X-Pat Files

NIS PTA GARAGE SALE AND INTERNATIONAL FOOD FAIR: SATURDAY MAY 14 – RAIN OR SHINE!

Each year in May the NIS community and many people from outside the school enjoy The Garage Sale and International Food Fair. The event provides a wonderful opportunity for you to buy gently used household items, books, etc, and a fantastic way to relish the flavors and enjoy the talents of our multicultural community!

Date: Saturday, May 14 – Rain or Shine!
Time: 10:00 - 2:00

Parking: Available at NIS and at Shidami Youchien

Address: Nagoya International School
2686 Minamihara, Nakashidami, Moriyama Ku
Nagoya 463-0002

Phone (052) 736-2025

Map

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Golden Week is upon us once again Folks! Golden week is comprised of four separate holidays that fall within about a week of each other, giving lucky people who get all days off, plus a bonus day in the middle, ten days off. This is the longest holiday of the Japanese working year, and is very popular as a result of it! Golden Week consists of Shōwa Day on April 29, Constitution Memorial Day on May 3, Greenery Day on May 4, and Children’s Day on May 5. This year the weekends have no holidays on them, but by virtue of being weekends they count for me!

Showa Day is an annual holiday to honor the birthday of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, who reigned from 1926 to 1989.

Constitution Day is an annual holiday celebrating the promulgation of the 1947 Constitution of Japan.

Greenery Day is an annual holiday that officially celebrates nature and reflection on blessings, but its roots also lie with the Shōwa Emperor. In modern times, it is a great day to think green!

Children’s Day is an annual holiday that celebrates children. This holiday was originally reserved for boys, but now includes girls as well. This holiday is the easiest to spot around town, as colorful carp shaped kites or windsocks are flown all over Japan.

If you have all ten days off you might be looking for something to do, so I have taken the liberty of building a suggested schedule for you. Feel free to pick and choose to suit your tastes and schedules, there will be no test later!

Friday, April 29
Okura Park Azalea Festival 2011
Okura Koen in Obu City, Aichi
Free
Okura Park features about 2800 azalea trees for your viewing pleasure. The park itself was the estate of Okura Kauchika, who established the famous china maker Noritake. You can see Noritake China at the showroom across the street from the bus station in Sakae.
Take the JR line to Obu Station. The park is a 10 minute walk from there.

Saturday, April 30
Mammoth Flea Market
Port Messe Nagoya, Nagoya City
From 10:00-17:00 you can visit one of the largest flea markets in Japan; over 4,000 booths .
Admission is 1,200 yen
Take Aonami Line from Nagoya Station and get off at Kinjo-futo Station.
Website

Sunday, May 1
On the first of the month movie theaters throughout Japan have discounted movie admission! 1000 yen! Why not see a movie?

Monday, May 2
Nagoya Antique Fair
Fukiage Hall, Nagoya City
Free
10:00-17:00 This is the biggest antique fair in Aichi. More than 230 booths will offer a wide variety of antiques and collectibles. I went to this last year, and there was a lot of beautiful stuff.
Take the Sakuradori line and get off at Fukiage Station. Go out exit 5.

Tuesday, May 3
Inuyama Cormorant Fishing Demonstration
Nagoya Castle, Nagoya City
11:00 and 13:30 See the ancient practice of fishing using birds and fire from boats. The real thing is pretty entertaining, but I am not sure how they are able to demonstrate it at Nagoya Castle!
Free, I think…(!)
Take the Meijio Line to Shiyakusho station and go out exit 7.

Wednesday, May 4
TV Aichi Kids Festival
Oasis 21, Sakae, Nagoya City
11:00-17:00 TV Aichi will put on this great event for kids right in Sakae!
Free
Take either the Meijo or Higashiyama line to Sakae. Inside the station, head towards exit 4A to Oasis 21. Follow the kids!

Thursday, May 5
Momotaro Festival (Peach Boy! )
Momotaro Jinja (Shrine), Inuyama City, Aichi
10:30- Shinto ritual, 12:00-Momotaro dance, Parade, and children's singing contest.
Take the Meitetsu to Inuyama-Yuen Station. From there it is a 45 minute walk, or 5 minutes by taxi.

Friday, May 6
Chunichi Dragons Baseball
Nagoya Dome, Nagoya City
18:00 Chunichi Dragons vs Tokyo Yomiuri Giants
Take the Meijo Line to Nagoya Dome-mae, and follow the crowd!
Website

Saturday, May 7
Noh Performance
Noh Theatre Nohgakudo, Nagoya City
12-1700 Amateur Noh Performance: Noh is classical Japanese musical drama performed for over 600 years.
Free
Take the Meijo Line to Shiyakusho station. Go out exit 7 and head west.

Sunday, May 8
Latino American Festival
TV Tower (Central Park), Sakae, Nagoya City
10:30 - 19:00 Street performances, Andes Music, Latin American dancing, food!
Take the Meijo or Higashiyama line to Sakae Station, and follow the music!
Website

Well now that you have your plans for Golden Week all worked out you can coast for the rest of the week into vacation, right? Well, I suppose you could make your own plans as well. If you do, why not drop in at Japan Info Swap and tell us what you did? Our facebook page is a great place to share your Golden Week story.

Have a great vacation everyone!

If you have not seen the used and auction cars available from Lease Japan you can see them here; in a cool little flip book format! Lease Japan is the right choice for leasing and sales of new and used cars, furniture, and household appliances in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and throughout Japan. They also offer comprehensive service and emergency support packages; in English!

If you have never heard of TED, you have not been paying attention, and you may be boring. Just kidding; kind of =)! This great organization is open to everyone, but the event is limited to 300 handpicked attendees. The best way to explain it may be to simply quote the TEDxTokyo website.

"TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s “ideas worth spreading” mission, with TEDx events planned and coordinated independently on a local basis. The goal is to spark deep discussions and connections in groups both intimate and expansive."


Following the tremendous response their 2009, and 2010 events, on May 21st 2011 TEDxTokyo presents "Enter the Unknown." The third TEDxTokyo event promises to be bigger and better than ever as we bring together an even wider range of speakers and participants to share ideas and inspiration and what the future has in store…

For more information on this event or organization, please see the TEDxTokyo website.

Need that special spot to take your sweetie to celebrate the warmth and change of Spring? Why not make a weekend out of it? The Nagoya Players and the Aqua Alpine Hotel in Hakuba have teamed up for a special presentation of Daniel Ostrander's latest labor of love, Murder Me Always, by Lee Mueller, in classic dinner-theater format. If you are not familiar with dinner theater, it is pretty simple; a theater or other performance combing a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. In this case you can throw in a very nice hotel, and the stunning natural beauty of Hakuba, nestled in the beautiful alps mountains.

Under the loving supervision of Daniel, this murder mystery is sure to be a suspenseful nail biter, and I am certain the copious food and wine available will entertain the palate of both you and your sweetie.

If you are not so interested in making a trip to Hakuba, fear not, there will be local performances as well. For information on either event, please see the Nagoya Players webpage, or better yet the facebook pages. (The website seems to enjoy a peaceful existence, without the bother of frequent updates).

Hope to see you there!

Nagoya Players Website
Hakuba Performance
Nagoya Performance

We would like thank all of you who took the time to join Relo Japan for our recent webinars about the current situation in Japan, and we hope that the information presented was useful. For those of you who are interested in further information, stories, and photos about the crisis, we would like to recommend the following online resources:

Government sources
US Embassy in Tokyo (regarding the downgrading of the former Travel Warning to Travel Alert)
British Embassy in Tokyo
Remarks by US Secretary of State Clinton during recent visit to Tokyo
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s blog

Issues related to Fukushima plant
Differences between Chernobyl and Fukushima
Update on power shortage problems
Reuters article on easing food shipment restrictions

Relief efforts/charity
American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ Disaster Relief Fund)
Hope International Development Agency Japan
Japanese Red Cross Society
ERC Foundation Aid to Japan

Relief efforts by US military (Operation Tomodachi)
Photos of US Navy Pacific Fleet relief efforts on FLICKR
Photos of US Marine Expeditionary Force on FLICKR

Inspirational stories
Translated from the Japanese version of Twitter

Facebook - Supporting Japan
Information on Facebook-lots of links to further reading!

Further updates to follow!

According to this article in Bloomberg, after the March 11th earthquake shut down transportation in the city, stranding millions, Tokyo residents have found a renewed interest in commuting by bicycle. Interesting read!

Full Article

This is a link to the FCCJ: The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan's "No. 1 Shinbun." This month they are running a special edition about the Tohoku disaster "Covering Tohoku," and their journalists coverage of it. It is a slightly different and more personal look at the disaster from the point of view of those tasked with presenting the news to us. Great images, interesting stories. Take a look!

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan's "No. 1 Shinbun."

We wanted to make sure you know about The Nagoya Conference on Multiculturalism and the Hafu Film Fundraiser for HOPE
which will both take place on April 23rd. The Nagoya Conference on Multiculturalism is a free event taking place at The Nagoya
International School from 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM on Saturday April 23rd. The conference, sponsored by Nagoya International School
and Cambridge University Press will bring together educators, parents, researchers, and students to address the wide range of issues
faced by multicultural and bilingual families. Presenters include Laurel Kameda, Bob Stilger, Jillian Mickleborough-Sugiyama,
Rob Risch, Andrea Carlson, and myself. The conference is free, but pre-registration is requested. If you'd like to attend,
please send an email to nismc@nis.ac.jp For more information please see http://www.multiculturalismconference.info/

In the evening of the same day, please come out to celebrate diversity at Shooters in Fushimi where you'll have the chance to enjoy
an inspiring evening while also contributing to Hafu Film and The Hope International Development Agency Japan's Tohoku relief efforts.
Doors open at 6 and the evening formally begins at 7 with music by John Janzen and others, pechakucha presentations by students of
the Nagoya International School, and a presentation by Marcia Yumi Lise, Megumi Nishikura, and Lara Perez Takagi of Hafu Film. Tickets
are 3,500 yen at the door or 3000 yen for those who preregister for the event. RSVP to http://eepurl.com/cG8Gk Your ticket includes two drinks, a light buffet, an inspiring evening of great music and presentations along with the chance to to contribute.

Please share this information with others in the area who might be interested and feel free to contact the organizers through the above links for more information.

Hope to see you on the 23rd!

3 changes to the garbage collection regulations are currently in effect.

1. Non-burnable plastics will now be treated as burnable garbage. This may include:

100% plastic Items such as plastic buckets, plastic washbasins, plastic toys, beach balls, CDs, DVDs, CD jewel cases, etc.

Items which are mostly made of plastic, with a few pieces of metal and other composite products such as ball point pens, video tapes, disposable razors, etc.

Small electrical products made from plastics, such as small toys, calculators, computer mouse, etc. (small electrical products are items that do not utilize an electrical plug)

*Plastic containers and packaging will continue to be collected as recycled plastics (blue bag).

**Items that are larger than 30cm are to be treated as large-sized garbage.

2. Non-burnable garbage collection will be reduced to once a month.

Currently non-burnable garbage is collected once a week. Non-burnable garbage will now be collected once a month. Please refer to the「町名別収集日一覧表」which should have been distributed to you by the City of Nagoya in March in your postbox (or ask a neighbor to write down the appropriate day for you).

The drop-off area for non-burnable garbage will remain the same.

3. Plastic Containers and Packaging in principle will now be collected at each household.

Plastic containers and packaging will now be collected as the same location as Burnable and Non-burnable garbage. (Depending on some locations, drop-off locations may remain at the same Recycling collection station)

Collection days may change with certain locations. Please refer to the「町名別収集日一覧表」which should have been distributed to you by the City of Nagoya in March in your postbox (or ask a neighbor to write down the appropriate day for you).

Paper containers, packaging, recyclable plastic bottles, empty glass jars, empty glass bottles and empty cans, will continue to be collected at the normal collection station.

When: Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where: Cooking room, 2F Toyota Sangyo Bunka Center (5 minutes walk from Meitetsu Toyota-shi Station)

http://www.tia.toyota.aichi.jp/english/08.html#map (The map says 3F, but the Cooking room is on the 2F.)

Participants: Foreign residents who live in and around Toyota City; maximum number of participants accepted: 20 adults
Content: Cooking and tasting of Makizushi (Rolled sushi) and Shrimp dumpling soup.
Recipes and explanation are available in English and Japanese. Bring your own apron.

Instructor: Mrs. Kuniko Kuwana
Fee: 800 yen (includes ingredients)
Application: Toyota International Association, Tel: 0565-37-0400 (TIA)
or contact TIA Volunteer group E-IFF e-mail: enjoytoyota05(at)yahoo.co.jp

Living in Japan can be difficult, but the internet has many resources to make things a bit easier. An iPhone or other smart phone can put those resources at your fingertips wherever you find yourself in Japan through a wide variety of standard or easily downloadable applications.
Google maps, for example, can find and give you directions to everything from castles and temples to a coffee shop near your station. Once you have arrived, you can take pictures or video and upload them on the spot for your adoring fans back home to enjoy using Facebook or Twitter. I don’t carry a full electric dictionary anymore; the one I bought for my iPhone works almost as well as my full size Casio, but weighs much less!
If you already have an iPhone or are thinking about one, I collected a list of the most useful programs for people living in Japan. Free apps are labeled, but please follow the links the provided links to check the current prices of the rest. If you
Here are 15 of the most useful apps I have found. Enjoy, and feel free to offer your thoughts and suggestions below. I am always looking for more!

Transportation
Tokyo Metro is a complete interactive iPhone map for the Tokyo Subway system in English. This is a very popular app in Tokyo.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tokyo-metro/id305633751?mt=8

Japan Subway Map is a complete guide to subway systems in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. The Tokyo map also comes complete with exit information on each station!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/japan-subway-route-map-tokyo/id317722577?mt=8

Norikae Annai is a very handy train finder. Everyone is probably familiar with the Jourdan Route Finder website. It is a great place to get great information on how to get anywhere in japan on the train, and this is the app version of that service. Unfortunately, the app is only in Japanese, but if you can make it work, this app will make your life easier! (Free)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id299490481?mt=8

AroundMe uses your location to find information about your surroundings. It can be used to find coffee shops, gas stations, and other locations around you. Very convenient! (Free)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aroundme/id290051590?mt=8

Useful
TeePee Japan is touted as the “ultimate foodie and traveler's friend in Japan.” The Japanese version of this app is gangbuster popular, and this translated version is gaining quickly as THE place to look for the best restaurants, onsen hot spring resorts, great ski resorts, and even clothing stores in Japan.
http://itunes.apple.com/my/app/teepee-guide-japan-dining/id388633503?mt=8#

myStarbucks is a handy app for finding the closest Starbucks location to you. If you must have a cup, right now, this is your best bet at finding a decent one! (Free)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mystarbucks/id331177714?mt=8

Gengou Free converts western style dates into Japanese style dates (Showa, Heisei, etc.) (Free)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gengou-free/id284830543?mt=8

MeasuresLite is a neat little app that can convert measurements to and from various systems. Great tool for, oh let’s just say someone from a country that does not use the metric system. (Free)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/measures-lite-unit-converter/id315142801?mt=8

Sushipedia is an app dedicated to sushi! You can search by name, ingredient, and attributes among other things. This is great fun at the conveyor belt sushi, and will teach you a lot about what you are eating. (Free)
http://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/id326316017?mt=8

Web MD is a free app that can help you check your symptoms, and access drug & treatment information. This might get you out of a doctors visit, or you could show it to the doctor instead of trying to explain them. Most doctors in Japan can read English, they just can’t speak it!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/webmd-mobile/id295076329?mt=8

Language
Japanese Flip and Kanji Flip are digital flashcards with an intelligent progress tracking system that helps you learn faster.
http://japaneseflip.com/
http://kanjiflip.com/

Japanese is a full-fledged Japanese-English dictionary that fits in your pocket! I have been using this personally for about a year, and I love it. You can also add any word you look up to a flashcard set and study it later.
http://itunes.apple.com/app/japanese/id290664053?mt=8

Japan Goggles can translate Japanese words to English from the camera, or images on your iPhone.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/japan-goggles/id397724055?mt=8

Kotoba! is a FREE Japanese dictionary! It is not the best, but if you just need to look up simple words this should be great for you. I also used this for a long time, and it worked pretty well! (Free)
http://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/kotoba-japanese-dictionary/id288499125?mt=8

Lingolook Japan is a handy Japanese phrase book. If you don’t need a full on dictionary, this will get you around town and keep you fed.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lingolook-japan/id285210866?mt=8

Since the Tohoku disaster, many people have started to question what’s going on with the world, what is life about, and what are we doing here? Some have also started to ask whether they are living a meaningful life and doing what they ought to be doing with the limited time here.

At the workplace, many are choosing jobs based on extrinsic factors such as job security and salary, rather than on their strengths and passion. College graduates with degrees in the Sciences are applying for positions that have nothing to do with what they studied at university.

What is encouraging, however, is that today, people are seeking to live a life of significance, as is evident with the out flowing of volunteerism and the willingness to help since 3/11.

In this seminar, we will explore some of the fundamental questions regarding our career and lives, and go over a framework of thinking in pursuing a career and life of purpose.

Seating is limited and will be on a first come first served basis.

About the Speaker:
Go Yoshida is a professor at Nagoya University where he teaches courses on Career and Life Development, Leadership and Management, and Relationship and Communication. He has over 15 years’ experience in the recruitment and selection of talent and has worked for organizations such as the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, and the University of Chicago. **Seminar will be in English (Q&A can be in Japanese)

Website

Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2011
Time: 9:00-11:00 am （Registration from 8:30am)
(9:00-10:30am seminar; 10:30-11:00am Q&A)

Venue: Nagoya University, Higashiyama Campus, School of Science
Building B, Room 212 (2nd Floor). Bldg #17 on following map:
Access Map:

Fee: 3,000 yen (all proceeds to Tohoku Earthquake Relief, and will be matched by additional donors!)

Pre-registration is required via e-mail:

Goyoshida(AT)gmail.com
Subject: Charity Seminar

Please include the following information:
1) Full Name
2) Name of Company
3) E-mail Address
4) Phone Number

See the original PDF invitation here:charityseminar_e.pdf

As has been widely reported, residents of Tokyo cleared the supermarket shelves of bottled water last week after unusually high levels of radiation were detected in water processed at the Kanamachi water purification plant in Katsushika ward, one of three that provide drinking water to the city. On March 22, 210 Becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg) of radioactive iodine (I-131) were found to be present at Kanamachi after a couple of days of heavy rain which it was thought had brought radioactive material from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant down the Tonegawa, the river that feeds the plant. The level of 210 Bq/kg was more than twice the limit deemed safe for infants by the Japanese authorities, and as a precautionary measure the government advised that infants and nursing mothers refrain from drinking tap water. For reference, the limits set by the Japanese authorities are:

Adults: 300 Bq/kg of I-131
Infants: 100 Bq/kg of I-131

On the following day, March 23, the levels of I-131 detected at Kanamachi fell slightly to 190 Bq/kg , still almost twice the safe limit for infants. However, by the next day, the amount of I-131 detected had fallen to 79 Bq/kg, and the level continued to fall for the next two days until March 27, when no I-131 was detected. The tests conducted every day since then have failed to detect any I-131.

Among the sensationalist headlines generated by this situation in both the Japanese and international press, a couple of important facts were overlooked. The first is that the limits for safe consumption are based on long-term exposure. There was therefore never any question of water containing 210 Bq/kg posing a health risk in the short or even medium term. According to experts, it would actually be physically impossible to consume a sufficient amount of water at 210 Bq/kg to come close to exceeding internationally-accepted limits for safe exposure to radiation. Having said this, since there is a possibility that long-term exposure could have an adverse effect on the health of infants, it is understandable that parents of small children reacted the way they did, and that they remain hesitant to give tap water to their children.

The second fact that was conveniently ignored was that Japan’s regulations regarding safe levels of radiation in drinking water are very strict by international standards. There was a rumor circulating that the limits set by the Japanese authorities are extremely lax compared with other countries, but according to the World Health Organization’s regular reports on the situation in Japan the limits in place here are in fact more stringent than the internationally accepted standards by a factor of ten. According to the WHO’s Western Pacific Region Situation Report of March 23, “the Japanese guideline value is an order lower than the internationally agreed Operational Intervention Levels (OIL's) for I-131 (3,000 Bq/kg)”. In addition, The British Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir John Beddington, stated in one of his briefings to the British embassy that even the highest levels of I-131 found at the Kanamachi purification plant did not exceed the limits in place in the UK. In other words, the British government would allow citizens to continue drinking water containing this level of radiation.

While the situation in Fukushima remains very unstable, it is only prudent to keep a close eye on the levels of radioactivity present in tap water. Tokyo Waterworks is posting updated test results on its website in English as well as Japanese (see link below). Since the weather plays a major role in the spread of radioactive material, there would appear to be a strong possibility that similar spikes in radiation levels will occur in future. However, any decisions about the safety of Tokyo’s water should be made based on the results of long-term monitoring rather than the headlines of news organizations who are more interested in selling newspapers or getting clicks on their webpages than educating the public.

Tokyo Waterworks – http://www.waterworks.metro.tokyo.jp/

World Health Organization Update 5: Information on drinking water safety released (March 25) –
http://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/updates/update_20110325/en/index.html

World Health Organization Western Pacific Region Situation Report (March 23) – http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/2203AB7F-8E62-475B-8D2F-DC22F35381AD/0/JapanEarthquakeSitrep1423March2011.pdf

This week I was a Hope International Japan volunteer supporting the disaster area of Japan. I was nervous about being based so close to the haywire reactor, but after arriving I found life was going on just as it generally does, and I felt a lot better. I was actually a bit far from the tsunami area, as I was based in a logistics warehouse further inland. From there, we supported helicopter supply runs by Japan Mercy Flights, and truck supply runs into the areas in need.

My first day began at 630 in the run down little bed and breakfast that has been rented out for the volunteers and staff of Hope Japan, as well as the helicopter pilots operating out of Sports Land Sugo, where they race cars in better times. After a slow start waiting for permits for one of the trucks, we made it out to the helipad (usually the pit stop area) and loaded up two choppers flying out first to Toryo Junior High School in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, then Osu Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Those locations are very isolated and access by truck is difficult at best, impossible at worst, and so the helicopters are used to fill the void. Trucks are preferred, as they can haul more supplies, but in a pinch you have to find out what they absolutely need the most, and try to fit as much as you can into the birds.

After that, Kazu, a much more experienced Hope volunteer, and I loaded up the only other vehicle available at the time, a van belonging to a rather talented Nagoya musician named John, with as much food, water, and medicine as we could get in and headed out to deliver them. We stopped at a convenience store to buy something to take with us for lunch, and for the first time I saw an essentially empty convenience store in Japan. I bought two fish sausages, and a sports drink. Unless you wanted booze, that was pretty much it. There were not even cigarettes left. I can only imagine that there are a lot of edgy people around there!



From the conbini, it was still a couple of hours to the area, and the first damage I saw was easy to miss. It was just mud. Then I started seeing mud everywhere, and realized that none of the businesses were open. I wondered what all the people who worked in those restaurants, shops, and businesses were going to do about rent that month. Soon, I started seeing broken windows, and furnishings piled up as rubbish. I saw many people with shovels, slowly digging their lives out of the muck. It was not long before I saw my first tossed car. It had been tossed into a pond. Then I saw a taxi stand where every taxi had been slammed into every other like some crazed toddler had been slamming his hot wheels together. I saw boats on the road. I saw houses listing. I saw boats on top of cars.



It was crazy, but it was nothing compared to what lay ahead. As we started down the hill to our first stop, an elementary school in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, we stopped on the side of the road to look at what had once been a neighborhood. It was gone; only wreckage and splinters remained. The only thing that distinguished the area from a garbage dump was the relatively neat main road that had been cleared by someone with either a bulldozer or a tank. I saw what looked like it might have been a house with a car in it, some scattered furniture, a roof, a few foundations, some destroyed cars, and a sign that said “Don’t let your dog poop here” overlooking it all.



The total destruction of that little community gave way to skeletal remnants downtown. Most things concrete “survived,” while most everything else was ripped from its foundations. What looked like a vertical metal apartment building was toppled and dragged across the street; its steel beams bent to hell. I say apartment, but as you can see from the picture, it is almost impossible to say what it actually was. There was a giant industrial holding tank of some sort that had been tossed, and now lay crushed like a tin can next to the road- I could not figure out where it came from. It might have been quite far, as I saw no industrial sites nearby. Our car navigation told us to go straight, past the crushed can, but when we tried we were blocked by the water. At first, I thought the car navi was buggy, but I quickly realized that the road no longer existed; no sign of it remained after the break; just the water. We tried to turn, but found our way totally blocked by an overturned truck, and a couple of downed cement power poles.



We were forced to back out, and ask directions to Onagawa Dai Ni Elementary School from the security guarding a blocked entrance to a road. They were hired from outside the area so they did not know where the school was, but we got a great view of the giant building that had been torn up from its foundation and moved right in the middle of the road. The guards were there to prevent anyone from approaching it. The gentleman in the picture is Kazu, coming back from that conversation with them. I could not help but think of that unlucky witch in the Wizard of Oz that was crushed by a flying house, but this was no house, it was an apartment building. It looked to be ripped at least 100 feet away from its foundation, and it was listing to the side about 20 degrees. On our way to the school, we passed the other side of that road, and you could see the bottom from the building from that angle. It was tilting that severely. Past that, high up on a cemented embankment along the road to the school, there was a car; precariously perched about 3 stories off the ground; exactly where the water had left it. Also where the water had left it, I saw a train on its side. I could not see any tracks, so I am not sure how far it had travelled until it came to rest there. For some reason, the train freaked me out a bit, and when I saw the second rail car, tossed on top of a hill behind the first, lying in a graveyard, I was speechless. I cannot say why seeing a train on top of a hill would freak me out more than a mobile apartment building, but for me, that was the oddest, most disturbing thing I saw that day.



The distance was short, but steep, and that made all the difference. Maybe 300 feet from the train, we found Onagawa Dai Ni Elemetary School in perfect condition. It had an Army encampment in the lower parking lot, and military choppers were landing on the athletic field, but besides that school could have been in session. Behind the school at the supply point, we found Japanese Soldiers and volunteers taking donations; “everything but water,” he said, “we have enough of that.” They helped us unload, and Kazu pumped anyone who would talk to him for information about what was going on in that city. How many people? What do you need? Has there been any sickness yet? Kazu’s main job is intelligence gathering. Any idiot can drop off supplies, but a good aid worker can tailor future shipments so that no item is wasted by listening to the people on the ground. Gathering intelligence took longer than unloading did; a lot longer. Granted, with 15 Soldiers to help, unloading a van does not take long. I saw the big board, where they were keeping track of the people that were accounted for. 3,456 people were completely homeless, living in the shelter. 2,913 were still able to live in their homes, but were likely without running water and power; they were only “affected” by the tsunami. On March 15, this little village was profiled in The Washington Post; they reported that half the population was missing at that time. As of the day this was written 295 people were killed, 895 are missing and presumed washed out to sea in the village of Onagawa. If the ratios of the dead and missing hold true here in the same way they do in the other 17 prefectures, 1200 people or more will have died, and of those 800 or so will be elderly residents. They were either too proud and stubborn to leave, or too slow to get out of the way. As I ate my dinner tonight they mentioned the village in the weather report; as if it still existed.



We left Onagawa the way we came, back through the twisted bars and splintered wood that comprise this shattered community[, its residents now temporarily housed in shelters]. We made our way to Miyatojima, also in Miyagi Prefecture. Hope has singled this community out for “phase 3 assistance,”or reconstruction. A small organization cannot help a lot of people, but by limiting your scope and helping a few people you can make a big difference. We were tasked with stopping by and saying hello at the elementary school, where the town has taken shelter; seeing if anybody needed anything. 45 minutes later, we were creeping up one of the worst roads I have ever seen. The sea had passed right over this, the only road into town, and it, as well as any homes unlucky enough to be in the way and the only bridge connecting the island to the mainland, had been swept clean. It was a terrible road, but it was an improvement. For nearly a week, this island was reachable only by boat or helicopter. If you were on the island during the earthquake, you remained there for five days, until temporary bridges, and gravel piles topped with plywood finally welcomed the island back to the world. Only helicopters, like the ones we were loading on the racetrack, had sustained that community during its isolation.

The road was bad, and seemed to go nowhere. After ten minutes, we flagged down an elderly couple in a truck to make sure we were not driving off into the void, and they told us that Miyatojima Elementary School was just up the road, but they also let us know that if we were not off the island in 45 minutes the military would lock us in until morning. It seems they wanted to ensure no one tried to drive that road at night. Although un-enthralled at the thought of spending the night in a shelter, we carried on, determined to turn back after 20 minutes regardless of whether we had accomplished our mission or not. Luckily, the school was less than 3 minutes down the road. There were dozens of cars parked along the road near the school; like resident’s cars parked in front of the building, which is exactly what they were. As we pulled in I could see kids playing baseball, and adults wandering around talking. Miyatojima is a small place, and most of the town was sheltering in the school. At one point, nearly 900 people shared the space, though it was not a large school.

Miyatojima is the kind of place where a foreigner will get a second look on a good day, and I was definitely a sore thumb that day. The firemen chatting near their truck in the parking lot suddenly started talking about English, and then about Japanese. There was a large group of older men sitting around a large bonfire, and near them another fire was being used to cook in a giant pot. It actually smelled wonderful, and I could see the women passing out bags of dinner to the community. Kazu ran inside to find the man he was looking for; I waited outside to speed things up. I was really hoping I would not have to sleep there that night. I started noticing I was getting odd looks from the campfire group, so I gave them a little bow and a wave. They returned both, but I could tell they were still talking about me. I just kept trying to look friendly and stay out of everyone’s way. Finally, an old man got up and walked directly to me. He was wearing a brown hat, gray jacket, and khaki pants. He was a bit nervous, and in broken English he started trying to explain to me that I needed to leave before the gate closed unless I was going to stay. “Gate. Close. You stay? You go? Gate close. You stay! 6! 6!” He said. I realized pretty quickly that they had been working that message out together while I was standing there. I could see he was worried, so I quickly explained to him I that I knew, and was hoping to leave shortly. He was instantly relieved that I understood him, and seemed pleased. As he walked off I felt really touched that these people who were going to sleep in a shelter again that night were so concerned that I would not get off the island and back to the world safely that they had brainstormed English and sent a representative to warn me. I suppose they knew why I was there, and it made me feel like I was not doing enough to help them. We got off the island, but it was a wild ride. We almost dropped into the sea at one point, and I could see why they were concerned about people driving it at night.



The next morning, Kazu met a truck from Nagoya, and unloaded their supplies. From there, the day went badly for me. We planned to drive supplies out to Ishinomaki, and then scout out the Ojiki Peninsula, but we were down to a quarter of a tank, so we went to find more gas. We spent 2 hours looking, but every station we checked was sold out, and the one that had gas had a line about 70 cars long waiting, even and they had not started giving anyone gas yet for the day. We realized we were not going to make it to Ishinomaki that day, and returned to the warehouse at about noon to find something else to do. I was bitterly disappointed. After a while, I started to wonder whether waiting in the line earlier would have been better, but when I asked Kazu about it, the dispatcher for Japan Mercy Flights, who share the warehouse at the racetrack with Hope, overheard, and offered to loan us 80 liters he had in their storage area. I was most pleased, and we took him up on it. I eagerly filled both the car and the extra gas can, and started looking to load up and move out, but Kazu said, “I have some paperwork I need to do,” and proceeded to sit in front of his computer for the next 5 hours. I was livid. I sat in a chair with nothing to do for 5 hours wanting to choke the guy. I had come here to get those supplies we had collected and bring them to people who really needed them. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. We ended up back at the bed and breakfast early. Dinner was good. I know what he was doing was important, but it kept me from doing what I came for; from helping people, and I hated him for it for a while.
On the plus side, the helicopters at our site were far from idle. The birds supplied an evacuation center at Toryo Junior High School in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture again, this time with underwear, lights, food, and water. They also ran a mission to the village of Kyubunhama in Miyagi prefecture. Kyubunhama Village is right on the coast of the Ojika Peninsula and was hit very hard. Kyubunhana got two helicopters delivering water, rice and other foods, and personal hygiene items from our warehouse. The helicopters were covered by a news crew, who stayed all day and filmed many aspects of operations, including me smoking my pipe, which they seemed to think was very interesting.



On my final day, we received a big semi-truck filled with supplies for the warehouse. We unloaded that, again on camera. This time, there were two television crews there, again focusing on the helicopters. After unloading, we started loading the birds for their first flights of the day. As transportation had not improved at the locations they had supported the day before, the helicopters were again dispatched to evacuation centers at Toryo Junior High School in Kitakami, Iwate, and the village of Kyubunhama in Miyagi prefecture. I remember thinking how cool it would have been to load one of those helicopters up with a ton of take-out pizza or something, and give the people there a great meal to lighten the mood for a bit. A nice idea, but I suppose it is probably better that we sent only basic supplies again. As of 3/31, I have been told these locations are still largely isolated, and are still being supplied via helicopter.



That first day was a lot of waiting, a lot of driving, and a lot of horrifying sights. I constantly felt pressure to get one more box in, to drive a little faster. I wanted to help people, and I felt like I should be doing more; more than I could. The second was all waiting, and frustration that I could not be out in the middle of it all. The third day ended early for me, as I had to catch my ride home, but we got the warehouse resupplied, and the birds in the air quickly, and it was time well spent. I wish I could still be there helping now, but I have a job and responsibilities here, and I was lucky that H&R was generous enough to let me go at all. I hope I will have another chance to go there; maybe drive a truck up and back. I still want to do more.

You would think that a modern country like Japan would have their people out and comfortable in 24 hours, but here we were more than two weeks into the drama, and just beginning to make a dent in the chaos. When things break down on this scale, they do not get fixed quickly no matter how badly we want them to. I am grateful for the time I spent seeing the Japanese people’s plight, and the structures put in place to aid them first-hand. I am home now, I don’t get to do it again tomorrow, but I hope that I can do more anyway. So many depend on it, and they are suffering even now as I write these final lines in a coffee shop near Sakae, far from the haywire reactor, the shattered village, and an elementary school with an old man in a brown hat.

As of today, The National Police Agency has confirmed 11,532 deaths, 2,873 injured, and 16,441 people missing. These numbers will increase, with casualties estimated to reach the tens of thousands. Japanese Government estimates of the cost of earthquake and tsunami will exceed $309 billion.

Onagawa Town English Site: All entries on this site stopped on March 11th. City Hall and all government offices were completely destroyed.

Map of the Destruction from the New York Times

Build a 3 day Emergency Kit

-Water: one gallon a day per person for drinking and sanitation
-Food: non-perishable that does not require cooking
-Saran/plastic wrap to wrap dishes (use no water to wash them)
-Manual can opener
-First aid kit
-Battery powered AM/FM radio & extra batteries
-Flash light & extra batteries (LED is best)
-Toiletries & personal items
-Filter mask
-Whistle
-Garbage bags & plastic ties for personal sanitation.
-Blankets
-Warm clothes & extra changes of clothes
-Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

Other specialty items such as:
-prescriptions medications
-baby necessities (formula, diapers, bottles and tops...etc)
-pet supplies
-copies of important document

More information from the NIC