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Facebook and other internet tools are useful for gathering and sharing information but there's no substitute for physically being with people we can talk to, especially people who have the specialized knowledge we need. Our friends at the Kumamoto City International Center have scheduled such an event for this Sunday (May 1st), from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Whether you have questions about getting assistance from city government, problems with visa status, legal issues, difficulty finding an apartment or other issues related to your residence, or would like someone you can talk to about your anxiety and/or concerns about the earthquakes, you will be able to find someone to talk with at the Kumamoto City International Center this Sunday. It will also be a nice opportunity to socialize with other earthquake survivors, enjoy some Sri Lankan curry, and pick up some free relief supplies. See the appended flier for the details.
Hope to see you there!
-- Kirk

As was the case with the 2011 Tohoku earthquake disaster, citizens need to go beyond government pronouncements to be truly informed. For this and other reasons, Momii's history of deference to government positions is very troubling.
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201604270059.html
NHK chief urges staff to exclude experts’ views on quake coverage：The Asahi Shimbun
The Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) president not only instructed subordinates to toe the government

I recently saw a TV program in which onsen proprietors in Kurokawa were interviewed about the sudden drop in guests visiting the area. The earthquake caused some damage but, as this blog post indicates, most establishments are up and running. They are, however, really suffering as a result of the disappearance of tourists. If you've got a little money to spare and would enjoy some world-class bathing, keep the Kurokawa area in mind.
-- Kirk
http://kurokawa-onsen.com/update-3-on-kurokawa-onsen-after-recent-earthquakes/
Update #3 on Kurokawa Onsen after Recent Earthquakes
My contact at Wakaba Inn in central Kurokawa and the staff at the Visitor Center are happy to report that most inns and baths are OPEN AS NORMAL . Please se

The Kumamoto JET page is probably the best single source of information on volunteering, donating, transportation and other quake-related information that I'm aware of.
-- Kirk
http://kumamotojet.com/shin/index.php/2016/04/28/april-28-updates/
April 28 Updates Kumamoto JET
April 28 Updates April 28, 2016 News Here is a summary of some the latest earthquake related news/updates. If there is any information you need specifically, please contact the PAs and we will try and get it out to you. Volunteering The Kumamoto City Volunteer Center is registering volunteers to hel…

Here's another article about the child care situation.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/parents-troubled-as-nurseries-remain-closed-in-quake-hit-kumamoto
Parents troubled as nurseries remain closed in quake-hit Kumamoto
Nearly 90 nurseries and kindergartens in areas of southwestern Japan remain closed in the wake of recent earthquakes due to…

If you have a need, please don't be afraid to ask!
There are many organizations searching for recipients. This message is from member Monaco Speed. Please contact if you need anything his group is offering.
"Hi everyone, we have many things to give away. At the moment they are in kamikumamoto at the resurrection and life church, if you can't go there we can deliver it to you.
Food
Gas cartridges
Baby milk powder
Gas stoves
Diapers and more"

William here with a science fun fact! I had noticed that some furniture in my house migrated quite far from its original position, while other stayed put. It occurred to me that this may be due to the wave function of a quake. Though the face and back of a wave have the same energy, wave movement endows the face with more power, and thus objects would tend to move away from the epicenter. I ran this theory by a Kumadai mathematician pal, who agreed. This explains why furniture closest to the epicenter ended up in the middle of the room (if it didn't fall over), while that against the far wall stayed against the wall. Think about your own situation for more fun!

This is an editorial from the Yomiuri Newspaper about how the government should respond to the disaster.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002906564
Supplementary budget should address needs of quake victims in Kumamoto
The government has decided to compile a supplementary budget for fiscal 2016 to facilitate recovery from the Kumamoto Earthquake.

I'm not very good at interpreting these numbers, but I have no doubt that Kumamoto has taken a very big hit, no matter how you look at it.
--- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/27/business/kumamoto-farms-forestry-suffered-¥23-6-billion-damage-quakes/
Kumamoto farms, forestry suffered ¥23.6 billion damage in quakes | The Japan Times
The twin quakes that slammed Kyushu this month caused at least ¥23.6 billion of damage to agricultural and forestry businesses in Kumamoto Prefecture, the

If you want to use Kumamon's image in a fundraising campaign, it'll be easier now. :)
-- Kirk
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/27/national/kumamotos-kumamon-muscles-quake-fundraising/
Kumamoto's Kumamon muscles in on quake fundraising | The Japan Times
Prefectures hit by the recent quakes in Kyushu are relaxing controls on their popular mascots so that businesses and public sector entities can use them to

Though I haven't been able to do anything to help, I understand that my university (Kumamoto Gakeun) is accommodating persons with physical handicaps.
-- Kirk
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201604270006.html
Kumamoto shelters unable to accept special needs evacuees：The Asahi Shimbun
A number of evacuation centers in the quake-hit city of Kumamoto have been unable to accept individu

A Nikkei reporter walked 12 kilometers round trip to reach Tawarayama tunnel and provided several interesting photos that will give you an idea of the extent of the damage. He noted that, though the interior clearly shows a large amount of debris, whether that is due to minor issues with the concrete lining or more major structural damage remains unknown. In addition to tunnel damage, several bridge decks were pulled away from their road abutments, and landslides have taken away much of the road. No restoration timeframe has been set for obvious reasons. - William
http://kenplatz.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/cntnews/15/041500329/042600031/
マグニチュード（M）7.3を記録した熊本地震の本震から1週間がたった4月23日、筆者は日経コンストラクションの取材班第2陣として、熊本県西原村にいた。構造物被害の全貌が次第に明らかになるなか、一つだけ一般の報道では確認できない被害情報があった。俵山トンネルの「崩落」だ。

When it comes to expressions of pride in Kumamoto and determination to rebuild, Kumamoto dialect has become the language of choice. In this post I'd like to introduce three such expressions. I hope that this post might help non-Japanese people who are not yet fluent in Kumamoto-ben learn a little dialect and then actually use these expressions in conversation to express solidarity with friends who were born and raised here. If my explanations about Kumamoto-ben are not quite right, I hope the experts reading this will correct me.
1. がまだすばい！くまもと (Gamadasu bai Kumamoto)
がまだす（gamadasu）is basically the same as がんばる (gambaru) -- "do your best," "work hard," etc.
ばい (bai) is similar to "よ" (yo) or "ぞ" (zo) in standard Japanese, a suffix that is a little like a verbal exclamation mark, indicating emphasis or, in this case, determination. So, がまだすばい！ is
close to がんばるぞ！in standard Japanese -- "I'll do my best!" or "We will do our best!"
https://www.facebook.com/55kumamoto/
2. 負けんばい熊本（Makenbai Kumamoto）
負ける (makeru) is the verb for losing or being defeated. 負けん would be 負けない (makenai -- "will not be defeated") in standard Japanese. As I explained in regard to "がまだすばい！" , "ばい" (bai) indicates determination. So, all together, 負けんばい is a strong expression of determination not to be defeated, not to let this get us down.
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotokankoushinzentaishi/posts/850782261715378
3. どぎゃんかしよう！(Dogyanka shiyo)
どぎゃん (dogyan) is Kumamoto-ben for どう (doh) in standard Japanese. So, for example, "どぎゃん言うと" (dogyan iu to)" means "どう言うの？" (do iu no -- "How do you say it?") in standard Japanese. In this case, I think that "どぎゃんかしよう！" means about the same as "どうにかしよう" ("Let's find a way!") in standard Japanese. (If I'm wrong, I hope someone will correct me.) This column in the Kumanichi (the local Japanese paper) is soliciting messages about problems to be solved or insights gained through volunteer work, etc. so the theme "Let's find a way!" fits the problem solving thrust of the column.
https://www.facebook.com/KUMANICHIs/photos/a.438935026193855.1073741828.438505469570144/1037759626311389/?type=3&theater
By the way, if you understand the words "こう" "そう" ああ" and "どう" in standard Japanese, the following should make sense to you:
こう --> こぎゃん
そう --> そぎゃん
ああ --> あぎゃん
どう --> どぎゃん
So, all together now, がまだすばい！！ :)
-- Kirk

The lack of daycare has put a lot of working people in a real bind.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/27/national/89-day-care-centers-17-quake-hit-kumamoto-communities-remain-closed/
89 day care centers in 17 quake-hit Kumamoto communities remain closed | The Japan Times
As many as 89 day care centers in 17 municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture remain closed as aftershocks continue in the region, it was learned Wednesday. B

"Oyama pledged to donate the ¥14.4 million top prize to the disaster-hit area."
A true winner! :)
-- Kirk
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002901182
Oyama delivers for Kumamoto
ITO, Shizuoka — In the end, Shiho Oyama did plenty for Kumamoto Prefecture by staying put. Having considered skipping the Fujisankei Ladies Classic and heading to the earthquake-ravaged prefecture, Oyama stuck around instead, then went on to win the tournament. Oyama pledged to donate the ¥14.4 mill…

This United Press International Page feature 31 captioned photos.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World/Photos/The-Kumamoto-earthquake-10-Days-Later/10095/
The Kumamoto earthquake: 10 Days Later - Photos
On April 25, 2016, ten days after the area was rocked by a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake, Japan's Kumamoto prefecture begins to clean up from the destruction and slowly rebuild its communities.

The Kumamoto-Montana sister state relationship, which started in1982, is still strong.
"We can be inspired in our efforts by what we’ve seen in the past two decades. In 2000, with wildfires raging across much of Montana, Kumamoto’s citizen “Montana Club” raised almost $16,000 to help Montanans affected by the fires."
http://missoulian.com/news/opinion/columnists/kumamoto-after-the-earthquakes-time-to-help-montana-s-sister/article_4febf379-5a13-551f-baf9-6c4415ce30d9.html
Kumamoto after the earthquakes: Time to help Montana's sister state
"Earthquakes strike Kumamoto, Japan.” For most people in the world, a headline like that might not get a second notice—just another natural disaster in an endless series across the globe.

This article came out on the 16th. I didn't notice it at the time but, come to think of it, I was kind of busy then.
Two thoughts.
First, before the first earthquake hit, I wasn't under the impression that Kumamoto was particularly vulnerable to earthquakes, as this article indicates that the experts had already assessed it to be. I watch the news in Japanese and read a Japanese newspaper (though not the Kumanichi) so I'm wondering if I missed it or if this possibility just wasn't talked about that much in the media. I'd be particularly interested to hear what Japanese residents of Kumamoto think about this: Do you think we were adequately warned?
Second, I think this is an interesting explanation of why we are having so many aftershocks:
「Hideki Shimamura, a professor at Musashino Gakuin University, said the shallow depths of the epicenters of the quakes and diverging fault lines are the reasons for the frequent shaking. The epicenters for the magnitude 6.5 quake on Thursday was 11 kilometers below ground and 12 kilometers for the magnitude-7.3 temblor on Saturday. “The same thing happened during the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu earthquake in which the epicenter was also shallow,” said Shimamura. “If the epicenter is about 100 kilometers, there won’t be so many aftershocks.”」
By the way, the media is reporting the number of earthquakes and aftershocks over shindo 1 on the Japanese scale. Personally, I'm more interested in the number at 3 or higher where I live because that's what I tend to notice (1 and 2 are a bit too mild for me to notice unless I'm sitting very quietly). I just checked the database and found that the Central Ward (Chuo-ku) of Kumamoto where I live has had 50 level 3 or greater quakes since this all started on the 14th. (It was 49 when I first checked but then we had another level 3 quake as I was writing this post.) By contrast, my little corner of Kumamoto had had just two quakes of level 3 or higher intensity in the 5 year period between April 14, 2011 and April 13, 2016 (one each in 2011 and 2015).
-- Kirk
The searchable database I referred to is here:
http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/index.php
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/16/national/big-temblors-no-surprise-to-experts/
Big temblors no surprise to experts | The Japan Times
Some seismologists said they were not surprised by the disaster, saying evidence suggested the writing was on the wall, although they didn’t know exactly when it would happen.

The image you see if a screenshot from a pdf map that can be downloaded at the following address:
http://www.osakagas.co.jp/disaster/kumamoto/pdf/shintyoku.pdf
The dark red areas should now have gas service. The light pink is close to coming back on line and each successive color means a longer wait.
The date of the pdf is April 25. I hope the map will have even more dark red after today's work is factored in.
-- Kirk
P.S. I found the links here:
https://www.saibugas.co.jp

「Inspectors examined 1,267 buildings in 163 facilities in the city and evaluated each structure using a traffic light color system with red meaning “danger,” yellow meaning “caution needed” and green meaning “investigation completed.”
The investigation found that 134 locations, including school buildings and martial arts gymnasiums, were labeled as “red,” while 354 buildings were categorized as “yellow” and 779 buildings as “green.”｣
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201604260060.html
Quakes leave 134 school buildings in Kumamoto at risk of collapse：The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--The recent series of earthquakes has left 134 buildings in schools, kindergartens and othe