Posts

Kirk here with some information about a couple of volcanologist who lost their lives here in Kyushu on June 3, 1991 when Mount Unzen erupted. The movie isn't available here yet but I would guess that it will arrive eventually. The director, Sara Dosa, is an American but the volcanologists (Katia and Maurice Krafft) were French so it will probably be necessary to understand French or Japanese subtitles if one wishes to watch it here in Japan when it comes. You can see a trailer and high ratings on the film's IMDb page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16227014/
I found out about the film listening to NPR (American radio):
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/03/1109607625/fire-of-love-is-the-romantic-and-working-relationship-of-the-kraftt-volcanologis
By the way, though the eruption occurred quite a long way from here, I remember bicycling through the falling ash on my way to work that day.

William Kumamoto was a major manufacturing base of airplanes and center of logistics during WWII. The Army Aviation Headquarters was located in Ikeda-cho, and two Mitsubishi aircraft factories producing the Ki-67 heavy bombers were located in Kengun (where the headquarters of Japan's Western Army remains) and Obiyama-cho. Small plants producing airplane parts were spread throughout the prefecture.
US bombing of these facilities began in March, 1945, increasing in ferocity, with the largest coming on July 1st and 2nd and culminating on August 10. Collectively known as the Kumamoto Air Raid, by war's end, some 30% of the city, including Shinshigai, Shimotori, Suidocho, Oe, Shinyashiki, Suizenji, Kusaba, and Kurokami, was destroyed by 1,007 tons of bombs and incendiary weapons.
On the northwestern corner of the densha bridge and Shirakawa stands a monument to this. It lists the areas bombed and notes, "11,000 households were affected, 43,000 were victims, 469 were killed, and 552 were injured. To mourn the spirits of the victims and pray that war will not be repeated." During this time of year, the monument deserves a visit.
Link to a history of the bombings (Japanese): https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/daijinkanbou/sensai/situation/state/kyushu_05.html

Kirk here with a follow-up to William's and Atsuko's posts about the approaching typhoon. Fortunately, it's not very powerful. The image shows the current projection regarding how the storm will move in the next 24 hours. Though it looks like it will come close to being a direct hit on Kumamoto, it shouldn't be a very hard hit, at least in terms of wind speed. Tropicalstormrisk.com says that the probability of tropical storm winds or stronger is less than 10%. But, on the other hand, we may have a lot of rain. Sometimes slow moving storms with relatively low wind speeds can do a lot of damage if they wind up dumping a lot or rain in one area.
https://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

William A bit more about springs and where to find them: The Kashima Spring Park Natural Pool (Kashima-chō yūsuikōen ten'nen pūru, 嘉島町湧水公園 天然プール) is a wonderful place to bring the kids. It consists of a conventional spring-fed pool and a natural area for exploring. Admission is free, but parking is ￥500. Their website https://www.mlit.go.jp/tochimizushigen/mizsei/mizusato/shichoson/kyushu/kashima.htm indicates they are open this year; a confirmation call is recommended.　096-237-2619

Hi Atsuko here with Yahoo typhoon forecast.
It is often said that we should be cautious when typhoons pass Nagasaki, west of Kumamoto. This time it looks like it will go first to Nagasaki and then across to Kyushu!
Although the rainy season has ended, torrential rains often occur in early July every year, so please be careful!∠(　˙-˙ )／
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Typhoon No. 4 was located about 170 km west-northwest of Okinoerabu Island as of noon on Sunday,the 3rd, and is moving north-northwest at 10 km per hour.
The central pressure is 996 hectopascals, the maximum wind speed near the center is 18 meters, and the maximum instantaneous wind speed is 25 meters.
The typhoon will move northward over the East China Sea, gradually changing its path to the east, and may come very close to Kyushu and make landfall on Tuesday, the 5th.
There is a risk of very heavy rainfall and heavy rain in the Okinawa area on the 3rd, and in the southern and Amami areas of Kyushu, the northern Kyushu area, and the Shikoku area on the 5th. Please be on the lookout for landslides, flooding of low-lying areas, and swollen or overflowing rivers.
Also, please be careful of high waves and strong winds in the Okinawa and Amami regions on the 3rd
台風4号（2022年）の進路予想 台風情報 - Yahoo!天気・災害
台風の進路予想図や概況を確認できます。台風による災害の防止・軽減に台風情報をご活用ください。

William Typhoon update: its center has been moving southward, currently expected to pass over Sasebo. However, it is more of a tropical storm so will likely result in a welcome breeze and showers.
My go-to website for typhoons is the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, run by the US Navy, which has a vested concern in windy, watery-type phenomenon. https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html

William Kumanichi updates us on Tateno Dam, which, at its current height of 40 meters (its final height will be 87 meters), is said to resemble a fortress. About half done now, it is scheduled to be completed in April 2023.
What I didn't know is that the dam is to a "running water type." This means that the three apertures, each 5m², have no covers - they remain open - such that the reservoir does not store water under normal conditions. Should heavy downpours result in a flow exceeding the rate of the apertures, the dam will hold the water and release it gradually, thus preventing flooding downstream. Neat, eh?
Article and more photos at the link:
立野ダム巨大な〝要塞〟　渓谷にそびえる壁、高さ87メートルに　2023年4月完成予定｜熊本日日新聞社
　国土交通省九州地方整備局（九地整）は6月18日、白川上流で建設中の国営立野ダム（熊本県南阿蘇村、大津町）の本体工事現場を地元住民や報道関係者に公開した。ダム堤のコンクリートの積み上げは計画の半分を終え、...

William A bit more about springs and where to find them: if you've found Kakibaru (柿原), which we wrote about the other day, you're in a good place for a walk. Leave your car and follow a small road up a gentle hill which is now, sadly, shadowed by the elevated four lanes of Ueki Bypass, to eventually connect via the Kumamoto Nishi Kanjyo Sen (熊本西環状線, a ring road to the west of Kumamoto and on to Amakusa). After a short, pleasant walk, you'll come across Narudo-ji Temple (成道寺).
This temple has a very long history; the land is said to have been donated by Kikuchi Mochicho in 1426, though the temple declined along with the fortunes of the Kikuchi clan. However, Kiyomasa and Hosokawa made large donations which allowed the shrine to thrive again as the Bodhisattva temple of Kumamoto domain's old Sawamura family, who were famous enough to deserve a temple but not so famous for me to write about them and not so famous that you'd care. Many bodhisattva statues and grave markers dot the overgrown grounds, making for interesting photography.
The temple has a gorgeous spring-fed pond surrounded by lush forest and numerous stone graves of the Sawamura family. Due to its religious nature, swimming is not recommended unless no one is around; however, you can cool your feet while admiring the scenery, and the temperature in summer is usually 5°C lower than the city.
A link to a Kumamoto City intro to the temple including a map: https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kankyo/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&id=20587&e_id=50%2C51%2C52%2C53%2C54%2C55

Kirk here with an article that includes some good information on spots to enjoy nature in Kumamoto.
5 Spots to Experience the Outdoors in Japan’s Northern Kyushu
Northern Kyushu is a perfect destination to combine hiking with Japanese cultural experiences.

Hi! Kirk Here. I thought I had posted the following to the page yesterday but wound up posting as myself (which put it with the "Guest" posts). William has already announced basically the same news but here's my version:
"Kirk here. The rainy season seems to have been declared 'over' in Kumamoto already. This is the earliest on record. It's good if you don't like getting rained on by not so good if you don't like the heat. In other heat-related news, a high school student visiting Greenland lost consciousness from apparent heatstroke but has since regained consciousness. Hope she'll be OK."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220628_35/?fbclid=IwAR1_qM6Aavqlp9BHHzu_FYWsfJ6dHSMoecoBKWh_zVk91nGRwE84kR6JYrI
Japan hit by scorching heat as rainy season appears over | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Japan is experiencing scorching heat as the rainy season appears to have ended in much of the country.

William Kumanichi announces that this year's rainy season, at 17 days, was the shortest on record. This has pleased some, such as farmers eager to get their summer crops in early, but has dismayed others, such as a woman who runs a coin laundry shop (drier use has evaporated). Beer garden operators are also happy.
All Kumamoto drinking water is artesian (unique in the world), but farmers rely on irrigation. Fortunately, the Prefectural Water Department says that water levels at all six dams feeding Kumamoto farmers are at normal levels. Summer thunderstorms may also help.
観測史上最短の梅雨、夏場の水不足は…　熊本県内　一足早い夏空に歓迎の声も｜熊本日日新聞社
　熊本の今年の梅雨は、観測史上最短の17日間となった。梅雨明けが発表された28日、県民からは「夏場に水不足になるかも」と心配する声と、一足早い夏空の到来を歓迎する声が上がった。

William I was never a fan of Parco: the maze of merchandise with no windows, low ceilings, and tiny elevator struck me as a fire deathtrap. Kumanichi announces its replacement (11 floors above ground, 1 below, with the 3rd-11th hotel space) using amusing phrases. Its official name is a mouthful: "OMO5 Kumamoto by Hoshino Resort," with OMO5 pronounced "omo faibu" 「OMO5（おもふぁいぶ）熊本　by　星野リゾート」. The article also mentions, "OMO is the first in Kyushu to be positioned as a 'city hotel that raises the tension of travel'" (OMOは「旅のテンションをあげる都市ホテル」との位置付けで九州では初めて。) Two thoughts: whichever employee came up with that phrase should be fired, and the company should change its name to OMG. Still, it's gotta be better than Parko.
Link to Kumanichi article and photo:
熊本パルコ跡地の新ホテルは「OMO5」　星野リゾート、23年春に開業｜熊本日日新聞社
　星野リゾート（長野県軽井沢町）は27日、2023年春に熊本市中央区の熊本パルコ跡地に開業予定の新ホテル名を「OMO5（おもふぁいぶ）熊本　by　星野リゾート」と発表した。

William with a quick quake update. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (which oversees earthquakes, too), an earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of M5 or stronger may occur within a week of Sunday's quake.
They said that the earthquake on the 26th occurred on the Takano-Shirahata (高野－白旗区間) and Hinagu (日奈久区間) sections of the Hinagu fault zone (日奈久断層帯), as can be seen on the map below, and noted that there have been consecutive earthquakes in this area in the past within short periods of time.
The mainshock of the Kumamoto earthquakes in April 2016 occurred about 28 hours after the foreshock, with the epicenter around the Futagawa fault zone, which is in contact with the Hinagu fault zone. In 1931, there were three M5.5 - 5. 8 quakes in the Amakusa / Ashikita region within five days.
Also, they indicated a probability over 3% of an M7.5 quake in the Hinagu section within 30 years.
Kumanichi: https://kumanichi.com/articles/705309 The blue lines indicate fault sections which ruptured in the '16 quakes; red, those not yet ruptured.

Kirk here. The other day, the Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri came up in a conversation with some students. That prompted me to search for what might be available on the internet. I was pleasantly surprised to find this detailed article in English. I didn't realize that Ushibuka Haiya-Bushi had spread all over Japan.
The festival is in April. I hope to be able to post a heads up a few weeks in advance but no promises. If you're interested, mark your calendar and start checking for information in March. And, if you don't mind, post a little reminder to the page. ;)
http://ushibuka-haiya.com/history/?lang=en

William with a quick note for seismologicophiles: A fault system bisects Japan vertically, running from Ibaraki down to the coast off Kagoshima called the Japan Median Tectonic Line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Median_Tectonic_Line. It's composed of a smattering of right-lateral strike-slip faults moving at a rate of about 5–10 mm/yr. It angles north-east/southwest from Beppu, under the volcano, and to the south of Kumamoto City, where it splits into two faults: the Futagawa, which runs along the north of the Uto Peninsula, and the Hinagu, which runs through Yatsushiro. This evening's quake was likely a rupture of the Hinagu fault.
Regarding the 2016 quakes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Kumamoto_earthquakes, seismologists wrote (according to Wikipedia) that the foreshock was due to activity of the Hinagu fault zone, while the mainshock was the subsequent rupture of the Futagawa fault zone, showing how the two can work in tandem.
I was unaware of this in 2016 and immediately posted after the first quake that further activity was unlikely. I was wrong, not being aware of the twin faults. The map below shows two foreshocks and the mainshock of M6.5 on April 14, M6.4 on 4/15, and M7.3 on 4/16.
Whether this evening's quake was it or rather a foreshock we'll find out, but I am sleeping with my clothes on for the next few days.

Kirk here reporting that we just had an earthquake (21:48). Misato was "lower 5" (5-) on the Japanese shido scale, which is strong enough to cause damage -- hopefully minor is this case. The magnitude was 4.7. Interestingly, Misato is slightly north of the epicenter. Other points closer to the epicenter seem to have had less shaking. Of course, I guess that makes sense if one considers that geological factors (sandy soil vs. solid rock base, etc.) have a lot to do with how much shaking happens.
https://www.data.jma.go.jp/multi/quake/quake_detail.html?eventID=20220626214849&lang=en

William Lil' info on that quake you just felt: epicenter Yatsushiro, depth 10km, magnitude 4.7, 5 weak on the Japanese scale.
The way it's lined up makes it appear to have occurred on the Hinagu fault, which you can play with here: https://gbank.gsj.jp/geonavi/geonavi.php#11,32.71327,130.77556

William A bit more about springs and where to find them: Kakibaru (柿原) is a neighborhood on the eastern flank of Mt. Kimpo, whose weight causes water to gush out in lots of places, one of which is called お手水の森 (ochyōzu no mori). The strange pronunciation is due to a legend: apparently, Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto (the main god of Ichinomiya Aso Shrine, who I wrote about the other day) used the spring for ablutions (sacred washing of hands); both that action and its location are referred to as お手水, ochyōzu (most shrines have お手水 for washing hands or rinsing out one's mouth before prayers).
The location, now run by a restaurant, has a small trough-like pond stocked with nijimasu (虹鱒 - rainbow trout) which can be taken home or they'll cook 'em for you on the spot; a large pond not suitable for swimming; and, in the back corner, the spring, a waterfall which is the ochyōzu. The delicious, biting water tumbles down from fissures in a small cliff, and visitors are welcome to find a niche in which to chill.
The official Website: https://nijimasu.jp/spot/ochozu/

Olivia here,
Just returned to Japan after being in Taiwan for a while 🤗
Sharing with you a volunteering opportunity, helping a friend.
Please contact the email address provided directly for more details ::
marialourdes.kase@gmail.
com
⭐️ Volunteers Needed ⭐️
⭐️ At least 5 foreign Volunteers needed for an overnight English event in Oguni, Aso here in Kumamoto sponsored by the board of education there.
🌟 It’s on Aug. 3rd & 4th. 🌟
⭐️ The accommodations & food are great! It’s in a traditional Japanese inn with onsen & it’s by the river which is so much refreshing.
⭐️ We have this event every year at the board of education premises but it stopped during the start of Covid-19 but now they want to resume.
1st day will be for 6th graders &
2nd day for 3rd year Junior high. Very easy tasks so no worries as the organizer will prepare everything & the volunteers just need to be there to facilitate the students.
The organizer needs at least 5 more foreign volunteers as she have already gathered some.
It’s a VOLUNTEER event but there’ll be a sort of honorarium which is about 8,000 yen or so at the end of the event which the board of education directly gives to each volunteer.
The place is really nice especially if you love rivers , onsen & Japanese food.
Transportation will definitely be provided from Kumamoto City’s International Center to Oguni & back.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

William In my post about Takamori Tunnel, a reader had commented on a phrase used in the accompanying article describing Takamori as "a town where God enjoyed his honeymoon.” There is a reason for this, and, searching for it, I found that translating the "Aso Daimyōjin no Hanashi " (阿蘇大明神の話) from Aso Shrine's (in Isehaya) Website would be the simplest method. Then it occurred to me that the Website lacks an English mirror site, so I thought I would send them my translation and offer to translate the rest of their site for free. The site address: http://www.asojinja.jp/kami.html
A favor I have to ask is for interested readers to read the original and give advice on my translation. When satisfied, I will send it to the shrine office. Thank you in advance. My translation is as follows:
The story of Aso Daimyojin
Once upon a time, the grandson of Amaterasu Omikami, Ninigi no Mikoto, descended upon a pinnacle in Takachiho, Hyuga to rule the country of Japan.
It was then that the third emperor, Jimmu, set sail from the port of Miyazaki to first reign over the Country of Japan in Yamato no Kuni (now Nara Prefecture).
Emperor Jimmu ordered his grandson, Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto, to rule the land of Kyushu. As the god who developed Aso, he is the central deity of Aso Shrine and is also called Aso Daimeijin.
The spirit of Emperor Jimmu was enshrined by Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto at the site where the Emperor, his grandfather, had lived in Miyazaki. That shrine is now Miyazaki Shrine, whose ancient records describe Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto.
Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto concluded that, to rule Kyushu, he must position himself at its central part. Heading north along the coast and following Gokasegawa River up from Nobeoka, he arrived at Takachiho and Kusakabe (now Takamori-cho, Aso-gun). Here dwelt the god Kusakabe Yoshimi, his uncle, who joyfully welcomed Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto, and here he married Aso Tsuhime, daughter of the god Yoshimi.
In the land of the mountain that spits fire, the land of Aso, they went in search of a new realm. Aso and Nangō valleys of Aso at that time were covered with sheens of a large lake. They vowed to flush the lake of water and cultivate it. They first tried to trample Futae Pass, but as it was double, it did not break. Then, when they kicked Sugaru in Tateno (now Tateno, Choyo-mura, Aso-gun), the mountain groaned and crumbled and the water of the lake rushed out. It is said that Sugaru is a contraction of "sukimagaaru", meaning both "there is a gap" and "thoroughly." Also, the soil which then flew is said to have created Oyama Toshima in Kumamoto City and Tsuchikure in Kikuyo Town. Sugarugataki waterfall is said to have been named as several deer hunted by Shimono were washed away.
Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto cultivated the now-dry Aso and Nango Valleys, growing crops and creating an abundant land. The tomb of Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto is said to be the "Ichinokami Mausoleum" and that of Aso Tsuhime "Ninokami Mausoleum, " both east of Aso Shrine's Sakura Gate.
Notes:
瓊瓊杵尊 Ninigi no Mikoto (Japanese deity; grandson of Amaterasu、great grandfather of Emperor Jimmu)
神武天皇
じんむてんのう
（個人名） Emperor Jimmu; Jimmu Tenno
健磐龍命 Takeiwa tatsuno-mikotoする According to "Kujihoongi" (Ancient Japanese History), Hayamikatama no mikoto, who was Takeiwa tatsuno-mikoto's child, was the first Asonokuni no miyat