Volunteering in Tohoku - Part Three: Farming & Farewell

First published: 21 May 2012

Disclaimer: Last time I'll say this! A lot of these images aren't mine, and lifted from other sources. then again, a lot of them are mine. Anyway, check out the INJM Facebook page, as pretty much every image that isn't mine on this page came from there. Thanks guys!

 Assembling greenhouses in Miyagi, Tohoku.

Our last day volunteering in Tohoku was going to be a bit of a surprise. We were unaware of what to expect, as the rest of our week had been dominated by working on the 'Playgrounds of Hope' project. As it transpired, Danny and I would be spending our last day assisting on the construction of a new crop farm, whilst Rainer went off to build and fill in the wood chip enclosure on the jungle gym at the Pinnochio site.

 Rainer applies the finishing touches.

Attached to a new team, Danny and I were off at 7.30am (!) in order to drive the hefty distance to the site and make our 8.30am start time.

This was our earliest start, and it was one heck of a long trip. Thankfully, we made a brief run to a local combini store and picked up supplies before starting the day. I decided to employ an old trick I'd use to keep myself awake during my all-nighters at university; early morning ice cream. I was wide awake in no time.

 My silhouette is ready for action.

---

As we drove, I began to see far more of Miyagi than I had experienced that week. Only a little further on from the Pinnochio school was a collection of small, metal houses which had been assembled as temporary accomodation for those who had lost their homes. The sheer number of these was an eye-opener; hitting home when an old woman emerged from one of the front doors as we passed. Further on, more collections of abandoned cars began to appear. It was a harrowing reminder of just how many people here had been affected by the disaster.

For a while, the scenery turned into beautiful mountainous countryside - reminiscent of driving through the Highlands or the borders in Scotland. Eventually, though, we came to the biggest area of damage I had seen, in Shizugawa.

I cannot emphasise just how devastated this area actually was.

 

Shizugawa, Miyagi Prefecture. Absolutely devastated.

Driving through this bleak location is an experience I'll never forget. The images I saw looked exactly of what I had seen on the television one year prior; absolute destruction. It seemed as if absolutely no restoration had taken place whatsoever. Only a few buildings remained standing; those that did were evacuated, falling apart, crushed, or simply abandoned. One sat almost at a 45° angle, while another had a car washed onto it's roof. The ground was almost completely flattened, with minimal signs of life anywhere; right next to the coast and looking out onto the sea, it was obvious that this entire area had been almost completely washed away. As we passed through, our car fell silent.

Other than passing cars, I only saw one other individual on the ground - a Japanese teenager in school uniform cycling his bike. He looked like he could be a local resident; I wondered where he stayed and where he would go to school. I couldn't imagine what seeing this scale of destruction unfold upon your home town would feel like, but I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

I encourage you to do more research on Shizugawa. Some of the most iconic images of the tsunami and it's aftermath are from this area. Be aware, however, that you may see some harrowing images.

Not my image: taken from a Google search of Shizugawa after 3/11.

Luckily, most of the wreckage has been cleared away now.

---

We drove further on to the site of the farm, which was being built on higher ground along with a new farmhouse for the residents. It was easy to see why this decision was made; almost all of the areas above high-ground were still intact and secure, where the tsunami hadn't reached them. The farm was a modest size, surrounded on all sides by forestry. Driven to the site by a warm Australian under the psuedonym 'Hippy' (?),  we pulled on our overalls and set to work. Our challenge today was to assist the farmers by assisting in the construction of greenhouses.

 

Farming time!

It was a bit of a strange day, and certainly the odd one out of our experience by not having Rainer around. The task was so vast in scale, due to the amount of work that needed to be done, that we knew from the get-go that we wouldn't be able to help the farmers finish assembling the greenhouses on a single day. The work had already started earlier that week, and proved to be much more straightforward than that presented to us when assembling the playgrounds. The farmers were constantly providing clear guidance, as opposed to the crazy instruction manuals for the jungle gyms which contradicted themselves at every opportunity. Even though the farmers could only speak in Japanese, communication wasn't an issue due to the proficiency of the members of our team (myself not included). Work was steady, and efficient, and it felt refreshing to work in a new environment with a new group of people.

The team get to work while I search for a hammer
(and take a couple of photographs).

Our first job was to ensure the metal frames were secure. Composed of interlocking metal strips, our job was to secure the locks by knocking them into place with a hammer, and make sure everything was tight and connected for the plastic sheet to fit over the top. Minor niggles occurred to due a shortage of tools and the wear on the materials (most, if not all, appeared to have had previous use), but we worked with confidence and at a steady pace.

 

Securing the hinges.

As we progressed, another of the greenhouse frames became ready for its cover to be attached. All of the team moved swiftly over to the frame, and worked as a cohesive unit with everyone on site to firmly attach the sheet to the frame. With the wind blowing, it was a bit of a challenge, and at first, I was a tad frustrated as both sides of the frame asked me to assist them - meaning I moved back and forward aimlessly for a moment as I had no idea where to work from. It was an unusual process which I had never seen before; one person manually using a long twisted wire to tightly trap plastic behind it into gaps in the steel strips (was that clear?), whilst everyone else held the plastic sheet firmly in place at either side. Both sides worked in unison until the length of the greenhouse was firmly attached. Finishing quickly, we stood back as the final securements were made. I felt a minor sense of achievement; I'd never done that before!

Now this was an interesting experience...
Attempting to cover the frame of a greenhouse with plastic.

Lunch was generously served by the farm workers; a heated box of fried rice with some miso soup. Again, it made a refreshing change from the daily trips to the combini - but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment that I wouldn't be able to justify spending 2000円 on food that day (as had become the standard).

A damn good lunch time, but I do miss my combini fried chicken.

Carrying on after lunch, myself and an American girl named Nikki began constructing some of the doors for the near-finished greenhouse. Unfortunately, this involved cutting steel pipes to size in order to attach them to the door frame for fitting the plastic to. Realising a manual saw wouldn't do the job, I got to live out one of my fantasies as I was granted access to a power generator and buzz saw. I cut through the steel poles with orange sparks flying everywhere (as a side note, whilst I of course wore safety glasses, absolutely none of the Japanese people on site bothered with them!). Attaching the poles with screws and a power drill (not a particularly easy task), we affixed the plastic and were primed to attach the door... with one hitch. The man who had been instructing us on what to do had unexpectedly headed off for the afternoon, and none of the other farm workers knew how to affix the door to the structure. After several guesses and attempts (including my go-to solution - "build a trench!"), we couldn't get it fixed onto the front. Bugger. Oh well, at least they were made.

Achievement!

As the sun began to sink down, so did the temperatures and the workload. Come around 5pm, Trevor arrived with an INJM-mobile to drive us all back to Ishinomaki. It had been a fun experience working on the farm, and a refreshing change from the stressful days on the playground sites where we had been constantly second-guessing ourselves. It was good to meet more people from other areas of Miyagi, from a completely different community who still had their stories to tell. Yet, while we had finished the playgrounds in our week of volunteering, much work remained to be done there. Having no experience with this type of thing, I wondered about the timescale of crafting a fully functioning farm environment again. As we drove home, I made sure I recorded as much of the coast as I could on my video-phone, but sadly the battery and memory capacity were failing me.

And so, we came to our last night in Ishinomaki. If I remember correctly, I didn't go to the onsen that evening, but instead had a shower at the INJM base. It had been an exhausting week, and I was taking it easy. I took the opportunity to pack my belongings away, and to chat with the other volunteers whilst awaiting Rainer's return. We had our final dinner, and Michihiro and Yutaka (who were leaving this evening, and had worked on a different project that day) began their journey home to Akihabara; but not before inviting us to come and visit them on our journey home! As it happened, Rainer and I had both previously agreed that we intended to stop by Akihabara on our way home, but now we had a firm reason to go. After playing a few bouts of Draw Something (which Danny had gotten me hooked on during my time there), it was lights-out, and I passed out almost immediately. After a week of hard work, it felt great to lie back without need of an early rise.

---

One thing I haven't yet mentioned about the INJM base was the presence of the on-site cat. While unfortunately, I can't remember it's name (shameful!), I do know that it was homeless after the tsunami incident, where her tail had been broken and - so I have been told - she suffered a miscarraige. As a cat lover, I felt terribly sorry for this cat, as she currently had no home to go to and was being cared for by INJM while they looked for a new owner. I enjoyed playing with her in the evenings, as a reminder of my own cat - Smudge - and also just because I have always enjoyed the company of animals. I seriously wished I had been in a position to take care of this cat - partially because I missed my own cat, but more so simply because I wanted her story to have a happy ending. Unfortunately, for myself, this was impossible; I'm not allowed pets in my current accomodation, and taking care of a cat in Japan would cause a great deal of headaches when coming home to Scotland (as well as an extra expense I just didn't believe I could afford). It's a great shame that no one had been found who was able to take care of her.

Sorry, Moggy. I really do hope someone gives you a safe home.

I really regret not being able to help this cat.
I sincerely hope she finds a home soon.

---

The morning we left Ishinomaki was surprisingly relaxed. As I'd already packed my belongings, I had an opportunity to relax in the kitchen area with the other volunteers prior to their own departures for work. Saying a few final farewells, I munched down on toast and felt incredibly relaxed. It felt good to know that I'd given a week of my time on behalf of those less fortunate that myself. After breakfast, Trevor drove us out to the local AEON mall where we waited for the bus that would take us to Sendai station. We got our final look around Ishinomaki as we drove through. It was definitely showing signs of steady recovery, but it was no overnight fix. The restoration work in Ishinomaki would likely continue for years to come.

As it happens, I made one final donation to INJM; my blue jump-suit! I left it on site for any subsequent visitors who felt like wearing something a little different from the standard red and yellow suits. If you're heading over to INJM and pick this up, then you'll be wearing my very own gear. Enjoy it.

My parting gift to INJM.

On that same weekend, opening ceremonies and parties were held at both of the playgrounds we had helped to build.

The opening ceremony at Pinocchio International Preschool.

I was sorry I wasn't there.

It was regrettable that we were unable to attend, but we had to begin our journey home (and, of course, had arranged our travel before we knew these were being held). Seeing the photographs shortly afterwards on Facebook lifted my spirits. After working so hard for so long at these sites, to see children finally playing on them made all of the hardships worthwhile. The children looked like they had immense fun, and I think the INJM members who represented the group there can feel very proud of this achievement indeed.

Seeing the children play on our work makes it all worthwhile.

I can't help but feel an incredible sense of achievement looking at this.

Helpling out in Ishinomaki was an incredibly rewarding experience, and one that I hope I'll be able to experience with INJM again in the future. The biggest challenges involved were the cost of travelling there - not cheap from Kagawa! - and my desire to find a lengthy period of time to go, so as to really offer as much as I can. It certainly wasn't easy to arrange, but INJM's incredibly flexible schedule makes it a much easier process. I'll forward to giving them my time again in the future. They're a fantastic organisation.

We drove along contentedly on the bus to Sendai station, the three of us arranged in single file on fold-out chairs that fitted down the middle of the aisle (a pretty good idea to get more bums on seats, actually). I took the opportunity to unwind with a book and a fully charged iPhone. At Sendai station, we intended to have lunch before our travel, and sat in one of the station cafes only to realise how tight our schedule was and that we didn't have enough time to eat and make the train.

Cue awkward standing up and shuffling out.

A few hasty omiyage and snack purchases later, we were on our way.

Next stop; Akihabara, Tokyo.

Volunteering in Tohoku - Part Two: 'Playgrounds of Hope'

First published: 16 May 2012

Disclaimer: Again, a couple of these images were taken from sources other than my own - in most cases, from the INJM Facebook page. Most of these are mine, though, especially the sexy one immediately below this disclaimer. Check it.

Playgrounds of Hope.

A satisfying, rewarding and uplifting working experience.

By far the biggest task we found ourselves involved with during our time in Ishinomaki was the 'Playgrounds of Hope' project.

The children in the Tohoku region had endured a great deal of hardship over the last year due to the earthquake, tsunami, and enduring the recovery efforts that had taken place since. The 'Playgrounds of Hope' project aimed to restore some normalcy in Ishinomaki by giving the local children opportunities to play freely as children shoukd. For Rainer, Danny and myself, our involvement would be assembling and installing jungle-gyms; huge colourful playing structures that would add a dash of colour and joy to the local scenery. It was a chance to add some vitality back into the local area, which still showed many signs of damage and empty land.

The project was overseen by Michael Anop, a charming American based in Tokyo who guided us throughout the week. Having taken the time to come down and take charge of the installation of the playsets, Michael was on a tight schedule: these things had to be ready for the launch parties set for the following weekend. Hats off to him; considering the scale and intensity of the work involved, it was remarkable that these things managed to get done on time.

Michael and his wife, Taeko.

A hard-working guy!

Our first day of volunteer work in Ishinomaki began as we arrived on site at just after 8.30am. Our working days with INJM almost always commenced at 8.30am, the same as my schools in Takamatsu (though I had to get up far earlier than usual in order to combat the cold and force my shivering shell out of bed). Our site was a modest patch of ground featuring a few small sheds, a well, and a house in the corner. Surrounded by a white fence, it bore an uncanny resemblance to a parking area. Meanwhile, the area the site was located in was surrounded by many foundations where houses seemed to have simply disappeared.

This was the location that, by week's end, we would convert into a fully functioning play area for children.

The grounds at the first site,
prior to transformation.

The task for the first day was laid out before us; we were to dig out a circle area near the entrance of the playpark, around a foot or so deep, which would be the depth on which a jungle-gym style structure would be placed. After this, we would partially fill the area with stones before covering it in layers of wood chips to create a safer playing environment for the children. As we arrived, a few members of our team for the day were already at work on a large area of dirt and compacted concrete. We were each assigned shovels, picks, and wheelbarrows, and we set to task.

I can't lie about this; it was hard work.

 

 

The guys at work.

Aside from the scale of the manual labour involved, the task was made more difficult by the fact the ground was filled with dark-blue concrete fragments that had apparently been placed in the ground for drainage purposes. We were instructed to keep these separate from the piles of dirt and rocks we were building when removing them from the ground. However,there was so much of the bloody stuff that we were constantly stopping and starting in our efforts to remove these heavy artifacts... It was certainly a challenge. I found myself quickly overheating in my blue overalls, and I ended up removing a few of my several layers to keep the heat down (quite a transition, considering I'd been freezing only just that morning!). However, I'd made an effort to stock up on supplies - I'd brought with me water, fruit juice, and a selection of healthy snacks... Refreshed, and with quite a few guys working on the job, it took much less time than we'd all originally anticipated.

Once we'd finally made the hole, we levelled the depth of the area and were tasked with moving the two tower structures - which had already been assembled - into the hole. This proved to be a more difficult task than had been initially forseen; these structures were on the other side of the bloody site, and all we had to shift them with was a modest pick-up truck, completely dwarfed by the wooden monoliths it was intended to carry. It certainly didn't seem like it would be an easy task. However, despite my initial concerns, we managed to lower it down without incident, whereupon Trevor drove it to the desired location. From there it was manual lifting: even with several guys, this was no easy feat. After several shifts and much grunting, we finally completed the day's task, and retired - exhausted - to the onsen.

 

Hard at work.

During the first day, Rainer had been recruited to work at the second playground site, which was struggling to assemble their wooden structure. We had been lucky at our site, in that ours had the basic framework assembled prior to our arrival. Whilst working there, his engineering skill had come to the fore; taking charge, he managed to help assemble a basic structure throughout the afternoon. Impressed with his aptitude, Rainer was quickly promoted to be an on-site foreman for the rest of the project. For the second day, Rainer was asked to bring along two assistants to work under his supervision; needless to say, Danny and I were invited along, and happily agreed. And so, on the second day, we three amigos headed over to continue the work at the Pinnochio International Preschool.

 

On site at Pinnochio International Preschool.

The school was a very interesting place to visit. It was a recently built building, now operating with children inside as the final touches were still being added. While we were there, a team of painters were finishing off a decorative design on one of the sides of the yellow building (handy, as we got to borrow their ladder!). The children were all very young; all around the ages of three to six years old, and supported by an on-site ALT. They were constantly running around,waving and smiling at us, and their cheeful enthusiasm and friendliness was a great little boost of encouragement. We stored all of our equipment in the school office, which was actually located just across the street, and had access to excellent (and colourful) toilet facilities.

A colourful poster in the toilet.

The most interesting feature of the site was a gigantic phone mast; a tower which stood right behind the main building. Luckily, the site was also right next to a "Seven-Eleven" combini store (yes!), where we could buy our lunch and restock on our supplies during our lunch break. A very convenient setup indeed.

 The materials primed for transformation
(kitchen sink not pictured, but probably in there somewhere).

While Rainer's team had assembled the basic wooden frame of the playset, there was still a great deal of work to be done. We would have to install all of the main features of the playhouse (including two slides, rotating crayons, a bubble window, a steering wheel and a pair of rotating fake binoculars), as well as the remainder of the frame (including gates to stop children falling out, and the roof). We initially started out with the hope of completing the task within the day; little did we realise just quite how optimistic that was...

A huge problem we encountered was that the instructions for the playsets were simply inconsistent. Despite having full-page diagrams written in English, contradictions in the diagrams themselves made it very difficult to assemble the full structure, and even Rainer - a trained engineer - was occasionally flummoxed. We ended up having to take apart and reassemble many pieces to make it all fit, and at times even make modifications to pieces in order to make the finished product simply fit together. Luckily, Rainer's engineering skills guided us along the way - without him we would honestly have been completely a a loss.

 Foreman Rainer and Danny set to work.

 
  Analysing the instructions. No easy feat!

Other problems, of course, arose due to the fact the children on site were incredibly curious about our activities and were often trying to sneak onto the playset and play with it before it was finished. With all of our tools around and the structure not yet fully stable, it was essential we kept the children away - yet they were terribly insistent. It took a great deal of effort ensure they didn't hurt themselves. The two other biggest challenges we faced were undoubtedly mounting the roof and the slides to the structure. The roof was a logistical nightmare; all three of us hoisting it up manually (and it was damned heavy). Once raised, Danny and I held it in place whilst Rainer worked on both inside and out fixing all of the bolts and screws into place. It was a big job, and the most physically demanding task of this process by far.

Foreman Rainer makes the final touches to the roof.

Assembling the pipe slide.
"Challenging" to say the least!

The slides were also complicated to assemble simply due to the inconsistencies in the instructions and the actual parts needed to assemble them. Whilst the first slide took a great deal of time due to mount and customise, we benefitted from the fact that the slide was a single mould of plastic; once it had been attached to the ground and the main structure, it sat nicely upon the ground as a completed feature. The pipe slide was a different matter entirely. Composed of multiple parts, this took a great deal of time and effort to put together, before finally being mounted on top of a wooden base to support it.  Unfortunately, we ended up having to modify the order of the parts, as assembling it in the suggested order left the finished pipe raised a full metre off of the ground. Of course, a child would surely bump their head, and customisation was required.

 

Foreman Rainer and Danny work on the slides.

 Sawing a bolt down to size... manually.

This actually lead to a mad rush on the second evening, as we raced to complete the structure before night set in. We had been certain the project could be finished within that day, yet we had underestimated the challenge. With the slide in place, we had to somehow position the wooden mount underneath it, which involved digging a trench to slide it into. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it in time - even with the two additional hands that came to collect us chipping in. In the dark, it became almost impossible to finish without floodlights. In the end, we taped up what we could with gaffer tape, and left; thus pushing us into a third day.

Probably time to call it a day, lads.

Luckily, the structure was finally completed on the third day. Finishing just after midday, we applied the finishing touches whilst Michael gave it a fresh coat of paint. Achieving 100% just after lunch time, we stood back and felt a great sense of accomplishment over our work.

Pictured: Success!

It was an elating experience, but of course, the work wasn't over. After posing for a few photographs, we moved back to the site we had originally been working on, where they were still finishing off. The woodchips had been laid down and the main structure was now fully assembled, but we still had to mount the roof, secure the slide and add other finishing touches.

This work carried us through onto our fourth day, where we added small accessories (like the steering wheel and the binoculars) and spent the day clearing the yard of all the stones and cement we had dug up at the start of the week. Of course, this area was to be played upon by children in just a couple of days - the debris obviously couldn't just be left around.

 

"Bags of fun"! Geddit?

(Don't worry, I've only got another 70 years tops on this planet.)

A really rewarding aspect of working on this site again was that two local children visited the site daily. Discovering our activities, they stayed and watched for long periods of time - at times even chipping in with some of the work (in small, easy, safe ways, of course!). While they were desperate to play on what we'd assembled and wanted to play with the tools, we kept a close eye on them, and managed to play some games and have fun with them during our downtime. Enjoying time with these local kids was a memorable experience. As Danny said, those kids will always remember the foreigners that came to their town to build the playground - a real source of pride.

Great kids.

During our time working at this site, we had become close to two Japanese friends who were also volunteering with INJM; Michihiro and Yutaka. Hailing from Akihabara, these guys spoke great English and were fascinating to talk to. It's often rare to find Japanese people around our age range who can use English so confidently, but these guys were great company and good fun. We enjoyed getting to know them well... which made it all the funnier when they both passed out in the middle of the afternoon from exhaustion!

Yutaka Iioka and Michihiro Takahashi.

Two great lads from Akihabara...

...as pictured here, sleeping.

I honestly couldn't blame them!

They were only asleep for about a minute, so I suppose I can let them off. We had all worked so damn hard, that I wanted to do the same myself!

At last, we finished clearing all of the rocks, and - after a final coat of paint by Michael - the grounds were complete.

 

Finished at last.

With only one more day of volunteering left, it was strange not knowing what we'd be in for the next day. However, there was a real sense of elation and comraderie. Everyone who had worked for days on this project felt a sense of achievement upon finally seeing these two sites completed. It had taken a long time, and given us a lot of headaches and stress, but it's hard for me to think of a project I'd rather have worked on. The great thing about this particular project was that the structures would endure. These playgrounds would be used by kids for years to come, meaning we had left a legacy and an opportunity for the children there to have fun again, in spite of the tragedies that had taken place.

Building these structures was incredibly rewarding, and we all felt incredibly lucky to have been able to have worked on this project.

That evening, with our week of volunteering almost over, we took a well-deserved rest at the onsen and looked forward at what was still to come on our final day.

---

Additional: Immediately after we left, there were also opening parties at the playgrounds that weekend, hosted by INJM and attended by the local children. We were sad to be unable to attend them, but I'll be including pictures of the party in my next blog post. Keep 'em peeled!