One Year After The Tsunami: A Report from Tohoku

by Washington College Students

Preston Hildebrand Kathleen Pattie April 11, 2012

Kimberly Pittman Gabrielle Tarbert 10:30-12:00 PM

Group photo take n at the Yasukuni Shrine on March 12, 2012.

Overview of Our Trip

� Experiencing culture

� Meeting with government officials

� Making new Japanese friends

� Volunteer work in Miyagi Prefecture

Experiencing Culture in Japan

Meeting with Government Officials

Students met briefly with Shinjiro Koizumi, a member of the Japanese Parliament and member of the LDP during their tour of the Japanese Diet Building.

Touring the Japanese Diet

Above: The Japanese Diet Building from the outside.Right: One of the large chamber rooms where parliamentary meetings are held.

Miyagi Prefectural Government

Students visited the Miyagi Prefectural Government Building in Sendai. They flew the U.S. flag outside to honor our visit.

Making New Friends

Keio University Student Daiki Matsumara, Washington College Students Gabby Tarbert, Nicholas Hall and Ceira Jessamy

Evening with Keio University Students

Above: Washington College students Rachel Dumbolton and Erin Famularo with Keio University Students. Right: WC Student Preston Hildebrand enjoying spending time with a Keio University Student.

Volunteering in the Miyagi Prefecture

Above: Some of the damage from the tsunami seen in the Miyagi Prefecture.

Below: Washington College students work alongside villagers in Murohama to help clean up a shrine.

The Disaster in the News:A Year Ago

� When the March 11th disasters hit, we were in all corners of the world: South Africa, China and the United States.

The Global Focus?

Photo Credit:http://www.chinasmack.com/2011/stories/2011-japan-sendai-earthquake-chinese-netizen-reactions.html

On the Eve of Adventure: Thoughts before the Trip

Above: A photo taken in the village of Murohama. Formerly a rice paddy, the tsunami flooded the area. The harbor is being used again, but the rice paddy has been destroyed.

Right: The newly constructed Tokyo Sky Tree will bring crucial tourism to Sumida, Tokyo. The SkyTree is the tallest freestanding tower in the world, standing at 634 meters.

Washington College Students:Dedicated to Volunteering

35 students traveled to Columbus, GA to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity during spring break. WC has been sending a student group to Georgia for several years now and participates in volunteer work in the Chestertown area during the school year.

Members of the Washington College Chapter of Students Helping Honduras traveled to Honduras in January 2012. SHH engages in various fundraising activities throughout the year and sends volunteer groups to Honduras during breaks.

Visiting The Japan Foundation

Students met with members of the Japan Foundation in Tokyo. Pictured above is Dr. Oros, Cowles Gaither, Preston Hildebrand, Gabby Tarbert, Rachel Dumbolton and Caitie Dailey.

Meeting with Miyagi Government OfficialsDisaster Recovery Plan

•Building communities strong against disasters in which people can live with peace of mind

•Recovery focusing individual citizens as the core

•Not simply recovery but drastic restructuring

•Recovery focusing on individual citizens as the core

•Forward looking community building that solves issues of modern society

Governmental Plan for the Future

Above: A street in Sendai City, which houses the capital of the Miyagi Prefecture.

Right: A road in the village of Murohama.

Higashi Matsushima Library

Left: Professor Narita and Dr. Oros proudly add Washington College to a long list of those who have made donations to the library.

Above: Our group poses with a bulletin created by the library staff thanking us for our donation of English children books. They gave us handmade cloth pins with the symbol of their library as a token of thanks.

Tsukihama: Before and After the Tsunami

Left: An aerial photo taken of Tsukihama before the tsunami hit. Tsukihama was once a thriving resort and fishing village, with a beautiful beachfront location.

Right: A photo taken of the beachfront. This roadway used to be filled with homes and inns, now only a few remain.

Government Prefabricated Housing

Villagers from Tsukihama now reside in government prefabricated housing units. These residents have been warned not to rebuild any permanent structures, as the land is expected to shift in the next few years, with the potential to ruin any new buildings. They expect to remain in temporary housing situations for up to ten years.

When in Tsukihama...

We stayed at a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan) and wore yukata. This inn was

located in Tsukihama, a small fishing village that was devastated by the

tsunami.

Above: All of the girls on the trip, dressed in yukata, relax before dinner.Right: Meals were prepared by our female innkeeper. She used as many local products as possible when preparing the meals, which included seaweed (nori), oysters, shrimp, roe and the infamous Nattō(fermented soybeans).

Students met with local fisherman in their community center

Socializing with local villagers

Volunteers shoveled mud out of flooded drainage pipes along roads

Pipes were filled with debris and sewage

Cleared channels ensured the safe passage of vehicles along roads.

The mud cleared from the drainage system will be used to fertilize destroyed rice fields

Students worked alongside local villagers

In total 200 feet of drainage canals were cleared and restored

Students also worked to clear debris from a shrine in the village

A landslide resulting from the tsunami and earthquake covered a shrine in dirt and debris

Words from the Wise

Gratitude

Working Together

Looking Towards the Future

Final Thoughts