Posts
To see a recent post on Kumamoto International about Kumamoto City FM go to
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1030924053647693
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201605030001.html
FM stations stay on the air to serve displaced in Kumamoto：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--In a revival of old-fashioned radio, a local FM station is serving as a vital lifeline in
The image you see did not come with this Japan Times article. It's a screenshot from a TV news program I happened to save because it discusses how Kumamoto City's International Center responded to the quake (I'll post about that aspect of the program some other time).
I didn't think much about the image when I first saw it but the article made me realize that it is no coincidence that people like the owners of this cat were staying in their cars.
By the way, those of you with an interest in pets and animal rights issues should also check out this post from Nick May:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1030867886986643
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/05/02/language/lets-discuss-pets-quake-hit-kumamoto/
Let's discuss what to do with pets in quake-hit Kumamoto | The Japan Times
As evacuees with pets in quake-hit Kumamoto shy away or are even banned from moving into evacuation shelters, Ryunosuke Animal Hospital has opened its doors to pets and their owners.
The Kumamoto International Foundation get some well-deserved recognition. Remember, if you need help getting back on your feet after the quake, another consultation will be held at the Kumamoto City International Center this Sunday:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/1030879910318774/?type=3&theater
-- KIrk
http://asia.nikkei.com/Features/Kyushu-earthquakes/Language-barrier-piles-more-pain-on-foreigners-in-quake-hit-Kumamoto
Language barrier piles more pain on foreigners in quake-hit Kumamoto- Nikkei Asian Review
OSAKA -- Many non-Japanese residents of Kumamoto Prefecture continue to struggle after April's earthquakes, with language difficulties often isolating
Because of the heavy rain, the residents of Nishihara were asked to evacuate this morning. According to a page provided by Yahoo (see link below) this is the only evacuation notice that has been issued in the prefecture today. Amazingly, we have to rely on Yahoo for this information because the prefecture does not provide a similar service. More troubling still is that the Yahoo page
http://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/43/
does not work with services that automatically add hiragana
http://www.hiragana.jp
or machine translation
https://translate.google.com
so it is not accessible unless you are quite good at Japanese.
This is not a new problem. I've tried to talk to officials in the prefectural government about this in the past but to no avail. Very frustrating. :(
-- Kirk
More options for those willing to donate . . .
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002904988
Donations to Kumamoto made easier
A variety of organizations are raising funds for the victims of the Kumamoto Earthquake. While many people donate cash, it is also possible to use the Internet to donate miles from frequent-flyer programs or points accumulated on loyalty cards.
Joe Tomei here. This Asahi Shimbun article about Kumamoto City FM which stayed on the air to help provide information is certainly worth a look. The webpage for the Kumamoto City FM is http://fm791.jp/
The article notes that Kosa began similar broadcasting on the quake disaster on April 23, Mifune on April 25 and Mashiki on April 27. If anyone has more information about how to listen to these stations, feel free to share them in the comments.
The list of volunteer opportunities has just been updated (thanks to Beau Retallick!) with information about requests/requirements.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SdUOqe4bo4T3iY-MvMuA5J7ktmkrE5zfF0I9ZfuRqOk/edit?usp=sharing
Kumamoto volunteer opportunities
Sheet1 City name, need volunteers?, Who can join?, Contact number Kikuyo, No, They have enough volunteers at the moment, Email( from Shakai fukushi kyogikai) Mashiki, Yes, but, Kumamoto people only, GW( Golden week) only Kumamoto citizens( 4/ 29~ 5/ 8), Please check for more details on facebo...
A giant boulder wedged into a crevice of a cave in Minamiaso Mura called Men no Ishi, well-known to locals and trekers across Japan as "the rock which will never fall," has fallen, the Kumanichi reports. "The legend that the boulder has stayed put no matter the earthquake has been handed down over generations," a dejected resident noted. Photos can be found here.
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160503010.xhtml
「免の石」落ちた… 南阿蘇村、住民ら落胆－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。
The consultation event held this past Sunday was a big success. Many people came and enjoyed the free food and opportunities to socialize and get questions answered. If you missed it (or if you'd like more of the same), you can attend a similar event this Sunday.
-- Kirk
英語の後に日本語で書きます。Yesterday I met with the representatives of a group called Plan Japan:
https://www.plan-japan.org/english/
It is an international organization that has done work in disaster-struck regions of the world, with a particular focus on "psychosocial" care. They organize enjoyable events that not only serve as welcome changes of pace but can also become opportunities for children to express and come to terms with their disaster experience. One such event is djemba (African drum) performances by a South African musician. Plan Japan is currently looking for schools that would welcome such performances. If any of you could share the attached fliers with school personnel who might be able to organize such a event, the people at Plan Japan would deeply appreciate it.
次に日本語で書きたいと思います。まず、このページを読んでくださっている日本の方々にお礼とご挨拶を申し上げたいと思います。Kumamoto International では日本語の情報に英語の解説をつけて紹介することがありますが、直接日本語で書くことがほとんどないにもかかわらず、多くの日本の方に愛読していただいて、大変嬉しく思います。このページは今後とも英語中心に進めていくことになると思いますが、引き続き多くの日本の方にこのページでの情報交換やディスカッションなどに参加していただければ幸いです。よろしくお願いします。
さて、今回は「プラン・ジャパン」の企画を紹介したいと思います。このNGOは海外での災害支援等の経験を踏まえ、東日本大震災後に日本でも子どもたちの心のケアに携わってきました。今後、熊本で同様の活動を進めていこうとしているそうですが、地元の協力者が欠かせません。
添付のジェンベ演奏に関するチラシはそうした活動の一例にしかすぎませんが、「地域の学校に来てもらえれば子どもたちが喜ぶかもしれない」と思われるのであれば、ぜひ担当の船越さんに連絡して実現に向けて相談していただきたいと思います。
また、熊本にジェンベ演奏の「日の国AFRICA」
https://www.facebook.com/hinokuniAFRICA/?fref=nf
というグループがありますが、関係者をご存知であれば、ぜひこの企画について知らせて、船越さんに連絡されるようお話していただければ幸いです。よろしくお願いします。
"Twenty-three municipal elementary and junior high schools in quake-struck Kumamoto resumed classes Monday for the first time in 18 days after another elementary school reopened last Wednesday.
The city hopes to restart classes at 118 other schools and kindergartens on May 10, after the Golden Week holidays end. Some schools could see delays."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/02/national/handful-schools-reopen-kumamoto-rescue-efforts-wind/
Handful of schools reopen in Kumamoto as rescue efforts wind down | The Japan Times
Twenty-three municipal elementary and junior high schools in quake-struck Kumamoto resumed classes Monday for the first time in 18 days after another eleme
The reduction in spring water feeding into Suizenji is an issue we've touch on before. Personally, this issue has made me wonder if a lack of water in Suizenji may not also be leading to a lack of water in Ezuko because, as a map image I'll add in a comment shows, Suizenji feeds into Ezuko.
The answer to my question is "It depends who you ask." The official answer is that the situation in Ezuko is basically unchanged:
http://www.ezuko-park.com/blog/?p=13216
However, an unofficial blog offers visual evidence to the contrary:
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/gangee0215/e/e88b48a648d357760ee4c8065a850d6b
I hope the official version is closer to the truth.
-- KIrk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/02/national/quake-hit-kumamoto-gardens-spring-fed-pond-dries/
Quake-hit Kumamoto garden's spring-fed pond dries up | The Japan Times
A traditional garden in Kumamoto Prefecture landscaped around a natural springs pond has mainly dried up since a series of huge earthquakes hit the area in
Bloomberg has a useful explanation of the shindo system for those unfamiliar or who would like to tell their friends and family. The article notes, "At shindo 7, the JMA says, it is 'impossible to remain standing.' People may be 'thrown through the air,' wooden buildings may fall down, and even reinforced concrete walls may collapse."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-19/-impossible-to-remain-standing-japan-s-quake-scale-explained
Tag: Understandingwhathappened
`Impossible to Remain Standing': Japan's Quake Scale
On April 15, the day after the first in a series of damaging earthquakes struck a rural part of southern Japan, all of the nation’s major newspapers carried the same headline: "Shindo 7 in Kumamoto." No further explanation was needed.
"The nuclear village has also overcome massive demonstrations and opposition to nuclear power and revved up a reactor near quake-stricken Kumamoto despite having a dubious evacuation plan and its proximity to active volcanoes."
This article mentions the situation in Kumamoto the nuclear plant in Sendai (near Minamata) but it is primarily about the failure of the media to actively oppose government pronouncements.
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/04/30/commentary/japans-meek-media-kowtows-government/
Japan's meek media kowtows to the government | The Japan Times
Last week I compared the Catholic Church in Boston and Japan's "nuclear village" of atomic-power advocates — two powerful institutions that stifled e
May 1st was the 60th anniversary of the official "discovery" of Minamata disease. Each year, there have been two commemorations -- official and unofficial -- on May 1st. The official ceremony is held for certified victims. The need for another unofficial ceremony stems from the failure of the government to recognize the suffering of large numbers of other victims -- people who were poisoned by the disease but are unable to meet the government's stringent certification standards. Today, the unofficial ceremony was held (see attached photo) but the official ceremony was postponed because the governor and other officials could not take time away from dealing with earthquake-related issues.
Actually, there is a potential connection between what happened in Minamata and earthquakes. Tons of mercury-laden sludge have been buried in reclaimed land that now occupies what was once Minamata Bay. For years, it has been pointed out that an earthquake in Minamata could caused large amounts of mercury to be released into the bay once more.
Regardless of whether a quake hits Minamata or not, the Minamata disease issue remains unsettled. Court cases are still pending and patients are still waiting to have the applications for certification adjudicated -- 60 years since the problem was first officially reported.
-- Kirk
http://jp.reuters.com/article/idJP2016050101001442
水俣病は１日、公式確認から６０年を迎えた。熊本県水俣市の山中にある「乙女塚」では、患者らでつくる「水俣病互助会」などが慰霊祭を開き、約５０人が犠牲者を悼んだ。国は問題の最終解決を目指して未認定患者の救済策を２度にわたって実施したが、今も熊本、鹿児島両県に２千人超が患者認定を申請している。補償を求める訴訟も各地で続き、解決の道は遠い。
Today I went to the consultation event held at the International Center. Mr. Yagi had asked me to come to help with translation but, as it turned out, my services were not needed in that sphere after all and I had time to enjoy the free food, delicious coffee, and talk with many different people. The coffee was provided by Natural Coffee (see link). I had the pleasure of meeting Yukiko Matsuike who runs the establishment. She specializes in fair trade coffee. Her shop was damaged in the quake but she is still going strong. If you are not in Kumamoto or far from her shop but are interested in fair trade coffee, it's also possible to order through her site.
-- Kirk
https://www.facebook.com/naturalcoffeejp/
Natural Coffee
自家焙煎コーヒーショップ・喫茶・スリランカカレー
Recently, I've met a lot of people (journalists, gas company workers, volunteers, etc) who came from other parts of Japan to help with the sudden onslaught of quake-related tasks to be done. As the article indicates, local civil servants will also need all of the help they can get to deal with the mountains of paperwork created by the quake.
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/01/national/disaster-casualty-certificates-slowed-staff-shortages-kumamoto/
Disaster casualty certificates slowed by staff shortages in Kumamoto | The Japan Times
The issuance of disaster victim certificates in Kumamoto Prefecture is being slowed by staffing shortages at various municipalities. The certificates are n
Shaun O'Dwyer has not only been doing good work with It's Not Just Mud (INJM) -- he has also found the time to write eloquently about it.
A question for Shaun: Do you think the encounter with Prime Minister Abe led to the NHK coverage?
(For those of you who are not aware of the NHK coverage, please see https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1029197617153670 )
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/05/01/issues/foreign-volunteers-helping-rebuild-lives-kumamoto/
Foreign volunteers helping to rebuild lives in Kumamoto | The Japan Times
The truth is, as many volunteers are needed as can help the many homeowners who want possessions recovered from destroyed homes, or who need trash and heavy broken appliances pulled out of their otherwise intact dwellings.
In this post I'd like to write a little about the Kumamoto City web page. If you would like to learn about information that has been put up on the city's page but you're not able to read Japanese, I recommend that you do the following:
1. Copy the url (http://www.city.kumamoto.jp/)
2. Go to Google Translate (https://translate.google.com)
3. Paste the url in and hit translate
Actually, the city has already prepared a machine translation of its page (see image) and this is sometimes included in quake related link collections but I recommend that Google Translate be used instead for the following reasons:
1. Google translate allows you to quickly and easily compare the English translation with the original Japanese as you read, but the city's machine translation has no such function.
2. The city's machine translated page is a dead end (it does not contain even a link to the original Japanese information).
I plan to discuss this issue and other related issues with responsible personnel in the city government. I will point out to them that, while it is certainly important to provide information in English, Japanese officials should not assume that foreigners ONLY need English and that giving us the possibility of referring to the original Japanese (or of asking a Japanese friend to check the original Japanese for us) is completely unnecessary. I will also ask them if tax payers are paying for the inferior solution currently available on their web site when a free link to Google translate would have done a better job.
-- Kirk
