After the earthquakes in Japan on March 11th, 2011, I felt that I needed to do something to support the survivors in my homeland. As I had already made plans to return to Japan in October of that year, I began to consider what I might do.
More than half year had passed since the string of disasters in Japan, and I wanted to let the survivors know, "People in other countries haven't forgotten, we're still thinking of you." One day, I found an article, in which, people that had lost family and friends to the tsunami had discovered letters written by their lost relatives and friends. One of the ladies said, "This is a letter written by my elder sister. The tsunami took her but this letter stayed here. I found it under the rubble of our house. This is her handwriting. Before the earthquake, I didn't know how important this letter was." This struck me deeply.
Nowadays, the convenience of email is surpassing handwriting as the primary tool of communication. But, after I'd read this article, I began to consider the preciousness of a handwritten letter. I wished to deliver this preciousness, from people in other countries, to the survivors in Japan. Actually, I had always thought that sending a personal message to a stranger in other country could be a really exciting thing to do. When I was little, I always wanted to put a "message in a bottle" and release it into the ocean for someone in another country to find someday. I thought this might be a gesture that would enliven positive spirit. (And also I thought other people would enjoy participating in this project - to me, that is also very important part of doing this.)
Luckily, many great friends supported my idea and helped me to receive and translate total 142 messages from US, NZ and France, and deliver them to people in Japan. The participants in this project shared concerns, compassion, and love, by writing messages to the survivors, helping me to translate messages between Japanese and English, helping to set up the exchanging events in the US and Japan, and helping to build the website - this project would not have been possible without their contributions. THANK YOU, deeply, for each of you who joined this project, sharing so so so much love...
You know, I'm just a messenger. But, at the moment I received and delivered the letters, I felt like the happiest messenger in the world. It has been a great honor for me. Now I share with you. Here are responses from people in Japan. I was there to witness how they wrote their responses to each message. (see photos, if you like!) How can I express this appreciation? I don't know any better words than "Arigatou" ("Thank you" in Japanese)... Please take some time to see these messages between people living on opposite sides of the planet. How they exchanged their thoughts and feelings. We may see cultural differences on the surface, but underneath we are all one light. I hope you enjoy reading and will feel something in-between them like I felt...
Love,
messenger Toko.
"IBARAKI"
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My whole family originally came from Ibaraki prefecture. Ibaraki was disabled by the earthquakes, though compared to the devastation in Tohoku (more northern area of Japan than Ibaraki), Ibaraki had smaller damages. Thus, I heard no news about the area for a quite some time. Eventually, I contacted an old friend who lives in Ibaraki, and learned what was really going on over there. Many people had lost family members and houses. However, most of Japan's volunteer effort was directed toward Tohoku.
My friend sent some video interviews of the Ibaraki survivors. Most of them said, "Compared to the northern areas, our situation is not as extreme. We have to be strong." It even seemed as if some people felt guilty to have survived their northern brothers and sisters. One old man, staying in a shelter said, "No volunteers here. We have been abandoned. But people in Tohoku are more suffering. We should not complain." This man lived by the ocean where I used to swim every summer.
In the aftermath of the disaster in Ibaraki, many elderly people stayed in a local gymnasium, without any volunteers. This really made me think, "I'd like to do something for the people over there." I was especially concerned about the kids in Ibaraki, because, if they could not voice their difficulties like the adults, how could they ease their minds? (In general, Japanese people tend to hold their emotions inside.) Under difficult conditions, for especially kids, suppressing one's emotions may cause hardness later in life...
So, I decided to go to Ibaraki.
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Participants
People who wrote a letter to Japan:
61 Students from Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor MI.
Students and faculty at University of Otago, NZ.
Visitors at Kerrytown Bookfest Ann Arbor, MI.
Students and Faculty at Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI.
Visitors at Cafe Verde, Ann Arbor, MI.
Japan Center of Michigan Universities Staff members, Lansing, MI.
People who wrote a response:
75 Students from Hirakata Elementary School, Kita-Ibaraki, Ibaraki, Japan
Visitors at Autumn fest, Stand Up Ibaraki, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan
Event Connectors:
Tomoharu Nakahara – Ibaraki, Japan
Don Werthmann – Ann Arbor, MI
Event Supporters:
(in the United States)
Kerrytown Bookfest
Barbara Brown
Gloria Wilson
Dante Usagi Michael
Tappan Middle School
Laura Roth
Don Werthmann
Cafe Verde
Washtenaw Community College
(in New Zealand)
Megan Salt
University of Otago
(in Japan)
Tomoharu Nakahara
Faculty of Hirakata Elementary School
Staff members of Kita-ibaraki City Office
Noriko Tajima
Shinsuke Tojima
Translators:
Ikumi Goto
Mas Nohara
Mitsuki Kawahara
Siân Miller
Meredith Smith
Emily Canosa
Ashley Hubbard
Erik Santos
Toko Shiiki
Photographers:
Gloria Wilson (Kerrytown Bookfest)
Don Werthmann (Website/top page)
Toko Shiiki (Events in Japan)
Website Design Supporters:
Don Werthmann
Erik Santos
Website Builder:
Toko Shiiki
Project Organizer and Messenger:
Toko Shiiki