I've seen Kesennuma...

ただいま(Tadaima)~ I'm back!

This past week, I went to volunteer up North in Miyagi-prefecture in hopes to help in a more direct way.

But during my time there, I felt a sad wall that separated "us" (volunteers) from "them" (victims).
As volunteers, I realized that we can only be their supporters.

During my time there, I knew that when I came back to Tokyo, my everyday life would be waiting for me.
But the victims don't know when that day will come...
They don't know when they can go back to their normal lives, the lives they held before March 11th.

At times, I also felt a strong sense of powerlessness, and helplessness.
Because what we could accomplish in the given time period was so small.
Whether it was removing polluted sediments or helping the victims move their belongings to a new place of refuge, our actions were so minute compared to the massive destruction caused by mother nature.

On a brighter note, during my time up North, I met some amazing people.
I met a woman who flew all the way from New York to help, a guy who quit his job because he could not get leave from his job.
I was truly inspired by their strong desire to help and their kind kind hearts.

What inspired me most however, were the people up North.
Even in a difficult time like this, they showed hope. They had energy.
I was amazed and touched by their perseverance, strong will, and endurance.

And they thanked us for our support.
They offered us rice balls and their supply food.
When we should have been the ones thanking them, when we should have been the ones offering to them.

And I will never forget the words from the man at Kesennuma.
When he thanked our volunteer group for the work we did on that day, at the end he was in tears as he reflected upon the damage done to the region, to his home.

And he asked us for one thing-

「気仙沼をどうか見続けてください」
"Please keep your eyes on Kesennuma".

As volunteers, and as individuals, it is true we can only take the role as supporters. However, what we can do is to spread this network of support.

And each one of us must not lose our interest in Northeast Japan.
We must each make an effort so that the support can keep expanding, so that the support will be continuous.

Because in front of us- lies a very, very long road to recovery.

Updates

Here are some updates to my progress...woo!

My firstgiving and justgiving pages combined have raised a total of approximately $518.00. I am sending many thanks to the people who donated! This may be a very small amount of money but I hope it can contribute to the small steps towards recovery.

It makes me realize the limitations to my social network as well as the limitations to what I can do as an individual. But I will keep trying to do what I can. I will keep spreading the word so that I can get as much support as possible and to expand the network of support for my country.


As for me- so far, I have run 55.01 km (5501yen) for Japan!

Tomorrow, I will be heading to Miyagi prefecture to volunteer with a group from Tokyo. Although I won't be able to run for charity during my time up North, I hope to be able to help in a more direct way :)

Here is a song for inspiration. 

Matane~

桜ラン (cherry blossom run)

Ever since 3/11, the day the Tohoku earthquake struck, there has been the cancellation of virtually every race in East Japan in March and April- which I completely understand.

But it's hard not to be disappointed at a cancelled race.
There's something special about races...
Especially one such as the Hasetsune 30k!
I was really looking forward to this trail race...

So instead, on Sunday I decided I'd go for a run along a nearby river to check out the cherry blossoms.





So my run was not like a usual race as it was not hardcore or epic. But seeing so many cherry blossoms made me happy. Just as the cherry blossoms bloom in the spring, I wished for the lives lost in the natural disaster could somehow magically come back...

What really made me happy though- was seeing so many charity runners in red. Maybe, they all just happened to be wearing red.

But they gave me energy :) and I couldn't hold my smile back.

Ready, Set, Go! 新たな始まり

It’s April 1^st!

In Japan, April is a time for beginnings- a time for fresh new starts. That’s because here, the new school year begins in April. It’s also spring! When flowers start to sprout, when the cherry blossoms are oh so beautiful J

Today was a new beginning for me, as well.

I ran my first run for Japan!!!

To my surprise, I found out that I didn't own many RED things.

I have a red tank top which would have been just right for L.A. weather- not so much here.

So I wore my red toe socks and these bright redish? orange? amino value gloves I got from the Tokyo marathon. I hope somebody noticed I was running for charity...

Sadly, I didn’t meet any other runners in red.

If I saw any, I was going to give them a HUGE big smile. Or give them high five!

(But I’m sure both of these American? actions would have scared them away...)

It felt good though- running for a cause.

Basically, I’ve always run for myself, so it was a neat new experience.

I hadn’t really planned how far or how long I was going to run but when I looked down at my GPS watch, it read 7.77km.

That looked like a sweet place to stop at.

7.77km for Japan!

これから前に向いて、一歩一歩頑張ります！