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Kirk here. Today it was 30.9 in Yamaga, a local record for April and the highest in the country today.
https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/rkk/region/rkk-445884.html

Kirk here with something about Tsujunkyo:
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/travel-spots/20230415-103477/
Please see the following for previous posts on this page about the aquaduct:
https://www.facebook.com/page/123734781033296/search/?q=Tsujunkyo
Kumamoto: Old Aqueduct Wows Onlookers
YAMATO, Kumamoto — Tsujunkyo Bridge’s water-release system has begun to be deployed for this season, delighting onlookers in Yamato, Kumamoto Prefecture. The 75-meter-long stone-arch aqueduct — built in 1854 to supply water to surrounding rice paddies — is an important cultural property for ...

Joe Tomei here. With my youngest daughter now at university, I've rejoined the ranks. My first post back is thanks to my oldest daughter, because a friend of hers is working for Hoshino Resort, the company which took over the downtown Parco. While the hotel, called the OMO5 Kumamoto, won't open until 25 April, we were able to stay as they train the staff and get everything up to speed.
The hotel is a pretty trendy place, with a demographic younger than me. Very high tech as you can see from the photos on the website at
https://hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/omo5kumamoto/
It also has family rooms that can have 1-6 guests. While most people reading this might not need to stay in a hotel, if you have family or friends visiting and you want to impress, this might be nice. When they do open, you may want to check out the Deco-Boco 3f terrace.
I've also added two photos, though the website photos are accurate and better.

Atsuko here.
I found a very interesting bird's-eye view of Kumamoto Castle Town at the students'
entrance of Gofuku Elementary School, where I have been working since April, and would like to share it with you.
Kumamoto Castle Town in the Edo period. You can enjoy it even if you don't understand Japanese, such as the paths taken by the councilors and the location of the temples. There are still temples and wholesale shops in Furumachi and Shinmachi, and you can understand the origins of the town as it is today.
You can also use this map as a basis for walking around the town today.ଘ(੭ˊ꒳​ˋ)੭✧

Kirk here. I have fond memories of visiting Tsuetate many years ago. This article is making me think it might be time for another visit.
Carp streamers 'swim' above river in southwest Japan town ahead of Children's Day - The Mainichi
OGUNI, Kumamoto -- Carp streamers are gracefully

Kirk here. Today is the seventh anniversary of the start of the 2016 earthquakes.
Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture marks 7 years since deadly earthquakes | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
A memorial ceremony has been held in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, to mark the seventh anniversary of a series of deadly earthquakes.

Kirk here with a general introduction to the prefecture that came up, for some reason, in a "news" search. It mentions three famous people associated with Kumamoto: Miyamoto Musashi (swordsman); Kawakami Tetsuharu (baseball player); Ishimure Michiko (author who wrote about Minamata disease).
Kumamoto Prefecture
Kyūshū’s Kumamoto Prefecture, rich in history, is famed for its volcanic activity, with Mount Aso erupting frequently near a number of top-ranked hot springs.

Kirk here. If you or someone close to you is a Japanese citizen who needs a passport, you should know that it is now possible to apply for new passports online. Here's the page on the prefecture's website that explains it in Japanese:
https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/70/161169.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230327_02/
Kumamoto is one of 16 prefectures to allow new applications online so I seems to be a bit better than average on this one.
Online passport applications available in some parts of Japan from Monday | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Japanese officials started accepting new passport applications online in 16 prefectures on Monday.

Kirk again with an update about the movie "Living." I got this e-mail from a friend who prefers not to post to Facebook: "I saw your post about the movie LIVING on Kumamoto-I. I just wanted to make sure you knew that the Ishiguro film is now showing at Toho Cinema in Sakuramachi downtown. I saw it day before yesterday. It was exquisite." Apparently, it won't be shown again in the TOHOs in Kumamoto until next week (not sure about other venues). Here a link (unfortunately, Japanese language only):
https://hlo.tohotheater.jp/net/movie/TNPI3060J01.do?sakuhin_cd=021601
And here's a link to yesterday's post about the movie, in case you missed it:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0H85edTTJFSqm6dYV5R2vTLUVTgucJ4DCK4Mv1Nm116f38SpgCtqzHqqozZ9HyWu9l

Kirk here with news for sumo fans:
"Seiun Fuji’s career is unique. He began Sumo when he was a junior high school student in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was a member of the sumo clubs at Buntoku High School and Meiji University, and after graduating from university he went to work for Toppan Printing."
New juryo Fuji Seiun: "Rather than continuing to work and regretting it," new juryo Fuji Seiun "left his job as a factory worker at Toppan Printing to become a salaried wrestler" to become a unique wrestler.
A unique sumo wrestler, Fuji Seiun, who left his job as a factory worker at Toppan Printing to enter the world of sumo, is set to be promoted to juryo in the summer tournament that starts in May. He is the first new juryo in 23 years from Meiji University. What are the special circumstances that led...

Kirk here with something for movie fans. This little post of mine is prompted by an interview I read in the Asahi Shimbun (Japanese version) with Nobel Prize laureate Kazuo Ishiguro. Mr. Ishiguro (who was born in Nagasaki) was discussing how his love of the Kurosawa Akira film "Ikiru" led him to write the script for "Living" with Bill Nighy in the leading roll. The Japanese actor in the original film was Takashi Shimura but Mr. Ishiruro said he found himself imagining what the film might have felt like if the lead had been played by the more subdued Chishu Ryu, who made many movies with Ozu Yasujiro -- the most famous being Tokyo Story (Tokyo monogatari). Then, he said that he though of casting Bill Nighy in the lead roll -- an artist he views as a Brittish Chishu Ryu.
The references to Chishu Ryu reminded me that he is from Kumamoto:
--- start quote ---
Ryū retained the rural Kumamoto accent of his childhood throughout his life. It may have held him back early in his career, but became part of his screen persona, denoting reliability and simple honesty. When the columnist Natsuhiko Yamamoto published a deliberately provocative piece called "I Can't Stand Chishū Ryū", in which he derided Ryū's accent, there was a furious reaction, and his magazine Shūkan Shinchō (週刊新潮) was inundated with letters of protest.
-- end quote ----
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chish%C5%AB_Ry%C5%AB
The photo of Chishu Ryu is from the following English-language YouTube video about him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiAWJKgrAko
The photo of Bill Nighy was taken from the following article:
https://airmail.news/issues/2022-12-17/bill-nighy
Reading the Asahi article and preparing this post have made me that much more eager to see the film. :)

Kirk here with something for Crayon Shin-chan fans.
Popular anime Crayon Shin-chan themed playground to open in Kumamoto Pref. - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO -- An indoor playground themed on the popular anime series

Kirk here (following Atsuko's lead) with another item for the many Andrew Mitchell fans among our readership. As you can see in the image, Andrew will be one of two presenters in an English-language event to be held online on April 14th -- the anniversary of the start of the shaking in 2016. I will be in the zoom session primarily as a listener. If you would like to join us please write to Mr. Yagi of the Kumamoto International Foundation at [email protected].

Atsuko here, sharing KEEP, (Kumamoto Earthquake Experience Project) post.🍀*゜
https://www.facebook.com/kumadaiquake
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
KEEP member Andrew Mitchell was recently interviewed by the Mainichi newspaper regarding his earthquake experience and KEEP's activities. The article was published online on Saturday and in the nationwide print edition on Sunday morning.
Commenting on the interview, Andrew said, "It is a great honour to be featured in a national Japanese newspaper, highlighting both KEEP's work and the experiences of foreign residents during that time. I hope that many people will read this article, reflect on their own earthquake preparedness, and consider ways to make their communities safer for all residents, regardless of their nationality."
English Translated web page.
https://mainichi-jp.translate.goog/articles/20230408/k00/00m/100/127000c?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=596306829192248&id=100064388094223&sfnsn=mohttps://www.facebook.com/kumadaiquake

Following Kirk's lead, I thought I should share this video from the days around the earthquake(s) of 2016.
This may be of interest to anyone who has come to Kumamoto since 2016 and has not yet had the dubious pleasure of experiencing a rather large earthquake with all its scarey aftershocks.
2016 Kumamoto Quakes Revisited
To mark the 6th "anniversary" of the 2 powerful earthquakes that hit the Kumamoto area in April 2016, I have dusted off this video we made in May 2016.I have...

Kirk here. We are approaching the anniversary of the 2016 earthquakes. Here's an article about kanrenshi (earthquake-related deaths that occurred after the shaking had stopped). The majority of deaths in Kumamoto fell into this category.
Disasters can be deadly, but the aftermaths can be deadlier
Largely forgotten, more people died in the days, weeks and months after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes due to illness and depression than in the quakes themselves.

(Claire) If you didn’t come to Tamana’s Jagatani Park for the Cherry blossoms (1500 cherry trees) and can’t wait for the Iris Festival in late May/early June, then come see the Wisteria at Yamada shrine. Apparently a 1/3 of it was in bloom on the 7th April.
(They have electric bikes to hire at shin Tamana station since last week.)

William When I first came to Japan, I brought my wetsuit, which had protected me from Los Angeles' chilly seas. On my first trip back to LA, I brought it back - the warm Kuroshio current obliviates the need for wetsuits here. And, apparently, Japan (particularly Kyushu) will see some of the greatest ocean warming on Earth. (Ironically, LA's water is predicted to cool.)
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/08/headed-off-the-charts-worlds-ocean-surface-temperature-hits-record-high

Kirk here with another article about the helicopter crash in Okinawa. As I wrote earlier, the connection to Kumamoto is that the helicopter and its crew were based in this prefecture, is the home of the 8th Division (第8師団) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Wikipedia says that its "responsibility is the defense of the Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures" but I've learned from TV reports that it is considered by military planners to be very important to the defense of the islands of Okinawa prefecture (hence, its participation in exercises there).
Here's a blurb from the article I'm sharing:
"The helicopter was stationed at a key army base in Kumamoto prefecture on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, Morishita said Thursday night. One of its 10 crew members is the division commander, Yuichi Sakamoto, who was just promoted to the post at the end of March."
Lifeboat and door found in search for Japanese army Black Hawk helicopter feared down in sea
The country's defense chief said the army would "do our utmost for the rescue of the 10 people who are still missing."

Kirk here. The other day I shared a news article about a settlement reached between the parents of a girl who had committed suicide and her bullies. Here's a link to that article:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0x296ZXHqdaBbJoiruv1TcU59fYwXaD7kMhzdhbEAAiF9nnWCmieLMZMrFwuWkhoEl
The article I'm sharing today is about a similar incident (i.e. involving bullying and a suicide) but one where the suicide occurred five years earlier (in 2013). According to the article, Kumamoto Prefecture had blackened out portions of the report so that the parents could not see the names of the students that were thought to be involved in the bullying. The parents had to take the prefecture to the Supreme Court in order to get access to an uncensored version of the report. I can understand not publishing the names of the accused students on the internet but why not show the full report to the parents? I find it hard to understand what the prefectural officials were thinking.
P.S. I'm pretty sure that the prefecture had to pay a lot of legal fees (lawyer's salaries, etc.) to resist the parents' reasonable demands. That's money supplied by everyone who pays taxes in Kumamoto -- and I'm certain not pleased to imagine my tax yen being used in that way. 😠
Japan court orders blacked-out names in bullying report to be revealed over teen's suicide
KUMAMOTO -- A high court's decision to order the Kumamoto Prefectural Government to disclose the names of students thought to have been involved in bu･･･