2011-09-22 – Day 10

18:30
We finally arrived in Tokyo after 26 hours on the bus. It was quite a long time... I'm really happy to be back and I just want to get home.
It's a pity that our trip had to end like this... Nature feels so much stronger in Japan...
I don't want to describe the way back home further but I seriously hope there were good reasons for not sending the bus to pick us up earlier. Not that I think it was foreseeable... but... I'm exhausted... I wish everybody a good rest... We all deserve it now :)

Otsukaresama deshita!!!

Those photos are from our way back around Fukushima...

2011-09-21 – Day 9

9:30
I woke up around 5:30 and tried to get back to sleep but it didn't really work well... When you are not sleepy anymore, every single noise wakes you up again and in a camp with 35 people and no sound proof walls, there is a lot of noise.
But, well... I can sleep on the bus ^^
Now it's Onsen-time!!!

19:00
The highways are closed and we are somewhere around Sendai on a small street. I think we haven’t moved for almost an hour. The outer parts of the typhoon are clashing around the bus, making me wonder if we will meet the main part too. Actually it's already bad enough. Maybe the situation wouldn't feel as uncomfortable as it does if my battery wouldn't be about to die again and we had a toilet on the bus :(
So the hours are getting quite long.
The only good thing is that we don't have to face the cyclone in tents...

2011-09-20 – Day 8

7:30
The new volunteers arrived. We had to get up at 5am to be in the camp to welcome them. It's raining like crazy and the whole camp is muddy, wet and cold. It's neither a nice coming back for us nor a good first impression for the new people.
With the new bus, two people I'm so happy to see have arrived. The first one is Satoshi. I think he did a very good job on the first group and after the problems with the female leader, I appreciate his skills even more. The second person is Nyuent-san. The older gentleman from Myanmar we met when we came the very first time.
35 people is quite a lot but the group makes a very friendly impression on me... Let's see what we can do today.

14:30
We got assigned to work on some rice fields which were cleaned before but the group could not finish the work completely and we tried to sort their pile and to get the last bits from the fields. Some time must have passed between the former group and us because some plants were already growing and large parts were covered by soil. I thought with so many people it would have been easy to do the job but since it was raining, the fields and the pile were so muddy that we had real difficulties working there. Satoshi decided to finish work a lot earlier than normal because it really didn't make any sense to get more wet and dirty than we already were to do the work of 5 people on a sunny day. Luckily the bus has a really strong heating system and the things which got wet are almost dry already. There would have been no way to dry them in the camp.
It looks like the volunteer center will be closed tomorrow. The weather is supposed to get even worse and I guess there is no point in sending people out there until it stops raining. The typhoon is really messing things up :(
Since the volunteer center will be closed, Satoshi is trying to organize a bus back to Tokyo earlier than planned. It was actually Ruben's idea and I really hope we can leave soon. Maybe by tonight, which would be nice... I wouldn't mind skipping a rainy typhoon night in our tent camp.
So, but first supermarket and onsen :)

20:00
The bus can't come before the morning, maybe even lunch. Well, at least the group is really cool. Guess we can get over the time... ^^

2011-09-19 – Day 7

7:50
We got picked up by a JAR staff and are on our way to the volunteer center now. The car has a lot of advantages over riding on a packed bus... but I guess that is obvious ^^
The weather looks rainy but at least it's not so hot any more. I'm looking forward to what work the three of us will be assigned for... Maybe we will go back to the factory?

13:00
We were assigned to a field close by the sea. We basically cut the grass and plants and collected the trash we found in-between. The weather was perfect for working but we had to finish very early today at 12pm. A typhoon will hit the area and I guess the people from the volunteer center didn't want us to be in the middle of it. It's really a pity because work went quickly and smoothly...
Around 11am, a small group of students from the Kansai-area joined us and we could get the thing done before leaving..
Now we have to give the tools back...

14:00
I met the man Cecilia and I were talking to on our second day again and who actually gave us a orientation speech the other day. The man who made the photos for the volunteer center. He didn't recognize me even when I said we met before. In a way it was very strange because normally you remember the people you talk about the death of your sister, especially because I'm a foreigner and therefore easy to remember. But maybe it just makes clear how badly the people in RT need to talk and to share their pain and pressure. I remember when I was younger and something bad happened to me, I would write it down and when I would re-read it, it was like another person wrote it. It wasn't my story any longer and it helped me a lot to get over things. Maybe talking works for other people better than writing and maybe every time they say things aloud they lose something of this desperate brutality and pain. Bit by bit until they can accept what happened and start to recover...

18:00
So, we are back in the ryokan. After getting to Hanamaki we went with the other JAR staff to the camp and helped a little bit with the preparation for the group coming tomorrow morning. Will make a short stop at the onsen... Not that I got dirty today, but you can't miss out a chance to go to onsen  :)

2011-09-18 – Day 6

9:50
We are waiting for a woman from JAR to pick us up. Ruben, Patrick and I will stay at another place the next two nights since just the three of us will be here. I wouldn't have minded staying in the camp but a proper roof while sleeping doesn't sound bad either.
We all have to do some laundry. The humid and wet weather makes even the unworn clothes smell like a cellar. If the rain stops we will try to take a bus to the Tono valley close by. They have a matsuri there today and my mum sent me some information about this area when we were here the first time with the strong recommendation to visit it if we have a chance. Which we haven’t had  but maybe this time...
We had Cecilia's cooking left overs from last night for breakfast. I will miss her cooking maybe as much as I will miss her...

22:00
We had a good relaxing day. The ryokan JAR is in is small, a little bit old but very lovely. They rent two rooms there. One for working and as sleeping place for the women and one as sleeping place for the men. The best thing is, the ryokan has an onsen. No 15 minutes walk... It's directly there. It's small but again really beautiful.
After doing our laundry, we took a bus to Hanamaki station (it's about 30 minutes), had some lunch and walked around for a bit. There is really very little to see (besides the beautiful nature outside of the town), so we ended up at a hill where you have a good look over the city and where a former castle was. Unfortunately there is just a piece of the castle wall left, the rest is gone. In the small park next to it, we made the surprising discovery that Ruben is very loved by caterpillars... But I guess they were basically the exciting things of the day... We went early back and will go soon to bed. A good and nicely boring day...
And my clothes smell fantastic ^^

2011-09-17 - Day 5

7:50

I'm a little bit annoyed. The new people arrived quite early and the first thing they did was shouting around and going through the tents to ask how many people are in each tent. If three pair of working boots are in front of the tent and just three women are in the camp how many people do they expect to be there when all other tents were empty? I know math isn't everybody's thing but please... So our night ended early. We had a few earthquakes this morning and it started to rain again, so my mood isn't exactly the best right now.
But the very funny thing was that they made the orientation a few minutes before the bus left. Why couldn't they do this after arriving and BEFORE they made us get up. Sure they will stay just two days but we are staying 9 days and the worst thing which can happen to us is not getting enough sleep. Then you can’t concentrate as well and accidents happen more easily besides that you feel sleepy which isn't exactly the best motivation to crouch through the mud. I don't know why JAR chose such leaders... I hope from now they do a better job. To say hi or good morning would have been a nice start too... no idea with whom we are dealing here with…

16:10
Today wasn't a good day. The work was boring and totally inefficient. Unfortunately the four new leaders wouldn't ask Kato-san or Ruben for help and had no idea how to deal with the things. We spent one hour in the volunteer center before getting all things done. We arrived at the site after 11am and worked until 2:45pm with one hour lunch break and 3 small 10 minutes breaks. That makes a total working time of 2 hours. Considering that we need around 4 hours for the way to and from RT... It's really frustrating. Ruben, Patrick and I decided to take a day off tomorrow. The group is too big and we have too many people in it who think volunteering is a nice adventure weekend holiday. It's really sad especially because there are of course also good and motivated people but the whole group will just stay until Sunday. I think if I would be here for just two days and then my time gets so wasted like today, I would be really angry. The main leader adjusted quickly but especially the female leaders is really annoying... The one who made us get up in the morning without reason... She is also one of the chatting non-productive ladies who really doesn’t get anything done. I wouldn't mind her so much if she didn’t make things even more difficult for us. I asked her in the beginning of the work day how to separate the trash and she said we should put all non-burnable things together in one sack. I reminded her that we would always at least separate the glass but she insisted that ALL goes together without checking back with the others... One hour later they decided that it would be better to separate the trash... Yes, thank you, we weren't inefficient in working before. And I guess you can imagine how much fun it is to separate trash out of a bag in which glass is... I'm a really patient person but the female leader got me on the wrong foot. I hope JAR won't send her again. To be in RT and doing this work is difficult enough, I don't need an annoying person to tell me what to do when she has no idea about what is going on. Maybe Satoshi set the standard for leaders quite high but this woman would be better leading a book club than a volunteer group.
Ok, now I feel better :)
The work today was similar to the work we had to do at the old couple’s house. Picking trash and take out plants with their roots. The soil was nearly sand, so a lot easier to lift. Ruben and Patrick found some heavy rocks and poles to make them happy after they had to sadly dig in the sand for an hour. I think they need a challenge and sweat to have a good working day.
In the volunteer center they warned us of bees but I was seriously surprised when a whole hive suddenly made it's round over our working side. As quickly as they came, they were gone without hurting anybody or showing any interest in us but still... Quite impressive...
It was our first time on this working site. It is a bit far, maybe already the next village. They have tsunami breakers directly on the coast which are nearly undamaged, so the wave must got over it easily which is really disturbing because the wall was really high... And I had better not think of what would have happened if the wall would have broken... The owner was a funny old man. He was joking a lot with Cecilia and the guys... He said the volunteers are the reason why he gets up in the morning. I wasn't surprised that he smelled like alcohol already when we arrived. I read a few essays about post-disaster problems besides the obvious destruction and alcoholism is one of the bigger issues. Sad but who wants to judge the hopeless?
When we arrived in the volunteer center it started to rain. I hope for the others’ sake it stops soon otherwise they will have to work in mud tomorrow and that is really no fun.

22:20
Today is the day before our day off, we should do something special but I feel already so sleepy and kind of relaxed that I might go to bed very soon. I thought the others would stay awake longer since it's their last night but no party mood until now and most of them have already disappeared into their tents.
Tonight on the way to the onsen Cecilia dropped her phone. We went back to get it but another girl had already picked it up. Aya... She seems to be really nice and I hope she'll write something for our homepage. As soon as we are back and I had a chance to upload the new diaries and the video, we'll start to spread the link. I should try to install a counter for people who view the web side... Let's hope a lot ;)
Ok, now it's really time for the sleeping bag. We are 4 in the tent tonight... Might get a little bit warm ^^

2011-09-16 - Day 4

6:35

Half of us left the camp yesterday (including the leader). It was the first sad good-bye and I wished they could have stayed longer... It was a very nice group... 7 of us are left and the next group will arrive tomorrow morning. As far as I heard 25 people are planning to come which makes us 32. The bus will be crowded but more work gets to be done :)

Yesterday night after the others left we talked again with Kato-san. I think Cecilia and Ruben shared his opinion. It is so Japanese to think about the emotional impact rather than on the physical work. I'm not sure how it is in other countries but I was always so limited to the work which has to be done and of course I realized that people are grateful and happy that we helped but beyond this I didn't think of any more effects our work could have. I'm really thankful that Kato-san opened our eyes to a whole new layer of volunteer work. I always tried to stay away from the effected people. I didn't want them to feel ashamed that they need help and actually JAR told us to not ask them questions etc. But I think the situation has changed... I think that people want to talk now. They need people to share their emotionally pressure with... I will try to adjust to this... Like Cecilia did. She is free of former experience and so friendly and open-minded that she was able to directly jump into the new situation. Let's see what the other days will bring...


7:50
The fog is still all over the mountains but I have a bad feeling that won't protect us from the sun long. I don't even want to imagine how it was to work here in August...
I'm wondering if we get teamed with another volunteer group. 7 of us is probably not enough to clean the size of sites we are used to...
Kato-san and Ruben are the new leaders of our little group until the new leader arrives with the next bus. I know that Ruben takes it quite seriously and that he thought a lot about his position even if it is just for a day. Let's see what kind of leader he is and if we are still friends at the end of the day... Just kidding ;)


18:30
Today was really hot so the volunteer center cut our working hours by one. But we were lucky anyway because we were working under a roof protected from the sun. The roof belonged to a former production hall of the same company we worked for on the first day. The tsunami hit the building and ripped off all walls. We were assigned to clean the goods which were still left. The three girls of us did clean a kind of metal thing maybe for doors? I don't know but we used petrol and some metal brushes to get rid of the rust as good as possible. The work was quite easy. And even if we wouldn't have had a roof I don't think it would have been too bad... Just boring again...
In the lunch break Cecilia gave us an interview. I'm basically out of the documentary project and just update the homepage but Ruben and Patrick chose to make another documentary for their graduation project. The focus won’t be the same as the first video but a close angle... Satoshi was giving them an interview yesterday but I think that's it so far. For the other interviews they'll try to get people from the volunteer center, the city, maybe schools and temples... I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished video.
After the lunch break we went on with the work and before we left, the 6 men told us that they are the managers of the company. The company is basically bankrupt and they are working part-time to get the last things done. They had to fire all people because they didn’t have enough money to employ them any longer. It is really sad. One important part of the recovery of RT should be the maintenance of jobs. Cecilia was negatively surprised that such action isn't part of the government program. But I'm not sure if the company wasn't insolvent even before 311. Well, I didn't want to be so impolite to ask but if I consider the condition of our first work place, it's more likely that they must have had financial problems for some time. Which isn't surprising since Tohoku (except for Sendai and a few other places) was never especially rich.
One really unusual thing at the beginning was that one of the managers told us where to go in case of a tsunami warning. I never expected another tsunami but he is right... Especially because we were directly at the coast and the wave breakers are all damaged. He lost 9 members of his family... I start to wonder if there are people left who didn't lose a beloved person. I hope nobody of us has ever to experience something like this...

22:30
Ruben cooked for us an interesting but oishii version of Spaghetti Cabonara. Tomorrow 27 new people are coming. It's difficult to imagine how we can all fit into the bus... And more importantly into the tents... I am kind of looking forward them but at the same time I am sure I'll miss the calm atmosphere of the nights. Guess so many people won't be calm ;)

2011-09-15 – Day 3

7:15
I can't decide whether to write or to sleep. We had the left-overs from yesterday for breakfast and I could go back to sleep right away. The weather is still cloudy and as far as I understood Satoshi (our leader) we are going back to the old couple today to clean another field they have. Not sure if it works to request a certain group but I guess we will have priority there since we already know the place and the couple... I'm not sure if I like the idea of doing the same boring work again but if it helps them... Shouganai, we are volunteers and shouldn't be choosy how to help ne? Oh, sun is coming out...

16:10
The volunteer center is now always crowded in the morning. We actually even have to wait at a nearby place (where Cecilia bought really nice vegetable for our dinner again) until it's our turn to get tools and instructions. But it means that a lot more people are here to help and that is good!! New is also that we get an orientation speech every morning. Before it was just on the first day, or when it was especially muddy etc so we had to be more careful while working... But this time we got it on all three days. Today's orientation lady was very emotional, maybe it was her first day, and she was about to cry when she told us about the losses she had in her family... I really felt sad, she is still so hurt... I wonder how long it takes to heal those wounds if everything which surrounds you does every day remind you on what happened. There is no way in TR not to get reminded. Still nearly no buildings are rebuilt and where ever you look, you can clearly see what happened to this area... If not through piles of waste then because of the kilometers of free space. I can't imagine how it feels to look at something you knew it was a city, your home and now there is nothing but grass and emptiness...

17:30
It was sooo hot today. In the beginning I still worked with the jacket but later I had to take it off. Even I'm quite dirty now, it was worth it.
We started to work in the area next to the one we cleaned yesterday... Collecting rocks, glass and garbage but after a while the old man asked us to shift to another field which was formerly their garden. So we basically spent the day with uprooting plants and collecting the trash in between. Partly in dry and partly in muddy soil. Can't decide which was better work. The dried soil made it really difficult to get the roots out and the wet soil was full of little insects and my clothes are a wet mess now. But all over I liked that work. It's more fun than digging for glass on your knees...
I really need the onsen today... I know I say that every day but today it's even more true. I think there is dirt even behind my ears...

19:30
Today Kato-san said something to us I can't stop thinking about. He said that at this stage of the disaster clean-up the achievements of the day are not so important anymore... One big part of the volunteer work would be now to listen and to feel with the people in RT. Of course I think the cleaning up is still important even the things which are left are not so overwhelming any longer but I have to give him this point and it matches to what happened when Cecilia and I met the man taking photos for the volunteer center. He wanted to talk... He needed to tell somebody what happened to him even it was two strangers who understood just half of it. I'm not sure if he felt better after it... At least I hope he did.
And when the old man today sent us from one field to the other, I'm not sure anymore if we helped him as much as was physically needed but I'm sure it helped them emotionally. The people must have felt very alone after everything what happened to them and I'm sure what they need to know is that Japan didn't forget them, that people still care and want to help. Of course he also needed to free his garden of all the unwanted plants but I think the most important help we could give to the couple was making them feeling worthy and not forgotten. I mean 15 people came the whole way from Tokyo and helped them two days in a row, even the sun was shining like crazy and the work was dirty and boring... I really hope that feeling helps them to go through all the difficulties they will face until their house is rebuilt and life is back to normal... For two days we shared their pressure and Cecilia even bought some green tea for them... The old man was really touched when we left... I really really hope we could give them more on their way than just a clean field...

 Patrick and Ruben are interviewing Satoshi for their documentary

One of the places to collect waste

2011-09-14 – Day 2

7:45
I had a short night but I feel surprisingly good. My arms are hurting a little bit but all over I am fine. Well done, onsen :)
It started to rain yesterday evening and even it stopped for now it still looks like it could continue any time. The old conflict about the weather modest temperatures but mud, or sweating in the sun but a dry work site... Maybe if it stays cloudy it's the best for our work.
I'm wondering if there are still things to do like cleaning up houses or if this work is finally done? Let's see what we get today... Still very motivated ^^

16:00
Today we could clearly see how much work was done since we were here in May. There are still nearly no new houses but most of the fields and former houses are cleaned and they have also collected the waste close to the streets the volunteers were leaving after cleaning a site. The big things are all collected at assigned places. The piles are impressive but (hopefully) ready to get recycled.

The work today was easy but boring. We helped an old couple to free their ground of stones, metal and glass. The weather stayed cloudy and it was nicely fresh. My knees are a little bit sore (I still have no talent for squatting) but it was the perfect contrast to yesterday, so I'm totally fine with it.
The old couple was really nice. The man helped us working and the woman cooked some pumpkin for us. I was surprised that she came to me to give them to us... possibly the only person who can't speak Japanese at all... I hope she didn't tell me the secret of being married for ever and I didn't understand it. Just joking ;)
But it was a really good feeling to help somebody doing what they can't do alone. Especially when those people are so cool like the couple today. I hope the shack close to the field is just for storage and not the place where they are living in :(
Oh, and one more thing happened to me today. Cecilia and I went for a little walk during lunch break and on our way back a man would start talking to us. He asked us where we are from and how often we came here but he told us also about himself and the disaster. He was lucky because he lives in a high place but his older sister went missing. They identified her remains in July... He was relieved, it was clear for him that she must have died but now he knows and can try say good-bye. He now works for the Volunteer center and takes photos of the city. He also expressed how great it is to get help but that the general mood dropped extremely during the last months. A kind of depression he couldn't really explain but it would come suddenly and hard on the people. He spoke with very much emotion and left us a little bit suddenly. I think he got overwhelmed... I hope with the reconstruction of the city, the emotional pressure will get lighter... And of course with time...

22:00
Cecilia cooked for us again and I ate a waaay too much. The onsen and my full stomach... Time for my sleeping bag!!!

2011-09-13 - Day 1

0:30
Most people around me are already sleeping. My battery is low and I should use the time in the bus to do the same but I'm so excited to go back to Rikuzen Takata that I'm not sleepy at all. I so hope they made a lot of progress with cleaning up but it is difficult to imagine... There was so much to do but so little help.
I'm not sure what I should expect. I hope the situation in the camp has got a little bit better. Dishes in the kitchen etc. It wasn't bad before, just that they could make it easier for people who come the first time. I hope the climate isn't as hot as in Tokyo. Moderate 25* would be nice... Colder would be even better... And!!! I hope the mosquito season is over. But I'm well prepared if not ;)
Besides this... I'm 100% motivated to work and get things done. Rikuzen Takata needs to get back to a normal situation where children can go to school without passing tsunami waste and people can buy food at the local super market without traveling for hours. They need new houses, water and electricity and the winter is coming soon... There is no time to waste!


7:15
Our group is the only one in the camp. The group before left in the night. The camp looks a little bit different. They took away the blue plastic sheets which surrounded the kitchen before. Now the wind can easily go through it which must be good in summer. They have a few more benches but the rest looks quite the same...
I charged my battery for a few minutes but I don't think it will last until we arrive in the volunteer center... I really can't wait to see the progress... More than three months has passed since we were here last time... It doesn't feel that long...

19:30
We just came back from the onsen. My body is nicely relaxed and if I wouldn't be so hungry, I am sure I would be very sleepy. Cecilia found some cheap and fresh vegetables at the 2nd station of the volunteer center and got inspired to cook for us. A lovely idea and I can't wait...

My first impression when we entered the destroyed area was surprise. There is one valley we always have to pass through, it doesn't matter to which site we go - it's one of those areas where everything was destroyed and just debris left for kilometers.  Besides a few broken cars and some concrete buildings which stick out like bones the whole area is cleared. Grass and small plants are growing everywhere. I wouldn't be able to guess what had happened here. It looks nearly beautiful and peaceful... I never thought about plants... Of course they grow everywhere they can but still... It was really strange to see how easily nature gets back to normal.
What else changed? There are some shops at the beginning of the valley. Cell phone companies and car sellers, some possibilities to buy easy food and even a Lawson convenience store. All looks quite improvised, container style but at least they are there. The start has been made :)
The military camp has gone and a lot of areas are completely cleared. No comparison to May. I'm happy that they have made that much progress... Water drops can also fill a glass!!! Isn't that the best gift you can get as a volunteer... Seeing that it MAKES a difference even if it takes time...

The work was quite hard for a starter. We were assigned to help a company which went bankrupt or is facing it? I'm not sure because of the tsunami or even before. We had to work on a hill which was used as kind of storage. I was surprised that we got assigned to an area which wasn't affected by the tsunami though the goods were in pretty bad shape. Most of the time we filled bags with stones. First I thought that they were for sandbags which can be used as barrier but I think we packed them for selling. Unfortunately we didn't know that so we put all kind of stones together. But they could have been a little more clear in their job description. It felt a little bit wrong to work so hard for something which nobody explained to us... So it was more like being cheap labor than volunteers but on the other hand I'm sure the volunteer center wouldn't assign us for something which wouldn't help the area... And if the company needs to sell some things to be able to pay the last month’s salary to their former employees then it is still a help!

I hope tomorrow is a little less hot... It wasn't a good feeling to sweat even before starting to work. And the Mosquitos!!!! I have so many bites already... I deeply dislike those creatures :(


22:30
Most of the people have already gone to bed. I have to send some emails and wait patiently for my Internet service to return to me.
Cecilia's food was great. And she even made some extra for me because I don't like ginger...
Maybe I will give up for today and go to bed. I'm sure I would regret not sleeping enough.

These fields were full of things the tsunami left-over... for kilometers... now it's grass and small plants... for kilometers