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.