Original Japanese written by Izumi Koshiyama, a new staffer at No Nuke Project

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese

The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

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Presented below are opinions, impressions, etc. of some participants to the Human Rights Seminar 2016, which met from October 4^th through 6^th, in Fukushima, Japan.

² I visited Fukushima for the first time after the meltdown began, and I have seen so many things I did not know before. Now, I want to listen more and know more.

² At many farms here, where so many lives were productive before, today we see heaps of radioactive soil collected and packed in vinyl bags—hazardous substances that harm life.

² Many of the bags holding contaminated soil are now broken open. In some cases, grasses are growing through bags. In landscapes that were once so beautiful, now we see deformed trees, uninhabited lovely houses, and…. Looking at all these tragedies, I feel so angry and helpless. What can I do?

² Nuclear power destroys people’s “everyday lives,” breaks up families, and can even deprive them of their right to live.

² A ghost town inhabited by deserted black vinyl bags containing radioactive soil, and many of them now have one or more torn openings. Nuclear power plants are built by us, and even if we abolish and dismantle these “creations,” “waste” from decommissioned nuclear power plants will remain. Thinking over these cruel facts, I could not sleep because of my fear and anxiety.

² I imagined that the same tragedy had hit the town I live in, and I knew how horrible it would be! The residents here would experience great fear and suffering.

² I am frightened, because my awareness of what happened in Fukushima and Kumamoto (which was hit by a major earthquake in the spring of 2016) is dimming in my mind, as I live my “ordinary” life every day.

² As time passes, I find myself losing sight of the tragedies of Fukushima. I think of how important it is to “see what is not visible.” I hope to be connected to Fukushima always, remembering and thinking of its many tragedies.

² The damage done by the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown must remain in the people’s mind. Some are losing memories of the disaster, and I find that terrifying. It is our responsibility to communicate Fukushima’s story to future generations.

² More than five years have passed since the meltdown began, and now, as I spend some time with those who have no choice but to “live with the meltdown,” I find myself reluctant to talk about nuclear power issues. It is now hard to give honest opinions about them.

² How can I put into words what I am feeling here?

² The heart of the issue is how Japan is today and where it is heading for in the future.

² Japan’s government is determined to put more nuclear power plants back to work, and this policy is highly questionable.

² The government’s principle is “money first,” and that policy is very questionable.

² I see something common between the issues Okinawa is facing and the tragedies of nuclear power. Citizens might have little power, yet we must stand together in protesting against the government’s wrongdoing.

² I have considered the relationship between nuclear power plant accidents and human rights. I see the human right to live being violated in many cases, such as families broken up, local communities destroyed, the conditions for living safely lost, and more. We need to consider the whole issue in terms of what our Constitution guarantees, like fundamental human rights, the right to live, and so on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Japanese written by Hiroshi Matsumoto, staffer
The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

Located in Shinchi, Soma County, Fukushima Prefecture, Support Center Shinchi has been working on many things since the earthquake and tsunami disaster of March 2011. Today, we do see some progress in the “rebuilding” of hard-hit areas. For instance, we used to have eight temporary housing units around here. Now, they have been combined and into just two facilities. Much of the Joban Line railroad has not been in service since shortly after the March 2011 disaster, and some segments of it run through radiation-affected no-go zones. Now, in some places, railroad service is back. Still, many people affected by the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown are spending their “Year 6” after the disaster here at Gangoya Temporary Housing.

The radioactive contamination here is extremely serious. Radioactive substances must be removed safely and without fail. Sure, we can reduce the levels of radioactivity of trees by cutting off their branches, of the ground by removing the surface soil, of roads by washing them, and of structures by burying them. Yet what about air flows; what about oceanic currents, climatic changes, and the whole, highly complex ecological system of nature? Faced with the complexities and grandeur of nature, what we humans do can never be completely “safe and without failures.” Mother nature—or the eco system—does not follow human-made distinctions of “no-go, restricted, and preparatory” zones. Animals and plants move around, they propagate, give birth and die, and excrete when and where they want to. No human-built barricades or signs can confine them to specified areas.

The national government of Japan (the Ministry of the Environment) and a private association (The Nature Conservation Society of Fukushima) surveyed radiation levels at the same places, and their results differed dramatically. (See the table below.) What we really need is for both reports to be published, so that we can compare the data, discover any hidden facts, and make them known.

What is going on in our society today? The Japanese government (the Nuclear Safety Commission) and power companies have established a system whose motto is when “the new safety standard is met à the nuclear power plant is safe to restart.” Thus, it seems that the government is determined to hold on to the “myth of nuclear safety,” as if the March 2011 disaster had never happened. Against this, many nameless victims are shouting, “Can we let this be?” I hope you hear their cries.

 

[Table 1] Concentrations of radioactive cesium in the soil of river beds and dam bottoms(Surveyed in 2012)

	By the Nature Conservation Society of Fukushima		By the Ministry of the Environment
Where the soil was taken	Date of sampling	Cesium concentration (Bq/kg)	Date of sampling	Cesium concentration (Bq/kg)
Mouth of River Hirose (Sendai, Miyagi)	May.4	10,272	Jan. 19	980
Mouth of River Matsu (Fukushima,Fukushima)	Feb. 27	5,251	Jan. 20	280
Mouth of River Ose (Koriyama, Fukushima)	Jan. 26	16,673	Jan. 7	860
Miharu Dam (Tamura, Fukushima)	Jan. 30	21,557	Jan. 20	7,500

(Quoted from the website of the Nature Conservation Society 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 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 the thirteenth speaker in this series, Mr. Chuichi Hino, from Aichi St. Luke’s Church, located in Aichi Prefecture in the middle of Honshu Island. Mr. Hino has participated in many of the “Driving Tours to Keep Us Aware of Fukushima,” held by Mr. Masayuki Ogawa of the Tokyo Diocese. These frequent tours visit the areas hit hard by the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown.

Ever since the March 2011 earthquake disaster, Mr. Hino has been “walking together” with Fukushima’s people and has seen with his own eyes what the meltdown has done to them. After more than five years, he is still walking together with them. His determined “walk” has been a great encouragement to those of us living in Fukushima.

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“So, what are we going to do in the years to come?”

 Mr. Chuichi Hino, from Aichi St. Luke’s Church, Aichi

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

Tokyo Diocese’s Mr. Ogawa has been holding many “Driving Tours to Keep Us Aware of Fukushima,” each of which is a two-day drive of some 500 miles between Tokyo and Fukushima. So far, I and some friends of mine from the Chubu Diocese have participated in thirteen of the driving tours.

In those tours, we have visited many places and people in Fukushima to learn more about what is actually going on there. Our visits and activities so far include fellowship with the residents of the Gangoya Temporary Housing, where Mr. Hiroshi Matsumoto, a staffer of the Koriyama Office, of the “No Nuke Project” (formerly the Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation), lives. We have also visited “Kibo no Bokujo” (Stock Ranch of Hope), where Mr. Masami Yoshizawa has been protecting the lives of more than 300 cattle against the law that prohibits the raising of animals. We also visited the ruins of St. John’s Church, Isoyama, which was washed away by the tsunami, as well as “Fuji Kindergarten,” where some were killed by the tsunami. We even went into the area within 6 miles of Fukushima Daiichi to measure radiation levels there. Thanks to these visits and activities, we have seen how cruel the victims’ situations are five and a half years after the 2011 disaster.

Having seen what is actually happening in Fukushima, I have come to think Japan’s government is trying to create the false impression that the meltdown is no longer serious, so that people will give up on any attempts to reform the nation’s nuclear policies

Every time I leave Fukushima, I feel powerless in that I feel that I have not been much help to the people there. Still, many residents at Gangoya say to me, “Don’t forget about us,” and “Please come again.” Their kind words are a great relief to me.

I am aware that I too am being tested—what are we going to do with respect to both Fukushima and nuclear power in the years to come?

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 the twelfth speaker in this series, Ms. Yukari Zayasu, from the Okinawa Diocese. Ms. Zayasu is an instructor at St. Matthew’s Kindergarten, located in Tomigusuku, Okinawa. In the “One Family” program to assist child nursing in Fukushima, she came to St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, in October 2014 to help with childcare. As someone who deeply loves children, Ms. Zayasu took very good care of the children of St. Paul’. Helping with childcare in Fukushima, she learned what the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown has actually done to the people here, including many things not covered by the mass media.

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“With children’s smiles”

Ms. Yukari Zayasu, St. Matthew’s Kindergarten, Okinawa

 

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

In 2014, I visited St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama. Already three years had passed since the East Japan Earthquake of 2011, which caused the nuclear power plant meltdown. I had been longing to do something to help the people of Fukushima, so I thanked God when I joined in this kindergarten/nursery staff exchange program.

When I reached Fukushima, the first thing I noticed was that the streets were so beautiful and so different from those in Okinawa. It was already close to twilight when I arrived, and the people walking by seemed calm and gentle. I felt nostalgic, in a way. Some of the buildings damaged by the 2011 earthquake had been rebuilt or repaired, and the people’s normal life was, to some extent, coming back. I knew the residents of Fukushima were striving hard to restore their “normal.” Still, I thought they were quite calm and gentle—possibly I failed to see them rightly.

Anyway, on the following day, I began to serve St. Paul’s. In any kindergarten, the staffers clean the building(s). Yet here in Fukushima, this cleanup is meticulous and time-consuming, following a defined procedure. Still, I joined in this cleanup gladly, since it was simple manual labor anyway. Then, the children came in and we sang hymns and said prayers. Later we had good lunch. Surrounded by the smiling children, I had a very good time.

My time together with them was quite short. Still, I joined in an outing with the children, played with them in the kindergarten’s fully-equipped hall on the second floor, and I hope I was of some help to them. Having such a great time, I felt just as at home as I was in Okinawa. All the instructors and staffers at St. Paul’s were beautiful people, and the kids were all very lovely. I even wished I could settle down there.

Still, I learned what agonies Fukushima was experiencing, and I was at a loss as to what to do. Many are still living in temporary housing, while there is nowhere to dispose of the collected radioactive waste. Geiger counters are installed at parks, and children are prohibited from touching insects to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation. Fear and anger coexisted inside me. And again, I was at a loss as to what to do for Fukushima. Still, although I was at a loss, the children held on to me with lovely smiles on their faces. I wanted to keep them safe.

After I came back to Okinawa and my “usual” life, my yearning to protect Fukushima’s children grew stronger, though I still do not know how to. Now, those children I spent such a wonderful time with are in elementary schools, and St. Paul’s is filled with the cheerful voices of new children.

I still remember the yearning I had to serve St. Paul’s when the kindergarten’s faculty held a welcome party for me at the start of my visit. That was a Friday evening, and I still remember the kindergarten’s chairperson saying, “It is very nice that this district is thriving again.”

I will keep praying for Fukushima, cherishing the sweet memories of my visit. The beautiful streets in Fukushima that I appreciated on my first day there were restored by the people there; they should be handed down to future generations. I pray that those streets and the lovely smiles of children will always be there. And I certainly hope to visit Fukushima again.

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 the eleventh speaker in this series, Ms. Nanako Nakata, from the Okinawa Diocese. Ms. Nakata is an instructor at Shoseito Hoikuen (All Saints’ Nursery), located in Okinawa City. In the “One Family” program to assist with child nursing in Fukushima, she came to St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, in October 2014, to help with childcare. While she was in Fukushima, she visited Tomioka Town, the temporary housing of Gangoya, and other places to see how deep the wounds are from the 2011 disaster and the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown.

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What I learned from the “One Family” program

Ms. Nanako Nakata, All Saints’ Nursery, Okinawa

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

From October 23^rd through November 1^st, 2014, I participated in the One Family program to help with childcare in Fukushima. I am grateful to the principal and other instructors at my nursery, as well as to my parents, whose help to me when I joined the program was essential.

Before I hit the road, I was really nervous, wondering: “What can I do to help?” Once I was at St. Paul’s, however, its principal and all the other staffers warmly welcomed me and alleviated my worries.

The instructors at St. Paul’s strive hard every day to protect their children. For example, during the 10 days I was there, they took the children out to a place with low radiation levels twice. Normally they have such an outing every week. During these outings, the children have a great time doing what children want to do—run and play and exercise their bodies. They knew what the instructors wanted them to do.

I also had opportunities to talk with the children’s parents who told me, “We are so happy you ‘walk together’ with us. It tells us that we remain in your awareness. Also, we see that you are the same as us.”

I also had opportunities to spend time together with some temporary housing residents. Smiling and chatting, they seemed so cheerful and unaware of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown. They were determined to walk onwards, an attitude that lifted my spirit. At the same time, however, some residents spoke honestly, saying, “I wish to go home (which is still in a no-go zone) as soon as I can.” This wish was something only those “forced out” of their hometowns by the meltdown could really understand, and so I did not know how to respond. Anyway, they said, “Thank you for visiting us” when I left. And so did many parents of St. Paul’s children. I believe that going all the way to visit them and have fellowship with them gave them some encouragement.

On my last day in Fukushima, I visited Tomioka Town, where the radiation level is high. Though the radiation was really high, my body did not sense anything. What my eyes saw, however, were many damaged and abandoned buildings. I wished those buildings would be rebuilt soon to accommodate former residents once again. Still, the truth is that no human can live in the midst of such high radiation. Radiation stands in their way, preventing their return home.

One year later, another staffer from my nursery visited Tomioka. She told how the town was. Nothing had improved. I was shocked. The one consolation I found in her story was that the No Nuke Project was continuing to keep people together. I believe this togetherness helps all those people a lot.

A year and a half ago, I did not know much about what radiation can do to the human body, and I was more concerned with people struggling to get over their difficulties in Fukushima than with my own health. Today, I still feel concern for the people. Today, however, I am also concerned with my own health and future as well. So, now I am not sure whether or not I should visit Fukushima again.

Still, speaking of health, Fukushima’s people are facing much greater risks and anxieties than I do. Nevertheless, they are striving to move onwards, an attitude that inspires me to keep praying for them, and for the quickest possible recovery of Fukushima.

Thanks to the No Nuke Project, Fukushima is now quite familiar to me. Every time I see news or weather forecasts about Fukushima, I find myself staring at the TV screen. I love Fukushima, just as I love Okinawa.

The No Nuke Project moves the people involved in ways that are way beyond the scope of this article—and beyond any words I might write. I hope to share my emotions with as many people as possible, as I walk together with Fukushima. We might be physically apart, yet God keeps us together. I thank God for giving me such a great opportunity.

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 the tenth speaker in this series, Ms. Naoe China (pronounced “cheenuh”), from the Okinawa Diocese. Ms. China is an instructor at Shoseito Hoikuen (All Saints’ Nursery), located in Okinawa City. As part of the “One Family” program to assist child nursing in Fukushima, she came to St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, to help with child care there. While she was in Fukushima, she visited Tomioka Town, where no-go zones and restricted residence zones exist side by side, as well as the areas surrounding Fukushima Daiichi, to learn much about what is going on in Fukushima and the devastation a nuclear power plant can cause.

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My experience with the “One Family” program

 Ms. Naoe China, All Saints’ Nursery, Okinawa

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

The One Family program provides us with opportunities to work with staffers of St. Paul’s Kindergarten, located in Koriyama, Fukushima. Taking this opportunity more than a half year ago (time flies!), I visited the kindergarten and worked together with the people there for six days, October 19^th through 24^th, 2015. On the first day, I was so nervous and at a loss over what to do, yet on the last day I hated having to go home. This is evidence that all the people I met with in Koriyama were very nice and warmly welcoming.

In 2015, when I decided to go to Koriyama, I was honestly worried over what radiation could do to my body. Radiation is invisible, and one experiences many hardships trying to protect him/herself from it. Such fear and hardships have never been alleviated for those living in Fukushima. It was the niceness of the people around me in Koriyama, especially that of the children, that relieved me of this fear.

Whether at St. Paul’s or in Okinawa, children are lively with beautiful smiles. Here in Japan, children call us instructors, “sensei” (literally, “teacher”). The children of Fukushima and Okinawa speak with different accents when they call me “sensei.” I found the Fukushima accent somehow comforting.

The instructors at St. Paul’s were also cheerful and had lovely smiles. Among them, I could behave as I did at home. Still, I witnessed as well many dark sides of the reality there. The children carried Geiger counters, and people had to measure the radiation levels of the sand and artificial grass in the kindergarten’s yard. Also, whenever we took the children out, we had to tell them what they could and could not touch. The reality was harsh.

Today, more than half a year has passed since I visited Koriyama, and more than five years since the meltdown began. The most important thing I have learned so far is that children, no matter what kind of environment they are in, are still growing, both physically and mentally. When I visited Koriyama, I was not sure what I could do for people there, though I was certain I should do something. Spending days with them, however, and looking back on the days I spent together with them, I have learned how to “walk together” mentally, not necessarily in things and acts that are visible.

While I was at a loss as to what to do, the children were growing up every day, and their families, nurses, and instructors, were doing everything they could for them. What I can do for them is to be someone with whom they can talk about their worries, sadness, fatigue, etc. I can be someone from whom they can find comfort and encouragement. Well, I might not be good enough to become such a someone, but I try to be, as all the happy memories of the days I spent with Koriyama’s instructors, children, and their families remain firmly with me. We are still together.

Today, more than half a year after my Koriyama days, I am here in Okinawa and every time I hear place names like “Fukushima” and “Koriyama” on the TV, I find myself responding. And my heart darkens every time, since it is almost always about something bad—something about Fukushima Daiichi or what is going on there. Countless people are eager to hear some good news from there, to hear that the recovery of Fukushima is done and the people there are at last living at ease.

I cannot help the countless people who need help, but I can pray for those people I met and love. I believe I can be of some help to them through my prayers.

I pray the day will come soon when all those children, their families, and the instructors and staffers can live with a smile that rises from the bottom of their hearts.

 

 

 

 

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 the ninth speaker in this series, Ms. Minako Sakihara, from the Okinawa Diocese. Ms. Sakihara is an instructor at Shoseito Hoikuen (All Saints’ Nursery), located in Okinawa City. In the “One Family” program to assist child nursing in Fukushima, she has come to help St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, several times already. Now she enjoys a strong relationship with the kindergarten’s people. In addition, in our “Home Stay Okinawa,” a summer retreat program for Fukushima children and their families, Ms. Sakihara kindly hosted some participants at her own home. In spite of the fact that the physical distance between Okinawa and Fukushima is so great (some 1,130 miles), Ms. Sakihara is always attentive to what’s happening in Fukushima, whose residents are greatly encouraged by her attitude and help.

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Working with the “One Family” program to “walk with” Fukushima

 Ms. Minako Sakihara, All Saints’ Nursery, Okinawa

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

1. To begin with —

Memories of the East Japan disaster of 2011 are still quite vivid to me. Someone shouted, “Tohoku is being devastated by a terrible earthquake!” and those words echoed through my nursery. I dashed to a TV set and turned it on. The devastating earthquake created a gigantic tsunami, whose whirlpools of water swallowed up everything around in a moment. Shock! I could not believe what my own eyes were seeing, and all I could do was to pray, “Oh, God, stop this!!” The disaster was happening right here in Japan as I watched TV. Every time I heard news of the disaster, I was moved and wondered what I could do to help those affected. Then, I met with Ms. Kay Ikezumi of what was then the Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation (called the No Nuke Project today).

 

2. The “One Family” project launched

Ms. Ikezumi told me that in Fukushima, after the meltdown, many kindergarten staffers were still taking good care of their children, and fighting against invisible radiation. She also said her project was considering some retreats for those Fukushima staffers so they could relax here in Okinawa. While the Fukushima staffers were relaxing here, she wanted some kindergarten staffers in Okinawa to serve in Fukushima, taking their places. Just then, Right Reverend Uehara, Reverend Iwasa, and several other child nurses of my nursery were there with me. We agreed to kick off the retreat and exchange project soon in whatever way we could. Expressing our wish to “walk together” with Fukushima’s people, we named the program “One Family.”

 

3. The One Family program
   Assistance to nursing at St. Paul’s Kindergarten (October 27^th through 30^th, 2015)

No matter which class of children we went into, they and their instructors welcomed us  wholeheartedly. We had real good days at St. Paul’s. On sunny days, the kindergarten’s yard was full of kids running around, with lovely smiles, watched over by staffers. This might not sound like anything special, yet here in Fukushima, those kids can only run around outdoors with their instructors and staffers carefully watching the wind direction and velocity, and counting the minutes in order to avoid exposure to hazardous doses of radiation. Also, before the kids come to the kindergarten, the staffers and instructors wipe out the whole inside and outside of the kindergarten to remove radioactive substances. All of these efforts are still definitely necessary, even after more than five years.

Ever since the meltdown began, the people of Fukushima have never been fully at ease. I hope they are all right, mentally and physically. When, if at all, will this place be “restored to normal?” There are countless nursery staffers around the world, some of them Anglicans, but only those in Fukushima and its vicinity carry such heavy burdens. I am convinced that we should share those burdens with them, with the hope that St. Paul’s will always be a place where the children can laugh and feel at home.

 

Hosting visitors from Fukushima at my home

Last summer, a wonderful woman came in and stayed with me and my family for a vacation from Fukushima. She was just like part of my family, watching TV with us in my living room, accompanying my elementary daughter to a neighborhood “radio stretch” (Note: In many neighborhoods in Japan, they hold gathering where people stretch to music from the radio. This is called “radio stretch.”), chatting over meals, and so on. She also joined in some neighborhood events, dancing summer festival dances, watching an “Eisa” dance event (a dance style of Okinawa), and learning many other aspects of Okinawa’s culture. We really had a good time together.

Inspired by our encounter with her, my whole family has been talking a lot about Fukushima. Whenever we hear news about Fukushima Daiichi, my children show concern, saying “Is Ms. xxx OK?” They seem to be concerned over nuclear power issues in general, asking questions like, “Mom, we heard about what’s going on in Fukushima at school today,” and “Nuclear power is bad, but why is Kagoshima restarting its nuclear power plant?” I am convinced that we, adults, are responsible both to explain to children why nuclear power plants must not exist, and to keep Fukushima relevant to all of us, always.

 

4. To conclude —

When I first visited Fukushima, I was taken by surprise to see radioactive soil packed in black vinyl bags, and piled up right in front of houses. They have done some “decontamination,” yet I have heard that they are short of places to store the contaminated soil. The recovery of Fukushima has been very sluggish. I am deeply worried that many residents there might lose the courage to recover. I am determined to walk together with Fukushima and provide as much assistance to them as I can while communicating as much as I can about the calamities there to my friends. This might be small help, but I will continue it.

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 the eighth speaker in this series, Ms. Yoshiko Maeshiro from the Okinawa Diocese, who is the principal of St. Matthew’s Kindergarten, Okinawa. She has visited St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, Fukushima, to help, as part of the “One3 Family” program of assistance to Fukushima. Also, she warmly welcomed families from Fukushima as a host family in a summer program called “Home Stays Okinawa.” Yoshiko is a friend of Fukushima people, who carefully observes what is happening there.

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“One Family — in Union”

 Ms. Yoshiko Maeshiro, Okinawa Diocese

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

The East Japan Earthquake of 2011, in addition to the tsunami, caused the indescribable calamity of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown. Thinking of those affected in Fukushima, all I could do was pray for them. I was especially worried about the kindergartens of Fukushima, imagining what it would be like if the same thing happened to my kindergarten. Still, worrying was all I was able to do.

Anyone can see how terrible a natural disaster can be. Now, the meltdown and the resulting spread of radioactive substances are threatening lives. I listened to priests and others who had visited Fukushima and I learned that the children there were (and still are) experiencing many restrictions as they played outdoors. The hardships those kindergartens were experiencing were discussed in news reports from the “Zen Nihon Shiritsu Yochien Rengo Kai” (All Japan Association of Private Kindergartens), which made me worry about all those children and their instructors who have been affected.

In July 2014, the Okinawa Diocese asked the kindergartens of “Sei Ko Kai Hoiku Renmei” (Anglican Nursing Association) to send some instructors to the “One Family” program. As a result, I visited St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, Fukushima, three times.

First visit (October 2014)
Another instructor, named Nanako, went to Koriyama first. Though I was nervous at first, the children and instructors welcomed us warmly and soon we felt at home. We spent very meaningful time every day. Right after reporting to work, we wiped out the floors of the kindergarten to remove radioactive substances. This cleanup covered the second floor hall as well, and Nanako and I worked hard on it every morning. Well, in our kindergarten, cleaning up the kindergarten floors is something we have to do every day, yet here the purpose is drastically different. We had to remove radioactive substances that had crept in between the window panes and sills. Doing this every morning, before taking care of the children, was indeed a lot of work.

The instructors there were quite brisk at their work and very efficient. They communicated well among themselves and this affected their children favorably. The kids were also quite honest, and shouted “yippee” every time a go-ahead was given for them to play outdoors. There, they were “ordinary” children. Also, they had learned many ways to play indoors and knew how to cope with the realities of contamination.

On my first day, I took a taxi from the railroad station to St. Paul’s. On the way, I was enchanted by lovely streets and parks, clad with beautiful trees that are nonexistent in Okinawa. Still, I heard later on, that residents there were (and are) unable to walk around without a Geiger counter. Indeed, I saw many bags of collected radioactive soil piled up in front of houses. The people are not living in a clean environment. So, all those parks and trees look empty….

I had talks with the kindergarten’s mothers as well, and most of them had decided to remain in Koriyama, Fukushima, in spite of their worries about radiation. Their cheerfulness and determination gave me encouragement.

 

Second visit (June 2015)
Two months after Japan’s new school year (which begins in April) began, the children I knew were now in new grades and welcomed me cheerfully. Many of them recognized me, and I was soon at home with them. Mainly, I took care of the class of two-year-old kids. The kids of St. Paul’s were very cheerful and full of spirit. They were quick in saying “thank you.” Nice kids to work with. This time, they installed a vinyl pool in the kindergarten’s yard and the kids bathed in it on days with lower radioactivity. I honestly wished they could bathe as they wanted to every day.

Every time we visited the kindergarten, we suggested that instructors and parents there should “come to Okinawa for a retreat.” After this visit was over, I had a call saying that a family named the Kamei hoped to visit Okinawa. So, in August, the family and I met again at my St. Matthew’s Kindergarten. Though we did not spend time together all the way, they did seem to be having a great time. I was so happy that finally some people from Fukushima had a retreat here in Okinawa. The family still sends me e-mails, once in a while.

Third visit (October 2015)
This time, I visited St. Paul’s with another instructor, named Minako. Though the children were not able to run around outdoors, St. Paul’s instructors were united in taking good care of every single child, providing the right instruction whenever necessary. Their “get to the purpose” attitude impressed me. I had to wonder whether I had a clear purpose to help St. Paul’s when I visited it. Until this visit, my attitude was closer to “I hope I won’t disturb them.” This time, however, I made up my mind to really “help”.

St. Paul’s instructors were quite friendly and they were very disciplined in their behavior and speech. They certainly inspired me to work in the same way. On my last day at St. Paul’s, we had an outing to a park called Kamegashiro. Before we hit the road and before we prayed, St. Paul’s principal, Atsuko, said to the children, “We can go on this outing thanks to the help of many people. Remember to be thankful to them all. We are not alone. In the park, have fun, play, and build up your body so that you can help others someday.”

Over the last five plus years, numerous volunteers have visited Koriyama to help the kindergarten cleanup radioactive substances and hold parties to cheer up both the children and the instructors. The principal, I suppose, was filled with gratitude to them all and expressed her gratitude to the children in the words quoted above. Soon after the 2011 disaster, St. Paul’s resumed its nursing after tremendous effort. I appreciate all the hard work of its staffers and kids. I sure hope they will all remain in good health, with the same vigor.

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 the seventh speaker in this series, Reverend Naoto Iwasa from the Okinawa Diocese. The Okinawa Diocese has been helping Fukushima people in many ways, including through the “One Family” program which assists child nursing in Fukushima, and through hosting children from the prefecture in our “Refresh” (retreat) programs, among other activities. Also, Rev. Iwasa has visited St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, many times. Now the children and instructors there count on him for encouragement. Living in Fukushima, we need to have the courage to face the harsh realities here. The great, embracing warmth of Okinawa people bring us the encouragement we need.

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 “We are together”

 Rev. Naoto Iwasa,
Director, Disaster Relief Office, Okinawa Diocese

The English below written and arranged by Heeday, based on the original Japanese
The English edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

 

I was appointed Director of the Disaster Relief Office for East Japan Earthquake Victims, established and run by the Okinawa Diocese, in 2011. Needless to say, I knew we had to do something to help those affected by the disaster. Still, for some time, I could not decide what to do; what could we ever do for them, all the way from Okinawa, a southern territory of islands far away from Tohoku, the hard-hit region? (Note: Naha, the largest city of Okinawa, and Koriyama, Fukushima, are some 1,130 miles apart.) I was deeply troubled, honestly. I had done nothing at all but I knew I had to do something. However, I simply did not know what to do. Troubled and frustrated, I was alone.

Then, at my church’s “End of WWII Battles” anniversary worship in 2014, held on the Sunday closest to the anniversary day of June 23^rd, Ms. Kay Ikezumi, Secretary General of what was then the Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation (called the No Nuke Project today), visited us to join in our prayer. Every year, we in the Okinawa Diocese pray for those killed in the WWII battles of Okinawa, and we listen to a message on peace from an invited speaker.

The speaker in 2014, Ms. Ikezumi, also attended my church’s Sunday worship. After the service, she and I had an opportunity to talk for some time. She described to me what the people of Fukushima needed at the time, and what the Okinawa Diocese could do for them. She asked for some help from us to “reduce the burdens of the kindergarten’s faculty and provide opportunities for them to retreat.” Thus, we discussed the possibilities of exchanging kindergarten staffers.

On that Sunday, we had many staffers from the kindergarten at our church at worship. After listening to Ms. Ikezumi, I spoke to them about the staff exchange. They responded enthusiastically: “I’ll go there!”

The bishop of Okinawa was also there. I described to him what we were talking about, and he gave me the go-ahead. After years of frustration and trouble, we discovered what we could do in only a few hours!

When I was called to the priesthood, I experienced something like that; things developed before I knew it. It seemed out of my control; I could just tell the priesthood was what God intended for me. United with many people who kindly helped me, I was so thankful.

In the summer of the same year, I visited St. Paul’s Kindergarten, Koriyama, to make preparations for the staff exchange. In the fall that followed, we planned the first exchange. Back then, our plan to invite some Fukushima staffers to Okinawa for a retreat did not work out, though we hoped it would. Nevertheless, some staffers from our kindergarten went to St. Paul’s to help. The instructors there welcomed us warmly, and the children played together with us with big smiles on their faces. Some kids waited in line for their turns to play with me, saying, “Carry me like a princess,” “Carry me on your shoulders,” “Show me how to dance,” and other such things. I regretted that I hadn’t had more daily physical exercise! I decided to work out more before coming again. Anyway, I had great fun.

Since then, I have visited St. Paul’s and Koriyama for every instructor/staffer exchange. The kindergarten’s kids have memorized my name—as well as the dances I taught them before. When I leave for home, they say, “Please come again,” with a look of sadness on their faces. To them I say, “I will, you know. I have always kept my promises to come back here.” Then, their sadness seems to be alleviated.

From Tohoku, Okinawa is a faraway place. Traveling between the two regions takes considerable time. This means that once you have reached Tohoku, you cannot quickly go home to Okinawa should something happen. I prepare well before I hit the road, yet if something happens, I simply have to leave my church to the care of those looking after it during my absence. This is one reason why I can 100% attend to St. Paul’s Kindergarten’s children while I am with them. I can keep my eyes only on those kids of Fukushima, while I am there. The place is still seriously troubled with countless problems, and there are many issues that need to be solved. Still, I find great joy in visiting St. Paul’s.

What was then the Project on Nuclear Power and Radiation (the No Nuke Project today) gave me a wonderful idea for how to help, and our staffers in Okinawa responded very well. St. Paul’s Kindergarten kindly accepted our offer. We in the Okinawa Diocese are determined to continue this staff exchange program—“One Family.” We owe this determination to those in Fukushima who want us as part of this greater family. I was not alone and neither were Fukushima’s people. We are a family—God is with us. I think the Lord has shown us this simple truth. I intend to continue “walking together” with Fukushima, as led by our Lord, hoping to unite with more people.

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.

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“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 1^st and 2^nd, 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.