Fit 3 minutes of "Oraho no Radio Taiso" into your day!

Starting your morning off just right is important for many of us as it may impact how you go about the rest of your day.

For some, this may mean taking a morning shower, stopping by at your favorite cafe for a morning cup of coffee or waking up at a certain time so that you have plenty of time to eat breakfast, dress nicely, and have a smooth transition to work, to school, or to wherever you are headed for the day.

Well, recently, I've added a new routine to my mornings :)  The new routine is to do a “radio exercise”( rajio taisou: ラジオ体操).

For those who are unfamiliar with this term, radio exercise is one of the famous styles of exercise which has been frequently shown on TV or the radio for quite a long time in Japan. In just three minutes, this brief exercise allows you to go through diverse movements (stretching, turning,  jumping) which targets the major muscles and joints of the body. The majority of Japanese people (across generations) are familiar with this exercise, as well as the background music that goes with it. They even know the exact order of each movement!

So, my new morning routine was to do a radio exercise. Not just any radio exercise but the "Oraho no Radio Taisou", which was introduced earlier in this blog: a project launched in Ishinomaki to help maintain and promote the health of the region’s residents affected by March 11th, and to contribute to the restoration of the community.

What inspired me to incorporate this into my day was actually a brief TED talk  by Matt Cutts which states to simply try something new (e.g., take a picture everyday, ride your bike to work everyday) for 30 days. So my first challenge was to complete the "Oraho no Radio Taisou" for 30 consecutive days! 

It was so great, starting my day with smiles from Ishinomaki, exercising together, and feeling closer to the people in Tohoku (I also love that it is in Tohoku dialect!) that this routine has stuck with me past the 30 days.

I hope you will try it out one day, too!! 

もう一度 (One More Time... )

My mom always sends me goodies from Japan. Like seasoning to put on onigiri (rice balls) I make for lunch, dried seaweed to put into miso-soup, Japanese saran-wrap (I know these all sound like mundane things but you will only understand if you are Japanese and live outside of Japan...). It always brightens up my day when I come home to a box from my mom. This one time though in the box from mom- were also newspapers from March 11th 2013.

I had been so engrossed in graduate school related stuff that I hadn't even looked carefully at the newspapers until sometime, late in April. But one day, just out of the blue, I picked up the newspapers, and took a moment to look, and to  read carefully.

The cover pages (front and back) of the Asahi Shinbun read:

「一歩ずつ　この二年」"One step at a time, these two years"
and 「一日ずつこの先も」"One day at a time, from here on also"

With pictures of the recovery process filling the entire front and back, as well as the insides of the newspaper.

Memories came back one by one from the moment the earthquake struck. That day, at 2:47PM on Aoyama Dori in Tokyo, I tried to keep my cool as the ground refused to stop shaking, and as buildings swayed violently back and forth. Then, struck the memories from the times I spent in Tohoku. Recalling my volunteer experiences and the people I met at each location, I wondered how they were doing. Tears filled my eyes as I read about those who lost their loved ones, and how each was still struggling to move forward one day at a time.

One of the words of those who had been affected stood out to me:

"Please don't forget the affected areas. Nothing has changed yet. It's painful when people just remember at the marks of the day"

I also found with the newspapers, a light-pink envelope addressed to me from Kessennuma City.

The letter thanked me for supporting the city during difficult times. It was a letter of gratitude but there was also a hint of regret (due to the slow recovery process) in not being able to offer me with the city's pride: its delicious seafood and its beautiful scenery. Due to the long recovery process that still lay ahead, there was also a wish for continuous support.

At first, I was shocked at how they even got a hold of my address and how they had held on to it for the past two years or so. But I was even more shocked because they were thanking me, when I was slipping away, forgetting.

And it hit me hard. I am beginning to forget, I am beginning to not care...

So even if I may not have time to update this blog as much as I would like to, one more time, I will give it a try. I will keep this blog alive so that I don't forget. And so that others who may stumble upon this blog can also remember, support, and watch over the affected areas and the people as they continue to make steps towards recovery.