chemicals that shut down these receptors such as those found in DEEP. Of course, remove standing water, wear leg warmers like you were Jennifer Beals (youngsters: Google it), or, if you're particularly concerned, move to a desert.
Warning: The below graphic is ... graphic. More info can be found at the link. - William
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/22/465594861/why-zika-spreading-mosquitoes-love-ankles
Why Zika-Spreading Mosquitoes Love Feet And Ankles
How do these buggers manage to find and feast on even the smallest cracks of exposed skin? Well to start, they're really good at sniffing out our B.O.

This post is about an issue that pertains to all of Japan, not just Kumamoto.
I suspect that many non-Japanese readers of this page have been told that you are required to show your passport when you stay at a hotel or inn. Indeed, this article says "Japanese law requires hotels to check and keep copies of foreigners' passports" and many hotel staff seem to interpret the law (or what they have been told about the law) as applying to all foreigners, regardless of whether you are here for a few days or have lived here for decades. Did you know, however, that the law only says that you need to submit a passport (or, by extension, residency card) if you don't have an address in Japan?
In an old article about this issue, Arudo Debito translated the wording as follows:
“If the lodger is a foreigner without an address in Japan, (hotels must record) passport number and nationality.”
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2005/03/08/issues/creating-laws-out-of-thin-air/
The Japanese law reads as follows:
旅館業法施行規則
第四条の二 　法第六条第一項 に規定する宿泊者名簿に記載すべき事項は、宿泊者の氏名、住所及び職業のほか、次に掲げる事項とする。
一 　宿泊者が日本国内に住所を有しない外国人であるときは、その国籍及び旅券番号
http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/S23/S23F03601000028.html
Mr. Arudo's Japan Times article is now quite old but the Japanese quoted above is from an up-to-date, official government web site.
The last sentence of the Japanese text I quoted is what Arudo Debito translated. The preceding sentence says that hotels are to keep records of their guests, including names, addresses, and occupation, etc (?). Thus, the following sentence is placed as instructions on how to handle guests who don't have an address in Japan -- not all foreigners.
As Mr. Arudo wrote in the Japan Times article above, the law has been implemented as though it applied to all foreigners, regardless of residency. It is in this sense that his article was titled "Creating laws out of thin air: Revisions to hotel laws stretched by police to target foreigners."
The Nikkei article about the introduction of fingerprint scanners into the situation presents the change as a welcome option that we will now "be able" to take advantage of. Perhaps some will welcome this, but I find it to be disturbing. Based on past over-reaches (beyond the letter of the law, that is), I'm afraid that people will be pushed to conform to another misrepresentation of "Japanese law."
-- Kirk
P.S. After I wrote this post, Mr. Arudou informed me that he has written several updates. Check out
http://www.debito.org/?p=13930
"Onur update: Ibaraki Pref. Police lying on posters requiring hotels to inspect and photocopy all foreign passports; gets police to change their posters!"
I think it's very informative.
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Japan-to-allow-fingerprint-authorization-for-visitors
Japan to allow fingerprint authorization for visitors- Nikkei Asian Review
TOKYO -- Visitors to Japan will be able to use their fingerprints instead of passports to identify themselves at some hotels thanks to technology intr

You can find another article on this topic here:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/food/view/green-tea-kitkat-released-to-raise-funds-for-earthquake-damaged-kumamoto-region
-- Kirk
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/07/27/new-green-tea-japanese-kit-kat-released-to-raise-funds-for-earthquake-damaged-kumamoto-region/
New green tea Japanese Kit Kat released to raise funds for earthquake-damaged Kumamoto region
Kit Kat joins forces with regional mascot Kumamon to help people in the affected area.

The Contemporary Art Museum of Kumamoto (Gendai Bijiutsukan, 現代美術館) on Kamitori is hosting a haunted house from July 28 to August 7. Good news: It's free! Bad news: Reservations are required on the previous day and are accepted from 10:00 AM to noon. For reservations, call ０９６（３２８）２９４４.
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160728007.xhtml