Disaster Recovery Volunteer Project

Thank you very much for your heartfelt support and making it possible for us to continue bringing volunteers to Tohoku and to continue reassuring the local residents that they have not been forgotten as the rebuilding continues. None of this would be possible without your generous support. 

Labor shortages continue to make it very hard for local farmers in Tohoku to further rebuild their lives, run their farms and grow their businesses. They cannot do all the labor-intensive work by themselves and need the continued support of volunteers. With your generous donations, Hands On Tokyo volunteers have been able to continue to support local farmers, Saito-san and his wife, and the New Rice Center in Yamamoto-cho in Miyagi Prefecture -- which is an agricultural association of local farmers who produce and promote local rice, strawberries and apples. 

On September, 12 Hands On Tokyo volunteers helped Saito-san and his wife prepare for this year’s harvest. We will continue to organize volunteer trips to further support Saito-san and his wife, the New Rice Center and others in Tohoku as they continue to work hard to further rebuild their lives and relaunch the businesses that they enjoyed operating before the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. 

In September, 12 Hands On Tokyo volunteers also held a café at a temporary housing site in Yamamoto-cho and made yakisoba (a popular nostalgic comfort food in Japan) and French toast, grilled hot dogs and served hot drinks and sweets. After lunch, the volunteers and the temporary housing residents decorated eco bags for use by the temporary residents to help minimize the number of plastic bags used for shopping. It was wonderful seeing multiple generations enjoying time together and creating new memories.

In November, seven Hands On Tokyo volunteers traveled to Joso City in Ibaraki Prefecture where, in September this year, there was unprecedented rainfall and tens of thousands of local residents were forced to abandon their homes as the Kinugawa River burst its banks. The volunteers made lunch for several hundred local residents whose houses were either swept away or made uninhabitable by the flooding and who are still living in temporary evacuation centers.  We grilled hot dogs and served 200 sets of hot dogs, cups of warm chili and blueberry, chocolate, banana and lemon poppy seed muffins to the local residents. They were quite surprised and very grateful to be offered lunch, particularly now that the flooding is no longer in the news. They receive food at the evacuation centers but there is not much variety and they do not get to eat meat that often so they very much enjoyed the hot dogs and chili.     

Thank you for helping us bring smiles to the faces of so many temporary housing and evacuation center residents. We will continue to hold cafes and other events at temporary housing sites and evacuation centers in Tohoku and neighboring areas so long as people are still living in such places. 

In October, Hands On Tokyo volunteers traveled to Minami Soma in Fukushima Prefecture on two separate weekends. Minami Soma was severely impacted by the March 2011 triple disaster. In addition to experiencing the earthquake and a 14 meter tsunami, Minami Soma is approximately 25 kilometers north of the Fukushima nuclear power plant and has experienced a significant reduction in its population.  

Local high school students have been looking for ways to bring people back to Minami Soma even if only for a day and decided to create a new tradition for the local area: a samurai matsuri (festival) with samurai battle re-enactments and opportunities to ride local “soma” horses that are descendants of the samurai era horses.  On the first weekend, five Hands on Tokyo volunteers helped make samurai costumes (armor). These costumes were used by the local high school students participating in this year’s inaugural samurai matsuri and can be used by local high school students participating in future samurai matsuri in the years to come.  The volunteers and others making the costumes learned the sewing techniques that have been used for centuries to make samurai costumes. The volunteers felt honored to participate in the continuation of this historic local craftsmanship. On the second weekend, 13 Hands On Tokyo volunteers helped set up the matsuri and, on the day of the matsuri, held a café serving yakisoba, grilled hot dogs, hot drinks and sweets. The volunteers were happy to be able to support the local high school students in creating this new tradition and new memories for Minami Soma and the high school students and other local residents appreciated all the support. It was wonderful seeing so many people smiling and enjoying a beautiful autumn day in an area that has experienced so much hardship in recent years.

We will continue to organize volunteer trips to communities devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami and other natural disasters.  There is still so much to be done and there are still so many people in need of support and encouragement. We are looking for more ways for those living in the Greater Tokyo Area to participate in our Tohoku projects and for new ways for Hands On Tokyo volunteers to provide support to local Tohoku families and businesses and those in neighboring areas impacted by natural disasters.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and for touching the hearts and souls of so many people in Tohoku.