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I posted a YouTube sample and more details about Saturday's performance at
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1088599974546767
-- Kirk

The Asahi article didn't have a picture so I "borrowed" this one from a Japanese article:
http://mainichi.jp/articles/20160713/k00/00m/040/046000c
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201607280018.html
VOX POPULI: Kumamoto Castle cracks a smile despite quake damage：The Asahi Shimbun
Kumanoto Castle, which sustained massive damage to its turrets and stone walls from a series of stro

The Japanese automobile parts maker Denso has unveiled a pilot plant at the site of a former elementary school in Amakusa to cultivate algae for use to create diesel fuel. Building on research begun in 2008, the company chose Amakusa for its project as the alga is thermophilic. Currently, three pools of various sizes have been built with an expected output of 100 liters of diesel fuel monthly. Future plans are for two 80-meter long pools with an annual output of 20,000 liters. Residual material after oil extraction is high in nutrients so is suitable for animal feed (useful, as Ushibuka is deep in cows). A spokesman said, "We anticipate that this project will contribute to the economic development of Amakusa and add to employment."
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160728004.xhtml
藻類使ってバイオ燃料　天草市に大規模培養施設－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。

This graph is from the following Kumanichi article:
http://this.kiji.is/130849778559844358
地震回数、初のゼロ　前震から１０４日目
The graph shows the decline in quakes and the number at the various intensity levels until day 104. Day 104 is noteworthy because it is the first day since the shaking began on which no earthquake (not even a barely perceptible Level 1) was recorded.
-- Kirk

The violinist (Naoki Kita) and pianist (Kyoko Kuroda) you hear in this rendition of Last Tango in Paris will be performing at the Harmony Hall of the Kumamoto Danjo Kyodo Sankaku Center on this Saturday (July 30th) beginning at 5 PM. Admission is 2,000 yen for adults and 1,000 for students. For information in Japanese go to
http://www.kitakuroda.com/#!summer-2016/cjeh
-- Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnry0RSeG6w
ラストタンゴ・イン・パリ Ultimo tango a Parigi Last Tango in Paris
喜多直毅（ヴァイオリン）黒田京子（ピアノ） 2014年2月22日 Cafe Beulmans（世田谷区・成城学園） Violin: Naoki Kita Piano: Kyoko Kuroda 22 February 2014 Cafe Beulmans, Tokyo 2014年5月17日に行われるライヴの告知用...

The Kumamoto International vexillology desk presents this week's vexillogical fun-fact: Does the Japanese flag have a top and bottom?
Answer: No. The circle is placed dead-center in a cloth of dimensions currently 3:2. However, until 1973, it was customary to place the circle 1⁄20 towards the hoist, meaning that if upside-down, design dimensions would be identical, but if the hoist-side were hung outward, they would be different. The same law specified colors using the Munsell color chart.
So there you have it: If asked this question, please answer with confidence, and mention, "My vexillologist, William, instructed me of this."

It's official -- the completion of all repairs on the castle is projected to take about 20 years. On the other hand, if all goes according to the current plan, the main keep (tenshukaku) will be repaired (or rebuilt?) in just three years.
In addition to the Asahi article (in English), I also took a look at the following Kumanichi article about the mayor's press conference:
https://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160726007.xhtml
熊本城「２０年で復旧」 大西市長が意向示す
The Kumanichi article talked about rebuilding (再建) the main keep, not just repairing it. Also, it reported that the mayor has vowed to gradually put the restoration process on display for the public (復旧過程の段階的公開). Accordingly, in the not-too-distant future it should become possible for people to take tours of the castle grounds in which they observe and learn about the restoration process. Hopefully, that will allow castle tourism to recover long before the last repairs are finished.
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201607270022.html
Kumamoto mayor vows to restore quake-hit castle to glory：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--The mayor here has vowed to repair the main keep of the city's castle within three years a

Regarding why it took so long to find the wreckage . . .
"The area, designated as a zone at risk of secondary disasters, was exempted from search activities on May 1, with the sole exception of a single day search in June, Kumamoto prefectural representatives said."
The article also says "No human remains were found in the crushed yellow Toyota car" but I think that is misleading. Other reports I have seen have indicated that the car will need to be pulled out from between the rocks in order to examine the interior. So, unless I am mistaken, at this point no one knows whether or not there are human remains in the car.
-- Kirk
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/car-wreckage-of-last-missing-person-in-kumamoto-quake-found
Car wreckage of last missing person in Kumamoto quake found
The crushed wreckage of a car presumed to belong to a 22-year-old university student ― the last missing person in…

To support Kumamoto, Solaseed begins using Kumamon character on planes | The Japan Times
Kyushu-based Solaseed Air Inc. on Tuesday started bearing the Kumamon mascot on some of its aircraft to boost support for the area affected by a series of

Joe Tomei here. This, from a friend in Nagasaki about discounted travel tickets for Kyushu to help the tourism industry recover.
Kyushu Reconstruction Discount Tickets | Fukuoka Now
Kyushu Reconstruction Discount Tickets, whose goal is to help Kyushu’s tourism sector recover in the wake of the Kumamoto Earthquakes, are selling well. They can be used for lodgings or travel…

Here's a Japan Times article about the discovery of what may be Hikaru Yamato's car. To see my previous post about this go to
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1086747584732006
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/07/25/national/destroyed-car-may-belong-last-missing-person-kumamoto-quakes/
Destroyed car may belong to last missing person from Kumamoto quakes | The Japan Times
Part of what appears to be a car owned by Hikaru Yamato, the last person still missing from the series of earthquakes that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in April

The Kumamoto International entomology desk presents this week: Know your Wasp!
Some wasps (the more aggressive types are known as hornets in English but still "hachi" in Japanese) you want to run away from as if they were the Devil's spawn itself - particularly the giant Asian hornet (suzumebachi スズメバチ) - due to their aggressiveness. The humble paper wasp (called "long-legged wasp" - ashinagabachi あしなが蜂 probably because it has long legs), though, is a friendly little guy, considered a beneficial insect as it gobbles up all sorts of crop pests.
Ashinagabachi create nests by masticating pulp gathered from decayed wood, dried stems, and even posters adhered to walls and poles (they particularly like the latter probably due to the adhesive already attached - look for long furrows dug into posters or park benches and you'll know a wasp has been there), then deposit dumplings of chewed-up insects (known as "mushidango" 虫団子 - eww) into each chamber, onto which they lay a single egg and then seal.
They're social, with up to a dozen unrelated females cooperating to create a nest, and will not bother humans unless they are directly threatened (one can approach a nest within even a meter without triggering alarm). Japanese hold a positive image of ashinagabachi, but children don't try to collect them for an obvious reason (they have a stinger on their butt).
Etymologically, they are a member of the Vespus family, from which the Italian scooter Vespa gets its name due to their resemblance - truly one of the most elegant animals nature has ever created, as the photo below demonstrates. Enjoy observing them as they work to build and stock their nests for another generation, and do not fear them. - William
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%B7%E3%83%8A%E3%82%AC%E3%83%90%E3%83%81

Kumanichi posted an awesome photo of the support structure for Iidamaru Turret after it had been moved the final 22 meters west to its final location (click on the link for a full-size version). The article notes that the project has thus far run smoothly, with the final step being affixing the supports to the turret base. For you photographers, remember Kirk's suggested photography location atop City Hall.
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160725004.xhtml
緑の鉄骨、飯田丸櫓覆う　倒壊防止の応急工事－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。

I have a soft spot for the OK Taxi company, even though I don't have many opportunities to ride in their cars. I first became interested in them because the order of the letters on their cars' right sides is from right to left. In Japan, writing from right to left has become fairly rare, except on vehicles -- where horizontal writing often starts at the front of the car and goes to the back. This front-to-back approach means that horizontal writing on the left side of cars and trucks proceeds from left to right but that the writing goes from right to left on the opposite sides of the cars. If you don't read Japanese, you might not notice this on the cars and trucks you see in Kumamoto but the OK Taxi company makes it obvious for English speakers by following the custom when they paint the letters "OK TAXI" on their cars. I thought this might be a tradition that was on it's way out but the other day I was happy to see that the company is continuing to follow this writing style on their newer hybrid cars.
The third picture you see is from the following Japanese newspaper article:
http://www.sankei.com/economy/news/160416/ecn1604160027-n1.html
The company is based in Mashiki and was hit hard by the quakes. I believe I saw a TV report that said that while damage was severe, they have been able to stay in business because a good number of their cars were out when the quakes hit.
If you happened to see a car with "OK TAXI" written backwards on the right side, please consider giving them your business. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.
-- Kirk

More than three months after the main earthquake, it seems that the car driven by Hikaru Yamato has finally been found. The Kumamoto Gakuen University student is thought to have been driving over or near the Aso Ohashi when it collapsed on the morning of April 16th. Despite large-scale search efforts, nothing had been found until yesterday. What is particularly impressive to me is that, judging from Japanese media reports, it was Hikaru's parents and their supporters -- not any official search effort -- who found the car. They are submitting photos of what they found to Kumamoto Prefecture and requesting that the prefecture retrieve the car so that they can determine if Hikaru's remains are in it. Hikaru is the only quake victim who is still unaccounted for. I hope this can bring his family some closure and healing.
-- Kirk
http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000079873.html
熊本地震で行方不明の大学生　家族らが車を発見
　熊本地震の本震以降、行方不明になっている大学生の大和晃さん（22）の家族らが、晃さんが使っていたのと同じ色で同じ車種とみられる車を発見したことを明らかにしました。 　車が見つかったのは、晃さんの消息が途絶えたとされる阿蘇大橋の崩落現場から約400メートル下流側です。父親の卓也さんは、発見された車が晃さんが当時、乗っていたものと同じ色で、さらに、回収したエンブレムから同じ車種だとしています。 　大和晃さんの父・卓也さん：「車をまず引き揚げてもらって、中に人がいるかどうか確認してもらって」 　両親は25日午後、熊本県庁を訪れて車両を引き揚げるよう申し入れる予定です。

NHK has reported that a Pokemon Go player asked to enter the restricted area on the grounds of Kumamoto Castle in order capture a Pokemon. Officials have asked Nintendo to remove content that would make gamers want to venture into restricted areas.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160722/k10010605101000.html
「ポケモン 立ち入り規制の“熊本城”外すよう市が任天堂に抗議」
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36842259
Pokemon Go finally launches in Japan - BBC News
Nintendo's Pokemon Go is now available for players in Japan, the birthplace of the little monsters, says game developer Niantic Labs.

Earlier today, William posted a stunning photo of the Iidamaru Gokai Yagura taken by Liz Suenaga from the top of the Shiyakusho (City Hall):
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1084803521593079/?type=3&theater
This article provides some more information about efforts to prevent the turret's collapse.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201607220033.html
Support frame for Kumamoto Castle turret nears completion：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Emergency work to prevent the collapse of Kumamoto Castle’s five-story Iida-maru turret, w

Our friend Liz Suenaga took this gorgeous photo of Iidamaru Turret from the Kumamoto City Hall location Kirk had previously introduced. I mention this as this view will soon disappear. Kumanichi reports on progress of the cantilever contraption; its assembly is complete, and from July 20, four hydraulic jacks began slowly moving the 420-ton steel frame into position. The plan is to move it 20 meters south (completed yesterday), a further 22 meters west, and then complete the envelopment of the turret. A video of yesterday's progress is available at the link. - William http://this.kiji.is/129032777299920372?c=92619697908483575

I had heard about misinformation soon after the quake but wasn't aware of this bit of "dema" until I saw this article. By the way, the Japanese term you see toward the top of the TV screen is "dema" (デマ), which has roots in the German term for "demagoguery". In Japanese, however, it simply means "false information that is spread intentionally" and is not associated with a political leader, as the English "demagoguery" is.
-- Kirk
http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/116996.php
Kumamoto cops arrest man over fake 'lion on the loose' tweet
A man was arrested for falsely tweeting that a lion was loose after an earthquake jolted the prefecture here in April, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday.

13 infants left in Kumamoto baby hatch in fiscal 2015 | The Japan Times
The Kumamoto Municipal Government said 13 infants were left in the baby hatch at Jikei Hospital in fiscal 2015. In all, 125 babies have now been rescued vi