A Visit to the Coastal Area Affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

 　The 4^th of September saw twenty-two workers from Aiina go on an observation trip to coastal areas affected by last year’s tsunami. We departed from Morioka at 7:30 a.m., and first stopped off at the Miyako City Office. From there, we went to the Omoe Fisheries Co-Operative.

The Fisheries Co-Operative performs an important function for the inhabitants of Omoe. The principal of Omoe Elementary School (our next stop) emphasized the critical importance of that organization for Omoe. The Omoe Fisheries Co-Operative’s representative told us that a reliance on external aid inhibits the region’s independence. “While we are very thankful for the aid, we must never depend too much on it,” he told us.

　After that, we moved on to the Taro area. There, the local fire corps chief and the head of “Taro-chan House” (a temporary retailer cooperative formed from twenty-two shops in Miyako City) guided us around the area of Taro Station. When the tsunami happened, it was the fire corps volunteers who had to close the gate of the seawall. They told us that several people died during this process, as well. The chief described to us how terrifying the job was. We were then taken to the top floor of the five-storey Taro Kanko Hotel, which was damaged up to the third floor. There, we were shown images that had not been shown to the media. These were taken from the fifth floor of the hotel, with other footage taken from other areas of high ground by local residents. We had never seen such disastrous images before.

　Lastly, we stopped by Taro-chan House. It is a jointly-run store that was established by local retailers. It was put together to service residents of the large-scale temporary housing built on the property of GEENPIA Sanriku Miyako Hotel. They provide several services that help make life easier for people in the area, such as retail shops, bento shops, barbers, cram schools, etc.

　What we can do now to help with the recovery is to purchase products from the affected coastal areas, and not to let the memory of this disaster fade. Elderly residents we spoke to expressed their desire to be given a forum where they could speak and people would listen.

 


（Iwate International Association 9/21/2012）

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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）

Disaster at 7 months pregnant– and then comes baby

Experiences of Foreign Residents on the Coast

How did foreign residents of the coast react when the disaster struck, and what are they feeling now? We asked three people: Misaki Kinno, who took refuge in Morioka from Miyako, Victor Kochaphum, a resident of Tanohata who took refuge in Miyako, and Maria Teresa Hosoya, a resident of Rikuzentakata who volunteered after the disaster.


Disaster at 7 months pregnant– and then comes baby

▶ Misaki and Yuri, at one and a half months old

Misaki Kinno

Misaki arrived in Japan in August 2010, and married Kaname Kinno of Miyako, a self-employed businessman. Before coming to Japan, she studied Japanese for two years while working. Originally from Dalian, China, she is 24 years old.



Misaki Kinno gave birth to a 6lb 11oz (3030 grams) baby girl on June 7th in Morioka. Misaki’s husband Kaname named her Yuri, hoping that his baby girl would grow up to be as kind as her mother.
On the day of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, Misaki was at the dentist in Miyako with her in-laws. The appointment was for 2:30, and the earthquake struck just as she sat down in the dentist’s chair. The dentist’s office was in a high place, so they waited for the aftershocks to stop. That night, they evacuated to a nearby government building. Her husband Kaname was in Kamaishi for work. She received a cell phone email from him directly after the quake saying, “Run away now!” but she could not contact him after that. It was five days before they reunited.

The Kinno family house was swept away by the tsunami, but the entire family was safe.
Misaki’s parents in China contacted her by email, but phone calls would not go through. It took around 10 days to finally hear their voices. “You’re an only child so you go at your own pace,” said her father. “So I was so worried you wouldn’t evacuate in time. I searched for you on the internet, but there was no way to contact you. I was so afraid you had died.”

Misaki was 7 months pregnant when the disaster struck. She wanted to return temporarily to China as soon as possible, but remained in Japan because she worried about her health and the difficulty of getting to China. After she had moved to three different evacuation centers, she moved to employee housing in Morioka at the beginning of the May holidays. In thefirst few days after the disaster, there were days where she would only receive one rice ball as food rations - not nearly enough nutrition. Her husband asked her everyday if their baby was still moving inside of her. Their neighbors in the refuge center made sure she got enough nutrition.

Even though she had planned on giving birth in a hospital in Miyako, she ended up having to switch to a Morioka hospital. Luckily she had her Mother & Child Handbook with her so there was no problem with the paperwork, and she looked forward to a safe birth. “The staff at the obstetrician’s office prepared everything I needed for the birth and my baby, and I’m so thankful for that,” said Misaki.
In the year since she had arrived in Japan, Misaki experienced pregnancy, an earthquake and tsunami, and the birth of her daughter. She is currently learning the ropes of being a new mother.
Misaki and her daughter Yuri, who will inherit both Chinese and Japanese cultures, want Iwate to remain their home forever.

first few days after the disaster, there were days where she would only receive one rice ball as food rations - not nearly enough nutrition. Her husband asked her everyday if their baby was still moving inside of her. Their neighbors in the refuge center made sure she got enough nutrition.
Even though she had planned on giving birth in a hospital in Miyako, she ended up having to switch to a Morioka hospital. Luckily she had her Mother & Child Handbook with her so there was no problem with the paperwork, and she looked forward to a safe birth. “The staff at the obstetrician’s office prepared everything I needed for the birth and my baby, and I’m so thankful for that,” said Misaki.
In the year since she had arrived in Japan, Misaki experienced pregnancy, an earthquake and tsunami, and the birth of her daughter. She is currently learning the ropes of being a new mother.
Misaki and her daughter Yuri, who will inherit both Chinese and Japanese cultures, want Iwate to remain their home forever.

Miyako’s Yamaguchi Elementary School, one of the refuge centers. 
Yuri is still inside her mother’s belly.




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

（Iwate International Association　September 30, 2011）

Our Experiences on March 11 ～As Iwateans～

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck on March 11, 2011. Foreigners often need support and information in their own languages, and are seen as a group particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. On the other hand, by observing foreigners support and be supported by their families and friends, we can catch a glimpse of a multicultural society in action. In this special edition, we have gathered the earthquake and tsunami experiences of foreign residents of Iwate who have forged deep bonds to their community and to residents in their region. 




Discussion Session– Natural Disasters and Foreigners in Iwate

We asked about the experiences of the foreigners who helped distribute information in their native language on the internet and radio, and who took questions directed at the International Center from Japan and internationally.

-Please tell us some of the questions you received from other foreigners and the information you distributed on the radio.

Smith: There were some people who wanted to return to their own countries but couldn’t speak Japanese well, so they wanted me to help with those procedures. Seeing everyone leaving for their own countries made me lonely and progressively more anxious.
Zheng: I broadcast information on the radio about the status of the tsunami and aftershocks. I also gave information on public transportation and necessary public utilities and lifelines. Calls asking about the safety of loved ones came to the International Center from both within Japan and from China.
Smith: I’m glad there was information on the radio regarding necessary supplies for the refuge shelters.
Zhou: I had a phone call from someone who told me they couldn’t return a book they had borrowed, but I figured they were just lonely and needed someone to talk to.
Xi: There were a lot of things people could rely on, and the Iwate International Association homepage was one of those lifelines. Also there were sites like individual embassy homepages.


-There seems to be foreigners that do not know about the existence of the Iwate International Association. What are some ideas for solving that?

Hall: You should cooperate with companies who hire foreigners, and hand out pamphlets about the Association. Maybe at orientations, companies can talk about how there is this association in Iwate to help…
Smith: They may know there is an International Association, but they may not know what it is for or what they do.
Hall: They help out with so many things. People who can’t speak Japanese very well, people in trouble – they should all contact the Association more often. However, those people usually have a small network, so they just aren’t aware of it. For example, how about locating foreign brides who come to Japan with low Japanese ability and sending them some information?


-Are there countermeasures against natural disasters or evacuation shelters in your country?

Xi: There aren’t any shelters. Most of the time we gather in town squares.
Hall: For places that get tornadoes, some houses will have a basement where you can take shelter. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, people took refuge in an arena. I think there is a system in place for evacuating from dangerous areas.
Smith: There are many wildfires in the south of Australia, so we have many systems in place. You can receive information by cell phone, and information is broadcast from neighborhood speakers. The Fire Department will publish magazines and the like every year and give them to everyone.


-What did you do after the earthquake? Did you learn anything from the experience?

Zhou: I listened to the hand-powered radio I finally got my husband to buy after bugging him about it so many times.
Hall: I took refuge in the gymnasium of Morioka’s Third High School for about 2 days. Everyone brought things like kerosene and food to share, so I had no trouble.
Zheng: I live in government housing, so I stayed with another CIR. The Prefectural Office has its own source of power, so we stayed in the office until midnight, and the next day we broadcast tsunami and earthquake information on the radio.
Xi: I had previously translated a prefectural disaster pamphlet into Chinese which outlined what to do in an earthquake. Even though I translated it myself, I didn’t pay too much attention to it, so I didn’t prepare things necessary for evacuation. I definitely need to prepare the minimum just in case another disaster occurs.
Hall: Before, when I looked at the signs for evacuation sites, I wondered why we needed such places. But after the earthquake I realized that it was for times like this. We are pretty lucky. We have a network with fellow residents, and a lot of friends who will help us out. But I wonder what some foreigners who have just arrived in Japan, or cannot speak Japanese, or who have few friends did during the quake.
Smith:  Before the disaster, there were some other people who lived in my apartment complex who I would say hello to, but they would never respond. After the quake, I bought a ton of rice so I asked them if they needed any. They said thank you, and ever since then, when they buy things like milk, they’ll bring it to me, and they’ve started to say hello to me. They probably didn’t know I could speak Japanese, and were too nervous to say hello before.


-There are times when people won’t say hello even if we are both Japanese, so it’s nice that you had this opportunity to talk with them. What other things do you think are necessary?

Hall: Information about when utilities would return, when food will be distributed again. They told us on the TV not to purchase things in bulk – no panic buying – but if you don’t know Japanese you’ll have no idea when things will return to normal.
Smith: People wanted to volunteer - stuff like sending rescue supplies and helping with the cleanup. But you need Japanese for volunteering, so those who can’t speak Japanese just get in the way. People who didn’t have cars or a large social network didn’t know what to do. It would be nice to have some information for foreigners living in Morioka on how they can help.



Wrapping Up

Regardless of nationality, regardless of race – what is most important during a time of crisis? During a time of trouble? When you want to start something? It seems there are some clues within this discussion. Readers: what have you been thinking since the disaster, and what sort of things did you do?




<Profile>①Birthplace ②Years in Iwate ③Job Description ④During the Earthquake…

Shiyi Xi
① Shanghai, China
② 20 years
③ Chinese Language Teacher at Kozukata High School
④ I calmly checked my house, and went to buy candles and batteries.

James Hall　
① Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
② 13 years
③ Associate Professor within Iwate University’s Education Department
④ I tried to call my wife but the call wouldn’t go through, so I went to search for my children by bike.

Hamish Smith
① Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
② 1 year and a half
③ ALT at Morioka Kita High School
④ A nearby old lady that I didn’t know grabbed onto my arm.

Lina Zhou
① Longyou, Zhejiang Province, China
② 4 years
③ School helper at Shiwa Elementary School
④ I wanted to cry because it was the first big earthquake I ever experienced, but I put on a strong face for the children.

Xiaomei Zheng
① Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
② 1 and a half years
③ CIR (Coordinator of International Relations) for Iwate Prefecture
④ I was at work at the Prefectural Office when the earthquake struck. I started distributing information in Chinese on the radio from the very next day.



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

（Iwate International Association　September 30, 2011） 

1000 hand-knitted scarves arrive from America, in time for winter.

Approximately 1000 scarves and other items from knitting enthusiasts in America have arrived at Morioka’s Recovery Support Center in Uchimaru, Morioka.

Along with a message reading “We hope you will have warm hearts and warm bodies this winter. We will continue to give our support. With love and prayers”, each item was knitted with the love and consideration of the sender, who wishes the disaster victims stay warm this winter.

The scarves were designed by Yumiko Alexander, a knit-designer born in Yamanashi Prefecture but now living in Phoenix, Arizona. Alexander became unwell from the shock of hearing of the disaster, but feeling that there was something she could do, she thought of a design with Japanese tastes in mind, and called for help with the knitting. News of her idea spread widely when yarn companies and shops tried to gather customers to knit the items that Alexander had been recruiting help for through earthquake blogs and handicraft publication companies since the middle of April. Nearly 90% of the scarves that arrived were made by Americans. The scarves came from all over America, including New York and Hawaii.

“America is a country with charity deeply rooted in their lives”. Even around Alexander, there were many people who did what they could through their hobbies, such as a yoga teacher who organized an outdoor yoga event to collect money, she explains.

Knitting can’t be finished straight away. It takes time to knit a complete piece. “As the days and weeks passed, different news was being shown on the TV. But even though the world goes on, we wanted to say that we still remember what happened”. Their memory of the disaster doesn’t fade with time, and the feeling that thoughts from abroad will continue have been knitted into the scarves.

While the scarves will be distributed through the "Save Iwate" Support Team at the Disaster Victim Support Center (2F), they will also be offered at the free market for those in shelters and temporary housing along the coast.

Alexander says "Because they are hand-made, just like wrapping themselves with our warm wishes, we all made the scarves hoping that the wearer's hearts will be warmed. I'm very glad that there are so many people who are worried for Japan.
It's my job to tell everyone about the situation in the devistated area.
I have to tell them that their scarves have arrived.


Morioka Times　29th Septmeber 2011 (Thu)

CALL FOR SUPPORT : “IWATE Learning Hope Fund”forthe financial aid of the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami orphans

In Iwate Prefecture, one of the three prefectures devastated most by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011, a lot of children lost their parents. In order to help raise and give a loving and stable home life to these children in their hometowns,the “Iwate Learning Hope Fund” has recently been established. We would like to support these children until the time they reach adulthood and become independent.


→　CALL FOR SUPPORT : “IWATE Learning Hope Fund”forthe financial aid of the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami orphans