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The following link will take you to an English article about a shop in Yamato that, according to the author, makes great Swiss rolls -- called "roll cake" (ロールケーキ) in Japanese:
https://www.facebook.com/kumanago.en/posts/613184575479452
Here's a link to a Google map showing the location:
https://goo.gl/maps/0p0ZB
The shop is very near Tsujunkyo Bridge so after seeing the bridge (actually, it's an aqueduct) and nearby Gorogataki falls you might want to pick up some cake to bring back as a little omiyage (souvenir).
By the way, if you interested in visiting the Tsujunkyo area, be sure to check out the NHK video that I posted about the other day:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/785845744822193
Had me some Yamato Roll that I've been waiting for.

This YouTube channel (CityGuide Kumamoto) seems to be new. At this point, they have nine short little videos introducing various spots in Kumamoto with English narration. Here's an index to all of the English videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMqHF1b7mllSesaIZszyt5yEOEhtxcQt-
http://youtu.be/X_91rGbHrcA
They have videos in Japanese and other languages as well.
P.S. The Japanese name of the channel is シティガイド熊本. Japanese speakers should be careful about the pronunciation of the first syllable when introducing the channel to English speakers. :)
Honmyoji Temple ~ City Guide Kumamoto
Honmyoji Temple is a buddist temple in Kumamoto. For more information, please visit our homepage shown below; http://www.cityguidekumamoto.jp/english/

This NHK program (in English) has extensive sections about Yachiyoza (a traditional theatre) in Yamaga and Tsujunkyo Bridge in Yamato-cho.
http://youtu.be/kNr6wUnAXv0
Journeys in Japan - Kumamoto Pref.: Appreciating Abundance

This is from Kumamon's Facebook page. It's a video about Kumamoto's rice in English, then Chinese, then Japanese. I don't understand why the three languages would be put together in one video, though.
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotodiary.en/posts/804264389649861
http://youtu.be/v2Q0uSwleM8
くまモン 元気の秘密

The other day I had lunch at a restaurant on the 14th floor of the Shiyakusho (city hall) building in Kumamoto City. The restaurant (Sai) is very nice and you can enjoy one of the best views of the castle as you eat. This photo is one I took with my iPhone.
https://plus.google.com/112638657596525871524/about?gl=jp&hl=en
Posted by Kirk

For frequent fliers . . .
http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/35077-japans-amakusa-airlines-to-codeshare-with-jal-from-april
Japan's Amakusa Airlines to codeshare with JAL from April
Amakusa Airlines (AHX, Kumamoto) has signed a codeshare agreement - its first - with JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda). Under the terms of the deal, JAL will place its code on all Amakusa's flights, which includes flights from Amakusa to Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Osaka Itami, from April 1. Accordi…

Joe Tomei here with an announcement. Levy Solomon will be teaching a benefit yoga class for the Kagonyan cat cafe.
http://www.kagonyan.com/
Here are the details
Date: Sunday February 22nd
Place: Kagonyan Cat Cafe
Kamitori
熊本市上林町１－３１マーケットプレイス　ウエスト２F
Time: 10:30-11:30
Cost: 1000 yen (or more) all proceeds will go to support the Kagonyan Cat Cafe
Bring: a yoga mat and comfortable clothes
Levy Solomon is an English Teacher at Sojo University. In addition, she is a yoga instructor and cat owner, and she has found a way to combine all three loves. Please go to this Yoga Class taught in English. All profits will be donated to the Kagonyan cat shelter.
There is also a Facebook event page at
https://www.facebook.com/events/635947973194602/?ref=2&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
熊本の猫カフェ　キャットシェルターかごにゃん - かごにゃん
熊本の猫カフェ　キャットシェルターかごにゃんのホームページです。　かごにゃんでは猫カフェとしても楽しめますが、メインは猫の保護及び譲渡を行っています。

"The worst example of mercury poisoning came in Minamata, Japan, where Chisso Corporation's chemical factory discharged industrial wastewater which contained methylmercury into the nearby bay between 1932 and 1968. As of March 2001, 2,265 victims had been officially recognised as having Minamata disease, 1,784 of whom had died."
The Japanese text below indicates that 32,244 people were approved (many more applied) in the second political settlement that concluded a couple of years ago. I'm adding this to point out that the "officially certified" patients (the numbers in the quote above) are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the devastation caused by Chisso's dumping of mercury-laiden waste into the waters around Minamata.
水俣病特別措置法に基づく被害者救済策で、環境省は29日、熊本、鹿児島、新潟３県で計３万2244人が一時金210万円の支給対象となったと発表した。
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASDG2903K_Z20C14A8CC1000/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/66085391/Note-to-tuna-eaters-Mercury-levels-are-rising
Eating tuna? Mercury levels rising...
Mercury levels in tuna are climbing rapidly - pregnant women in particular should note.

Earlier today I posted about this forum’s roots in the Coalition Against Discrimination by the Prefectural University of Kumamoto:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/782855905121177:0
In this message, I'd like to say a few words about the importance of activist Arudo Debito's work, both with regard to the cases in Kumamoto and in a broader sense.
First, let me address the question "Who is Arudo Debito?" Debito provides his own answer here
http://www.debito.org/?page_id=2
but I'd like to stress the importance of Debito's work combating discrimination by Yunohana Onsen in Otaru, Hokkaido. If you click on the photo of Debito that you see below you can read Debito's own account of this landmark case, which ended in the court finding in favor of Debito and against the onsen that banned foreigners.
Debito is a controversial figure, both among non-Japanese and Japanese. Among non-Japanese, some criticize him for being too strident and claim that his activism does more harm than good because of the backlash it creates. I will concede that Debito's work has been the target of significant backlash. On the other hand, though, I think Debito's work has contributed to the general acceptance the principal of equal treatment in Japanese society as a whole while the backlash has been focused primarily on Debito personally.
In regard to the RIGO case, I was very glad to have Debito "waiting in the wings," so to speak. As readers of the Kumamoto International page may have noticed, Debito commented on the case and offered advice:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/779262532147181
In my behind-the-scenes discussions with city officials, I mentioned Debito's involvement and the likelihood that he would be writing about the issue in the future. I believe that the city officials are people of good will and that they would have taken the issue seriously even if Debito were not involved. Nonetheless, I was very happy to be able to cite Debito's interest in the case and point to the likelihood that the issue would get significantly more negative attention if a resolution was not achieved. Even if the city officials did not need additional incentive to take the case seriously, the possibility of the issue blowing up on the internet may have been a factor in the thinking of RIGO's management.
So, thanks Debito, for your past work and for your willingness to come to bat in this case as well!
Finally, I'd like to point out that Debito played a very significant role in the Prefectural University of Kumamoto case I described in my last post:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/782838218456279/?type=1
He helped us both on the internet (he facilitated the creation of a written record on the web that was invaluable to me when I was preparing my book chapter on the issue — see link above) and by traveling several times from Hokkaido to Kumamoto on his own dime to show solidarity.
http://www.debito.org/otarulawsuit.html
Posted by Kirk
www.debito.org: THE OTARU LAWSUIT INFORMATION SITE, by the Plaintiffs
A case of racial discrimination in Hokkaido, Japan, where several places of business, most notably onsen bathhouses in Otaru, posted JAPANESE ONLY signs to keep foreigners out. However, this caused problems with long-term foreigners and their families, and when a naturalized Japanese caucasian was a…

Yesterday, I reported on the resolution of the RIGO "no foreigners" issue:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/photos/a.129499733790134.25925.123734781033296/782487058491395/?type=1
In this message, I'd like to try to describe the historical relationship of this forum to such issues. First and foremost, I’d like readers to know that this forum (Facebook page and mailing list) is a byproduct of the "Coalition Against Discrimination by the Prefectural University of Kumamoto." The image I've attached to this Facebook post was taken from the web site of the organization:
http://www2.kumagaku.ac.jp/teacher/~masden/mamorukai/english/index.html
One good source on the web about the background of the issue is Cynthia Worthington's article on the Japan Policy Research Institute's website:
http://www.jpri.org/publications/workingpapers/wp58.html
JPRI Working Paper No. 58: June 1999
"Combating Discrimination at a Japanese University"
I started the Kumamoto-i mailing list (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/info) to provide the Coalition with a way of communicating with interested persons in the Kumamoto area about this and other local issues. As readers of the mailing list and this Facebook page can attest, since it's establishment in 1999, the bulk of the content shared here has been non-political (local news, events, opportunities, buy and sell, etc.). Nonetheless, I believe that networks such as this one can be indispensable if and when the need for social activism arises.
The Prefectural University of Kumamoto case was successful by some measures and unsuccessful by others. It was successful in that a good deal of international attention was placed on the discriminatory practices of PUK. For example, the New York Times published a front-page story mentioning the case:
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/15/world/japanese-only-policy-takes-body-blow-in-court.html
It was unsuccessful, however, in that the court case to secure the employment of the non-Japanese teachers who raised their voices against the university ended in defeat. For a brief treatment of the court case see Farrell Cleary's "Hostile Verdict for Prefectural University of Kumamoto Teachers":
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/topics/3895
I published a more detailed analysis of the court case (and by extension, the entire issue) as a book chapter:
http://goo.gl/7inSJB
Native-Speakerism in Japan: Intergroup Dynamics in Foreign Language Education
edited by Stephanie Ann Houghton, Damian J. Rivers
Multilingual Matters, Feb 19, 2013
"Kumamoto General Union vs. the Prefectural University of Kumamoto: Reviewing the Decision Rendered by the Kumamoto District Court"
Kirk Masden
Cynthia Worthington and Sandra Mitchell lost their jobs but the publicity about the case (including many articles in the Kumanichi, Kumamoto's local newspaper) dealt a significant blow to the Prefectural University of Kumamoto's prestige. If nothing else, it sent a clear message to institutions throughout Japan that discriminatory employment practices might lead to significant backlash.
My experience has taught me that the handling of cases of discrimination can become object lessons for other potential discriminators. For this and other reasons, I felt it was important to make sure that the discriminatory practices revealed by Sean Michael Wilson did not go unchallenged. In a separate post, I'll write a bit more about the importance of precedent in cases such as this one.
Posted by Kirk

I'm happy to report the resolution of the RIGO "no foreigners" issue. The establishment has promised that people who are fluent in Japanese and accept the RIGO rules regarding payment, dress code, etc. will not be turned away merely because they are not Japanese. There may be instances, however, when the establishment is crowded and cannot handle more patrons, but we assume that Japanese and non-Japanese would be treated alike in such a circumstance. Here, with the permission of Seán Michael Wilson and the Kumamoto City Office for the Promotion of Human Rights (熊本市人権推進総室; my translation), is a portion of an e-mail sent from the Office to Seán regarding the terms of the resolution:
"外国人を理由として入店を拒否する事は、差別であり、改善するように理解を求めると、「日本語が堪能であり、店の意向を理解してもらえれば、今後は入店を拒否しない、改善する。」との回答を得ました。加えて、店の責任者からは、店が混雑している時は、入店をお断りすることはありうると申し添えがありました。"
I'm sure Seán joins me in thanking the Kumamoto City Office for the Promotion of Human Rights for their support and intervention, the management of RIGO for their flexibility, and everyone who offered support and/or participated in the discussion of the issue.
Finally, I will append links to previous posts on this page about the incident so that those who are reading about it for the first time can find more information about what happened and how the discussion of the issue developed:
My first post sharing Seán's report:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/779262532147181
My second post, linking to Seán public post on his own Facebook page (and the hundreds of comments he received):
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/780365138703587
Posted by Kirk

The BBC has published this video about Minamata disease on their web site. It's only about three minutes long.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31156620
The Japanese town that was poisoned
In the 1950s an industrial disaster devastated the Japanese town of Minamata.

The distinctive character of the Aso area is maintained by burning the fields each spring. This report is from RKK's website.
http://youtu.be/gzKQt9xSZr8

Yesterday, I posted about efforts to reintroduce Kumamoto oysters. This video is all in Japanese (except for a couple of interviews with Americans) but might be interesting for those who want to know more about this topic.
http://youtu.be/JJC4lxDGQHM
アメリカで10年以上前から人気の高級ブランドガキがある。その名も「クマモト・オイスター」。「幻のカキ」とも呼ばれ、濃厚でクリーミーな味わいは、カキ愛好家をうならせている。しかし、一体なぜ、このカキに熊本の名前が付いているのか？今回は、「クマモト・オイスター」のルーツと復活物語です。

I love being able to be in Japan but still have access to international media. On the other hand, I have to admit that when I first came over 30 years ago, I had fewer distractions and found it easier to focus on studying Japanese .
http://www.npr.org/2015/02/10/385267279/tech-may-get-in-the-way-of-good-culture-shock-while-studying-abroad?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=allthingsconsidered
Tech May Get In The Way Of Good Culture Shock While Studying Abroad
A record number of Americans are studying abroad. Educators say that's good, as it promotes better cross-cultural understanding. But many in the field worry the influx of technology and social media may be hampering students' ability to fully immerse themselves abroad.

This research could help epileptics all over the world.
"A team from Kyoto University which developed the system is collaborating with Kumamoto University and Tokyo Medical and Dental University to get the device to be commercially produced by 2020, the Nikkei financial publication reported Thursday."
http://odishasuntimes.com/111984/mobile-app-detect-epileptic-attacks-developed/
Mobile app to detect epileptic attacks developed
Tokyo, Feb 5: Japanese researchers have developed a system for smartphones that alerts epileptics at least 30 seconds before a seizure helping patients take precautions in the nick of time and avoid injuries. A team from Kyoto University which developed the system is collaborating with Kumamoto

If you click on the photo, you can read the entire article (in English) about this event. "Roman," by the way, is an abbreviation of "romantic" or "romanticism." In Japanese, the event name is 山鹿灯籠浪漫. Most Western loanwords in Japanese are written in katakana but there are a few like this one that have been given kanji.
I went to Yamaga Toro Roman Festival!

Mercury poisoning is a historical tragedy in Minamata, Kumamoto but also a very contemporary threat.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/02/04/rapidly-rising-mercury-levels-in-yellowfin-tuna-reveal-trouble-ahead-for-planets-food-source/
Rapidly Rising Mercury Levels In Yellowfin Tuna Reveal Trouble Ahead For Planet's Food Source
Yellowfin tuna, marketed as Ahi, is already on the Natural Resources Defense Council's list as a high-mercury fish that should be eaten sparingly or avoided altogether. But results from a new study reveals those mercury levels have been rising by nearly 4 percent annually over a ten year period.

Here's the route of next Sunday's marathon.
https://www.facebook.com/kumamototourism/posts/854191787966301
交通規制情報 | 熊本城マラソン2015

I know that taxis are usually waiting at the airport but I wonder if anyone can answer this question: Have you even encountered a situation where you had to wait a significant amount of time at Kumamoto Airport before you could catch a cab?