Malnutrition in Temporary Housing - Possibly the Effect of Changing Living Environments

The city of Ofunato has summarized the results of their investigation into the eating habits and conditions of disaster victims living in temporary housing. The results clearly show a trend of deficiency in most nutrients, in particular calcium and vitamins. A trend in over consumption of salt was also apparent, and the change in living environments for victims of the disaster is suspected to be one of the causes. Effort is now going towards the guidance of nutrient-balanced diets.

After the disaster, apart from the 1700 temporary homes built in Ofunato, there are also more than 600 households living in apartments under a rent assistance scheme considered to be temporary housing. Amidst a big change in lifestyle from the disaster, an surey was carried out to grasp information for the support of promoting independence, securing desirable eating habits, and improving nutrition and eating habits.
The investigation received the cooperation of health centers in Ofunato and Oshu, and nutritionist associations of Oshu and Iwate. The investigation was carried out between August and November of last year.
The investigation surveyed a total of 600 participants, including 550 living in each of the city’s temporary housing facilities and 50 living under rent assistance. Nutritionists visited the homes of the investigation participants and asked them about their health condition, eating habits and their meals.
The nutritional condition was determined by examining the intake values of the valid answers taken from 575 participants.
The values were compared with the “2010 Japanese Dietary Reference Intakes” from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and categorized as either “deficient”, “normal” or “over consumption”.
After analysis, the results showed a trend of deficiency across the nutrients. A deficiency in minerals such as calcium and also in vitamins accounted for more than 80%. In contrast to the deficiency of vitamins and minerals, the consumption of salt was considered to be in excess, making an obvious dietary imbalance.
Each of the nutrients examined in this investigation were compared with the results of the Prefectural Lifestyle Survey conducted in 2009. From this it was understood that energy, protein, calcium and vitamin A were at the 80% mark.
In regards to what they were eating, many of the surveyed households were having several bread and rice ball based meals a day with no side dishes such as vegetables. 16.2% of victims said that they didn’t know what to do when they do the shopping because while part of them wants many varied ingredients, they are far from the shops.
Recently, there has been an increase in new stores opening in the area and mobile shops that visit the temporary housing facilities, but the city’s health care center fears that if this condition of poor nutrition continues it will lead to a state of deteriorated health. They say, “on the whole, the condition is not good, and it cannot be denied that the disaster has had some kind of effect”.
The city’s health care center plans to hold cooking lessons, from the 14th, for those living in temporary housing, starting with those in Massaki-cho. Due to the smaller preparation space in kitchens of temporary housing, the lessons will show ways to effectively cook balanced meals in small spaces.

[table] Ofunato City’s Temporary Housing Survey

Nutritional Condition (%)

Deficient Normal Over Consumption Energy 51.5 29.2 19.3 Protein 31 23 46.1 Fat 30.1 24 45.9

Deficient Normal Calcium 88.9 11.1 Vitamin A 87.3 12.7 Vitamin B1 87.8 12.2 Vitamin B2 81.6 18.4 Vitamin C 88 12

Over Consumption Normal Salt 67.1 32.9

（Tokai Shinpo　February 6, 2012）

Summary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Affected Area Workshop Report

At the Conference of Iwate International Associations held on May 26, 2011, we received reports from international associations and Japanese conversation classes about the damage and reconstruction efforts of the affected regions. Here we will share the current situation of foreign residents and international exchange.

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Report: Oceans Miyako International Club　

Representative:　Masato Sasaki

We restarted our Japanese language class on April 14. We do things like play Karuta card games using Miyako dialect, but the night roads have gotten scary for people walking alone since the disaster, and many foreigners have been absent from class. They say they could not do anything to help even when asked by Japanese. There are even foreigners who were swept away along with their houses by the tsunami. There needs to be in investigation into whether the deceased merely couldn’t understand the warnings, or whether they didn’t know where they could escape to.
 There are also foreigners who have come to help out. They soothe people’s fears just by being here. They may be able to heal our hearts precisely because they have nothing attaching them to the area yet they come anyway.

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Report: Kamaishi International Association

Director: Naoko Kato

Kamaishi, a port city, has historically welcomed foreigners. Filipino sailors who took emergency port after the tsunami were not able to communicate because of the language barrier, but they helped the Japanese in town and the Japanese gave them rice balls. There are also foreign residents who have married Japanese and taken Japanese names, so there is no way to tell who in the shelters is foreign just from the name list. Then we even have foreigners who see themselves as Japanese because they have worked so hard to integrate into their local society. I think that foreigners and Japanese are the same. After all, isn’t this what an international society is all about?
At the city’s Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters, I met former ALTs Jeffrey and Joshua by chance. When I asked them why they were here, they told me they hurried here from Kanagawa Prefecture, and they stayed in Kamaishi for some time volunteering. These are the bonds we have been able to create.

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Report: Former Rikuzentakata International Association

Japanese Language Teacher: Kayoko Owada

The participants of the Rikuzentakata Japanese Language Class are foreigners who have come to Japan through marriage. I have heard comments from foreigners saying that they were hurt by thoughtless words aimed at them while in evacuation shelters. There are people who have lost their jobs, people who have lost their children, people who cannot sleep because they have seen the dead bodies of their relatives. These women have roots in our region, and they will remain here.
 The mass media is calling the remains of swept-away homes “debris,” but we know it is not simple debris. It is the proof that we lived here.
 By chance I met a foreigner who invited me to a BBQ on April 23. We struggled to find a facility that was not already being used by evacuation shelters or emergency supply storage. On the day of the BBQ, we went around to all the shelters and picked up everyone. I think the foreign residents realized there were Japanese who were worried about them and cared about them.

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http://iwate-ia.or.jp/cms/media/kikanshi/2011/2011autumn-kikanshi-E.pdf

（Iwate International Association　September 30, 2011）

Linking Others Together

The Honorary Consulate of the Republic of the Philippines

The Honorary Consulate of the Republic of the Philippines in Morioka was the only office of its kind in all of Tohoku, and it closed in June of this year. We asked consul Masahiro Murayama and assistant Rose Aguida Oyzon Apelo about the consulate’s five and a half years of international exchange since January 2006.

* The Phillipine Independence Day party everyone looked forward to every year


Along with coordinating Japan-Philippines international exchange and networking among Filipino residents, the consulate focused on providing passport renewals and certifications, translations, and authorizations regarding marriage and birth for Filipinos living in the six-prefecture Tohoku region. There are around 900 Philippines citizens living within Iwate Prefecture. There are many women who have married into farming or fishing families, have had children, and are living as residents in many different regions. They need documents like certifications of marriage, birth, and home visits. Before they would have had to travel all the way to the embassy in Tokyo for these procedures, but once the Tohoku office was created, they could fill out their paperwork in Morioka. This was particularly convenient for those living in Tohoku - and much cheaper.

Help yourselves to some Philippine snacks

With the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, there were many cases of Filipinas losing their passports along with their household belongings, and the consulate was packed with inquiries and consultations in the days following the disaster. “I performed consular duties along with translations. But I was busiest after the quake, with many people telling me their passports were washed away but that they wanted to go home to the Philippines to let their families know they were safe. We have a record of the addresses and pictures of contacted Filipina residents on computer file from the past five and a half years, so we were able to confirm their identities. Therefore we were able to issue a one-time-only travel document to be used in place of a passport. I’m so happy we could be of help,” says Apelo as she reflects on her last work duties.
Every year in June, the consulate would celebrate the Philippine Independence Day with a party held in Morioka.
This encouraged international exchange using Philippine songs, dances, and cooking, and strengthened ties between Filipinas residing in the prefecture. “There are not many chances for Filipina residents to gather because they have their own families and jobs to worry about. But here they could speak to each other in their native language, and their husbands also had a chance to meet each other. I’d love for these types of parties to continue in order to create these opportunities,” says Murayama, hoping for more grassroots exchange between Japan and the Philippines.

(Left) Rose Agueda Oyzon Apelo
After graduating from the University of the Philippines, she interned at the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines and then came to Japan as the assistant of the honorary consul. “I had been to the Kansai region when I did a foreign exchange program. I spent my late 20s in Morioka. The food is great, and I love the people.”


(Right) Masahiro Murayama　
The Representative Director of the Ginga International Corporation. He accepted the position of honorary consul from his good friend, former Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Blas Ople. Murayama had run the consulate with his personal fortune on account of the position being unpaid. He was forced to close the consulate due the effects of disaster on his primary business and the wishes of the Philippine Embassy. “It’s regrettable because there is demand for a consulate.”




http://iwate-ia.or.jp/cms/media/kikanshi/2011/2011autumn-kikanshi-E.pdf

（Iwate International Association　September 30, 2011）

A Place for Everyone, No Matter What

TEX-MEX Dining　SUNDANCE

“Sundance,” a restaurant on Odori Street in Morioka, is a popular spot among foreign residents. During the confusion right after the earthquake and tsunami, many foreigners gathered there and shared information with each other. Everyone’s gathering spot was also a place people could count on in times of trouble.


“What is the most important thing to you? How important are you to the people around you? I realized many things after the disaster. I was happy that so many people supported this restaurant in the emergency,” says the owner of Sundance, Hitoshi Mizumoto. This restaurant carries the atmosphere of a European pub and is very popular among foreigners. They feel free to come in at any time, chat with many different people, and broaden their social network. Relying on their “gathering place,” many foreign residents gathered here after the disaster.

Liquor lined up within Sundance

“Once electricity came back, I turned the lights on in the restaurant so I could clean up, and that’s when my regular foreign customers came in one by one. It wasn’t so much to get something to eat or drink, but more because they wanted information, and they didn’t want to be alone.”

At first, Mizumoto thought opening up the restaurant at a time like this would be insensitive, but he realized that the foreigners coming by were worried and upset. “The thing I can do is to make a place for everyone,” he thought, deciding to reopen the restaurant. As soon as he did, Japanese and international volunteers gathered and turned Sundance into an information-sharing hotspot.

Entrance to Sundance

On the other hand, fears escalating over the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster caused many foreigners to return to their native countries. Because the Shinkansen high speed train was down for the time being, Mizumoto helped by arranging shared-taxis for people who needed to use Akita airport.


Because Mizumoto had created a relationship of trust with his customers, “I was able to be of help to people in a time of crisis.” He created Sundance to be a “friendly, neighborhood place where a person can casually come even by themselves and have drink,” and before long it became a foreigner gathering place for Morioka residents.

“I want make everyone proud that we have a restaurant like this in Morioka, and I want to make it a restaurant that people think of as their favorite pub in the world.” That message surely resonates in the hearts of all the foreign residents that gather in Mizumoto’s Sundance Pub.




* “I wanted to make a restaurant where both people who live here and people who have been away a long time will say, ‘This place never changes.’ A place they could call home,” says Mizumoto.

TEX-MEX Dining SUNDANCE

〒020-0022 Morioka-shi, Odori 2- 4-22　SUNRISE Building 1F/2F,

TEL 019-652-6526



http://iwate-ia.or.jp/cms/media/kikanshi/2011/2011autumn-kikanshi-E.pdf

（Iwate International Association　September 30, 2011）

What I can do

* Maria Teresa, with her volunteering name tag

Maria Teresa Hosoya

Maria Teresa was the first Filipina woman to get married in Rikuzentakata. She is 45 years old, with one son in high school, one daughter in middle school, and one daughter in elementary. Kesen dialect is naturally sprinkled within her speech.






A Mother With Twelve Family Members
Maria Teresa lists the Japanese dishes she cooks regularly. “I can make nishime (a special style of boiled vegetables). I can add an ajitsuke egg to chawan mushi (an egg pudding like mixture), and top it off with some pickled vegetables,” she says cheerfully. She started a Japanese language class when she first arrived in Rikuzentakata 17 years ago, figuring that foreign residents are only going to increase. At the time, she did not know one single other foreigner, but her neighbors all kindly told her to keep working hard. She said she learned how to cook from her mother-in-law.
Along with the seven members of her family, they took in five friends of her mother-in-law after the quake. Maria Teresa says she made food for 12 people every day. “It was difficult because I had to live with people who weren’t my family, but I did my best.”

* An elementary school in one of the worst-hit areas. She volunteered as a lifeguard for the summer pool.

Volunteering
“Because so many people helped me when I first arrived in Japan, I knew I had to do my best after the disaster to do all I could to help the survivors.” Maria Teresa registered as a volunteer soon after the disaster at a volunteer center. Some of her volunteer activities include visiting retirement homes and refuge centers, assisting with debris clean-up, and distributing supplies. “My mother-in-law is in our house so I can work until 3 in the afternoon.”
On the day of the earthquake, Maria Teresa watched the tsunami from the high ground in which her house was located. “White foam floated in the distance until it slowly surged closer and closer and formed a giant black wall of water. It was so scary.” Her friend’s house and the company where she worked part-time were swept away. Luckily, her husband, who was working at a construction company, was safe, along with her three children and her in-laws. Her son quit his club activities after the quake and started volunteering.

I want to work hard for Japan
Maria Teresa lost her part-time job and her husband’s company was destroyed, leading them to worry about how they would pay for their children’s education. Maria Teresa enjoyed cooking, so in order to increase her job qualifications, she decided to get a cooking license. Additionally, she was concerned about her Filipino friends who had been affected by the disaster. “I certainly wanted to return temporarily to the Philippines, but I would rather stay here and work hard with everyone else.”

* On May 13, there was a long-awaited gathering of Filipinas who live in Rikuzentakata and Ofunato.

(Maria Teresa is in the left of the front row)

http://iwate-ia.or.jp/cms/media/kikanshi/2011/2011autumn-kikanshi-E.pdf

（Iwate International Association　September 30, 2011）

I want to support all of Japan

Victor Kochaphum

Victor was born in Thailand, and at two years old, he and his family moved to San Francisco, USA. He started studying Japanese in college, and was an exchange student in Kyoto for one year. Currently, he is an ALT in Tanohata, and is 29 years old.







March 11th
“That day, I was eating lunch with a friend in Miyako who was planning on returning to his country. The earthquake struck as we were paying.” Victor had grown up in San Francisco, so he had already experienced very strong earthquakes. “There had been a large tsunami warning transmitted to my cell phone. My friend wanted to evacuate to his apartment right by the ocean, but I told him we needed to go for high ground.”
They evacuated to the grounds of an elementary school on high ground, and watched footage of Miyako being overcome by the tsunami waves on his tiny cell phone screen. “At that time my phone ran out of batteries, so we didn’t know the waves had gone over the seawall. I didn’t want to believe it.” The roads to Tanohata were blocked preventing his return home, so he went to a Japanese friend’s house to stay. Along with his friend’s Namibian wife and friends from England, the Philippines, and Australia, they took refuge for five days.

* Five foreigners and four Japanese spend time in this room.



Fear of the Nuclear Accident
There were many people who returned to their countries after the nuclear situation worsened in Fukushima. However, “I had very strong ties to the Miyako region so I didn’t want to go home. I knew that it was important to support my friends in a time like this.” In the three years he had lived in Japan, Victor had made many friends through various activities. “My parents told me to come home because they were hearing a lot of incorrect information flying around. I told them about the situation and managed to persuade them that I was safe and they didn’t need to worry.”


To Kobe
Three weeks after the disaster, Victor received information from friends in Kansai that there were supplies left by a returning ALT in the Kobe Board of Education. “It took me 16 hours on April 15th to drive to Kobe.” It surprised him that, “in Iwate, there were no convenience stores open and no supplies, but once I crossed into Niigata things looked like normal.” Why did he go all the way to Kobe? “ I wanted to let my friends know that I was alright. I wanted to see for myself that places outside of Tohoku were safe.” He heard on the news that refuge centers needed more supplies, and decided to bring them from Kobe.


Moving Forward
“Everyone I know has prepared a disaster bag because there’s always a chance a disaster will strike again. We still can’t believe what’s happened. We’ve managed to get through day by day, but we still haven’t gotten over the fear.” Victor is quite skilled at Japanese, but during the crisis he had a difficult time understanding emotional or deep subjects. It left him frustrated. “There are students whose families that were killed. I wanted to be able to understand their fears and sadness. Even if they look okay, they’re dealing with a lot of turmoil inside.”
At the end of July, Victor returned home for a short time. The first thing he wanted to do was, “give my mom a hug. I couldn’t talk to her for four days after the disaster; she was so worried she cried.”

* He delivered as many supplies as would fit to Yamada.





http://iwate-ia.or.jp/cms/media/kikanshi/2011/2011autumn-kikanshi-E.pdf

（Iwate International Association　September 30, 2011）

More than 70% of the disaster victims aged 60 and over

Today (11th December) marks 9 months since the great eastern earthquake
that brought unprecendented damage.
In Ofunato and Rikuzen Takata the number of deceased and missing is over
2000. In Ofunato-shi, 76% of the disaster victims are elderly, aged 60
years and above, and particularly, it was discovered that there are a
large number of those in their 80s. In order of those with the most
elderly victims is Ofunato-cho, Sanriku-cho and Okirai. Amongst the
victims were not just those who were late to evacuate, but also a large
number of elderly who thought that they would be safe and chose not to
evacuate.

The number of deceased in Ofunato-shi lies at 339 (as of 10th Decemeber),
and there still remains 94 missing.
The Web News Online Network used the prefectoral police's public
register of identified victims to determine the total number of victims
according to age bracket, sex and town of residence.

In the age bracket division, the largest group was those in their 80s at
111 people (33%), followed by those in their 70s (76 people, 22%), and
lastly, those in their 60s (46 people, 13%). Altogether, those older
than 60 years of age represent 76% of all the victims. Of those younger
than 20 years of age, 8 people were lost in the disaster.
According to sex, there were 187 females and 152 males deceased.
The numbers of victims (including those still missing) by area of
residence is as follows: Ofunato-cho 145 people (42%), Sanriku-cho
Okirai 96 people (28%), Massaki-cho 61 people (18%), Akasaki-cho  60
people (18%), Sanriku-cho Ryouri 26 people (8%), Sakari-cho 17 people
(5%), Ikawa-cho 9 people, Takkon-cho 6 people and Sanriku-cho Yoshihama
1 person.
Of these, there were more than 50 bedridden and wheelchair-confined
elderly in a special aged nursing home who were swallowed by the tsunami
whilst trying to evacuate. There were also a large number of people in
Ofunato-cho who were lost in the tsunami after being stuck in traffic,
evacuating in their cars.

A man (aged 71) from Ofunato-cho Nonoda spoke about the large number of
elderly victims, saying, "many elderly thought that they would be OK and
didn't evacuate, after their past experience with the Chilean tsunami
which didn't flood their homes".
Then there were those victims who, despite reaching safe ground, went
back to retrieve Buddhist memorial tablets and valuables.
It is being pointed out that since the earthquake occured during the
hours that most people were at work, many elderly were left at home with
no means to evacuate. There were also a number of cases where even young
people fell victim to the tsunami whilst helping those in their
neighbourhood or going to meet family.

This disaster has left many lessons to be learnt. On one hand there is
the thorough need for each person to take care of themselves, yet this
disaster also brings into relief the need to rethink how we can help
those who cannot evacuate by themselves and how we can lead the elderly
to shelter.

(TABLE)
Number of Victims in Ofunato-shi by Age (no. people)
Male, Female, Total (%)
Aged 0-9, 2, 1, 3 (1%)
Aged 10-19, 3, 2, 5 (2%)
Aged 20-29, 2, 3, 5 (2%)
Aged 30-39, 10, 5, 15 (4%)
Aged 40-49, 9, 8, 17 (5%)
Aged 50-59, 23, 10, 33 (10%)
Aged 60-69, 23, 23, 46 (13%)
Aged 70-79, 34, 42, 76 (22%)
Aged 80-89, 39, 72, 111 (33%)
Aged 90+, 7, 21, 28 (8%)
Total, 152, 187, 339 (100%)


 （Tokai Shinpo　12/12/2011）