Lending a hand in Miyagi-ken

 Last weekend I went with a volunteer group to Tohoku with Habitat for Humanity Japan. My friend organised the trip and we left early afternoon on Friday. We stayed in Tagajo at the Habitat house which was donated to them for volunteers. Usually Habitat builds houses in less developed countries but since the Tsunami last year they have been helping restore houses and help people in the Tohoku area.

 On the first morning we passed by the docks and I was delighted to see these amazing boats that were used to celebrate the summer festival this August.

On our first day we went to Watanabe-san's house, which we were surprised find was right beside the sea. There was only a small lane between his house and shore but the his house was mostly intact. The top floor is perfect but the bottom floor needs to be completely gutted and everything replaced, walls, floors, electrical etc. Our job was to clear everything but to leave the wooden structure of the house, so we started on the walls. 

 The work wasn't too difficult and it was fun to get to bash in walls with a big hammer and crowbars. This is us on a break and we amused ourselves by playing on the swing Watanabe-san build for his granddaughter.

 This is our team on day one with Watanabe-san in the middle and the Habitat co-coordinator, Kosuke-san, on the right.

 By the end of the day we had made good progress and the wall were gutted in the dining room and kitchen. 

Watanabe-san checking out our work

 There was a huge pile of shells at the side of his house and we couldn't figure out what they were used for. We asked Watanabe-san and he said that he was an oyster farmer and he gave us an explanation into oyster farming. It was really interesting, they place lots of baby oysters into each shell and they are linked together between two ropes, then  put in the sea and the babies grow. Sounds simple but I'm betting it's not!

 The dock is broken due to the Tsunami so the oyster farmers have to park their boats further out and take a small boat to shore.

 We got to meet Watanabe-sans' wife, daughter and granddaughter who arrived as we left. His little granddaughter was so shy but very cute.

 This is still a lot of water inland which looks like lakes but its salt water. The ground has sunk so the water lies in these huge pools.

 The next day more volunteers arrived so we were split into two groups. My group with to Miyato Island to help move furniture at Mamo-sans house. Even though her house is near the sea it's a little higher than other so the Tsunami didn't do too much damage. However, the earthquake did and her house is sinking so they are lifting her house and fixing the foundations.

 When we arrived we found that the carpenters had moved most of the furniture so all we had to do was clear and sort the rubbish outside the house. 

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 Afterwards we walked around the area and found the beach which is about 3mins walk from her house. This is our group on day two and our co-ordinator is Hana-san, front right.

 Above is Kazuki and Kotaro pretending to be Harry Potter with driftwood. They were great guys and it was fun to work with them. There were lots of wildflowers in bloom and I noticed this little guy in one of them, below.

 The people who lived in this area are in temporary housing as nearly all the houses were washed away. The temporary houses are very small and not really appropriate for long term use, however it's estimated to be between 5-10 years before everyone will be out of temporary housing. I didn't take any picture of them because they are people homes and it felt invasive but they look like work huts you would usually see on building sites.The government determine where people can build their new homes but it takes along time to see decisions being made.

  In Mamo-sans area no new houses are allowed to be built only those still standing can be repaired. However there are workshops and warehouses being built by the government for the fishermen.(above and below) Mano-san is very happy to see this are now the area is busy around her house again.

 Afterwards we went to clean the beach near Watanabe-sans house. It was a very beautiful beach and apparently the area had been a holiday resort area with hotels and restaurants.

 I tried to get this wheel out of the sand but wasn't strong enough but Kotaro and his many muscles got it out.

 Habitat painted these shipping containers so that they would look more pleasant for people visiting the area. People in the area are hoping that they can rebuild the tourist industry again as it was their main source of income. One man uses his container to store the equipment he needs to take tourists out to the islands around the coast.

 In the afternoon we headed back to Watanabe-sans house to help the other group.

 By the end of the day we had finished nearly all the walls and made a start on the floors but it will be a few more days work before Habitat finishes the work for him.

 Watanabe-sans house is situated in a beautiful place but being so close to the sea he doesn't know if he will be granted government clearance to live there again. We asked him why he wanted to move back when so many are leaving and so few of his neighbors are left. (Only six families are trying to move back to his area) He says, he was born here and his ancestors were born here and he wants his grandchildren to continue living here. Its understandable and I hope he can move back home.

 Our whole group on day two with Watanabe-san and his wife.

 The next morning before we started our long journey home we went to Matsushima as its is ranked as one of the three best view in Japan. The bay is dotted with lots of little island and it is very beautiful.

 Afterwards we walked the path and entrance to Zuiganji Temple but didn't have time to enter. The shrines and stature around the temple were pretty and it was very peaceful.

 Leaving the peacefulness of the temple garden and a few hours later the hectic, stressful network of Tokyo's roads. If anyone understands this map without a satnav they are a genius, thank god for our satnav who we lovingly named Jo-Jo. The Tokyo Skytree view was very welcoming though!

 Seven tired but happy volunteers arriving home, four Shizuoka ALT's and three Yamanashi ALT's. It was a great experience and very rewarding, I really hope i will be able to volunteer again soon. I would also like to visit Tohoku as a tourist, possibly next spring.