One Month Since the Maximum Seismic Intensity of 7 [Photo Report] The Kumamoto Earthquake… What’s Happening Now in the Disaster-Stricken Areas Amid the Scorching Heat

No timeline for restoration has been set

“I come here often. It’s a place I’ve known for a long time. To see it end up like this… It’s heartbreaking no matter how many times I look at it.”

Yatsushiro City suffered the highest number of casualties in Kumamoto Prefecture, with 20 victims. A local man who visited Yatsushiro Shrine in the city hung his head in despair as he stood before the main hall (first photo), which had been reduced to a pitiful sight.Although a temporary offering box has been set up, there is reportedly no timeline in sight for the restoration of the shrine itself.

August 28 marked one month since the Kumamoto Earthquake, which recorded a maximum seismic intensity of 7. In the disaster-stricken area, where daily high temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius and heatstroke alerts were issued due to the sweltering heat, the scars of the earthquake remained visible everywhere.

Walking along “Kumamon Road,” a city street about a five-minute walk from Yatsushiro Shrine, I saw several collapsed buildings in the nearby arcade district left untouched (second photo).Even though it was just before noon on a holiday, only a few shops were open, and there were almost no customers. Banners for the “Yatsushiro Kumagawa Festival”—which had been canceled—fluttered forlornly, still hanging where they were.

The damage to homes is severe. According to an announcement by Kumamoto Prefecture, 39,567 buildings were damaged, including 1,695 that were completely destroyed (as of August 26; same applies below). However, local contractors and construction companies are experiencing delays in the delivery of materials due to the Kyushu Expressway being closed until mid-August.

Furthermore, as many of these companies themselves were affected by the disaster—with a series of incidents such as the collapse of material warehouses and breakdowns of heavy machinery—it appears that quite a few have been forced to suspend operations. A male office worker in his 50s living in Yatsushiro City laments:

“The roof tiles on the house where my children live were damaged, so I tried to contact the carpenter I usually hire, but I couldn’t get through on the phone. I’m worried about leaks, so I plan to take a blue tarp and cover the roof myself.”

Home improvement stores were overflowing with locals who had come to buy materials to repair their homes. A father in his 50s, who visited the store with his family, said:

“No matter how many times we call contractors, they just won’t come, so we have no choice but to do it ourselves… We came to buy lumber and cement. I actually wanted to buy a plastic water tank for storage, too, but they were sold out.”

In Yatsushiro City, there is still no prospect of the railway service being restored. A visit to Yatsushiro Station revealed a train that had made an emergency stop nearby, left abandoned in the same condition as it had been a month ago. Furthermore, perhaps to avoid obstructing car traffic, many of the barriers at railroad crossings throughout the city had been removed.

From the September 11 & 18, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*