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This typhoon, one of two being discussed regularly on Japanese news broadcasts, is heading in our direction. Fortunately, it is predicted to be much weaker by the time it arrives. I'll post more about this as the storm approaches.
The other typhoon is currently a Category 4 -- downgraded from a Category 5 super typhoon. Category 5 storms are fairly rare but extremely dangerous. It's a good thing that the storm was not near a population center when it was at its strongest.
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

For Kumamon and/or anime fans . . .
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-08-01/kumamon-shows-his-kumamoto-school-spirit-in-yowapeda-campaign/.91142
Kumamon Shows His Kumamoto School Spirit in Yowapeda Campaign
Hot off his motorcycle racing tour with actor Keanu Reeves, lovable Japanese mascot Kumamon is setting his sights on cycling with the Yowamushi Pedal crew....

Here's a report on the recent festival in Yamaga:
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201508180027
PHOTO: Centuries-old Kumamoto lantern festival evokes dreamlike world - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
YAMAGA, Kumamoto Prefecture--About 1,000 women dancing with glowing lanterns on their heads mesmerized crowds here in a performance during the Yamaga lantern festival.

There's a video of Kumamon riding a motorcycle, too.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2015/07/28/popular-japanese-mascot-kumamon-meets-keanu-reeves/
Popular Japanese Mascot Kumamon Meets Keanu Reeves
The much loved Japanese mascot Kumamon recently bumped into Hollywood star Keanu Reeves at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan. Both were happy to meet one another it seems.

Joe Tomei here. My favorite Indian restaurant, Indo Shokudo is going to be at the Suizenji Yokocho Yoichi on 23 Aug from 6 to 9, so the main restaurant (across from the Shiritsu Toshokan) will be closed. I'm assuming that there will be a number of restaurants will be there, so a good chance to check things out!

Re: Lung Cancer and Tuberculosis checkups
Hi! I received this announcement from the Kumamoto International Foundation more than a week ago but was not able to post it right away. Some of the information is now dated but I hope some of you will find the rest of the information (dates and venues for testing) to be useful.
---- start quote ---
SHISEI DAYORI (City Info) August issue - health
Health check schedule for Chest (Lung Cancer and Tuberculosis ) and Stomach Cancer in August
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7979&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
Kumamoto International Foundation

A bit of a surprise, the discount ticket shop on Higashi bypass, just as you go left onto Kita bypass (Nishi Nihon Chiketto), has foreign currency. I assume they also purchase it. Not sure about the rate, but good to know if you have to quickly get some cash before a trip. The sign says they also have Euro, Chinese Renminbi, and Korean won. So if you have to play uncle or auntie and want to send a christmas card with a $20 bill in it to your niece or nephew, you know where to go!

Kumamoto City is urging caution about Dengue fever. Don't be too alarmed, however; there is no outbreak at the moment. Last year, however, many cases were reported in the Tokyo area. The city is urging caution in an attempt to preempt a sudden outbreak. They recommend that we all minimize our exposure to mosquitos and to avoid creating conditions in which mosquitos can breed easily.
Here's a link to a Shisei Dayori item about the issue:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7974&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
The following link is to a news article about the situation in Japan in general:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/29/national/science-health/anti-dengue-plague-plan-eyed-health-ministry/
Anti-dengue plague plan eyed by health ministry | The Japan Times
The health ministry will soon draw up guidelines to prevent a new outbreak of dengue fever, after last summer's incidence became the nation's first in abou

This poster is about an art exhibition being held at the Kumamoto Prefectural Art Museum
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298213-d324728-Reviews-Kumamoto_Prefectural_Art_Museum-Kumamoto_Kumamoto_Prefecture_Kyushu_Okinawa.html
featuring the works of Hamada Chimei. Many years ago, I posted this blurb about Hamada Chimei on the Kumamoto-i mailing list:
--- start quote ---
Chimei Hamada lives and works in the region of his birth, in Kumamoto prefecture in Western Japan. From 1934-1939, he studied at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts, then known as the Tokyo Art School and, in 1940, was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army and sent to China. He returned home in 1945, injured, but his years of military service were an enduring influence on his work. From 1949-1959, Hamada was a member of the Independent Artists' Association. In 1950 he began work on his Elegy for a New Conscript series, monochromatic etchings based on the wartime experiences of a new military recruit. The Elegy series depicts the suffering of soldier and war victim alike, as well as the general absurdity and misery of war. One etching, Sentinel, (1951), was awarded a prize at the Fourth International Exhibition of Black and White in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1956. Hamada has continued to produce works that are critical or sarcastic commentaries on government and society. His first solo exhibition was at the Formes Gallery in Tokyo (1953). In 1975, the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art exhibited his ninety-nine etchings, produced from 1938-1975. Hamada's work has also been presented in solo exhibitions at the Kamakura Museum of Modern Art in Kanagawa (1979) and the Japan Gallery of The British Museum (1980).
--- end quote ---
http://www.legacy-project.org/index.php?page=artist_detail&artistID=73
If you would like to see a representative piece with an English explanation go to
http://www.legacy-project.org/index.php?page=art_detail&artID=647
to see his "Sentinel" from his "Elegy of a New Conscript Series."
See also
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/topics/2750
Highly recommended!
-- Kirk
http://www.museum.pref.kumamoto.jp/event_cal/pub/Detail.aspx?c_id=10&id=65&type=top&trk_kbn=A

This item from Kumamoto City's Shisei Dayori is about scholarship opportunities for dependents of Kumamoto City residents who are enrolled in senior high schools, technical colleges, universities, junior colleges, or vocational schools.
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7976&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
Kumamoto International Foundation
Eligible people： Dependents of Kumamoto City residents / Enrolled in senior high schools, technical colleges, universities, junior colleges, vocational schools (advanced course, specialist course) / Those who are not receiving any other scholarship（※1） / Those who are suffering from sudden changes i…

'Tis the month of fireworks. There three fireworks shows in Kumamoto Prefecture tonight (Aug 1) alone. The picture you see is from Sakitsu in Amakusa. For a full list (in Japanese unfortunately) of upcoming fireworks events please see
http://hanabi.walkerplus.com/list/ar1043/

Applications for the Kumamoto Castle Marathon are being accepted beginning July 30 (Thursday) and will close at 17:00 on Sept. 10 (Thursday):
http://www.kumamotojyo-marathon.jp/outline_en.php
Unfortunately, though the English side of the web site announces that "applications will be accepted on the internet," no English interface is available to accept those applications. (Sigh) It seems that you need to go through the Japanese interface here:
http://www.kumamotojyo-marathon.jp/entry_start.php
For additional information in English, see this translation of a Shisei dayori announcement:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7969&pg=2&sort=0&LC=e

Until the end of August, people wearing yukata get into Suizenji Park (Suizenji Jojuen) free of charge. By the way, they also stay open until 9 PM on Saturdays during the summer.
http://www.suizenji.or.jp/info/05.shun-no-joho%202015-07-10.html
春夏秋冬 行事 / 水前寺成趣園

On the 1st and 2nd of August, there will be various events in what is called the "Yukata Matsuri." There will be a wide variety of festivities and entertainments at various spots in the downtown area (unfortunately, too many for me to translate). The map shows the venues. The festival is called the "yukata" festival because people wearing yukata will receive special services (discounts, etc.). If you have a yukata, put it on before you head to the downtown area to check things out. Or, if your interested in enjoying some Japanese festivities that really look Japanese, you might want to bring your camera!
http://www.kamitori.com/event/yukata2015/

I got an e-mail saying that the rainy season is officially over. Yippee! :) But, it went on, we need to remain vigilant because severe rain can occur even after the end of the rainy season and the higher temperatures bring increased risk of heat exhaustion. :(
-- Kirk
福岡管区気象台は、本日（７月２９日）、九州北部地方が梅雨明けしたとみられると発表しました。
長雨時期は過ぎましたが、これからの時期も急な大雨が発生することがありますので、引き続き気象情報に十分注意するなど、皆さんのご家庭でも防災対策をお願いします。
また、暑い時期が続きますので、熱中症などにもご注意願います。
#Kumamoto　#梅雨明け

The image you see, with the caption "Kumamoto Station and canopy by Tadao Ando" is from the following page:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/91848110
Tadao Ando is an extremely famous architect but, apparently, he has a reputation for cost overruns:
"Ando, the tabloid alleges, appears to be a habitual overspender. As a case in point, he was brought in to undertake the reconstruction of JR Kumamoto Station, which needed to be rebuilt to accommodate the new Kyushu Shinkansen that began operations from spring of 2011. The project was to be completed by 2018. Entrusted to the design by Kumamoto Prefecture, Ando provided an initial estimate of 560 million yen for the new station. The costs since soared nearly six fold to 3 billion yen and, horrified by the excess, the Kumamoto assembly raised a fuss and finally got an agreement to whittle down the final price to 2.4 billion yen—still nearly five times the original figure."
http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/search-for-a-scapegoat-and-new-ways-to-squander-money
This example from Kumamoto has come up recently in the news because Ando is the chairman of the Olympic Stadium Design Committee, which is now receiving a lot of scrutiny over the National Stadium Project. The stadium is to be a constructed for the 2020 olympics but the government has recently decided to scrap the original plan and start over because the construction costs were estimated to be much higher than originally proposed.
#Kumamoto #Ando #Tadao #安藤忠雄

The history of the mistreatment of leprosy patients and former leprosy patients in Japan is truly horrific. Kumamoto is one important site in which that history has played out. I'm planning to post more about that history later. Even now that the government has repealed the discriminatory law at the heart of the tragedy, many issues remain unresolved. This article describes one such issue: Study and recognition of how patients confined to sanataria were denied fair trails. The man on the right is Nagasu Jiro of Kumamoto's Keifuen, a sanatarium in which Hansen's disease patients were confined.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201506240077
#Kumamoto #Leprosy #Hansen's #disease
Leprosy patients call for scrutiny of ‘prejudiced’ trials held outside of courtrooms - AJW by...
Residents of leprosy sanatoriums demanded the Justice Ministry examine the former “extremely prejudiced” practice of holding criminal trials outside courtrooms involving patients with Hansen’s disease and take measures to restore their honor.

"The Fifth Aso Energetic Walk 2015"
The event will be held on the 5th and 6th of September and you need to apply by August 14th. The web site is mostly in Japanese so if you are interested and unable to make sense of the interface, you might want to ask someone for some help.
http://www.city.aso.kumamoto.jp/static/sightseeing/event/asowalk/
第5回 大阿蘇元気ウオーク2015
0120-711-951 スポーツエントリー内 大阿蘇元気ウオークエントリー事務局 ※平日10:00～17:30/土日祝日を除く

A news article about this incident begins as follows:
"Security cameras in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture captured the incredible moment an elderly Japanese man lay down on train tracks – and seconds later, was run over by a fast-moving train. Amazingly, the man somehow survived unhurt."
http://globalnews.ca/news/2130375/watch-elderly-man-survives-being-run-over-by-a-train/
This occurred as a crossing in Suizenji, not far from Suizenji Station. Here's a link to a map showing the exact location:
https://goo.gl/FST39l
https://youtu.be/8XjKEukQiks
Footage shows man lay down on tracks moments before train passes over
A 83-year-old man in Japan is probably thanking his lucky stars after he survived a horrifying moment on a set of train tracks unscathed. Security camera foo...

The typhoon is now quite close. At this point, it looks like the situation will not be too serious east of the Amakusa area; it's only a little windy in Kumamoto City. Early this morning, Amakusa City residents received a "prepare to evacuate" warning but no new evacuation statements have been issued since then. The announcements are in Japanese and can be found here:
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/osirase/view.cgi?log_id=385
Various ferries in the Amakusa area have been canceled.
The map you see shows a "warning" issued for Amakusa and "advisories" for the rest of Kumamoto:
http://www.bousai.pref.kumamoto.jp/GmnDsp.exe?M100