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I'll post more about this earthquake (early morning on the 13th) soon.
-- Kirk
#Kumamoto #earthquake
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002283926
Strong quake hits Oita Prefecture
A magnitude-5.7 earthquake struck southern Oita Prefecture on early Monday morning Saturday night, measuring upper 5 leaving on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the city of Saiki in the prefecture.

SHISEI-DAYORI (City Info) July issue
Kumamoto City has a law against littering (poi sute). Violators may be required to pay a fine.
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7914&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
Kumamoto International Foundation
In particular, whthin each arcade of Kami-tori,Shimo-tori and Shinshigai are beautification emphasis promotion zones, the offender may 1,000 yen is imposed .（Waste Reduction Promotion Division 328-2365）

I received an e-mail earlier today indicating that evacuations might be called for in Amakusa. The danger seems to have passed in that case but we are not entirely out of the woods yet.
-- Kirk
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

Here's a good article on Minamata disease. It is a lengthy academic article by the late Tsurumi Kazuko that you can either read on the web or download in pdf format to read later.
For those of you who are not yet familiar with the issue, Minamata is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, near Kagoshima. Mercury poisoning, most of which occurred more than 50 years ago, is the central issue. Despite the passage of time, however, it continues to be a contemporary issue because the victims have had to continue to fight for compensation and assistance. There have been some important developments this year but few news articles in English. If I can, I would like to try to fill in some of those gaps later.
-- Kirk
http://japanfocus.org/-Tsurumi-Kazuko/4169/article.html
New Lives: Some Case Studies of Minamata 新生　水俣〜内発的発展の三つの事例 | The Asia-Pacific Journal
The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. In-depth critical analysis of the forces shaping the Asia-Pacific . . . and the world. The Asia-Pacific Journal seeks to illuminate the geopolitics, economics, history, society, culture, international relations and forces for change in the modern and contempora…

The forced isolation of leprosy (Hansen's disease) patients in Kumamoto is a one of the greatest injustices that have occurred in this region in the past 100 years. In order to make the context of the following article clearer, I hope to post some basic information about what occurred here and throughout Japan in the near future.
--- Kirk
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201507090007
Former leprosy patient's paintings the sunny spot in a life of struggle - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
KUMAMOTO--On a recent day in May, Yasuhiko Yoshiyama was busily preparing for an exhibition of his art. The sound of his paintbrush was constantly heard.

Hi! I received a request to post a link to this Google survey. It seems like a worth-while project. Please help them out by taking a minute or two to respond to the questions.
-- Kirk
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IgDbrTV_fHylIzQSMVZOe9NiOMzA6DkNHWhfPM5Du0k/viewform
Survey of Japanese education for non native Japanese
Hello. We are PUK students and studying Japanese education for non Japanese. Now we are working on the creation of Japanese language text for “the foreigner as a citizen” in Kumamoto with Kumamoto International Foundation. To improve the quality of text book, we would like to ask you to answer the q…

Here is a request for help that I received:
--- start quote ---
One of my friends wants to learn French from a woman. Does any of you know some woman who can teach her French. She is around 35 years old and she speaks English, Chinese other than her native language, Japanese. She knows some French. She was my student at Kumamot High School.
--- end quote ---
If you are interested, please send your contact information to me via this page (this page accepts private messages). I will then put you in touch with the person who sent me this request.
--- Kirk

Sorry for the last-minute notice but tonight (July 11th) shakuhachi performer Bruce Huebner will perform at Kosenji Temple in Tamana. For more information, see
http://brucehuebner.com

A couple of hours ago, I posted about alarm sirens that will go off near the Shirakawa and Goshikawa rivers tomorrow (July 12) at noon. I neglected to point out that the July 12 date is not arbitrary. It is the third anniversary of the July 12 flooding of the Shirakawa river. To give you an idea of what happened, here's an amateur video that was taken that day. The helicopter that appears was used to lift a stranded person from a home that was in danger of being swept away. Images of that rescue were reported internationally. I'll follow up later with more about what happened three years ago and what has been do to reduce the possibility of a recurrence.
-- Kirk
https://youtu.be/LWfmW-AzmWY
熊本市 白川の氾濫
熊本市ゆめタウンサンピアン付近で２０１２年７月１1日 午前９時３０分撮影

SHISEI-DAYORI (City Info) July issue
Alarm siren drills will be held at locations near the Shirakawa and Goshikawa rivers on Sunday, July 12 at noon. The drills are being conducted in order to prepare for possible flooding disasters.
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7913&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e

Three years ago, torrential downpours caused the Shirakawa to flood and landslides to occur in the Aso area. Tomorrow is the third anniversary of that disaster. I'll post more about what happened in the coming days. I hope we don't see anything similar this year.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0713/329021-19-dead-after-torrential-rain-in-sw-japan/
19 dead after torrential downpours in Japan
At least 19 people have died and eight are missing as whole neighbourhoods were swamped by torrential rain in southwest Japan.

As the article points out, even mascots have bad days. :)
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/07/07/kumamon-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day【video】/
Kumamon and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day【video】
Kumamon is the official mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan. Since his debut in 2010, he's become wildly popular, appearing in all kinds of media and lending his face to uncountable products. By some estimates, he's pulling down hundreds of billions of yen a year. He's given a guest lect…

Yesterday, it was very hot. Kumamoto City and Yamaga registered a temperature of 35.7 C (96 F). In Japan, a day when the temperature rises to 35 C or higher is considered to be a "scorcher" (moshobi; 猛暑日). Yesterday was Japan's first "moshobi" day of the season and Kumamoto and Saga share the distinction of being the first to enter that range this year. :(
As I wrote earlier, we also made national news for the torrential rain (ゲリラ豪雨; literally "guerrilla rainstorm") that hit the northern part of the city in the afternoon. I think it must be quite unusual for Kumamoto to make the national news for extreme heat and extreme rain in the same day.
The typhoon to our south has been blowing up lots of hot air from from areas closer to the equator. This seems to be what led to the unusual combination of high temperatures and then heavy rain.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20150709/k10010144601000.html
佐賀や熊本 ことし全国で初の猛暑日　NHKニュース
９日は九州を中心に強い日ざしが照りつけ、佐賀市や熊本市などで気温が３５度以上に上がり、ことし全国で初めての猛暑日となりました。気象台は、高温…

Even though I was in Kumamoto City (Oe) and heard lots of thunder at about the time this was happening, I wasn't aware aware that there had been extremely heavy rain in another part of the city (Kita Ku [north ward] and Koshi) until I saw it on NHK's national news broadcast. The cyclone to the south is having a greater and more unpredictable effect than I imagined it would.
-- Kirk
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00297000.html#
熊本市などで道路冠水　排水のインフラの限度を超える雨に

This article about the start of the Korean War begins as follows:
--- start quote ---
On the night of June 30, 1950, Lt. Col. Charles B. Smith was asleep in his quarters at Camp Woods near Kumamoto, Japan, when he received a phone call. “The lid has blown off. Get on your clothes and report to the CP,” his commanding officer told him. This began the deployment of Task Force Smith, the first American combat troops to arrive and fight in the Korean War.
--- end quote ---
http://taskandpurpose.com/how-the-korean-war-started-65-years-ago/
If you're curious about Camp Woods, check out the following page. It has many pictures of the U.S. military base, which was located in what is now the Shimizu area of Kumamoto City.
https://gimlets4ever.wordpress.com/1945/10/17/1947-1950-camp-wood-japan/
How The Korean War Started 65 Years Ago | Task & Purpose
It has often been labeled the “Forgotten War,” but over 36,000 Americans and millions of Koreans and Chinese died in a conflict noted for its brutality.

This is not a van Gogh painting -- it's an image of the storm systems to our south.
For more detailed information check out
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com
http://mashable.com/2015/07/08/pacific-typhoons-china-japan/
Trio of Pacific typhoons intensify, creep closer to China and Japan
Typhoons Chan-hom, Linfa and Nangka are spinning their way toward China and Japan, potentially bringing damaging waves, flooding rains and strong winds.

Yesterday was hot. The temperature reached 34 degrees Celsius (93 F) in Kumamoto City and 18 people were treated for heatstroke:
http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20150709003.xhtml
Today and tomorrow are also predicted to be quite hot, though the temperatures should be slightly lower than yesterday.
The July issue of Kumamoto City's Shisei Dayori (City Info) includes some information about what to do if someone seems to be suffering from heatstroke:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7912&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
And here's some advice about avoiding heatstroke:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-stroke/basics/prevention/con-20032814
Kumamoto International Foundation
Symptoms, such as dizziness, muscle aches, leg cramps, headaches, vomiting, and a sense of fatigue, are minor degree of heatstroke. If convulsion or disturbance of consciousness is noticed, these may be symptoms of serious heatstroke. ● Keep the following 4 items in mind!!1 Awareness of heatstrok…

SHISEI DAYORI (City info) July issue
Every Saturday between July 18 and August 29, from 5 PM to 8 PM a Yoichi (night market with food stands, stage events, games, etc) will be held at Johsaien.
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7919&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
Here's a Japanese page with more information:
http://www.sakuranobaba-johsaien.jp/d/news/info/detail/id/259
Kumamoto International Foundation
Yatai ,Game, stage event etc・・・Enjjoy a great time!!!!!Term：18th July〜29th August (Every Saturday 5:00p.m.〜8:00p.m.)Place：Jyo-saien

"Japan has won UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Status for 23 industrial sites after conceding to South Korea’s demand that the registration make clear that some of the locations used forced laborers from the Korean Peninsula."
The above sentence begins an article published at the following address:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/06/national/history/unesco-decides-to-add-meiji-industrial-sites-to-world-heritage-list/
The picture you see is of "the Manda pit of the former Miike coal mine in Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture." Miike's coal mining facility in Arao was also a site at which forced labor occurred. To see a Japanese page about a monument for Chinese laborers who died working in the mines go to
http://www.miike-coalmine.org/ireihi/china.html
And here's the address of an article written in Japanese about Korean laborers:
http://www16.ocn.ne.jp/~pacohama/kyosei/mituimike.html
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201505080074
Japan, S. Korea to hash out dispute over UNESCO listing of Meiji industrial sites - AJW by The...
Tokyo and Seoul agreed to discuss the addition of Meiji Era (1868-1912) industrial sites to the UNESCO World Heritage listing, the two governments announced on May 7.

There are actually two storms coming in our general direction that will probably reach the Category 4 level (gusts of 209-251 kilometers per hour) in the next three days. Fortunately, neither is expected to cause serious problems for Kumamoto. It's wise, however, to keep an eye on them.
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com