By / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Editorial Team, compiled and reported
Yoshinoya food truck delivering meals in the disaster zone. (Photo source / Twitter gnskkul)
From April 19, the Kumamoto City tram has gradually resumed operations, and from April 20, parts of the Kyushu Shinkansen have also started partial service (from Shin-Mizuma to Kagoshima-Chuo). Full restoration is expected to take at least one month, and up to around two months at the latest. There are still numerous aftershocks daily, with about 600 earthquakes of seismic intensity 1 occurring each day. At 17:52 Japan time on April 19, an intensity 5 perceptible earthquake struck. The badly damaged and urgently needed Kumamoto Castle, an important tourist site, has received a 3 billion yen donation from the Nippon Foundation. A total of 13 Important Cultural Properties of Kumamoto Castle have been damaged. Depending on the extent of the damage, repairs are estimated to take between 5 to 10 years, with more severely affected sections possibly requiring up to 20 years. The castle remains closed to the public for now.