William with bit of a personal note: my wife is combating cancer. I have taken this up as her theme image.
Posts
Kirk here with news about the prefecture's plans to use Kumamon to rebuild the local tourist industry:
Kirk here. I'm not aware of any severe damage in Kumamoto but the storm itself was nothing to sneeze at, so to speak. Tsushima and South Korea were hit particularly hard.
William Getting to Kamiamakusa is not difficult: an extremely scenic train ride to Misumi (which in itself is worth the trip), and then a taxi - or a direct bus from Kotsu Center for a bit over about ¥1,500. This is what you get: bring your swimfins. Our friend Enrico at KamiAmakusa Real Experience has details: https://www.facebook.com/KArealexperience
Kirk with more about calls for the elderly to evacuate and general disaster information (more for future reference than for this specific typhoon).
William Shimabara (島原), on the east coast of the Nagasaki peninsula and just across Ariake Sea from Kumamoto, lies in about as precarious a position imaginable: it was sandwiched not only between warring clans during the Edo period but between Mt Fugen and the Ariake Sea, which produced one of the deadliest tsunami in human history: the 島原大変肥後迷惑 (Shimabara Taihen Higo Meiwaku), which can be (very) loosly translated as "Disaster of a day for Shimabara, bummer for Kumamoto." Read about it here: https://tinyurl.com/27wnx68a
Kirk with a little more recent information about whether or not you need to evacuate:
Kirk with some information about how to interpret disaster information issued in Kumamoto.
Kirk here with another typhoon update. The image is from Ventusky.com, which Douglas introduced to me. (Thanks!) I think it will be my go-to site from now on:
Kirk here with a little photo from a little stroll in Ezuko last night. We were able to park very easily. Highly recommended if you are close enough to get there.
(Fiona) One of the things I enjoyed most on my recent trip to the UK was the chance to go to a pub quiz. Even in my small hometown there's probably a quiz happening at one pub or another on every day of the week. There used to be a monthly quiz night in Kumamoto too that ran for several years at Cafe Lafcadio on Monday nights. When that stopped I tried to organise quiz nights myself, but as with running an escape room, I ran into the problem of not knowing many people who are interested in such activities. When the pandemic hit I switched from in-person quiz nights to hosting quizzes on Zoom/YouTube instead, but it's a lot more fun to meet up and enjoy a quiz together over a few drinks. When Covid numbers start to go down I'd like to organise another quiz and would like to find people who are keen to get involved. I usually use my school in Higashi-ku for game nights etc as it can fit up to ten people, but if anyone has a larger place available downtown that would be great. If you're interested in being a quizmaster, joining as a player, or are keen to take part in games nights or possible future escape rooms, please leave a message in the comments or contact me via the Kumamoto-i inbox.
Kirk here with some information about Munetaka Murakami, formerly of Kyushu Gakuin High School:
Kirk here. William just posted about some disaster response equipment that Uki City has acquired. Fortunately, it looks like they won't need to use it right away because TropicalStorm.com is predicting that we won't get a direct hit. Still, you never know; the rains could be quite heavy. Judging from the projections on TropicalStorm.com I would guess that the wind and rain would be at their worst for those of us in Kumamoto around Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning, but I could be off quite a bit.
William Uki City sits at the north-eastern edge of Yatsushiro Sea. The shape of the sea and its orientation act as a funnel to create very large tidal surges which have numerous times overwhelmed the sea walls, destroyed houses, and taken lives. Kumanichi reports on some new equipment the city has acquired for disaster response. Some of the vehicles are breathtaking. Many photos and a Youtube video are at the link.
William Yushima is a small island between Misumi and the Shimabara peninsula which is famous for cats. Kumanichi reports on a particular cat named "Rosu", an" 8-year-old male who is also known as "Boss Cat" (aren't they all). Apparently, he has gone missing, which has left the island denizens distraught.
William Kumanichi introduces dog trainer Mayumi Mitsuki and her Belgian Shepherd, San, who appears to be a very happy pup. Such working dogs are bred to please. Owning a dog is a commitment that many non-Japanese are not equipped to undertake (my whippet, Devo, lived for 15 years.). However, those who feel prepared to offer a pup a forever home, please consult with the Kumamoto Animal Shelter (熊本動物愛護センター) to find a good match;
Kirk with some medical news: "An investigation has been launched into a medical equipment employee who is suspected of setting a timer to X-ray equipment at a hospital in Kumamoto Prefecture so that it would stop working and require a repair service."
Carlton. I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but according to the tropical storm risk website, we’ve got a serious situation developing, so it would be prudent to start doing basic emergency preparations for the typhoon seemingly headed our way at high strength.
Kirk here confessing to having been duped. The student who won the award I posted about on the following page was engaged in an activity I think is very laudable -- collecting signatures to abolish nuclear weapons.
William Not directly Kumamoto-related; however, living here requires knowledge of local units of measurement (trust me: I built most of the furniture in my house - twice). Length, weight, distance, volume: Wikipedia is your friend:
