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I posted about this event a couple weeks ago. It will take place tomorrow. If you have an interest in teaching English to children in the Tokyo or Kansai area, or if you would be interested in an administrative position in this field, you might want to check this out.
-- Kirk

A nice way to enjoy good flavor and do a good deed at the same time. :)
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201606090034.html
Time to tuck into watermelons from quake-hit Kumamoto：The Asahi Shimbun
MASHIKI, Kumamoto Prefecture--Getting watermelons to market is now in full swing in this quake-hit p

While another large scale earthquake in Kumamoto is highly unlikely (although, of course, these natural disasters are so hard to predict) it is important to be prepared just in case another disaster does strike.
If you don't have one already, an emergency 'grab bag' is absolutely essential to have in your house, ready to pick up if you need to leave quickly in an emergency.
Check out this article for ideas about what to pack in your emergency grab bag.
- Celia
http://promotekyushuproject.blogspot.jp/2016/06/preparing-for-earthquakes-and-typhoons.html
Promote Kyushu Project: Preparing for Earthquakes and Typhoons - What to Pack

Native son Shodai encourages kids in quake-hit Kumamoto | The Japan Times
Kumamoto-born wrestler Shodai and members of his Sakaigawa stable visited the quake-struck prefecture on Thursday, making donations and wrestling with elem

Here's a video of some restoration work that has begun on one of the castle walls. The first step is to number and then remove the stones so that preparations can be made to put them back in place later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbeemxxPG6k
熊本城総合事務所と熊本城調査研究センターは6月７日、熊本大神宮横の「お城前駐車場」（熊本市中央区）に熊本地震で崩落した熊本城の石垣撤去を公開した。

Our friend Liz provided a lovely photo of hydrangea, or ajisai in Japanese. Their blooms coincide with rainy season and thus symbolize it. According to Wikipedia, their flowers can be white, blue, red, pink, light purple, or dark purple according to soil acidity.
I have heard that hydrangea flowers are also very unusual in their ability to change color as they age, sometimes passing from a white through blue to purple stage - though I can't vouch for this veracity. I have noticed that the hydrangea flowers in my local park which were white a few days ago are now blue, though, so unless someone replaced the shrub with one the same size, I suppose it must be true.
Thank you, Liz!

The Kumanichi reports on continued troubles of pets separated from owners due to the quakes, with notices covering walls at the Kumamoto Animal Shelter and various evacuee centers. In particular, the elderly are anxious to be reunited with their pets. A 76-year old woman was quoted as saying, "My cat, Fuku-chan, ran away on the night of April 15, and I haven't seen her since. She's probably panicked at the continuing quakes. She has a heart pattern on her stomach. I wonder how she is eating...."
The Kumamoto Animal Shelter, which has a no-kill policy, generally posts photos of newly incoming animals for four days but has extended this to two weeks due to the overwhelming number. The center notes that some 37% of animals in their care, mostly dogs, are reunited with their owners, another 18% are adopted, and the remainder end their days at the shelter. The shelter telephone number is ０９６（３８０）２１５３.
http://this.kiji.is/113447563752488961?c=92619697908483575
「ペット戻ってきて」地震で不明…避難所に張り紙あふれる - 熊本日日新聞
不明の猫を捜すため、避難所に張り出されたチラシ＝８日、熊本市中央区の市総合体育館熊本市東区の市動物愛護センターに保護されている犬＝８日　熊本地震の混乱で、離れ離れになったペットを飼い主たちが捜している。熊本市動物愛護センターは、パニックなど...

Restoration work gets under way at quake-damaged Kumamoto Castle：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--Construction workers began removing stones of the earthquake-damaged walls of Kumamoto Cas

Here's a video made by students and teachers in the Fremont Union High School District (near San Jose, California). I think they would be very happy if educators could share this with students in areas that have suffered as a result of the quakes. I hope that Japanese young people will be glad to learn that students in California are thinking about them. They may also be interested in seeing how they have learned to use Japanese -- just as students in Japan are learning to use English.
Here's the message that came with the video:
"The JNHS' (Japanese National Honor Society) and Japanese Club in the FUHSD school district in California came together to create this music video. It contains all the messages of encouragement that we would like to send to the people of Kumamoto due to the recent earthquake. Please send all questions, concerns, and/or comments to [email protected]"
https://youtu.be/XKe3wKPv3C8.

Experts to propose Kumamoto reconstruction fund | The Japan Times
A panel of experts set up by the Kumamoto Prefectural Government will propose that a fund be created to help rebuild areas hit hard by the string of earthq

The Ministry of Transportation, Cultural Agency, and respective governments of Kumamoto Prefecture and City met for a second time on June 6 to hash out repair logistics for the castle.
This Kumanichi article offers a few statistics: of the 7.9 kilometers of castle wall, over 10% has crumbled and another 30% requires reinforcement or rebuilding; this is expected to cost 35 billion yen, approximately 35 billion yen more than any of the above entities wish to spend; this figure does not include costs for repairing wooden structures.
A few important roads run through the castle, but unfortunately, they are city roads and thus not under the purview of the Ministry of Transportation. However, in order to open these as soon as possible, Kumamoto City agreed at the meeting to cough up some 46 million yen. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation has agreed to consider the issue and has suggested holding meetings "at least once monthly."
And thus the bureaucratic glacial march towards reconstruction commences.
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160607002.xhtml
熊本城、石垣復旧３５０億円　３割積み直し－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。

It's so wonderful to see the lights turned on at the castle again - a beacon of hope for all who have experienced the Kumamoto earthquake.
This blog post is a photographic special of the Kumamoto Castle before and after the earthquake. Please feel free to share your own photos in the comments.
Thanks,
- Celia
http://promotekyushuproject.blogspot.jp/2016/06/kumamoto-castle-before-and-after.html

Kyushu rainy season threatens Kumamoto quake-hit homes awaiting repair | The Japan Times
The annual rainy season that kicked in Kyushu is posing a tremendous threat to the residents of Kumamoto whose houses were damaged by a major earthquake in

The tiles on our roof, like those of many homes in Kumamoto, suffered significant damage. Today, the repairs on our home were completed (Yippee! :) ). I'll post a bit more about those repairs (what company we used, some thoughts on what how others who need roof work done might proceed, etc) some other day. For now, I just wanted to share this little video of the cool ladder the workers used to get stuff on and off the roof. -- Kirk

A new version of YOKA, an English magazine about Kumamoto, has come out.
http://kumamotojet.com/shin/index.php/2016/06/06/spring-2016-yoka/
Spring 2016 YOKA Kumamoto JET
Spring 2016 YOKA June 6, 2016 YOKA The Spring 2016 YOKA is out! This issue of the YOKA features: A Thank You to Civil Servants by Liam Nolan 5 Reasons to Love Kumamoto by Denise Wiley Mood Maker by Brendan Amy Explore Kumamoto’s Backyard by Kuma-Gun ALTs Tampopo by Jazmin Guerrero Road Trip to Oita ...

"She described the 'horrific' state of the city following the major earthquakes which happened within two days of each other."
It's certainly true that the worst damage was horrific. On the other hand, when the state of the entire city is describe as "horrific" I think that makes it difficult to imagine how functional the city as a whole is right now.
-- Kirk
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/14537951.___Kumamoto_looks_horrific_after_the_earthquakes__I_had_to_help_people_leave_their_homes___/
‘Kumamoto looks horrific after the earthquakes, I had to help people leave their homes’
A FERNDOWN woman helped with the relief effort after two earthquakes struck a Japanese city in April this year.

Media show Kumamoto was woefully ill-prepared for disabled evacuees | The Japan Times
It was heartening to see newspapers focusing on the difficulties disabled people face when disaster strikes, but far less heartening to hear what they had to say about the facts on the ground in Kumamoto.

A very handy app that was created with JETs in mind but that has tons of valuable information in English about things from traffic signs, embassy and consulate numbers, and size and other conversion charts, to travel information, handy phrases for an emergency, and how to pay bills.
There are some resources non-JETs won't find useful, but it's free for anyone to use and had a lot of information in one little app, so those who are newer to Japan or Japanese may want to jump through the link and give it a look!
AJET iConnect App
AJET iConnect This app was made to make your life in Japan easier and less stressful, whether you’re a JET Programme participant or just an English-speaking foreign national living in Japan! You’ll…

Good news for art lovers - while many museums and other tourists attractions have (as of yet) been unable to reopen, there are plenty of galleries and art collections open to the public.
This week we went up to see if the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art was open or not and are pleased to report that it is! This is a great facility with much to see, and with Ninomaru (the field next to the main castle entrance) open and lush at this time of year it makes for a great picnic area or somewhere for the kids to have a kick-around.
If you're looking for something to do in central Kumamoto, art galleries are a top choice at the moment.
Thanks,
- Celia
http://promotekyushuproject.blogspot.jp/2016/06/kumamoto-prefectural-museum-of-art.html
Promote Kyushu Project: Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art

Researchers point out in this Kumanichi article that the creation of Kumamoto Castle in its current form was no easy task, instead being the result of a series of disasters both natural and man-made that extend back to just shortly after the castle's birth. In particular, damage by earthquakes, heavy rain and typhoons in the early Edo era shaped the walls, moats, and turrets as we now know them.
A list of the more catastrophic natural events is provided at the link (it omits those man-made such as damage inflicted during the Seinan War); events the article singles out are an earthquake and subsequent explosion of a powder magazine in 1625 which burned down the keep, an earthquake occurring during heavy rain that destroyed 36 meters of wall in the Honmaru area in 1633, and an earthquake in 1889 that damaged walls at 29 locations over an area of 2,700 square meters that cost (okay - quick calculation) - a LOT of money to repair. The article notes that historical rulers of the castle learned to anticipate damage and put aside funds to cover maintenance and provide for periodic disasters.
The article concludes by noting that the castle has suffered in the recent quakes damage to 13 buildings of cultural importance and to 53 locations along its walls, but that, as one researcher put it, "Kumamoto Castle is after all but a compendium of repeated disaster and repair." - William
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160606002.xhtml