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"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

The other day conservative politicians and commentators lashed out at "liberal bias" in the media, particularly in Okinawa:
--- start quote ---
Novelist Naoki Hyakuta’s claim that the two newspapers of Okinawa should be shut down is an example of suppression of free speech; media will only be allowed to report on what meets the intentions of the administration.
--- end quote ---
http://english.ryukyushimpo.jp/2015/07/02/19059/
The politician who organized the event is Kihara Minoru, who represents a district in Kumamoto.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002251855
LDP division chief removed from post over anti-media remarks
Liberal Democratic Party member Minoru Kihara has been removed from the top post in the party’s Youth Division over the dispute triggered by some conservative LDP members calling for pressure on the media at a recent study meeting that Kihara led.

The July issue of the Shisei Dayori (City Info) includes an article on the new "My Number System" -- individual numbers similar to social security numbers in the U.S. system.
First, here are some quotes of descriptions of the system from a view resources on the web:
--- start quote ---
The Diet passed the “common number” bill May 24, paving the way for every resident, including foreigners, to be assigned a personal identification number.
Holders of the “my number” IDs will be notified around fall 2015 and they will take effect starting in January 2016.
--- end quote ---
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/11/reference/new-id-system-for-keeping-tax-tabs-finding-cheats/
For a critical view of the system see
EDITORIALS
‘My number’ is dangerous
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/05/30/editorials/my-number-is-dangerous/
Official explanation about which foreigners will get "my numbers."
--- start quote ---
Q 1-0 Does the Social Security and Tax Number System apply to foreigners? And if it does, does it apply to all foreigners?
A 1-0 The Social Security and Tax Number System applies to foreigners who have legally resided in Japan for more than three months and have an address in Japan (i.e., if any one of the following classifications applies).
--- end quote ---
http://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/bangoseido/english-faq.html
The address of the article with the information provided by the city is
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7911&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
Kumamoto International Foundation
Series of Introductory Information of "My Number System"(Individual Number Card and Notification Card)

SHISEI-DAYORI (City Info) July issue
The link will take you to an announcement about health care for persons over 75 years of age and persons with certain handicaps that are over 65 years of age.
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7910&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
Kumamoto International Foundation
The new insurance card of Late-Stage Senior Citizen's Medical Care System will be mailed in mid-July. The insurance card will be changed to a yellow colour from the current water colour. Please use yellow-coloured card on and after August 1　

A this point, it looks like the approaching typhoon is more likely to be a problem for Okinawa than for Kumamoto -- though we will probably feel its effects to some extent. If the prediction on the TropicalStormRisk website is correct, it may be a Category 4 when it hits Okinawa sometime around Thursday or so.
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com
Hurricane Katrina (2005) was a Category 3 or 4 when it actually hit New Orleans so that gives you an idea of what Okinawa might be facing.
By the way, the July issue of the Shisei-Dayori (City Info) has an article about the cancellation of garbage collection in the event of a typhoon:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7915&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
The sources that they indicate that should be checked for confirmation, however, are all in Japanese. For example, Kumamoto City's emergency page:
http://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kinkyu/pub/default.aspx?c_id=3
If you have trouble understanding information in Japanese , perhaps its a good idea to check with a friend or neighbor you can communicate with more easily. Or, when in doubt, save your garbage for the next collection day.

There are many things about Facebook that I don't like or am concerned about (no decent search function, tracking of personal information of users, etc.) but, as the manager of this page, I'm glad to be able to see how it is being used. This screen shot shows demographic information about who has been looking at posts over the past month. I downloaded the statistics and found that about half of the people looking at the posts are not in Japan. I thought that was interesting because the posts are primarily intended to be useful for people who are here now or planning to come some. The statistics also indicate that about 40% of the people who see the posts (post reach) are native speakers of Japanese but that only a little more than 20% of the people who have "liked" the page are Japanese. I hope more Japanese people will participate actively in the future.
ご愛読いただき、ありがとうございます。今後ともよろしくお願いします。

I posted about this preschool in Kumamoto the other day:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/857061781033922
This article has a few more pictures of what appears to be a an extremely well-designed facility.
-- Kirk
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/07/04/kumamoto-preschool-designed-to-become-a-giant-puddle-when-it-rains/
Kumamoto preschool designed to become a giant puddle when it rains
Kids will be kids. And being kids, one of the things they are inevitably going to do is play in rain puddles. No matter how they might be scolded later, the sheer joy of splish-splashing through some nice big puddles exerts an irresistible magnetic force on little feet. Rather than trying to reign i…

The opening ceremony of the Batten Hinokuni Summer Festival will be held at 4 PM on July 18th (Saturday) at the Bipuresu Square (across the street from Tsuruya Department Store).
One of the festival events is Honmyoji Temple's Tonshae, which will be held on July 23rd this year. For an English explanation of Tonshae, please see
http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003663.html
A video that gives you an idea of what to expect can be found at
http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003663.html
In addition, a Yukata festival will be held on August 1st and 2nd and then the main event, the Hinokuni Matsuri (festival) will be held on August 7th and 8th. For more information about the Hinokuni Matsuri see
http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003540.html
This germ of this post is the following article from the July issue of Kumamoto City's Shisei Dayori:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7908&pg=2&sort=0&LC=e

According to this article in the July issue Kumamoto City's Shisei Dayori, the current National Health Insurance Card is only valid until July 31. If you are enrolled in the National Health Insurance program, you should get a new card in the mail in mid July.
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=7917&pg=1&sort=0&LC=e
Kumamoto International Foundation
The current National Health Insurance Card is only valid until July 31. The renewed card will be sent by registered mail in the middle of July. Those people who have received a notifcation requesting to renew their insurance card at the Government Office need to take procedures for making a new insu…

A storm is headed in our direction. On the news, I heard that it would probably be in the Okinawa area around Wednesday of next week. It's not very powerful now but is predicted to grow in intensity. I'll try to provide more information later.
-- Kirk
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

The Kumamoto Volters haven't been winning much. According to stats on the first URL shown below, their longest winning streak is two games in a row while their longest losing streak is an unlucky 13. Similarly, they have won only two games by more than 10 points while they have lost 30 by that margin. Perhaps this gentleman's arrival will help them do a little better in the future.
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/gameCent/p/leagueid/JPN/ot/1/season/2015/tid/6078010/teamView.html
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sports/ci_28419743/nmsu-mens-basketball-nephawe-signs-pro-contract-play
NMSU MEN'S BASKETBALL: Nephawe signs pro contract to play in Japan
LAS CRUCES -- Former New Mexico State center Tshilidzi Nephawe has signed a professional contract to play for the Kumamoto Vorters in Kumamoto, Japan.

Kumamoto is looking for a native speaker of English to teach and work in elementary schools in the city, beginning at the end of August. The details are on the web page. If you see only Japanese at first, just click on the "English" link.
http://www.city.kumamoto.jp/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&type=top&id=9378
English Teaching Position Available (英語指導助手募集)

I love this idea. If you would like to know where this preschool (yochien) is located, check out the following link:
http://sc.kumamoto-net.ne.jp/daiichi-Pre/one_html3/pub/default.aspx?c_id=38
-- KIrk
This Preschool Turns Into a Huge Puddle Playground When It Rains
Kids need to play—it’s simply how they learn. More and more, scientists who study early childhood development say that preschools and kindergartens are focusing on academics when they should be letting kids simply play. Not at this preschool in Japan.

This is a Japanese article about the heavy rains we had on Monday. It says that a 70 year old man was rescued (unhurt) from this car in Higashi-ku (East Ward) of Kumamoto City.
http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH713DC5H71TIPE00F.html
九州で強い雨、熊本は一時避難勧告　長崎で住宅浸水：朝日新聞デジタル
　九州では１日未明から局所的に強い雨となった。熊本県の５市町村で一時、避難勧告が出されたほか、長崎県では住宅が浸水する被害が出た。　熊本県菊池市で同日未明、１時間に５９・５ミリの雨を観測。菊池、合志、...

A reader of this page alerted me to this article in the Mainichi Shimbun. It's about the arrest of a member of Kumamoto's English-speaking community for the crime of graffiti. I hesitated to post about it because I don't want to compound the troubles of the arrested person. On the other hand, as it is public knowledge in the Japanese media and the object of ridicule from Japan's racist netizens (see second URL), I thought I should at least introduce the URLs so that the accused person's friends could be alerted to the situation.
There are many things I like about Japan, but I have deep concerns about the degree to which the rights of the accused are protected. I'm not sure if anything can be done, but if someone reading this recognizes the accused as a friend, you might consider requesting a visit.
-- Kirk
http://sp.mainichi.jp/area/kumamoto/news/20150630ddlk43040331000c.html
http://ai.2ch.sc/test/read.cgi/newsplus/1435659169/l50
落書き：寺の看板に　容疑で男を逮捕　熊本北署　／熊本 - 毎日新聞
　熊本北署は２９日、熊本市の寺の看板に落書きをしたなどとして、オーストラリア国籍の熊本市東区東京塚町...

First and second period classes at Kumamoto University have been canceled but not at Kumamoto Gakuen University. I haven't checked to find out how other universities are handling the heavy rain.

The first image is from a site that indicates which rivers are in danger of flooding. Currently, the Kikuchigawa is at the hanran keikai joho (flood warning information) level, the third highest. Tthe highest is confirmation of an actual flood and the second highest is the "danger" level, indicating that at flood is imminent. The water level in the Shirakawa, which runs through the heart of Kumamoto City, is also elevated. The photo is a screen shot of a live camera of the river. There does not seem to be much danger of flooding but the level is indeed higher than normal.
To see the site with the flood warnings go to
http://www.river.go.jp/nrpc0502gDisp.do?areaCode=89
To see the live camera go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t0Mz9V2xZQ&feature=youtu.be

The heavy rain has caused "sediment disaster alerts" (warnings about landslides) to be issued and evacuations called for in various parts of Kumamoto, particularly, but not restricted to, the Aso area. The evacuations I am aware of are:
Minami Aso Mura: 4721 households
Mifune Machi: 7091 households (entire area)
Many parts of Aso Shi
Gyokuto Machi (near Tamana): 1986 households
The information about evacuations that I have comes from
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/osirase/index.cgi?type=1001
The two images have have shared in this post come from
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/doshamesh/349.html?areaCode=349
and
http://www.bousai.pref.kumamoto.jp/GmnDsp.exe?M100A0S0N1P0

There are warnings about heavy rains that are likely to be at their strongest early tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. The image you see is from
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/warn/349_table.html
To see animated radar images of the Kumamoto area, go to
http://kumamoto.wni.co.jp/radar/rnkg/info_frame.html
If there are calls for evacuations, they should be listed at
http://www.anshin.pref.kumamoto.jp/osirase/index.cgi?type=1001
Unfortunately, however, this information is only presented in Japanese (and in a less than ideal format even in Japanese) so you have to make quite an effort to figure out what is happening.
If you live near a river that might flood or a steep slope where a landslide might occur, it's a good idea to make sure you have people to provide you with any help you might need.