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Thursday, June 30, is the Chinowa (茅の輪, cogon grass ring) Ceremony, a great chance to have more questions raised than you would likely ever want to have answered. For example, "cogon" is a type of grass traditionally used for thatching roofs. The maturity of cogon marked the entrance to summer, so this season was as good as any for a Shinto purification rite - this is why the ceremony is also called Natsugoshi Shinji (夏越神事, summer purification ceremony).
Large rings of cogon (or, more generally today, easier to obtain materials such as bamboo) are set up at shrines, and worshipers must pass through the ring in a prescribed manner. The order I don't precisely remember - jump through the hoop, go left, jump through the hoop again, go right, jump through the hoop a final time and do something I've totally forgotten but if done incorrectly likely undoes all the previous hoop-jumping - yet even for those who hold no interest in Shinto, the ceremony clearly bears relevance for modern life: Jumping through hoops in just the prescribed way simply because everyone else is doing so and with no idea why.
Visit your local shrine tomorrow so that you may ritually enact what for many of us is a major part of our actual lives - and feel pure after doing it for once. - William
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E7%A5%93#.E5.A4.8F.E8.B6.8A.E3.81.AE.E7.A5.93.E3.81.AE.E9.A2.A8.E7.BF.92

I usually try to share messages posted to the page because, otherwise, I'm afraid that relatively few people will seem them. In this case, I simply failed to notice. Thanks to DO SHOCK BOOZE for your encouragement and support.
-- Kirk
CHITTODEN MUSIC ALBUM- Pray for Kyushu - ちーっとでん(少しでも) 地震・被災地の力になれますように。

These images were taken from the Japan Meteorological Agency website:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/doshamesh/
Though the rain has subsided in many areas, more is on the way and, even without more rain, water-saturated slopes may be extremely unstable. Even if you do not live near a steep slope, you may want to think twice about driving on mountain roads if you can avoid doing so until the risk level declines.
-- Kirk
Tags: Landslide warnings, 土砂災害

Kumamoto earthquakes continue to have impact: Shortage on the way for older Sony cameras
On Friday, Sony Japan released an update on the impact the Kumamoto earthquakes are having on their camera production. Sony is far from the only company impacted as Ricoh, Nikon and others have been affected by the devastating…

Somewhere under all of that red is Kyushu. Heavy rain expected to continue through Thursday afternoon. Stay safe.
-- William

If you're like me, you've noticed yellow tape and danger notices hugging close to block walls and buildings abutting sidewalks and lanes so narrow that close proximity to this supposed danger cannot be avoided if one is to pass and might have wondered, "What's the point of that signage?"
A lawyer writing at Kumanichi points out the point. A property owner so negligent at maintaining property such that its collapse causes damage or injury is of course normally held liable. The rule of thumb, apparently, is that a structure must be capable of withstanding an earthquake of shindo 5. After such a strong series of quakes as we've had recently, however, a certain grace period is allowed for repair (how long is vague - haste is urged), so presently, even if something as slight as a gust of wind causes your block wall to collapse or roof tiles to hit your neighbor's car, you may not be held liable for damage PROVIDED THAT YOU HAVE TAPED IT OFF with a warning sign.
Useful advice not only for property owners but for those walking or parking close to taped-off structures.
http://this.kiji.is/120332913544955380?c=92619697908483575
【法律Ｑ＆Ａ】瓦落下で隣家に被害 - 熊本日日新聞
Ｑ　地震で自宅の瓦が落ちたり、ブロック塀が倒壊したりして、隣の家の車などに当たってしまいました。弁償しなくてはいけないのでしょうか。 Ａ　熊本地震の発生後、このような相談が数多く寄せられています。建物や塀の持ち主は、隣人に修理代を払わないと...

This article includes a video showing the dog using his automatic door button. If you like cute animal videos, you might want to take a look. :)
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201606260025.html
Kumamoto dog won’t let quake fears keep him from guard duty：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Jack the dog has yet to fully recover from the devastating earthquakes that have rocked Ku

The image you see with this post was taken from the Japan Meteorological Agency's website a few minutes ago:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/warn/
For information about calls for evacuation, please see the following post:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1063591557047609/
-- Kirk

Information for traffic toward the Aso area

Some analysis of the economic impact of the quakes:
http://www.gccapitalideas.com/2016/06/20/potential-losses-from-the-kumamoto-earthquake-part-i/
Potential Losses From the Kumamoto Earthquake: Part I | GCCapitalIdeas.com
The catastrophe modeling firm RMS estimated the economic loss for property risks to be between USD2.5 billion and USD3.5 billion.

This is a view of the Mashiki area as it appeared on June 6th, nearly two months after the earthquakes. If you view this video using a Chrome (Google corporation) browser, you should be able to take advantage of the 360 degree viewing feature. It's like sitting on top of the truck that's recording the video and being able to look in any direction by simply turning your head -- without interrupting the video.
-- Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRFhpsMYqrI
熊本震災VR 益城町02 2016.06.06
２０１６年４月１４、１６日に起こった熊本震災。 特に被害が大きかった益城町の２０１６年６月６日時点の360度映像。 企画制作 体験空間設計 http://taikenkukan.wix.com/mysite https://www.facebook.com/taikenkukan/

The Minami Aso Railway is a third-sector company which runs the 17.7 kilometers of track connecting Takamori with the JR line at Tateno. Damage to two bridges and two tunnels on the line look to cost between 3 and 5 billion yen to repair.
Under the existing national railway track maintenance law, the national government and local entities would be responsible for 25% of repair costs each, leaving the company responsible for the remaining half, something the company, with its weak balance sheet, cannot afford. However, after the Tohoku disaster, a similar line in Iwate Prefecture received a raised compensation rate from the central government as well as allocation from a special tax, which left the local burden at almost zero.
Yesterday, the central government allocated 180 million yen for investigation on how to best proceed with earthquake reconstruction and recovery. An official from the Transport Industry was quoted as saying, "We understand that the line is very important both for tourism and the lives of local people and will consider to what extent we are able to provide aid." - William
http://this.kiji.is/119985889668892148?c=92619697908483575
南阿蘇鉄道の被害調査に政府が1.8億円計上へ - 熊本日日新聞
　熊本地震の影響で運休が続く第三セクター南阿蘇鉄道（高森町）の復旧に向け、政府が被害状況の調査に乗り出す方針を固めたことが２６日分かった。熊本地震復旧等予備費のうち、調査費１億８千万円の使途とするため、政府が２８日に閣議決定する見込み。 ...

Kirk here. Today my friend Jim Reitz, who is visiting Japan, and I took a little trip to Okoshiki Beach. Here's a map showing the location:
https://goo.gl/e0V6hb
There we we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Toshinobu Kawano, whom we already knew from his Facebook page that focuses on the Okoshiki Beach:
https://www.facebook.com/okosikikaigan/
In the group photo Mr. Kawano is wearing the round brimmed hat, two other photographers (Mr. Kanda on the left and Mr. Ito on the right) have joined us, Jim is in the middle and I'm on the far right.
According a web page we referred to (with daily information about tide levels, the time of low tide, sunset time, etc.), the conditions today were not ideal:
http://city-uto.com/shio.htm
So, we went there not expecting a lot but were pleasantly surprised by what we found. I was justing taking pictures with my iPhone but that was enough to give me some shots that I'm pleased with.

A note from the life-gives-lemons, make-lemonade department: Mashiki Town decided yesterday to designate two portions of the Futugawa fault "town cultural assets." One 20 meters in length, the other four, both are examples of uplifting, having risen some 70 centimeters during the quakes, a phenomenon geologists - who had requested their preservation - term unusual. Investigations are underway on how to best protect them from erosion.
Town officials note that four national natural history museums currently exist centered around fault exposure zones. Perhaps teaming up with Mifune Town's dinosaurs to make a natural history zone might be a good idea. - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160626002.xhtml
布田川断層、町文化財に　益城町教委が指定－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。

Here'a a notice about an event coming up at the Kumamoto City International Center:
"Giving a little breathing room for Mom and Dad"
~You may have some worries about your children
and even yourself after the Kumamoto earthquake.
Come and share with us how you feel or what you are
worried about.~
●Date & Time : 9th July (Sat)
3:00pm — 4:30pm
●Place：Kumamoto City International Center 2nd basement Recreation Room
(Toll parking lot 32 cars、Free bicycle parking)
●Attendance fee：Free
●Contents：Talk about children’s behavior, Free talk,
Parent-and-child massage etc
Parent-and-child massage are for kids 3 to 7 years old.
●Number of participants：10 parent and child
●How to apply：Please make a reservation by phone or email.
Necessary info ①Your name ②The number of people
③How many children you are bringing ④Your child’s age
●Where to apply : Kumamoto City International Foundation Planning Section
TEL：096-359-2121 Mail：[email protected]

This link is only tangentially related to Kumamoto in that it discusses earthquakes - and those on subductive faults like the Tohoku quake rather the strike-slip faults found here - but it is useful to understand the mechanisms and likely consequences of what will soon (in geological terms) occur on the Nankai Trough east of Kyushu, which will affect Kumamoto greatly, if indirectly. Published by the New Yorker several years ago, the article won a Pulitzer Prize. - William
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
The Earthquake That Will Devastate the Pacific Northwest
When the Cascadia fault line ruptures, it could be North America’s worst natural disaster in recorded history.

For those of you keeping score, Kumamoto Prefecture was just served with a tornado warning. This is not Kansas (as anyone who has ever been to Kansas will gladly acknowledge), and the likelihood of a tornado is very small; however, after that large typhoon last autumn, the heavy snow in February, the earthquakes, and then the recent record-breaking rain and accompanying floods - it is something to break the monotony. - William http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160624008.xhtml
＜防災速報＞熊本県に竜巻注意情報－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。

We are experiencing a welcome respite from the rain but the forecast is for more heavy rain tomorrow and Saturday. Accordingly, warnings are still in effect and calls for evacuation are continuing. The image you see with this post was taken from the Japan Meteorological Agency's website a few minutes ago:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/warn/
For information about calls for evacuation, please check out the links I posted yesterday:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1064256660314432
-- Kirk

A Japanese article I read said that Mr. Abe spent about half of his 8-minute media event in front of the castle talking about helping Kumamoto recover. The article didn't cite specifics, however.
-- Kirk
P.S. Here's the address of the Japanese article I read:
http://www.hochi.co.jp/topics/20160623-OHT1T50033.html
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/abe-defends-policies-as-campaigning-kicks-off
Abe defends policies as campaigning kicks off
Campaigning for Japan's Upper House elections on July 10 started yesterday, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe going on the defensive over his unpopular economics and defence policies on a visit to a rain- soaked Kumamoto prefecture.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Bad news for fireworks fans: Kumamoto Mayor Ohnishi said today that holding the annual fireworks event at Lake Ezu would be "problematic" given earthquake damage affecting spectator flow, indicating that the event will be cancelled. 7 million yen has been budgeted for the event; instead, the money may be directed towards supporting other firework events in the prefecture.
Kumamoto City's annual pyrotechnic spectacular had been held at Lake Ezu for years until being moved to Kumamoto Castle about a decade ago. Crowd-control problems led to the event being cancelled for a few years until it finally restarted again at Lake Ezu last year. Mayor Ohnishi is quoted as suggesting that, instead, he might plan something cool for the Kumamoto Marathon - which is held in February, so whatever he has in mind would not involve yukata, geta, and uchiwa tucked into obi. - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160622035.xhtml
江津湖の花火大会「今年は開催困難」　熊本市長－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。