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I have been contacted by a representative of Higo Bank. We will be meeting on Monday morning but I can report that the bank is willing to be much more flexible than the letter we received would seem to indicate. In particular, am happy to report that I was told that it will not be necessary to appear in person if we can send copies of the required documents to the bank via the mail. On the phone I got the impression that they will be willing to be flexible regarding the deadline as well, particularly if they are contacted about the matter. I'll hear more about how they can work with us in that regard on Monday. In preparation for the meeting, I'll review all of the comments that have been made to Ruth's original post and to this post and then make sure that all questions are addressed when I meet with the representative. If there is anything else you would like me to ask when I meet with the representative on Monday, please send me a personal message or put your thoughts in a comment to this post.

Kirk here with another example of backlash to the major's discussion with foreign members of the community.

Kirk here. This article is about the negative feedback the major received on X (Twitter) as a result of sticking his neck out to listen to the views of foreign residents. I haven't actually looked at the major's X account but, according to the article many　opinions there were along the lines of "if those darn foreigners don't like it here, they should leave." It would probably be easier for a politician to do nothing but the major made the effort to hold a roundtable. If nothing else, I think that's an important symbolic act; it sets a good example. And, as I've written before, I have good evidence that the major actually listens and modifies policies where appropriate.

Kirk here. The other day I introduced a short (about one minute) video about this meeting with the mayor. This video is over four minutes long. If you understand Japanese you can hear some astute comments by the participants directly. (I may add some notes in a comment later, if I have time.)

:::::::IMPORTANT UPDATE:::::::

Kirk here with something that may not be of much interested to native speakers of English but that Japanese students of English might want to use to study. It presents the text of a Yomiuri newspaper article called "Kumamoto Pref. pushes ‘Kumamon Land’ vision" in clear, easy-to-understand audio with subtitles.

William Ask any Japanese about Kumamoto food culture and they will mention basashi (horse sashimi). Many will disagree with the ethics of eating horse (or even eating meat at all), so let's please stay with the menu: basashi and Kumamoto.

Kirk here with "dust devil" news from Sunday. "Dust devils form when a pocket of hot air near the surface rises quickly through cooler air above it, forming an updraft." The difference between the hot air on Sunday (30 degrees!) and the cooler air above seems to be what caused this to occur in Kumamoto (you can see the Aso mountains in the background of the video). In Japanese it's called a つむじ風 (tsumuji kaze). Tsumuji is a "hair whorl" so tsumuji kaze is a "hair whorl wind" -- a much cuter term than "dust devil." :)

Kirk here with fun news for train lovers.

風流街浪漫フェスタ Furumachi Romance Festival

Have you been summoned? Ruth here bearing such exhilarating news about Higo Bank's (and other banking institutions') 'present yourself' request due to ongoing anti-money laundering measures. I got a postcard from them last year and duly popped in thinking that they'd leave me alone for at least 5 years as my residence card was renewed in 2021. I wonder why am I now getting this letter!!

Kirk here. The temperature in Kumamoto got up to 30° Celsius (about 86° Fahrenheit) -- an all-time record for November.

銀杏のライトアップ

Kirk here feeling rather warm today. Here are a couple of graphs I made with government temperature records to put things in perspective. The average temperatures (in blue) reveal a fairly steady rise while the high temperatures (in red) show this year as a huge jump from the norm. I think it's also interesting to note that the average temperature so far is higher than highs of many years past.

Sean here - As a parent, I found Dr. Seuss to be one of the hardest books to read as a bedtime story. Anybody with kids who have tried, understand. Here's a pretty good documentary on the author Theodor Geisel

William According to the Kumanichi, scaffolding has been removed from the castle's Idemaru Five Story Turret (飯田丸五階櫓). This was built during the Kato family era and is believed to have been used as a lookout and a weapons storehouse. The turret was dismantled during the Seinan War to disarm Higo, leaving only the stone fortification. This almost completely collapsed during the quakes, saved solely by a single corner pillar, leaving it the nickname 一本石垣 (ippon ishigaki, single-legged stone wall).

Kirk here. I added some events to the "Kumamoto International" calendar, which is pinned to the top of the page:

fireworks in Tamana

Kirk here here with a post about how the Kumamoto National Institute of Technology in Koshi and other kosen (高専; schools that start at high school age but have curricula that last through what would be the 2nd year of college) are preparing young people to meet the growing demand for workers with technical skills.

Sean here -