More than five years have passed since the earthquake and tsunami devastated much of eastern Japan in March 2011. Looking back on the past half-decade, we are sharing some stories and recollections from those we have been “walking together” with since the devastation, one by one.
Given below is a story from another speaker in this series, Ms. Toshiko Tani, a volunteer providing tea and sweets to the “comfy cafes” at two temporary housing sites in Iwaki, Fukushima – one at Izumi-Tamatsuyu, Tomioka, and the other at Hiruno, Watanabe.
“Working with comfy cafes” (Cafes at temporary housing sites for those affected by the East Japan Earthquake of March 2011)
Toshiko Tani, The Nara Episcopal Church
The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA
Today, five years and almost four months have passed since the 2011 disaster. Those affected by it have been carrying heavy burdens, both physical and spiritual, far beyond the imaginations of the rest of us—fears, hardships, hopelessness, sorrows, solitude, groaning, etc. I wish the disaster had never hit anyone. I want to have words of real comfort to the victims. It is extremely hard to see and understand the agonies they have been experiencing. I desire more compassionate understanding.
Also, I am living far away from them. What can I do for them? I am aged and not very strong now. So, if I visit them to “help,” I might end up as causing trouble for them. Afraid of causing such trouble, I thought all I could do was to pray for them. Then, the bishop and some others from Tohoku, the hard-hit region, proposed having “comfy cafes” in Onahama, Iwaki, Fukushima. In response, the women’s associations of the Dioceses of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe offered help to the cafes. These women have been working with the cafes for almost four years. I myself have been working with them for almost two years now. Women of different churches of the three dioceses have been voluntarily helping those cafes, for which I here express my applause. They have been sending to Onahama many delicacies, fruits of the season, handmade sweets, etc., together with short letters.
At my church, The Nara Episcopal Church, I called for help in making sweets, and more volunteers gathered than I expected. Today, many of us still get together to enjoy both chatting and making sweets. Some of the volunteers prepare lunch for all of us. Others make tea for us, while the rest of us chat together: “This sweet is great.” “Need more sugar in it.” “Should give it a bit of salt,” and so on. We make a surplus of sweets and then ask church people to buy them in order to finance the ingredients and shipping costs. Actually, we sometimes have a surplus of money as well! Thus, all the people of the church are helping us make sweets and send them to the comfy cafes.
Our chats help us relax and smile as we work seriously on making sweets: “Hope they like this.” “Hope everyone over there is having a good time and has a smile on her/his face,” and so on.
Deacon Kishimoto, who takes care of the cafes at the sites, said, in a phone conversation with me, “We are determined to serve temporary housing residents until there is no one left in temporary housing.” Also, on June 1st and 2nd, 2016, the Women’s Association of the Kyoto Diocese held a general assembly where Ms. Chikako Nishihara, who also takes care of the cafes at the sites, was invited to speak. With many words of gratitude, she said, “I will remain in temporary housing until there is no one else left.” Her words moved me greatly. I believe I am not the only one determined to keep working with her in the coming years.
Original Japanese written by staffer The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA
Below: Article from the June 7th, 2016 edition of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper
The Round 2 results
Following the meltdown of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), thyroid examinations of children of Fukushima have been conducted. The second round of the examinations (full checkups) began in April 2014, and by the end of March 2016, it had been determined that 30 of the children examined had thyroid cancer. This number has grown larger—by 14—than the 16 children found to have cancer in the first round, whose results were officially announced at the end of December 2015.
The chairperson of the “Kenmin Chosa Kento” Committee (Committee to Survey Fukushima Citizens and Consider Rebuilding Measures) repeated the Committee’s official statement that, “At this moment it is hard to discern influences from the radioactivity,” on the ground that, among other reasons, not many cases of thyroid cancer have been found in younger children, who are more sensitive to radioactivity than older children.
Can we trust the “experts”?
Here, we need to look closer at the examination results, as shown in Table 1 below. There, you can easily see that the “rate of malignant and suspected malignant cases” is higher in districts with higher radioactivity, such as those municipalities around Fukushima Daiichi currently specified as evacuation zones, as well as in the cities of Fukushima, Koriyama, etc. It is reasonable to suspect some cause-effect relationship between the meltdown and the thyroid cancer cases. Still, some experts deny such a cause-effect relationship.
(Table 1) Results of the thyroid examinations, Round 2 (As of March 31st, 2016)
The Japanese author’s concerns
Here in Fukushima, some 130 children, diagnosed to have thyroid cancer, have already undergone surgery. Metastasis to a lymph node has been detected in more than 70% of these children. Some 70% of those children whose cancer has metastasized have a tumor 1cm (0.4”) or larger in size. In some children, the cancer has metastasized to a lung. These facts show that these children are suffering from fast-developing cancer. No one can claim that these children had surgery too soon.
Some experts fear that some children can be over-diagnosed, and that some of them might undergo unnecessary surgery after such an over-diagnosis. If such a case occurs, then good compensation and long-term care should be provided to the affected child and his/her family.
Also, we have to keep in mind that all those children who go through cancer checkups, as well as their parents, live every day with worry and stress.
We have to keep searching for the truth. Otherwise, many children might be forced to live at the mercy of some adults who turn their eyes away from these grave issues. Some adults are even trying to cover up these issues.
※Note on the thyroid examinations in Fukushima
The pilot examinations, Round 1, covered those Fukushima children who were 18 years in age or younger, some 370,000 in number, when the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown began. Round 2, the full examinations, covered some 380,000 children in all, including those born within a year of when the meltdown began. Round 1 inspected a “lumps” within the thyroid with an ultrasonic device, to discover their shape, size, etc., and ranked each lump as “A1,” “A2,” “B,” or “C,” in the order of seriousness. (“A1” is the easiest to treat.) If a child is found to have a lump of a certain size or larger that falls under either “B” or “C,” then Round 2 examinations look in more detail into his/her blood, cells, etc.
More than five years have passed since the earthquake and tsunami devastated much of eastern Japan in March 2011. Looking back on the past half-decade, we are listening to some stories and recollections from those we have been “walking together with,” one by one, since the devastation.
Below is a story from our fifth speaker in this series, Ms. Keiko Kitagawa, a voluntary staffer at “Support Center Shinchi-Gangoya,” serving those affected by the March 2011 disaster. The center is located within a temporary housing complex in Shinchi, Soma County, Fukushima.
Soon after the 2011 disaster, Ms. Kitagawa visited Minamisoma City to help as part of a team of medics. Today, the support center holds a Wednesday café, which features, among other things, “Comfy Time for Kids and Parents.” In this comfy time, Ms. Kitagawa (known as “Dr. Keiko”), a medical doctor in the fields of psychiatry and pediatrics, and another pediatrician, Dr. Kazuko Meijo (“Dr. Kako-chan”) take turns discussing and consulting on many issues.
“Features of Support Center Shinchi”
Dr. Keiko Kitagawa, Volunteer at Support Center Shinchi-Gangoya
(The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA)
In April, soon after the March 2011 disaster, I began to visit Kamaishi, Iwate, every month as a psychiatrist to help those affected. Then, in August of the same year, I began to visit the City of Fukushima for the same purpose.
I have been listening to those affected by the disaster and providing medical consultations to them at clinics, at the dorms of evacuee children, at consultation meetings for parents, at local schools, and at temporary housing facilities. The evacuees find my service through religious organizations, both Christian and Buddhist, other non-profits, and local medical organizations.
I began my service at Support Center Shinchi (in “Shinchi Base”), a center to help those affected by the 2011 disaster located in Shinchi, Soma County, Fukushima, in 2012. It used to stand beside National Route No. 6, but now it is within Shinchi Base, in the Gangoya Temporary Housing Complex. There, I spend time together with those locals who were affected by the disaster. I listen to those who want to talk to me at tea parties held at Shinchi Base and the housing complex, and I visit households in the complex. I visit neighborhood elementary schools, upon their request, to advise them on helping children there. I have also met with many other volunteers who give the residents massages, haircuts, home visits, etc.
I have been working with many support organizations and their staffers, as well as with temporary housing residents and other locals. Support Center Shinchi-Gangoya has some unique features.
First, Mr. Hiroshi Matsumoto, a staffer at the support center, came to Shinchi soon after the 2011 tragedies to help locals and, ever since Shinchi Base was developed, he has been living as one of the locals. With him, I see no “unilateral help” from helpers to locals, or a sort of “hierarchy” that, though unintended, can emerge before we know it.
In 2015, Mr. Matsumoto took me to a place called Yamakoshi, which once was a municipality in Niigata, Japan. Now, it is part of Nagaoka, Niigata. This is where another major earthquake hit back in October 2004, Following that disaster, Mr. Matsumoto resided in Yamakoshi for several years to help those affected. I saw that the way he helped those affected by the disaster in Shinchi, Fukushima, was a development of what he had learned in Yamakoshi.
Another staffer who regularly comes to serve at Shinchi Base, Ms. Eiko Takagi, is also “one of the locals” now. She is a very good friend of Ms. Kazuko Kato and Ms. Tomoko Miyake, mentioned below.
Ms. Kato and Ms. Miyake lost their beloved families, neighbors, and homes to the tsunami of March 2011. After residing in temporary houses for some time, now they are in their new homes. Ms. Kato hosts tea parties (for the victims), while Ms. Miyake visits the residents of temporary houses. Thus, once victims themselves, they are now helping others affected by the disaster. Once in a while the two women share their bitter experiences as “affected.” I have never seen anything like this in any other support organizations.
Today, Support Center Shinchi-Gangoya holds tea parties for those affected. The current participants are mostly elderly people who have been taking part in the parties since the center launched them. Some lost their houses to the tsunami of 2011, while others are unable to return to their homes due to the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown. They have escaped to Shinchi, where some of them live in temporary housing while some others live in new houses recently built here in Shinchi. Many of them used to live in old houses where three to four generations spent their lifetimes. When the 2011 disaster destroyed their old houses, the families were torn apart; they lost mutual confidence within the family, while losing many other things. They now live within different networks of people. After describing stories like this, they look down and seem to be lost in reflection.
True, five years have passed since the 2011 disaster. Still, no matter how many times we volunteers have spoken to them, those affected still suffer from deep agonies for which we have found no solution. We have yet to see their mental wounds healed. I think all we helpers can do is to share their grief.
The other day, I left Fukushima for a brief period of time and visited the coasts of Miyagi and Iwate, two prefectures in Tohoku, Japan. Over the last several years I have chiefly been involved in the situation in Fukushima where current residents in temporary housing are unable to return to their hometowns thanks to the nuclear power plant meltdown. I am surprised to see so many victims from the tsunami five years ago still living with the inconveniences of temporary houses. One reason is that the work to raise the ground level (to prevent another tsunami disaster) takes a long time and is still in progress. Also, the preparatory work for the coming Tokyo Olympics employs countless construction workers, leaving just a few for the rebuilding work in Tohoku. Also, the demand for construction materials for the Olympics has inflated prices. Therefore, it is very difficult for many tsunami and other victims to build new homes. Thus, the rebuilding is lagging behind schedule.
Yet another serious issue is that, in Fukushima, once an official ban is lifted from a no-go zone, no matter how high the actual level of radiation is, evacuees from the zone are asked to return and the compensation they have been receiving from public funds is cut off. This forces many evacuees to return to what had been no-go zones.
I think Shinchi Base is determined to accompany each one affected by the disaster, sharing their pain and carrying the burdens together. The base is not interested in spreading shallow, easy help. This way, the base, I believe, points out contradictions in our reality with its own actions, but without screaming aloud.
The base’s actions remind me of a Jewish saying: “whoever saves one life, it is as if he /she has saved the whole world.”
More than five years have passed since the earthquake and tsunami devastated much of eastern Japan in March 2011. Looking back on the past half-decade, we are listening to some stories and recollections from those we have been “walking together with,” one by one, since the devastation.
Following is a story from our fourth speaker in this series, Mr. Masayuki Ogawa, who has been leading “Driving Tours to Stay Aware of Fukushima”—pilgrimages to the areas devastated by the 2011 disaster. The automobile pilgrimages have taken participants to hard-hit areas like Tomioka, Okuma, Futaba, and Namie and they learned how things are now, following the disaster. In addition, they have joined in tea parties at Gangoya Temporary Housing, located at Shinchi, Minamisoma, Fukushima, to have fellowship with the housing’s residents. While in society at large the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, which is still in progress, is becoming “an incident to remember” in the minds of many, Mr. Ogawa’s automobile pilgrimages and kind visits to the hard-hit areas provide people there with great comfort and joy. Also, those pilgrimages help society in general to be aware of a tragedy still in progress.
“Driving Tours to Stay Aware of Fukushima”
Masayuki Ogawa, Tsukishima Anglican Church, Tokyo Diocese
Ever since the March 2011 disaster, I have been organizing a pilgrimage titled “Driving Tours to Stay Aware of Fukushima” twice each month. It is a two-day driving tour over some 800km (500 miles) in a van. Each participant is asked to pay JPY20,000.
We visit the support centers in Koriyama, Shinchi, and Onahama, and listen to their staffers. Also, we join in tea parties at temporary housing facilities to have fellowship with the residents. We also visit hard-hit areas to see how terrible the devastation was and how much rebuilding is in progress, hoping to learn what the earthquake and the (Fukushima Daiichi) meltdown truly were/are. In Soma and Futaba, two districts neighboring Fukushima Daiichi, we take measurements of radiation as well.
So far, some people from the Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chubu Dioceses of the Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan have joined me on the pilgrimages. I found exchanges of information with them in the van, across churches and Dioceses, quite meaningful.
Some say, “What sense is there for those affected in you visiting the hard-hit places? Nothing more than complacency.” Still, our pilgrimages have been going on. Maybe, the criticism of complacency describes part of the truth. Still, my “complacency” thinks of others as well, not just myself.
Now, when someone in Fukushima who I’m visiting says to me, “Please come again. Show us your warm smile again,” I find a 500-mile drive to be no problem at all. As long as my health stands, and God’s blessings abide with us, I will continue as the voluntary driver of the “Driving Tours to Stay Aware of Fukushima.”
More than five years have passed since the earthquake and tsunami devastated much of eastern Japan in March 2011. Looking back on the past half-decade, we are listening to some of the stories and recollections of those we have been “walking together with,” one by one, since the devastation.
Below is a story from our third speaker in this series, Ms. Chikako Nishihara, a resident of the Izumi-Tamatsuyu Emergency Temporary Housing Complex. St. Timothy’s Support Center, located in Onahama, Iwaki, Fukushima, has been providing help to this complex, and Ms. Nishihara has been working with the support center as a volunteer.
“Here in a Comfy Café”
Chikako Nishihara, Resident of the Izumi-TamatsuyuEmergency Temporary Housing ComplexMember of a group of volunteers
named “Hokkori (comfy)”
“Comfy cafes”
Five years and two months have passed since the tragedies of March 2011. Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11th and the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, we, the citizens of the little town of Tomioka, without any significant information as to what was going on, were forced to evacuate on the following day, without any known destination. Some of us had to travel between different shelters, living separately from our families, and enduring days and days of bitterness and anxiety.
Then, in September 2011, some of us began to settle down here, at the temporary housing of Izumi-Tamatsuyu. By then, we were exhausted physically and worn out mentally. We had endured months of life in shelters, where anxieties and inconveniences were the keynote day in and day out. Once we were resident in this temporary housing complex, St. Timothy’s Volunteer Center, Onahama, of the Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan, launched a comfy café for us, a regular event of comfort and consolation. Carrying cups of fragrant coffee, the church’s volunteers spoke to us with gentle words of comfort, such as: “You’ve gotten over so many rainy days. Now, please rest.” They certainly relieved me of the emotional tensions I had untill then, and I almost shed tears.
The comfy café became a good place where neighbors and ex-residents of Tomioka came together. Since the little town consisted of different districts, some people met each other for the first time here. “Nice to meet you” was often followed by a conversation like: “Where were ya livin’ before the disaster? Oh, there? Mah former neighborhood! Great to see you!” Tomioka had its own dialect, and hearing it made me nostalgic.
Thus, the café became so cheerful and noisy that we often had a hard time understanding each other. Among all those cheerful voices, the church’s volunteers went around serving coffee and sweets. While being very thankful to all those volunteers, I knew, since it was something good for us, that some of us should also be helping. When you know you should help, just get into the action! So I asked the volunteer center if could help, and joined the café volunteers.
I am very thankful that they welcomed my offer to volunteer. Since then, helping two comfy cafes every week has been part of my life. I also asked for more of my neighbors to volunteer. Now, we have two groups of volunteers to keep the cafes running.
“A comfy day”
9:30 in the morning. Someone says, “May we come in?” Two come in hand-in-hand. “Here, you take off your shoes. Hold on to my arm.” The two are both aged, yet take good care of each other, bringing a smile to our faces and kicking off the comfy café of the day. By now, they are excellent coffee connoisseurs. “You serve good coffee here. Tastes great!” Also, many churches all over the nation send us sweets which bring lovely smiles to their faces. Often, they do not eat these sweets at the comfy café—they take them home when sweets are hard to find here in Fukushima. Also, when a neighbor does not show up at the café, those who do worry about them and later pay them a visit. They are nice people. Sometimes they teach us lessons as well, out of their experiences—how to make pickles, how to prepare good boiled foods, etc. Talking with people at a comfy cafe gives them some peace of mind and happiness, they say. Many who attend the cafes are now helping each other like a big family, though they used to be strangers in Tomioka.
Also, at the comfies, some people will describe their experiences from the 2011 disaster to a visiting volunteer, who listens to them with a warm heart of acceptance. Today, the comfy cafes are an event they cannot do without. We, the volunteers, are ever striving to make those cafes even more comfortable, happier occasions for the guests, and we find great joy in that.
“Tomioka Town song”
“♪ Cherries in blossom, azaleas too, now the Forest of Night (*) is in full blossom — -“ Sogoes a song sung at the café amid the fragrance of coffee. Each one present hums along.This is the “Tomioka Town song,” led by its Social Welfare Council. The lyrics describe scenes from the town—the hometown that they can never return to due to the radioactive contamination.
** “The Forest of Night” is a forest belt between the towns of Tomioka and Okuma, both in Fukushima. Since the zone consists of no-return areas and restricted habitation areas, both of which accommodate high radioactivity, some roads into the forest are still barricaded. It used to be a renowned place of azaleas, cherries, etc., cherished by most citizens of Tomioka and thus stood for the town.
Earlier, many of the ex-Tomioka residents at the café wept, hearing this song, and were unable to sing it. Some even left the café, unable to stand just hearing it. Back in Tomioka, they broadcast this song every day at noon. Now, its citizens will never be able to return to that cherished town of theirs. Thus, the song can make them despair. Still, they sing it together, to keep their hometown alive in their memories. Recently, they have become able to sing it without weeping. Still, they can sing only verse 1. Some say, “I can sing it only here, at this café.” Maybe all of us share that feeling.
“Moms are great!”
Our comfy cafes are also where mothers make friends. In addition to the café volunteers, many other mothers voluntarily come to help the café, from site preparation to cooking to dish washing, as well as other activities such as rice cake making parties, outdoor lunch parties, cherry blossom parties, etc. Some events are organized by a neighborhood community, some by the café, yet that does not matter to those moms. No one tells them what to do; each mother does what she enjoys doing while respecting the others. Mothers are great! Also great are their husbands, who help them in all these events.
We met each other for the first time here at the cafe. During the several years that followed, we have become close friends. Once the cafes became so heavily crowded and noisy, we had a hard time having a conversation. Today, after many former neighbors have moved into permanent houses for refugees, some 20 people enjoy themselves at each café.
Some residents of temporary housing have built their own houses, and some others have moved into public-run houses. These are good things, and yet we miss those ex-residents and they miss the cafes. So, some of them come all the way to our cafes from their new houses for conversation, coffee and sweets. Our cafes have provided coffee and words of welcome and warmth, and now happy memories. The comfy cafes have been so precious to so many, and we are all thankful to St. Timothy’s Volunteer Center for all the happy memories.
A new song – “Cherry petals are dancing in our town”
“Cherry petals are dancing in our town” is a new song, written to cheer up those hoping for the town’s rebuilding. It is sung by many citizens of Tomioka today.
Each flower knows when to blossom, and it gracefully follows the right timing. Today, no one is in the town to watch the cherry trees blossom. Still, they clad themselves in lovely blossoms as if they were saying, “Don’t worry, we are waiting for you to come back here.” If—if ever—comes a day when we can return to Tomioka, why not hold a comfy café under full-blossoming cherry trees in the town??
More than five years have passed since the earthquake and tsunami devastated much of eastern Japan in March 2011. Looking back on the past half-decade, we are listening to some stories and recollections from those we have been “walking together with,” one by one, since the devastation.
The following is a story from our second speaker in this series, Ms. Yoshiko Nakahara, who has been working as a volunteer at St. Timothy’s Support Center Onahama. Located in Onahama, Iwaki, Fukushima. The support center has been providing help to evacuees from the areas adjacent to Fukushima Daiichi who are still living in temporary housing.
“Volunteering in Year 5 since the 2011 Disaster”
Yoshiko Elisabeth Nakahara, St. Timothy’s Church, Onahama
Soon after the 2011 earthquake, I was totally desperate and did not know what to do. Then, God opened up a new way of living for me—serving those affected by the earthquake as a volunteer. This was the first time I ever worked as a volunteer and at first I did not know how to serve people. Even after joining in the group of volunteers, I was still at a loss as to what to do and how to serve. Then, many clergy and laypeople of the three Anglican Dioceses of Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe) in the group kindly comforted me, though this was the first time I had ever talked to people from the three Dioceses in person. I was so nervous when I began to work as a volunteer.
I watched volunteers from the three Dioceses and, over time, learned how to serve. At “comfy cafés” in temporary housing, I delivered a cup of coffee to each person present, speaking to him or her sincerely, and introducing myself. Gradually, more residents of the temporary housing spoke with me. And each one of them gradually spoke to me in a confident voice. I was overjoyed, and often chatted with some residents of the housing so cheerfully that I was often mistaken for a resident. A certain lady always took my hand and said “Thank you, thank you,” yet I am the one filled with gratitude for what she said. She made me so very happy that I volunteered.
Then, some residents of the temporary housing formed their own group of volunteers— evidence that they were determined to take care of their own affairs and help others as well. As you know, they have experienced tremendous tragedies and have had a very difficult life since then. Still, they are willing to help others—a great attitude that moves me deeply.
Needless to say, over my five years of service as a volunteer, I have experienced grief. When a friend and co-volunteer of mine passed away I was heartbroken. Whenever I was at a loss, she spoke warmly to me. I do believe that she is still with us, like a guardian angel.
At the temporary housing of Izumi-Tamatsuyu, “comfy café” meets twice every week, on Mondays and Fridays. A similar café at Hiruno, Watanabe Town, also meets twice weekly, on Thursdays and Saturdays. In all, I have the joy of serving people at four cafes every week. Today, I think I am the one encouraged by the temporary housing residents. I owe what I am today to my experiences as a volunteer. Without it, I might still be lost in feelings of hopelessness.
I have made many friends at the temporary housing where I serve. Who knows, they and I might need each other again someday, somewhere. They have survived unbearable griefs and tragedies. Together, we will spread the message of how valuable life is. As you live on, happiness can come to you. One day, a certain woman wept and wept with tears of thanks, saying, “Oh my, I am so happy and relieved to have you at this comfy, Ms. Nakahara.” Actually, I have had some unbearable experiences serving at the comfy cafes, but then her word of gratitude come back to me to remind me how thankful she was to me. Then, I thank God that I have been able to serve the comfy cafes as a volunteer.
I am certain that most residents of temporary housing are still worried over their future. Some have moved into new houses built for those affected by the 2011 disaster, yet no house can eliminate all their worries. No matter what kind of houses they live in, they need to share with others and face their worries in close friendships of trust.
Also, though we do see new houses and buildings constructed after the 2011 devastation, we have yet to see “rebuilding” of the minds and emotions of those affected. As time passes by, their sense of solitude grows deeper. I sure hope they will try to make more friends. During my years as a volunteer, I have made new friends who have been of precious help to me. Especially, I owe many thanks to the people of St. Andrew’s Church, Hitachi. Without their help, I would not have continued my service as a volunteer this long. Also, I owe much to the people of the three Dioceses of Kansai, who always help others with a lovely smile. Today, they sent some nice sweets and messages to my comfy cafes. My years as a volunteer will continue, and I certainly hope to “walk together” with all the people I serve.
Newsletter of the “Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation” — Part II of the “Let’s Walk Together” Project, the Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan’s efforts to “walk together” with victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011
“Let’s Walk Together” Project Part IILiving Water
Volume 10, April 2016
http://www.nskk.org/province/genpatsugroup/English.html (Linked to the Provincial Office’s website) world without nuclear Anglican Search
(Translated into English from the original Japanese by Heeday. The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA, except for the donation information and the Project’s introduction)
Hooked on Producing Radioactive Waste ~~ Essence of restarting nuclear power plants ~~
Revd. Makito John Aizawa, Chairperson,
Steering Committee, Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation
In discussions about restarting nuclear power plants (NPPs), people holding many different points of view contradict each other. Some speak from the viewpoint of energy, some from that of the economy, some from concerns for life, and some from many other points of view. Still, to us at the Project, the priorities are obvious. Restarting a NPP, in essence, means continuing the production of nuclear waste. What we have to keep in mind is that such waste does not come from nature and does not decompose back into nature. Worse yet, radioactive waste is something that none of our existing technologies can either decompose or neutralize. In short, a NPP restart creates an ongoing dangerous situation.
Some argue from the economic viewpoint. Are they simply saying, “As long as we can make money, anything goes”?
With respect to energy issues, it is clear that we need to change our systems of energy production, and the relevant parties should support such changes. With such changes, we would be able to move our society towards safer energy sources, e.g., power produced from solar, wind, wave, (geo)thermal, and other sources of energy. Also, obviously, if power production from alternative energy sources brings in monetary profits, more businesses will utilize them.
Now, what matter most is the issue of protecting life. The more we run NPPs the more radioactive waste we produce, a serious danger that we have no way to neutralize. We will be extending a present danger into the future. One anti-nuke poet wrote a “haiku” which goes: “Just restart (NPPs), there is no tomorrow for us.” I find it quite persuasive.
The Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan, at its 59th General Synod (2012), adopted a resolution named “For a World without Nuclear Power Plants – The Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan Opposed to Nuclear Power Generation.” It says: “…we call for… a conversion of Japan’s energy policy toward the development of alternative sources of energy.” Let’s stand firmly, once again, on this resolution. We are living today and there will be people living tomorrow. We have to keep this “tomorrow” in mind. We have to create a society that respects life.
Important Notice
Our Project, active over the last two years, terminates with the Church’s General Synod this year (2016). The Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation, begun as “Part II” of the “Let’s Walk Together” Project, has been helping those affected by the March 2011 disasters, as well as spreading information on what nuclear power really is and does. Soon a report will be published on activities conducted over these two years. This is the last issue of the Project’s bulletin, “Living Water.” We thank all of you for having read our bulletin.
Although our activities to help those affected by the 2011 disaster are to be reorganized, we will continue them in some fashion, and we are currently making preparations to do just that. When it is decided how we will continue such activities, we will issue a notice to that effect.
We extend our gratitude to all those who have helped us in our activities, financially and/or otherwise, as we have sought to stimulate more people to be concerned about the dangers of nuclear power. In the coming years as well, every one of us will continue to strive to create a society that “values life.”
The Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation
This is a committee of the Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan, founded upon the work and direction of the “Let’s Walk Together!” Project and the 2012 General Synod resolution “For a World without Nuclear Power Plants.”
Report on the Project’s Activities in 2014 and 2015
The activities below are what we have accomplished, thanks to your help and prayers
[Research and Publicity Team] So far, the Team has been studying what nuclear power truly is and does and sharing what we have discovered with the world. In addition to this bulletin, on November 1st, 2014, we published the 3rd impression of a revised edition of “NO-NUKE Q&A,” which is also available in Korean and English. To see the “Q&A,” you can visit the “Q&A” pages of our Project’s website. Those pages are also linked to the Provincial Office’s website. Furthermore, the Project’s website and weblogs on activities to help temporary housing residents have been spreading the “honest opinions” of those “walking together” with victims of the meltdown in Fukushima. We earnestly intend to let as many people as possible know both what is happening in Fukushima and how devastating a nuclear plant accident can be. Also, we want people to learn from the disaster and to live wisely.
[Support Team]
1.Refresh (Retreat) programs These regular outing programs for kindergarteners enabled children from Fukushima to refresh their bodies and minds by playing outdoors free from worries over radiation. Also, people from some other Dioceses of the church have provided both help and encouragement, creating cherished memories for the children and their parents. In addition, we have been holding support programs for mothers of Fukushima who are experiencing an extremely tough time raising their children amid fears of radiation.
▲Moved by songs and sign language messages of Ms. Kazumi Ushijima from the Kyushu Diocese
・Kindergarten outings
▲Enjoying the season and refreshing one’s mind and body in nature
Singing and dancing with “Rocket Crayon” from the Kobe Diocese
Programs for mothers and their kids
Assistant nurses from the Okinawa Diocese help the kindergarten face tomorrow amid all the difficulties confronting Fukushima
▲Massaging their babies with aromatic oil, mothers relax together with their babies
Assistant nurses from the Okinawa Diocese help the kindergarten face tomorrow amid all the difficulties confronting Fukushima
Summer holiday “refresh” (retreat) programs
River rafting in Gifu Prefecture.
Voices from families that participated in the retreat in Takashima, Nagasaki (Kyushu, Japan) in 2015
I enjoyed diving again and again in the sea. I loved it so much that I hated having to go back home.
Takashima’s sea was so beautiful! Fish were swimming around my legs, to my pleasant surprise. Also, I caught a cicada named “kumazemi” (a species of cicadas native to Japan), which is hard to find in Fukushima, and I still show it off to friends today.
I was amused and amazed to find some “sapphire devils” (tropical fish) in the sea there. Thanks for the precious time. I had great fun!
That was the best summer vacation I ever had. The sea, the sunset, and — everything was just gorgeous!
Swimming and diving in the crystal clear sea; I enjoyed so many things I did over there. I still appreciate the love all of you showed to us!
2.Support to temporary housing residents
“Support Center Shinchi Gangoya”
Some of the Center’s staff resided in temporary housing located in Shinchi, Fukushima, in order to provide many kinds of help to the residents.
“Comfy” events (weekly to monthly)
Physical exercise for health, movie shows, mini-concerts, counseling, programs for kids, visits to evacuated hometowns, and many more activities
Wednesday café
Manual massage
Home visit-maintaining a close relationship with people.
Hair cuts
Annual events
summer camps, street performances, artistic creation, and more.
“Shamisen” (Japanese banjo) performance.
Visits, learning, interviews, pilgrimages
Visits to hard-hit areas, fellowship with others affected by the 2011 disasters.
~~ Voice from an on-site staffer ~~
Now, five years after the 2011 disasters, more and more refugees are finding new houses. However, most of those who are still resident in temporary houses are evacuees from the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown. Those residents share a strong sense of isolation, feeling “abandoned.” Their sense of insecurity about their future, coupled with stress from poor housing conditions, is creating serious problems. Some are experiencing unwanted conflicts with local residents who are not refugees. I do see that the need for mental care for those evacuees is growing greater and greater as time goes by. In a situation like this, our weekly Wednesday Café provides a good opportunity for fellowship among the residents. We run many other seasonal programs as well, to bring the residents together.
From my experiences, I can say that the best help to the residents here, who are victims of the meltdown, is providing opportunities for them to share their questions, anger, etc. with those visiting them.
St. Timothy’s Support Center, Onahama This Center has been holding “Comfy Cafes” and running programs participating in local events that enhance fellowship among residents at two temporary housing complexes.
Izumi Tamatsuyu Temporary Housing Complex
(for evacuees from Tomioka, a town close to Fukushima Daiichi)
Making rice cakes
Outdoor lunch party
Hiruno Temporary Housing Complex, Watanabe Town
(for evacuees from Okuma, a town at the foot of Fukushima Daiichi)
Comfy café
▲ Third and second-year children of St Timothy’s Kindergarten visited the temporary housing to sing and enjoy fingerplays together with residents.
~~ Voice from an on-site staffer ~~
Recently, we are having less and less fun events here in the temporary housing. Our “Comfy Cafés,” therefore, have become something that many can count on for fellowship, while they wait for their turn to move into publicly-owned houses for refugees. Many around the nation send snacks and goodies to encourage the residents, who appreciate them very much at every café.
Support to those residents moving into publicly-owned houses We have been providing help to those aged and/or disabled residents of temporary housing with whom we have built up good relationships. We help especially with those issues that welfare administrations and social welfare councils often fail to notice, such as buying and assembling furniture for them, listening to their problems, etc. At the public houses they are moving to, they do not have many opportunities for fellowship like Comfy Cafes. This is one thing we are worried about for the years ahead.
Sign of the Times – Column on Current issues
Margaret
The Fukushima Daiichi disaster has taught us a lesson, namely that every nuclear power plant must have a disaster countermeasures base in order (1) to protect those workers counteracting the disaster from radiation, (2) to store food and materials, and (3) to maintain communication with the relevant authorities, etc. Such a countermeasures base, built to be earthquake-proof, is required by the new safety standards for nuclear power plants (NPPs). The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, however, conducted its own survey, as described in its article in the February 7th, 2016 edition, and has discovered that Kyushu Electric Power has abandoned a plan to build such an earthquake-proof base in the Sendai NPP, which it restarted in December 2015. The same power company has abandoned a plan to build such a new building for its Genkai NPP as well. At 11 of those 16 NPPs for which an application has been made for a restart inspection by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, the safety enhancement plan has been altered to do without an earthquake-proof countermeasures base. The reason is obvious—building such a base entails an enormous cost.
Standing firmly upon the conviction that every citizen’s awareness and determination can affect the course of his/her country’s future direction, it is my sincere hope that every citizen will join the movement to abolish nuclear power. By switching the foundation of our economy over to renewable energies, our economy can thrive.
“An Appeal from Wakasa, Fukui”
Revd. Tetsuen Nakajima
Priest at Myotsuji Temple, located in Obama, Fukui
(Note: Wakasa is a region in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, some 40 to 50 miles north of central Kyoto. The region hosts many nuclear power plants.)
Thanks to a provisional ruling by the Ohtsu District Court, Takahama Nuclear Power Plant’s Units 3 and 4 are currently out of operation. Its operator, Kansai Electric Power, however, has filed an objection to the ruling, calling it “absolutely unacceptable.” Should the power company win the case at the upper court, Kansai Electric says it will demand payment of compensation for the financial loss (JPY10 billion or so?) inflicted on the company while the two units have been out of operation from those citizens who petitioned for the ruling.
At the previous mayoral election in Takahama Town, which hosts the nuclear power plant (NPP), one major issue was whether or not to host the NPP. The power company asked many employees of its subcontractors and general contractors to move their citizen registrations over to Takahama so they could vote in the mayoral election. Thus, Kansai Electric helped the incumbent mayor, who supports the NPP, win the election. He is now serving his fifth term.
Also, before restarting the Takahama NPP this time, the power company held a concert performed by the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra at a hall in Takahama, inviting some 500 residents of the town, free of admission. Then, around the end of 2015, along with three other organizations—the Association of District Leaders of Takahama, the town’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Tourism Association—the power company asked the assembly of Takahama to permit the immediate restart of the NPP.
In Fukui Prefecture, a petition was submitted “not to permit the restart” to Governor Nishikawa The petition was signed by some 300,000 petitioners, including some mayors from outside Fukui, the greatest number ever among similar petitions there. Nevertheless, in Takahama Town , the signature collection faced some very tough problems. Historically, when Kansai Electric built Takahama’s Units 1 and 2, and when it added Units 3 and 4, Takahama Town’s mayors did not just say “yes” to the power company. Many residents of Takahama and neighboring municipalities, including many young mothers, held powerful protest movements against the NPP. In short, however, their protest activities were brought down by megabucks from the pro-nuclear camp—enigmatic “cooperation money,” gigantic fixed asset tax income which becomes available to the hosting municipality once a NPP is built, national subsidies to the hosting municipality, etc. Also involved were the jobs provided by the NPP’s many subcontractors. Thus, the local economy of Takahama has become more and more “addicted” to the NPP, and its residents are now reluctant to criticize nuclear power.
A local situation like this was still understandable right after the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown. Still, now five years after that, Takahama’s local situation has not changed much. I have to call it “NPP megabuck fascism” and “domestic colonization.” The Wakasa Region hosts 15 NPP reactors today, however, the power produced by them is consumed by the greater Kansai Region (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and their vicinities). Fukushima Prefecture hosts 10 reactors, whose power is consumed by the greater Tokyo Region.
Now, in the court case to suspend the operation of Takahama, the plaintiff citizens of Shiga Prefecture (southern neighbor of Fukui) showed the world what an “action from conscience” is, and the judges of the Ohtsu District Court made an exemplary decision. They have greatly encouraged us, citizens of Wakasa. Both “hosting municipalities” and “consuming municipalities” will be victims of a major NPP accident. Before that happens, there should be a movement, supported by the majority of the nation’s citizens, opposing NPP restarts and the prolongation of nuclear power. Such a movement is something to be equally participated in by both Christians and Buddhists, in solid friendship and in prayer.
Attention!
Kansai Electric restarted its Takahama NPP’s Units 3 and 4, located in Takahama, Fukui, in January to February of 2016. Twenty-nine residents of neighboring Shiga Prefecture filed a lawsuit at the Ohtsu District Court, asking that the two units be stopped. The Court’s chief judge, Yoshihiko Yamamoto, judged in favor of the plaintiffs and gave a provisional ruling to suspend the two units’ operation, on March 9th.
In essence, the ruling said —
Good efficiency in power generation cannot compensate for immeasurable devastation caused by a major NPP accident.
The investigation of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown has yet to identify the true causes of the tragedy. They still do not even know whether the earthquake or the tsunami, or both, was the true cause.
If we face the Fukushima disaster seriously, we need to establish a brand-new safety standard for NPPs, standing upon the principle that no severe accident should lead to irretrievable devastation. The current “new” standard lacks such a principle, and the escape plans and other measures are not sufficient.
Traditionally in Japan, a court judge has had to risk his/her professional career to make a decision to suspend a NPP. This brave new ruling by Mr. Yamamoto, however, has established a good precedence, one which hopefully will open up a new era when a judge with good common sense can suspend the operation of a NPP. We, the Project, sincerely hope this ruling will accelerate the movement to “go nuke-free.”
Original Japanese written by staffer The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA
Below: Article from the March 13th, 2016 edition of the Akahata newspaper
A “safe” place to play in
In Koriyama, Fukushima, there is a children’s play facility named “PEP Kids Koriyama.” Opened in December 2011, “PEP” has been providing children in Koriyama spaces where they can play as they want to, free from anxieties related to radiation.
So far, Fukushima Prefecture has opened 65 such facilities, taking advantage of its municipalities’ projects to secure indoor playgrounds for kids. The precursor to them, PEP Kids Koriyama, is the largest of its kind in Fukushima, so far serving some 300,000 people each year. On commission from the municipal government of Koriyama, a non-profit organization called “PEP Network of Child Care in Koriyama,” runs the facility.
Fun inside
Step inside the facility and you are in a large space, greater than a typical elementary school gym, surrounded by a great variety of play equipment. Here, playing with the equipment, a child can learn 36 basic types of body movements. There are also a sandpit 70m2 (753.5 square feet) in area, a tricycle circuit, a ball playground, and other equipment. In many parts of Fukushima, where radiation is still strong, children cannot play outdoors. Many kids and their parents come together at PEP from all over Fukushima.
Swimming pool? No, swimming balls!
Mr. Kentaro Sato (age 36) was having fun in the “ball pool,” where a player “swims” in the pool of plastic balls, with his two daughters, aged 5 and 3 years. Said he, “Playing outdoors still makes us quite uneasy. Here we can play in peace. We play here three times a month, and my kids always love it.” PEP Kids Koriyama is admission free, and you can play in it for 90 minutes each time.
— no play makes Jack a dull boy
Dr. Shintaro Kikuchi, a pediatrician involved in the administration of the play facility, has examined numerous kindergarteners and discovered that, following the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, the children’s rate of weight increase has declined to around a third of the rate before the disaster. The pediatrician also said, “The current tragedy of Fukushima has showed us how crucial children’s right to play and grow up is. We adults are responsible to secure that right of theirs to the maximum.”
A child in confinement 5 years ago, the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown took playgrounds and the opportunity for growth in physical strength away from Fukushima’s children, leaving them with many developmental and growth problems.
A certain mother raising her child in Koriyama, Fukushima, said she has not let her child play outdoors since the meltdown began in March 2011. Both she and her husband have to work, and it is hard for them to drive with their child to somewhere far away on weekends so their child can play outside. Their child, therefore, simply plays video games at home on days off from school. One’s childhood is important developmentally, and a childhood without the opportunity of playing outdoors can have seriously adverse effects on the child. The mother honestly said she was worried about her child’s future. Her child is deprived of the happy memories that come from playing in nature, and she feels guilty for that.
The Japanese author’s concerns
I too am deeply worried over Fukushima’s children and their parents. Parenting in an environment like this is quite burdensome and can badly affect the whole family.
Original Japanese written by staffer The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA
Prior to the service every participant received a cherry blossom petal made of paper. On each petal, the name of a place was written where the March 2011 earthquake claimed one or more lives. This was a token of the participants’ firm determination to remember every casualty of the disaster, as well as their families and other victims who are still having a difficult time. All the participants attached their petals onto two cherry trees placed beside the altar. By the end of the service, the two trees came into full blossom, and were illuminated as a symbol of the light of hope.
Those cherry trees were then used, on March 11th, at the vigil at St. Margaret’s, Westminster Abbey. At the Abbey, they prayed for the victims of the March 2011 disaster during the hourly prayers.
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Below is a message from Yuki Johnson, who was a part of the organizing team for the Memorial Service.
“After I was chosen to be part of the preparation team for the Memorial Service, I thought about what we could do to remember the victims of the East Japan Earthquake at the service, and decided to ‘turn prayers into cherry blossoms.’
I heard that many cherry trees, affected by the tsunami, blossomed in April 2011, soon after the disaster, to comfort countless victims. When I first visited hard-hit areas of the earthquake and tsunami, in early in 2012, I had a cherry blossom viewing party with some residents of temporary housing in Onahama, Fukushima, and this gave me the basic idea. A certain refugee from Okuma Town, which was contaminated by fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, woke up early on the morning of the cherry blossom viewing party and boiled a lot of rice for making many rice balls. He used a small rice boiler that had been donated as an aid item. Carrying the rice balls, many residents from the temporary housing, volunteers, and myself joined in the cherry blossom viewing party—a precious experience.
As I prepared the cherry petals, I prayed that we might have a vigil at a London church on the very day, March 11th. I consulted St. Paul’s Cathedral, but it was already booked with another scheduled event. Then, Bishop Michael Ipgrave advised me to contact Westminster Abbey, where I was told that we could have the vigil in the middle of February, 2016. This did not leave us much time for preparation. Still, many people from my Japanese-speaking church in the UK, as well as their friends, helped us successfully prepare for the vigil.
First, Ambassador Hayashi came to the vigil, followed by many members of the Japan Society in the UK, and its subgroup named “Koyo Kai.” The Fukushima People Association in the UK, as well as British citizens in London, some children and their dance instructors visiting London from Fukushima, and other travelers from Japan and other countries joined in the vigil, presenting cherry blossom petals, lighting candles, and offering prayers. The guides at Westminster Abbey joined in, one after another. Many of them thanked us for creating this opportunity.
Later, Ambassador Hayashi e-mailed Yuki, saying “Thank you for letting me join in the impressive vigil. I hope it gave consolation to many.”
Said Chizuru,”At the vigil, I saw countless people weeping, including a woman from Taiwan where many suffered an earthquake as well. That reminded me again of how deep their emotional wounds were. Also, I found that many young people outside of Japan were helping 2011 disaster victims. The vigil was an occasion of both tears and the people’s unity.”
Also, ”Someone expressed heartfelt words of thanks to me when he left the vigil. Possibly, he had suffered some tragedy in the 2011 disaster. I believe it was very meaningful that we had gathered for prayer across national borders. Many thanks to Yuki.”
Many participants wrote their messages in notebooks at the vigil, and we plan to bring them to the hard-hit areas this September. We intend to make them available for the public to read. All the messages are quite impressive. Quoted below are a few of them.
A visitor to London from Fukushima:
“I can never forget all those warm-hearted people helping us. Thanks to their help, I am alive today. Thank you!”
“Very sorry for your lost. Our souls crying with you”
“I pray for all the souls affected in this disaster. Thank you so much for offering this opportunity.”
Five years have passed since the East Japan Earthquake of March 2011. We now know, once again, that countless people are still suffering from a broken heart over the victims, not just in Japan, but here in the UK as well. At the vigil, we came together regardless of nationalities to share the sufferings of the victims of natural disasters and prayed together. I am very thankful to St. Margaret’s, Westminster Abbey, which kindly provided us with a place for the vigil.
Also, the hourly prayers at Westminster Abbey share some things in common with St. Margaret’s. So, the Abbey offered special prayers on the Year 5 commemoration of the East Japan Earthquake for the victims, for those helping them, and for the help provided by the Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan. These prayers were also part of their collect of the day at evensong. Thanks!”
Original Japanese written by Junko Hata, volunteer The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA
From the Project:
Five years have passed since the East Japan Earthquake of March 2011. Looking back on those five years, this “Voices” series presents the voices of those who have been walking together with us, one by one.
The first speaker is Ms. Junko Hata, a volunteer at “Support Center Shinchi Gangoya,” a support base located in a temporary housing complex at Shinchi Town, Soma, Fukushima.
“My three years as a volunteer—What I am thinking now”
Junko Hata, volunteer at Support Center Shinchi Gangoya
Over the last three years, I have been serving “Support Center Shinchi Gangoya” as a monthly volunteer. During this time, I have been mainly involved in weblog work, some clerical work like the management of photos and documents, as well as visits to temporary houses. I also help our Wednesday café, massage therapy, among other activities. I spend time with the residents of temporary housing in those activities, and such time is more precious to me than anything else.
Five years have passed since the March 2011 disaster, and three years since I began to be involved as a volunteer. Now, at long last, I am learning what it means to serve as a volunteer. Now my honest feeling is, “Thank you all for letting me serve as a volunteer.”
In this fifth year after the disaster, I think of the days when I first came to Shinchi.
I wrongly assumed, back then, that I knew what the affected people wanted and I thought I was giving them what they needed. After serving them in person, however, I found out I knew nothing. I was just complacent. In my bullet train ride back home, tears kept flowing from my eyes, and I wrote an e-mail to Rev. H, an Anglican priest at the Tohoku Diocese. He replied, “Junko, you have learned something precious. Helping someone means just being with them.”
Then, I had no idea at all what he meant by that. After serving at Shinchi every month over the last three years, however, I think I am learning what the priest meant. Just being together might sound like something anyone can do. Actually, however, truly being together is a difficult thing to do. Also, without a base like Shinchi Gangoya, being together would be impossible.
Deacon Lanson (*) sowed many seeds.
I read in a book that St. Francis of Assisi, when he rebuilt a broken church, carried each stone by himself. St. John’s Church, Isoyama, located in Soma, Fukushima, was devastated by the 2011 disaster. In the coming years, the church will be rebuilt and its activities resumed. I am convinced that my Support Center’s work should be part of the foundation of the rebuilding. With many thanks to all those Anglican Church people for standing with me, I am determined to keep serving the Support Center, with firm faith in the future of St. John’s Church.
(*) Deacon Anna L. Lanson The mission of St. John’s Church, Isoyama began in the summer of 1920, when Deacon Anna L. Lanson opened a Sunday School retreat in a forest setting. After a period of sickness, she came to Isoyama to recover. She was then the principal of a girls’ school called “Aoba Jogakuin.”
While Deacon Lanson was back in the US on furlough, Deacon Carlsen, who founded a day-care facility named “The House of Sowing,” took her place. After Deacon Carlsen passed away, Deacon Lanson resumed her evangelical work in Isoyama.
Then, in 1928, the first baptism in Isoyama was held at Hoshimi So, Deacon Lanson’s residence. In 1932, the first confirmation took place there.
Then, in 1936, the sanctuary and parish hall of St. John’s Church was built, and the church was consecrated on the holiday of St. John, December 27th, of the same year. Some of the 56 members of the Sendai Seikokai (Anglican Church of Sendai) moved into this new church in Isoyama, to launch it. (Based on a commemorative publication of the 80 years of the Tohoku Diocese)
NSKK Support for Victims of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake
