01
Oct 2011
On September 25, the 8th Tricolore Music Festival was held in Ishinomaki! It was uncertain whether or not the festival would be held this year because of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, but the local residents’ passion for music and strong desire to work towards recovery and revitalize the local community was the driving force behind this year’s festival.
30
Sep 2011
Orientations, training and safety measures for volunteers have been developed greatly as the activities have proceeded over the past six months. Read here for further information about such issues.
28
Sep 2011
Peace Boat puts great effort into preparing volunteers by training them thoroughly before going to the disaster-affected areas. Volunteers are required to attend one of the information and orientation sessions held in Tokyo and other regions. These sessions are designed to teach volunteers about what to expect, what to bring and how to be aware of their personal safety.
22
Sep 2011
Following other recent heavy rains and flooding, Typhoon #15 passed through Japan on September 21st. In Kumanogawa-cho in Wakayama Prefecture, where Peace Boat Disaster Relief volunteers are present, activities were cancelled for the time being to ensure the safety of all involved. Both local citizens and volunteers were evacuated for this time, and the damage is now being evaluated. It is clear that volunteers will need to be in place for longer than initially planned.
20
Sep 2011
On September 11, 6 months after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami caused unprecedented damage, 10 high school students from Tochigi Prefecture came to help with Peace Boat’s debris removing volunteer activities.
One of the students said, “I am sure that I will happily remember this day one day when I eat fish that are caught in Miyagi. That’s what I am looking forward to!”
We hope that the students tell their family and friends from school about their experiences after returning home and that these experiences become something that they will benefit from in the future.
20
Sep 2011
Second in a series of photographs of scenery in Ishinomaki, this time by photographer Kataoka Kazushi.
17
Sep 2011
Taylor Anderson was an assistant English teacher from the United States who lost her life in the tsunami. Taylor was teaching English at 7 schools in Ishinomaki city, a place she was known to love. Four members of her family came to Ishinomaki on September 8.
Peace Boat was contacted by Taylor’s family because they wanted to volunteer. As a result, the Anderson family participated in Peace Boat’s clean-up activities in the Shintate region.
We interviewed Taylor’s father Andy about his visit to Japan and his motivation for joining the volunteer activities.
16
Sep 2011
On September 9 approximately 30 volunteers participated in the Festival at Hayamahime Temple Festival Temple, which is located in the Oginohama area of the Oshika Peninsula. Volunteers participated in the festival because they have been assisting with debris removal and work in the fishing industry in the Ogihama area for a long time, as well as helping with cleaning activities around the temple in the lead-up to the festival.
This was a wonderful day which no doubt gave both the local residents and volunteers lots of energy and inspiration to continue on with from here.
14
Sep 2011
Over the past two weeks the number of visitors to the public baths, “Kizuna no yu” and “Fudou no yu” that were opened to the public on August 22 exceeded 3500 people!
In conjunction with the conclusion of the bathing facilities that had been provided by the Japanese Self Defense Forces, and upon consultation with local city hall officials, public baths were constructed by the Ishinomaki Disaster Recovery Assistance Council Inc, with Peace Boat in charge of the operation of the baths including changing the water, cleaning and reception duties. Many people use the baths everyday, most of whom are living in evacuation centers or in the surrounding areas where infrastructure has not yet been restored.
12
Sep 2011
Slate stones are a traditional industry of Ogatsu town, near Ishinomaki. Volunteers have been working to collect these resilient stones, many of which were washed away in the tsunami, to enable them to be reused for various things such as roof tiles, accessories and ink stones.