Strong Japanese women

Strong Japanese women

Hurray! Nadeshiko Japan!
The semi-final game of WC of Women's Football was on TV early in the morning of July 14th when I was still in hospital. I had been hospitalized since Tuesday evening (12th) for CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) medical care and I was to be released on the 14th in the morning. I was awaken on my own around 3:50 to put on TV. I found the game was already on and I watched it with the mask still on. Then a nurse came in and said I was ready to be free. What a happy announcement! All the codes and tubes were taken off and I sat in an armchair to keep watching the game. The game against Sweden team was carried in Japanese favorite. What an exellent team Nadeshiko has become! I was so excited and moved with joy and gratitude. Nadeshik won with 3 to 1. Every single member of Nadeshiko played so well and the team was perfect as a whole. Everybody must have been cheered up thanks to their power. Upon finding the result, I drove back home and shared this joy with my husband. He was also amazed by the Japanese ladies' power. Nowadays ladies seem to be stronger and more powerful than men in Japan in every field!!

Volunteer work at Soma city on July 3rd'11

Volunteer work at Soma City on July 3rd'11

With regard to volunteer work at Soma city, we,Nikko Seifu Juku menbers, were able to carry out our plan as scheduled on July 3rd. We recruited 18 people out of which three were women including me. We gathered at one of the Nikko city facilities at 4.30am and we got on a bus prepared by one of the members. He also offered one of his staff working for his company, a professional driver, so that the others would be able to be just relaxed in the bus. One lady who is one of my English class and who couldn't join us because of her health, brought us some food to cheer us up. We volunteer members are supposed to bring our own food and drinks enough quantity for one day. We were very much grateful to this lady for her kindness. It took 4 hours to arrive at Soma city. First, we met a director of the city hall on behalf of the mayor to hand our second time donation from the fund raising lecture series conducted by Masao, the head of Nikko Seifu Juku. The amount was small different from the first time, but our supporting spirit was accepted with a gratitude. Then we went to the general welfare support enter to register for one day volunteer work. The men were all assigned to go to one of the biggest farmers' barn hit by the Tsunami. The barn was stuffed with enormous quantity of muddy debris including big machines such as a huge cultivator. It was a big labor work but Masao's group(14 people) and one more group from a different place worked together very hard. According to Masao, this cooperation went well and by 3:30pm when they were asked to stop working, this big job was finished. He said everybody got tired but enjoyed their feeling, feeling of achievement. This satisfaction gave them a positive feeling and it made them feel happy about their activity. We, women were sent to a pet shelter roughly made out in a mountain side! Now people, sufferers from the disaster, were all moved from several shelters to temporary houses but pets are off-limits. The pet shelter we were sent to is protecting about 20 dogs and puppies. They are all different just like humans. We took some of them for a walk one by one. We cleaned their rooms and weed. We brushed them. It's true that dogs are more direct and straight than cats. When I was taking care of a dog out on a small road, I met a lady walking with her dog which is also protected in that shelter. She is the owner of the dog and every Sunday, she comes here to give him a walk. She is working for a company dormitory as a cook and Sunday is her day off. She told me that this dog was left behind all alone in her house for 40 days after the nuclear reactors accident in Fukushima. Her house is located within 16km from the site in question. Finally she was able to find her dog alive at home and took him out to this shelter. All these animals are also victims.

On the way back to Nikko, we made an extra ride to see the center area of the awful site hit by the Tsunami. (As a matter of fact, the destruction caused by the earthquake is small and most of the areas were hit by the Tsunami.) Some huge mountains of debris are still there. Lots of ghost houses without doors, windows, only with leaning and broken pillars are remained. No people was visible. Soma city was completely divided into two, a heaven side and a hell side. The divider is a big through way. According to Masao who already visited this city in April, 3months ago, the city has been put in order, much better than the last time. He admires people's power and people's positive attitude toward life. Complaints and negative thought don't produce anything. They know they just keep going ahead. In the return bus, most of our members enjoyed talking and exchanging their feelings. They sounded they had a precious and meaningful experience, which we appreciated very much. It was 9:30pm when we arrived back safely in Nikko.

日光清風塾ボランティア活動

　日光清風塾ボランティア活動

　7月3日、日曜日、被災地相馬市に行ってボランティア活動をする日である。夫は2回目だが、私は初めての参加である。日光清風塾から18名が参加することになった。当初の予定の倍の人数となり、一層エネルギーを与えられた気で、元気よく朝2時起床。ボランティア活動作業に欠かせない用具は昨晩揃えておいたので、夫と自分のお弁当と飲み物のの準備をする。3時に夫を起こし4時前に我が家を出る。集合場所の文化会館前に着くと、既に、令子さんが電話で連絡をいただいた約束を守って、差し入れを準備して待機していて下さった。　会津の珍しい食文化を18名の為に早朝から作って運んで下さったそれこそ真のボランティア精神に感動した。負けないように今日一日頑張らなくてはと強く決意。

　4時半に中型バス（手塚理事がバス付で10名ものスタッフを動員）で一行は不安半分、何か出来そうという前向き思考で出発。予定通りの行程で相馬市役所に8時半到着。日曜日なのに総務課長が出勤しておられてすぐお会い出来た。同じ清風塾の理事に託されたお米30㎏と、2回のチャリティー講話会で募金した義援金45,421円が入った袋を当課長にお渡しすることが出来た。その後、総合福祉センターに移動して、ボランティア受付窓口で仕事の分担を指揮して貰い、男性群は泥カキ作業、女性群は想像もしていなかったペット避難場所でのお手伝いをすることになった。相馬市は人間の避難場所は仮設住宅の手配が行き届き、6月中旬に、いわゆる体育館などでの避難は終了していた。総合福祉センターもかつては、段ボールで区切りをつけてプライバシーを少しでも守ろうとしたところであったが、今はそういう意味での避難はペットに目が向けられていた。市街から離れた山里に理解ある地主から提供された土地に、ペットの避難所は作られていた。約20頭の犬が、飼い主の都合で避難所でケアされている。人に個人差があるように犬にも個人差があるとのこと。ワンワン泣き叫ぶ一方で、慣れると身を寄せてくる。午前と午後、別々の犬を散歩に連れ出したが、歩き方がこんなにも違うのかと驚く。おとなしく、いつものルートを歩いて、下の仕事をきっちりやり終えるのと、挑戦意欲があって、どんどん新しい方向へ先に引っ張っていくのとある。暑い中、マスクをして手袋をはめて、半時間程度歩いたが、相当の運動量であったと思う。その他、半坪ぐらいの広さに区切られた犬のアパート（それぞれの小屋は持ち込みでそのスペースに収まっている）の清掃、草ぬき、そしてブラッシングが仕事内容であった。猫慣れしている私にとって、犬様は少し勇猛でおっかないところもあるが、可愛い生き物である。「大切な命」に変わりはない。飼い主たちのやるせない気持ちを思うと私達もやるせない気持ちになる。一人の飼い主に出会ったが、その人の犬は40日間、原発事故現場から16㎞にある住まいにワンちゃんを一人にしておいたそうだが良く耐え生き延びたと目頭が熱くなった。もしかして被爆しているかもしれないと思うと、ここにも犠牲者がいることにやるせない思いになる。今は仮設に居て、犬を飼える状態ではないのでペットの避難所に預けているとのことであった。午前は9時半ごろから11時半まで。午後は2時から3時半までが活動時間であったので、内容的には余り厳しい作業ではなかった。昼はセンターに戻って、3人の女性がよりそってお弁当を食べ、少しソファーで休むことが出来た。男性群の泥かき仕事はかなり重労働だったようだが、大勢だったので、目標の仕事は完遂し、達成感があったとのこと。皆、終了してバスに集合した時は、大変良い、明るい顔をしていたのが印象的だった。帰路につく前、浜の方に回って貰って、地獄となった光景を実際にこの目で見た。瓦礫の山はあるが、人影が無いせいか、整然とした印象を受けた。お化け屋敷化した家々が散在。かつての賑やかで明るかったに違いない街に人影がない。淋しい風景となっている。帰路についてからは、雨模様となり、我々の幸運に感謝。バスの中は、一仕事終えたあとの、達成感と安堵感でリラックスムードとなり、話で盛り上がる人、休眠を取る人、様々であった。途中、福島の高速パーキングエリアで軽く夕食をとり、日光へ戻って行った。こうして意味深く、元気なボランティア活動がグループで出来たことに感謝感激である。詳しくは、別の機会に触れることにしよう。