A THOUGHT-PROVOKING Experience in Minami Soma City

May 17th. Today I left my apartment at 6 am with the director, Mr. Izaki to go to Fukushima. We reached Fukushima Airport at 9 am and met up with the camera and audio crew and headed for Kashima-ku in Minami Soma City, one of the worst tsunami stricken area on March 11, 2 years ago. My objective for this trip was to learn more about the damage caused by the tsunami and to listen to the stories of the people who have lost family members so I can really understand what everyone is going through. 2 hours after we landed in Fukushima Airport, we reached Minami Soma City. On our way there in Iidatemura we say about 20 people using scoops collecting dirt for decontamination. Perhaps it was a temporary place to keep the dirt but I saw a tall mound covered with a vinyl sheet in front of the town hall. Once we passed a certain street there were very few buildings in sight. The road seemed to mark the line between heaven and hell. The closer we get to the ocean the more you will see the destructive force of the tsunami. I got out of the car and touched warped guard rails, crumbling breakwaters and foundations of destroyed houses and thought deeply of victims of the disaster that occurred on March 11th. Where rows of houses once stood, there are nothing but weeds now. But even admist the tragic scenery, you can hear the birds chirping loudly and beautifully. Among the weeds you can see the dandelions blooming. Hearing the birds chirp and seeing the dandelions bloom in this devastating backdrop was very thought-provoking. Afterwards we went over to the temporary housing area to talk to M-san and O-san about the tsunami and how they are feeling now. I was moved, especially talking to M-san who has a daughter who is about the same age as my daughter. M-san lost her husband to the tsunami and is a mother of 3 girls, an 11 year old, 8 year old and a 4 year old. They haven't found her husbands's remains so she still does not want to believe or even think of him being gone. It was the same for O-san as well but after the tsunami, for about 3 months, they did not even realize how saddened they were. I felt their pain when they talked about the guilt they feel for not having been able to save their loved ones. When M-san's 4 year old daughter tries to talk about her father, her 2 older daughters change the subject so that M-san will not be sad. When I heard that, I had to choke back my tears. When we reached the international dateline in the Pacific, we plan to float letters written on biodegradable paper to the deceased victims of the tsunami in the water. O-san and M-san and their children all wrote letters. As I float the letters onto the water, my thoughts will be with them and I pray for their heavy burdens to be lifted. When we were done with the interviews, we were 2 hours behind schedule when we left Minami Soma at 8:30 pm. We had dinner on the way and checked into a hotel in Onahama at 11:30 pm. It was a very long day but it was meaningful one which made me feel grateful for the fact that I am alive. Thank you to all the peopel that helped me out today. I look forward to meeting the people from Iwaki Kaisei High School yacht club tomorrow.

Originally posted by Hiro in Japanese on 5/18/2013
Translated by SWIS Project