1. Purpose of this Blog (このブログの目的)

 In order to join the volunteer activity to help people in Sanriku area suffering from the huge disaster, Hajime Yoshino departed on March 18. 2011. from Yokohama for Minami Sanriku Town, which was attacked heavily by the Tsunami. "The World for SANRIKU" is one of results of this travel.  I wish this site develops under your cooperation so as to promote that THE WORLD supports the revival FOR SANRIKU.

吉野一は３月１８日に東北関東大震災ボランティア活動に参加するために南三陸町を目指して旅に出ました。その結果の一つが、この「The World for SANRKU 」の立ち上げです。このサイトで、吉野が実際に見聞きした大災害と避難と復興への動きを報告いたします。また吉野か感じたこと考えたことも報告いたします。どうか読んでくださいますようにお願い申し上げます。このサイトが、みなさまのご指導とご協力により、大災害からの復興を支援するものとして、発展していくことを願っています。

2.1 Travel for Volunteer in Minami Sanriku Town attacked heavily by Tsunami

Introduction

Please allow me to apply my letters to my friend for the explanations of this blog page.  On March 18th 2011, I departed the travel from Yokohama City for Minami Sanriku Town in Tohoku area of Japan in order to join to the volunteer activities to help the refugees in Minami Sanriku area which was heavily attacked by Tsunami. Just before the departure, during the travel and after it, I wrote several letters to my friends in Japan and in foreign countries to inform them the stage of affairs of the areas attacked by Tsunami together with my activities, attaching several photos which I took during the travel.  I think these letters would be applicable to report the stages of affaires and the activities in the destroyed area which I  saw with my eyes and felt in my heart as reality.  The explanation begins with the first letter which I wrote to my friend just before my departure as below.

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Dear my friend,

I am sorry that I have not contacted with you so long time. As the first boy of the family, I had taken care of my mother with the best power who had suffered several serious diseases since many years.  In the last December, she went to heavenward finally in the age of 96.  As the managements after her death were almost over, I can now move myself actively as before including writing papers, traveling abroad and writing letters.

Let me write you that I am going to Miyagi prefecture of Japan, where Tsunami attacked its coast, to carry the eating articles in my Honda StepWagon and work for refugees as a voluntary helper.

The goal is Town Minami Sanriku Cho (South SANRIKU Town) where the amount of victims by Tsunami is largest.

The traffic for the place may be difficult because of jams or blocks and dangerous because of the up break of Fukushima Nuclear Plant which is newly located in the mid course.

However I would like to do my best.

Let me write you in the near future further more  about my experiences during this travel in order to inform the stage of affairs of this crisis more precisely.

As cell phone is not always available in the catastrophe area as many electric wave stations are broken, my message will  be dispatched only when my cell phone card catches enough electric waves.

With best wishes,

Hajime

Hajime Yoshino 

Professor of Law Emeritus

Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo

2.2 Travel for Volunteer in South SANRIKU Town destroyed heavily by the Tsunami

(1_0) I started from Yokohama for Sendai, the capital of Miyagi prefecture, driving HONDA StepWagon through Tohoku Highway.

(1) My Step-Wagon is full with the boxes of eatable articles together with my lovely mountain bike.

(1_2) I was succeeded in getting the label for an emergency car with which I was entitled to drive on a high way for north and to fill the car with the gas to, that was impossible for general cars.  The label is set on the front glass.

(1-3) I drove for North.  The Tohoku Highway was empty because it was forbidden for general cars to go through the way.  (This rule settled by Japanese government caused the lack of living articles in Tohoku area including SANRIKU attacked by the Tsunami. )  

(1_5) I left Tohoku Highway at Sendai Exit and visited Miyagi Prefectural Office in Sendai City to confirm the blocks of roads.  In the entrance, important information about the disaster area is announced, for example:  the red circles of the road map means the blocking place.

(1_6) I investigate also the list of the harbors of refuges to find the target place of refuges to which I should deliver the eatable foods in my Step-Wagon.

(1_7) On the way for Minami (South) SANRIKU town I saw the disaster of Wakabayashi area of Sendai City.  (In the last line of the photo, "Asahigaoka Community" listed.)

(3) Then, I stopped over Sendai Airport.  The horrible sights of Airports:

A shoe without its owner

(3_3) I visited a convenient store to get some foods for lunch.  I had to wait on the line at the entrance of the store for 15 minutes to go into it.  Almost all of the shelves for foods were empty.  However, I was fortunately succeeded in buying 3 small pieces of Omusubi (triangle rice food).

(5a) A fishing boat on the entrance of Daihatsu car dealer at Shiogama Habor.

(5b) A Matsuhima sightseeing boat on the city park

(6) A sruvivable family (?).  On a street attacked by Tsunami in Ishinomaki, a family passed me.  The back of them gave me a survival power.

  

 

(7) I drove along Matsushima bay for a while.  A beautiful and peaceful Matsushima bay and Islands who do not rembber Tsunamie.  Japanese famous poet Basho composed a Haiku poem: Matsushima ya, ah Matsushima ya, Matsushima ya.

5. The Tsunami attacking Minami Sanriku Town （南三陸町に押し寄せる津浪） (15 photos)

(5a) 2011/3/11, 15:27-15:33 pm (Photographed by N.Y.)

(5b) 2011/3/11, 15:43-15:45 pm (Photographed by N.Y.)

(5c) 2011/3/11, 16:58-17:02 pm (Photographed by N.Y.)

3. At Minami SANRIKU Town - Prologue

Dear my friend,

Mrs. Ohtaki, councilor of the Minami (South) SANRIKU town, came to me at 6:30 in the next morning.

With Mrs. Ohata, I went to the headquarters of countermeasures which is located in the building of Seas Side Arena.    In the morning light, the town appears clearly as the death town.  There is no house or nor building alive.   We drove through heaps of rubble to the end of the streets and went up a hill.  All of the flat lands were destroyed by the Tsunami.  Driving up the hill, we noticed that the water came to a quarter of the hill.

At the office of the headquarters, Mrs. Ohata introduced me to the director of the countermeasures, Major of the town, Mr. Hitoshi SATO.   He explained an interesting story about his experience of "one life among 9 deaths" when the Tsunami attacked 30 public servants of the town on the housetop of the disaster prevention center which was 3 stairs reinforced concrete building.

After I heard the state of affairs of the disaster of the town shortly, I explained the purpose of my visit and asked him to let me know what I could do for the people of the destroyed town as a volunteer helper.   He answered to me: "Professor Yoshino, please go around the destroyed area to look at the reality of the town exactly.  Please report it to people in Tokyo as well as in the WORLD as much as possible."

Since then, the new mission as a volunteer has been given to me.  That is to observe the disaster exactly and to think about it deeply to report the reality to the world as much as possible.  I should also try to contribute to promote the world assistance for the people in this totally destroyed SANRIKU area as far as I could.

Dear my friend, this is the reason why I have written to you and sent many photos via e-mails to report about my travel for South SANRIKU Town, my activities in this SANRIKU area and the reality of this horrible disaster in SANRIKU.  

I would like to observe this disaster exactly and analyze it.  I would like to take more photos and videos.  I think I should challenge to take interviews here from the refugees as well as people helping them.  I think I should challenge to construct a website for reporting the stage of affairs and to promote supporting the revival of SANRIKU by the people of the WORLD.  Although these are for me the first time tasks in which I have had no experience, I think I should challenge them.

Dear my friend, please understand my challenges and help me as far as you could.

With best wishes,

Yours,

Hajime

吉野一

Hajime Yoshino

明治学院大学名誉教授

Professor of Law Emeritus
Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo

(1)Asahigaoka Community Center - a small harbor of refuges

(2) Refegees gather around a bonfire in the very earling morning

(3) From Asahigaoka Community Center to the headquarters of countermeasures

Town councilor, Mrs. Ohtaki kindly went with me to the headquarters of countermeasures which is located in Seas Side Arena and introduced me to the director, Major of the town, Mr. Hitoshi Sato.

(3a) Town councilor Mrs. Ryuko Ohtaki @ Asahigaoka Community Center

(3b) Seas Side Arena



(3c) Mrs. Ohtaki introduced to me the director of the headquarters of countermeasures　Major Sato.



(4) Major of Minami Sanriku Town Mr. Jin SATO Explaines his Experience When Tsunami Came.

 (4a) Mr. Jin SATO at the the counter meseasure office 

(4b) "Truly, It was a very slight difference between life and death." - the story by Major SATO (Movie with subtitles of  English translation)

(5) Message by Major SATO of South SANRIKU Town for the WORLD Assistance FOR SANRIKU (Movie with subtitles of English translation)

 

(6)Refegees in the harbor of refeges @ Sea Side Arena

(7) An Ambulance Team came from Shimabara of Kyushu

(8)Town Hospital destroyed by Tsunami

(9) Destroyed Main Area of South SANRIKU Town (MInami Sanriku Cho) (Movie)

(9a) Destroyed Supper Market and Weding Hall (left side)

(9b) 360 Degrees View of Destroyed Down Town. (Movie)

(10)Destryed Town and harbor - Sight from a hill

(11)Refegees stand on line for Lunch at Arena-Refuge

(12) Volunteers Activities

(12a) Volunteers serve lunch for Refugees

(12b) Volunteers make clear the temporary toilets

(12c) Volunteers seve dinner

(12d) The dinner

(12a) Volunteers made small a quarter walls of corrugated cardboard for each family of refugees.  These bring a little comfort to the refugees.  (Please compare this photo with the photo (6) above.)

(13)Refegees and Relatives looking for deceased or missing