It's Not Just Mud

This week I went down to Ishinomaki, a small town about an hour from Sendai City. This town and the ones next to it were greatly effected by the Huge 9.0 Earthquake and Tsunami that hit Japan last year.

Upon arriving in Sendai at the ferry port, there wasn't much damage to be seen, but there was differently a lot of new street lights and buildings. It was plain to see that the area had been just recently redone. Sendai city was like wise a normal city without much damage to be seen. If you went there now it would be hard to image the destruction it was in just a year ago. Likewise the town center of Ishinomaki didn't seem that bad. However after arriving at our volunteer group's house the destruction was plain. Every building around the area was broken apart in some way or another. There was debris and dirt flying everywhere. It was extremely drastic the difference between the city center of Sendai and Ishinomaki, and the area closer to the sea.

On the first night after arrival, I walked around the area and out to the beach. It was very hard to look at and process. There was so much destruction, and it felt weird like a ghost town. The schools were probably the hardest to look at. One school in the area had burned down even. It left me feeling very sad. They were also many car lots with tons of cars that looked WAY beyond repair. Apparently they have to stay there and take up land space because of insurance reason, however since a lot of the cars owners are dead its just become a huge problem. This is when rules really should be changed I think, but its hard to change them.

The next day me and my friends were sent out to a small cape town called Minami Sanriku. This town being very close to the ocean was one of the worst hit areas. It was very hard to drive though the town and see nothing but rubble and some combinis, (which by the way seem to have been the first things built after the earthquake). But even these conbini buildings where built out of temporary materials. In this area there was even a train track that led to nowhere, and a car on top of a building. It was one of the hardest things to look at and my heart sank.

However, when I got to the site where me and my friends would be helping out everything changed. We ended up building four green houses in three days, with a couple of local people. These local people were so nice, and open. But not only that they were all elder people, some of which had lot sons or daughter or other family members in the earthquake. It was wonderful talking to them, and hearing anything and everything they had to say. They shared the hard work with us, and we all laughed when they had an easier time of it then us younger volunteers. They also cooked us lunch everyday as a way to say thank you for all the help.

One of the ladies we meet there even told us about how she had lost a daughter of 23 years to the Tsunami and about how painful it was. How she had a hard time with the loss and still things about it today. She told us about how painful and empty her heart felt. But that she is getting better slowly. She know does tea and flower arranging classes for those still in temporary housing or for older people. When the people take joy in creating and commented on how beautiful the flower are she said that it gives her heart joy, that by creating beauty and giving it to others, the same beauty is returned to her heart. This story really touched me.

But besides enjoying the time spent with my working team, it was also very hard and very fun to build green houses. I had no idea how much work it would be to build a green house, but it was differently more than I excepted. I am pretty sure now that I could build one on my own....not that I would want too. They local people will use the green houses to plant many different kinds of vegetables so that they can help feed people that still need the extra help. I am very grateful that I got to be apart of this. I hope that the green houses will be around for a long time and enjoyed by many.

It was though this creating and building and talking with the local people that I saw so much hope. The destruction around them didn't seem to effect them, instead everybody was forced on building and looking toward the future. The courage and commitment of everybody in the effected areas was just amazing and I really wished I had had the courage to go down earlier.

Now that I am home and thinking back on the last couple of days my heart is still torn. On one hand I am glad thinking about all the good memories and the incredible people that I meet and on the other hand when thinking about all that needs to be done still I feel lost. So many people are still leaving in temporary housing, and so many people are without jobs, yet everybody that I meet was friendly and nice and welcomed as with a smile and a hello.

NOW for the part where I bug you guys a bit. I know that many of you don't have any money but if you have anything to spare please send some money or come down and help out the many volunteer groups still working to clean up the area. The group I worked with was called It's Not Just Mud. They have many ongoing projects that could really use the extra support. Recently besides the green houses, they have also just completed two different playground sets in the areas still effected, and they go out and talk to and play with the people in the temporary houses. They are also doing many other types of projects including helping people to rebuild homes. Please look on there website for more information. AND SUPPORT!!! http://itsnotjustmud.com/


( I hope to get some pictures up here soon, but since I didn't take my camera I have to wait on my friends to upload the pictures first...than I can take them and post some here...please look back soon for them).

Living in the North

For those of you that don't know, I live in Hokkaido Japan. It's the most northern island of Japan. It is also close to Russia and its in the North, so it can get quite cold. So, in true Japanese style there are a TON of winter festivals.


My town's winter festival involves running outside in Japanese traditional underwear and throwing hotspring water everywhere, and playing horse to try and win. The losing team has to carry the penis float around.



A favorite of mine, and most world known is of course the Sapporo Snow Festival. Every year they build HUGE statues of snow, light them up at night and people from all over come to see them.



Then there is the Otaru candle light festival, which was really pretty. They even light up the famous Otaru canal.



There is also smaller festivals like Sunukyo, in which they make a lighted up ice castle of sorts that you can climb around in. And in Monbetsu you can go out to see the ice glaciers as they come from Russia.



So although living in Hokkaido is SUPER cold....the winter also has some of the best festivals around.

Kyushoku

Kyushoku is the Japanese word for School Lunch. Every day I am feed a well balanced lunch, though sometimes it can be a bit heavy on the carbs. Each school lunch contains anywhere from 600 - 750 calories. So, it can be pretty calorific. However....its SO much better than what the kids in the states eat. Not only that, but often times when I don't want to eat something on my plate the kids usually tell me that I have to eat it weather I like it or not. Also although kids have a difficultly when I ask them what kind of snack they like, they can always answer what kind of fruit they like. I think our kids could learn something from them.

Anyways, this is a week of Kyushoku. It changes every week so its never quite the same. But Mon, Wes, Fri tend to be rice days. Tues, and Thurs tend to be noodles or bread.

MONDAY:



"Rice, a form of seaweed, and kimichi pork soup"

TUESDAY:


"Udon Pork soup, strawberry yogurt and a meat/potato filled coroke ball."

WEDNESDAY:

"Udon, Rice, Hijiki"

THURSDAY:

"Spaghetti, Bread, custard pudding"

FRIDAY:

"Rice, Chinese soup, and gyoza"

お正月- Ringin' in the New Year

This year I celebrated the New Year with a Japanese family. It was quite the experience!!

Japanese New Year = a lot of eating. There is a lot of traditional foods that must be consumed. These are referred to as Osechi. Osechi is a lot of different kinds of food, that are a bit sweet tasting. Such things like mashed sweet chestnuts mixed with sweet potato (BEST THING EVER!), black beans, a mix of veggies in a sweetened sauce...ect. At midnight you have to eat a New Years soba dish. In the morning you have to eat a special New Year mochi usually served in a miso soup broth.



After New Year's eve dinner, the family sits down together to watch a lot of TV. There is a TV show called Kohaku which is a singing competition between singers split into Red or White teams. The singers are from all over the singing categories, pop and enka ect. There is also tributes to people or events that happened during 2012 though-out the show. It's the most popular TV show on New Years.




New Year's is also a time for family together, and for one to visit as many family members as possible. At each persons house you end up eating something or drinking something. The next day the families will often go to the local shrine and pray for good luck in the New Year.




Than for the kids and other people that you want to give one to, there is otoshidama. Otoshidama is a money gift. It's usually at least 5000 yen per gift. So, I am sure it can get very expensive if you have a lot of people to give it too.


One must also send out New Year Cards. But unlike in the states where you send Christmas cards to family and close friends, in Japan you send it to anyone that you have worked with in the last two years, friends, family and anybody that helps you out a lot. My friend here sent out about 70 cards this year. Each card also has to include a personal message.


On the second of January everybody goes shopping. There is great deals at all department stores (30 - 50% off). There is also a discount bag that you can buy at most stores called a fukubukuro. You have no idea whats in the bag, so its really hit and miss, but its kind of fun to find out what you got.