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William Much has been said about Kumamoto being the only major municipality to provide 100% artisanal water. My older sister made me buy bottled water at the combini and, when the manager scolded me, I said, "Yeah, well, she's from LA, Boston, and Baltimore respectively, so give her a break. (Plus, she's older than me.)"

Kirk here. Kyushu Gakuin plays their third game in the series tomorrow (Thursday, the 18th) at 3:30 in the afternoon. The will play against Seiko Gakuin of Fukushima. Thus, Kumamoto and Fukushima, two places known for big earthquakes that have hit in the 21st century, will compete to advance to the semifinals. Seiko Gakuin is a school that has a history of doing well in the Koshien Tournament:

Waterman: Where/how to get 新型コロナウイルス感染症に関する自宅療養証明書 after ending home recovery?

Kirk here. Kyushu Gakuin plays their second game today (against Tochigi) starting at about 10:30:
【夏の甲子園2022】試合日程スケジュール 組み合わせ一覧｜第104回全国高校野球選手権大会 | ベースボールチャンネル - Part 3
第104回全国高等学校野球選手権大会が2022年（令和4年）8月6日から17日間、阪神甲子園球場（兵庫県西宮市）で行われる。全国47都道府県の49代表校（北海道・東京は2校）が出場し、夏・王者をかけて熱戦を繰り広げる。試合....

William "Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (Greek: Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χερν), was a Greek-Irish-Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West," Wikipedia notes. His Japanese name was Koizumi Yakumo (小泉 八雲) .... His writings offered unprecedented insight into Japanese culture, especially his collections of legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things."

(Fiona) The news of the attack on Salman Rushdie is not directly relevant to Kumamoto of course, but as one of the editors here at Kumamoto-i it struck a chord with me. Our diverse readership extends to a few thousand people with an interest in Kumamoto, and it's inevitable that some posts will offend or annoy. Our remit at Kumamoto-i is to provide useful and interesting information about this region, but occasionally we veer off track or facts need correcting. Sometimes we receive requests that news articles be suppressed and posts taken down as they are deemed to have offended sensitive readers. I hope that we will always strive to uphold the values of tolerance and freedom of expression, including of course the right to reply and express opinions in the comments.

William The lovely town of Shisui is not the place one would stop at (even more go to) other than to visit the Michi no Eki Melon Dome. Work took me through the area countless times, yet I had no idea of its history as host to the Army Kikuchi Airfield. Next time I visit, I will view it through different eyes. Kumanichi reports on this: https://kumanichi.com/articles/759215

Kirk here with something that came out in relation to the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:
Aging hibakusha groups face tough decision: disband or entrust activities to 2nd gen. - The Mainichi
Prefectural groups of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) are currently at a crossroads, pondering wheth

Good morning, Atsuko here.

William Carlton had noted this below, but a recap:

Carlton. I believe a tip of the hat is owed to Kumamoto’s high school baseball representatives today — Kyushu Gakuen — for a resounding 14-4 victory in their (delayed by Covid infections) first game at Koshien in the national high school championships. The lopsided win was so uneven NHK evening news didn’t warrant it worthy of mention or video. They only like to report on squeakers it seems.

Kirk here with a bit of national news that applies to Kumamoto (and Kumamoto International) as well. Facebook uses some sort of algorithm to determine what people are interested in and, conversely, what they're are not interested. The "reach" (the number of people the Facebook algorithm shows a post to) of posts I've made to this page in recent months has been consistently low, even when I've reported new records highs. So, the expression "people just couldn't be bothered" rings true to me.

Hello,Atsuko here. It's vacation and Obon, but difficult to go out in Corona.

William Stat of the day: " The impact of heat is cumulative, and the body only starts to recover when it drops below 80F" - or 28C. It is 31C in Kumamoto today and very humid.
‘Getting harder and hotter’: Phoenix fire crews race to save lives in America’s hottest city
As temperatures soar at triple digits, heat-related 911 calls have increased 34% since 2020, with first responders facing the brunt

William My wife has been stricken by cancer, that ghastly phenomenon that took both her parents. But her month-long hospitalization was likely cheaper than if she had stayed at home (though the food wasn't as good). Remember that the next time you complain over your health insurance bill.

William A Latin culture contains the "siesta" - a mid-afternoon nap. In an energy-saving effort, this custom would be worthwhile introducing to Japan. I thought of this as I went out at 6:00 this morning to buy some dashi for my morning noodles and no stores were open (except for the convenience stores, of course).

Kirk here with some news for bicyclists in Kumamoto City: "Bicycle users must wear a helmet from October." The "must" word, however, needs some explanation. Here's part of the machine translation on the website's page:

The "Higo tai" is a very rare type of thistle indigenous to and a symbol of Kumamoto. As a Californian, I am accustomed to thistles: artichokes! - though when I tried to cultivate the Higo tai, I failed. Apparently, it is very difficult. https://ubu-lab.com/spot/%E3%83%92%E3%82%B4%E3%82%BF%E3%82%A4%E5%85%AC%E5%9C%92/

Kirk here. When I comment on posts, I switch from "Kumamoto International" (the identity I use to post to and manage the page) to my individual Facebook account. Then, if I want to post to the page, I need to switch back. Sometimes (quite often, actually), I forget, as in this case.

Kirk here with more about the designation of Kumamoto as a "prefecture of strengthening measures." This awkward English expression is a translation of the Japanese "BA.5対策強化地域" (BA.5 taisaku kyouka chiiki) found in the following Japanese article: