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A series of events that are collectively referred to as "Aki no Kumamoto Oshiro Matsuri" (Kumamoto Castle Autumn Festival) begins on the 1st of September and continues through October 31st. I don't have time to translate the information on this page but Google Translate or some similar service might help give you an idea of what's coming up if you don't read Japanese.
By the way, I have links to "Language Tools" (Rikai, Hiragana Megane, etc) on my "Kumamoto Links" page that those of you who read some Japanese but are still learning might find helpful:
http://www2.kumagaku.ac.jp/teacher/~masden/links.html
Note that the readings and definitions provided by these services are not always correct. They can be helpful but if you want to be sure and readings and meanings you'll need to check other sources.
http://www.manyou-kumamoto.jp/contents.cfm?id=702
開催情報-秋 - 【満遊!くまもと】
【時　間】８：３０～１７：３０【場　所】田子櫓【内　容】お城まつり期間中の限定公開となる国指定重要文化財「田子櫓」。特別な空間をこの機会にご堪能ください。

Kumamoto ranked relatively highly (10th) among Japan's prefectures for the percentage of women in executive positions. However, that may not be all that much to brag about because the numbers for Japan as a whole are still pretty low. If you read Japanese, you can find the report by the organization that published the survey here:
http://www.tdb.co.jp/report/watching/press/p140804.html
The graph (taken from the Japanese press release, not the English article) indicates that female representation in managerial positions tends to be much lower in Japan than representation in the "employee" ranks.
http://www.japanupdate.com/2014/08/okinawa-women-score-high-as-business-leaders/
Okinawa women score high as business leaders
The highest number of women leading Japanese companies is in Aomori, while Okinawa’s close behind in second place. A survey by Teikoku Databank Fukuoka say

This is an article about last year's "World Santa Claus Congress in Amakusa." It concludes as follows:
"So while we didn’t have the greatest time, we’re still happy we made the trip to Kumamoto, seeing as how it’s uncertain if there will ever be a 2nd The World Santa Claus Congress in Amakusa."
Well, it looks like a second congress is indeed in the works. According to the following Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/kininaru.kumamoto/photos/a.241044472647030.59847.241041685980642/700042546747218/
this year's congress will begin on the 13th and end on the 15th of September.
For more pictures from last year, see
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.660390263994388.1073741834.405741872792563
Ho, ho, ho!
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/09/19/we-visit-the-world-santa-congress-in-kumamoto-prefecture-and-still-feel-exactly-like-jaded-adults/
We visit the World Santa Congress in Kumamoto Prefecture and still feel exactly like jaded adults
Located in a remote section of a remote prefecture of Japan, Kumamoto’s Amakusa City faces the same problem a lot of rural towns do: its population is dwindling as children born there generally have to leave to pursue an education or career, and few move back. As part of an effort to boost the remai…

Raccoons are not native to Kumamoto but may become a problem for local farmers. They seem to have come to Japan as pets and then been abandoned. This one was photographed in Kikuchi using an automatic trigger system.
http://youtu.be/z9Cgk3fhVDA
20140826sp 1

MSUB extends cooperative agreement with Japanese university
Montana State University Billings and Japan’s Prefectural University of Kumamoto (PUK) extended by three years on Monday a long-running agreement that includes exchange student programs, immersive language programs and faculty

Mie, the team that defeated Kumamoto's Johoku, came very close to winning the tournament.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2014/08/25/baseball/osaka-toin-captures-koshien-title/#.U_viGUuyu0w
Osaka Toin captures Koshien title | The Japan Times
Osaka Toin defeated Mie 4-3 in the final to win the prestigious national high school championship on Monday. Osaka Toin trailed 3-2 in the seventh inning,

The Redback Spider is a species from Australia that has established itself in Japan. The first one was found in Kumamoto last year in Tsuruhada (the northern part of Kumamoto City). This article reports that an additional 42 spiders and eggs have been found in that area recently. The city is advising wearing gloves when working in areas that spiders are likely to inhabit. For more information about the spider in English, see
Deadly red-back spider spreads across Japan
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201210180001
and
Redback Spider, Latrodectus hasselti
http://australianmuseum.net.au/redback-spider
To find the city's warning (in Japanese) go to
http://www.city.kumamoto.jp/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&id=3057
http://mainichi.jp/area/kumamoto/news/m20140823ddlk43040310000c.html
セアカゴケグモ:熊本市北区に　４２匹と卵確認　／熊本 - 毎日新聞
　熊本市は２２日、同市北区鶴羽田１の住宅街で特定外来生物のセアカゴケグモ４２匹と卵のう４３個を見つけ...

Kumamon takes the ALS ice bucket challenge . . .
http://youtu.be/3FHCsNqTK0E
くまモン ALS アイス バケツ チャレンジ

Here's an invitation to play flag football from the KumAJET page:
"On September 15th (public holiday) there is a flag football tournament just north of Kumamoto city. It's a relaxed day playing against a JHS team and a few other teams. If you would like to join us or, have 5 players to start a team, I can supply more details.
We also play in the Kyushu tournaments traveling to other prefectures which is a good opportunity to see the sights."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/45261511655/permalink/10152379945941656/

This article begins with a few paragraphs about the Kumamoto Castle Marathon.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/marathons-gain-traction/1324416.html
Marathons gain traction in sports vacations - Channel NewsAsia
More Singaporeans are signing up for travel packages that include running a marathon.

Hi! I'm sharing this in the hope that more people will see it this way.

I received a question about how to order cheap tickets through Jetstar. (The 99 yen tickets, by the way, are gone -- at least between Tokyo and Kumamoto but there are still relatively inexpensive seats available for some dates.) I went to the Jetstar website and found that the only way to find any tickets between Kumamoto and other points in Japan is to go to the Japanese website:
http://www.jetstar.com/jp/ja/home
I illustrated my feeling about this asymmetry between English and Japanese by adding a little comment to the screen shot I took of the English search page on the Jetstar site.

The Asahi editorial cites Kumamoto's "preventive evacuations" as a model for the nation. When the call to evacuate came out in July, I didn't realize that they were part of a new program.
====== start quote ======
Kumamoto Prefecture in the last fiscal year launched a new disaster response program focused on “preventive evacuations,” which can be instructive for other local governments.
The prefectural government developed the program after heavy downpours in the early morning hours caused casualties in July 2012.
Under the program, when heavy nighttime rainfall is expected, local governments set up evacuation sites in the evening and call for voluntary evacuations.
When Typhoon No. 8 struck Japan in July, some 5,000 people in Kumamoto Prefecture actually took shelter under the program. Even if an evacuation later turns out to have been unnecessary, such actions are meaningful because they make people more conscious of the risks.
To boost our own safety during natural disasters, we should do what we can during normal times.
====== end quote ======
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/editorial/AJ201408220027
EDITORIAL: Hiroshima landslides show need to review disaster response plans - AJW by The Asahi...
Massive landslides caused by heavy rainfall engulfed wide areas in northern parts of Hiroshima, leaving dozens of people dead or missing.

RKK's evening news show included a segment about halal food in Kumamoto last month. The prefecture is interested in slaughtering meat in accord with Islamic practices so that it can be certified as halal. Part of the segment was filmed at this store near Kumamoto University.
SISWAHYU HALAL FOOD
Japan, 熊本県熊本市中央区黒髪5丁目8-22
+81 96-343-7568
http://www.siswahyu.com/warungindonesia/index.php

This, of course, is about the disaster in Hiroshima but I think there is an indirect connection to discussions we've had on this page. When a major typhoon threatened to dump a lot of rain on Kumamoto in July, some of the evacuation orders were seen as overreactions. As I pointed at the time (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kumamoto-i/conversations/messages/12956), predicting exactly where a landslide or flood will occur in time to evacuate potential victims is not a simple matter. Sadly, in this case, the evacuation advisories came too late. The typhoon season is far from over this year so I think it's wise to bear in mind that heavy rain and strong winds can indeed be very dangerous -- especially if you live in a vulnerable area.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/08/21/national/hiroshima-slide-alert-said-tardy-toll-hits-39-search-missing-seven-continues/
Hiroshima slide alert said tardy; toll hits 39 as search for missing seven continues | The Japan...
The landslides and flooding triggered by torrential rain overnight Wednesday that engulfed residential areas in Hiroshima so far have left 39 people confir

99 seats on each flight will be sold for 99 yen (about 1 dollar U.S.).
http://zipanguflyer.blogspot.jp/2014/08/jetstar-to-launch-kumamoto-in-october.html
ZipanguFlyer: Jetstar to launch Kumamoto in October with three routes.

Kumamoto's Johoku lost to Mie yesterday. The score was 7-5.
http://www.sanspo.com/baseball/news/20140820/hig14082013490014-n1.html
　第９６回全国高校野球選手権大会第１０日第３試合（三重７－５城北、２０日、甲子園）三重が点の取り合いとなった一戦を７－５で制し、４６年ぶりのベスト８進出を決めた。城北（熊本）は、三回まで６点リードされ、八回には１点差まで迫る粘りを見せたものの、あと一歩届かなかった。

Here's another nice Kumamoto-related blog.
http://gdjapan.blogspot.jp
Danielle and Graham in Japan

This blog has lots of nice posts about Kumamoto.
http://www.trangsformation.com
Live a Great Story Today ©

Osprey use has been very controversial in Okinawa and other parts of Japan because of noise and safety concerns.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140818p2g00m0dm045000c.html
Japan-U.S. joint drills to be held in Kumamoto, Osprey use possible - 毎日新聞
KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and U.S. Marine Corps plan to cond...