Teruko is 50 years old and living in Oppagawa, Japan.

In her words: “Now I am living in a transitional shelter with my husband. Our son is living alone in the next transitional shelter (about 500 meters away from our shelter). We used to live in a settlement called Nagatsura together. Our settlement disappeared entirely under the sea and our house is still inundated with 1 meter-high-water.

As we cannot return to Nagatsura any more, we are going to apply for public housing for reconstruction when it is completed. We are going to be living here until then. Since both my husband and I lost our jobs due to the disaster, my husband is supporting himself on a part-time job. I used to be involved in welfare work and I am going to be hired again when the business facility restart in April. However, I am worrying over the long distance between the shelter and the working place.

As I was bored alone at home, today I visited Ochakko-nomi (networking salon) held by JEN in the common room. I found it good because single elderly women in the neighborhood gathered together and had fun. Since there is a nice common room here, I want to make use of it on our own.”

Thank you all for your very generous donations which ensure women like Teruko have access to transitional shelters and support services!

Q: Could you please introduce yourselves briefly? 

A: We have a son, two daughters and nine grandchildren who are living separately from us. Before the disaster, we used to live at Ise-cho in Watanoha area of Ishinomaki city. Both of us are pensioners. My son is living in Shiogama city with his family and working for a courier company. One of my daughters used to live with us before the disaster but is living now in Sendai city. Another daughter has been living in Saitama prefecture. Each of our three children has three grandchildren.

Q: Could you tell me the damages you had and the situation at time of tsunami?

A: Our couple and my son’s family in Shiogama suffered damage directly. When the earthquake occurred, we were at home. However, we evacuated to a bamboo grove nearby because we feared our house could collapse due to the fierce shaking. About 30 minutes later, our daughter rushed to us crying “Tsunami is coming! Run for your lives!”  We started running to the mountain but the tsunami caught us. However, we were very lucky to get away only with getting wet.

As for our house, the water came up to near the ceiling of the first floor. Our four cars were all swept away and our home garden was totally damaged. One of my grandchildren is a junior high-school student. When the earthquake happened, he was taking part in the after-school activity at his school. He  survived by evacuating to the third floor of the school. My son was at work, on a truck running from Shiogama to Higashi-Matsushima. On the way, he was engulfed by the tsunami with his truck. However, he got out of the truck by himself and jumped to a sturdy building. Thus, he survived. Luckily, there was no harm with his family and his house as well.

At night of the same day, my husband, daughter and I  evacuated to Watanoha Junior High School. Wrapping our body in cuts of cloth and curtain, we shivered with cold and the morning came. In the second morning there, the water was not removed and the cold did not let up. We could not go back home on the second day either. We stayed there for two days. Later, we were evacuated to my son’s home and then to my daughter’s home in Saitama. Then, in August, we moved to this transitional shelter.

Q: When did you join the community café for the first time? Has something changed since you started joining it?

A: I took part in the community café in December for the first time. I don’t join it every time but I try to when I am free, because I have been worried that there is nobody in this shelter who I knew before the disaster. If I can communicate with the neighbors of this shelter at community café, it can give me a feeling of security. My husband likes singing so much that he went to Karaoke Box every other day before the tsunami. So, I was glad to see him singing cheerfully in “Occhakko (networking salon) – Karaoke”. As I had a sore throat, I could not sing, but I could enjoy myself in the atmosphere. Since our transitional shelter is located far from the central Ishinomaki, there is almost no support by volunteers here.

Q: Do you have any future plan?

A: I cannot erase the fact that we were hard hit by the tsunami but I should be thankful that all my family members escaped without harm. Although I cannot see them anytime when I want, they really provide me with emotional support. Our son who is living in Shiogama has a plan of setting up a new house in Ishinomaki. He is inviting us to live there together. I am so happy to hear it. It makes me cry.

In Takeko’s words:

“Before March 11th, 2011, I lived in a village called Nagatsura with my family. The Tsunami washed away everything  in the village. Fortunately, my family survived, and now I live in a transitional shelter with them. My grand and great-grand children are living in Sendai.

It will be difficult to return to Nagatsura, and I am not sure about my future. We, (former residents of Nagatsura) might move somewhere together, but we don’t know where that will be.

I couldn’t bring anything with me when I evacuated. JEN’s support of the residents helped me greatly to begin my new life here at the Oppagawa Kasen Transitional Shelter.

Today, I met with a lawyer who was brought to the transitional shelter by JEN. I thought it would be important for me to understand such legal matters. Moreover, these kinds of gatherings give
me an opportunity to get together with neighbors to talk with them.

JEN usually organizes events for us, but we have now started to think about organizing events for ourselves. I used to be in charge of the women’s association in Nagatsura, so my neighbors rely on me. We are in mourning, so we could not decorate for celebrating the New Year as usual, but we still spent the event together.”

Thank you Naomi and Junji for your generous support of JEN that allows us to provide services for people like Takeko.

When the tsunami hit northeast Japan, Ayako lost everything in her city center flat. She now resides at the Omori Danchi transitional shelter which is about 15 km outside of the city. Ayako has lost her sense of belonging in this new place, and has experienced great troubles adjusting to life in the inner mountain area.

Thanks to the donation you made at the Compassion Japan Event back in April, Ayako is able to attend different social activities put on by JEN that allow her to meet new people. Since she lives alone and is having a harder time caring for herself, it is imperative for her to make new friends and be able to ask for help. Events such as the tea parties held by JEN are slowly helping Ayako adjust and improve her quality of life. She especially enjoys talking with the volunteers at her shelter that come from other areas of Japan. They ignite her desire to travel around the country again someday. Thank you Robert and Naomi for helping Ayako regain her life.

Keiko evacuated her home along with her daughter when the earthquake hit northeast Japan. However, when her daughter went back to the home to retrieve their dog, she was killed in the tsunami. Luckily the dog, although blind, survived and now lives with Keiko at the transitional shelter at Motoura Yashiki Danchi.

Keiko’s sadness from losing her daughter caused her to suffer from insomnia. She was told about  JEN events and began attending them in the community space of her shelter. Keiko attended tea parties, received massages, did hand crafts, and was examined by a clinical psychologist through the JEN programs. Your generous donation at the Compassion Japan event last April has provided Keiko these simple, yet healing activities. She says that her friends and doctors tell her she looks better, and that she is recovering little by little. Thank you Robert!

Like most survivors of the tsunami in Japan last March, Yuka and her family lost everything when the disaster hit. Worst of all, while they used to live with their parents, her older brother and his wife, they are now forced live in different transitional shelters.

Yuka feels stressed and uncomfortable with her children in the small transitional shelter all day. Thanks to the donation you made at the Compassion Japan event back in April, JEN is able to provide Yuka some relief through community building and social events. She attended the tea party put on by JEN, where she met many of her neighbors and feels positive that she has their support.

Even though Yuka and her family are uncertain of the future, they are thankful to you for providing some positive events in their everyday life.

Yasushi was at home when the earthquake hit north east Japan in March. Seeing the tsunami through the window, Yasushi evacuated to the second floor where he watched his home and business be swept away. He stayed there until he was able to evacuate to a local junior high school the next day.

Thanks to the donation you made at the Compassion Japan event back in April, Yasushi and other residents at his transitional shelter are able to participate in social events and activities. He especially enjoyed the Ochakko–nomi (tea party) because it gave him the opportunity to meet and talk to his neighbors for the first time.

Yasushi wants to continue working on his own business and also the reconstruction of Ishinomaki City. He hopes his hard work will inspire younger generations to also work hard to rebuild their city. Thank you for giving Yasushi a well deserved break so that he can focus on recovery.

Prior to the earthquake, Ritsuko lived with her entire family of six. Since the March disaster, she has been forced to reside at the Santanbashiri Transitional Shelter where it is impossible for the family to stay together. Additionally, her husband has developed dementia since the earthquake and is now hospitalized. Ritsuko feels very lonely these days.

Thanks to your generous donation at the Compassion Japan event in April, Ritsuko has been able to participate in JEN activities at the shelter. Despite having pain in her knees, she enjoyed the flower planting event, and said it made her feel like going out again. Thank you for your donation that has allowed JEN to bring joy to Ritsuko and many more like her during this difficult time.

Michiyo comes from a costal village in north east Japan. Luckily her entire family evacuated immediately after the earthquake, and they all survived the tsunami. While half of her house remains standing, it is still impossible to reach because the road is under water from the land sink. Michiyo is thankful that her family is safe, but still feels like the whole disaster was a dream.

Michiyo and her family live at the Santanbashiri Transitional Shelter. While they are not working to rebuild their oyster farm, they are able to participate in JEN activities thanks to your generous donation at the Compassion Japan event back in April. Michiyo’s favorite event was the flower planting, after which she felt “fully refreshed!” Thank you for giving Michiyo and her family the opportunity for a much needed break during this time of recovery.

When the earthquake hit north east Japan, Takako’s 400 year old house was completely devastated, along with each and every one of her belongings. With nothing left from her previous life, Takako herself was feeling lost and alone after the disaster.

Takako has been living at the Ohara-hama transitional shelter. Thanks to your donation at the Compassion Japan Event back in April, TED has been able to come to provide services and events for the shelter residents. At one of the recent tea parties, Takako was able to resume her old hobby of playing the Taisho harp. Such events have allowed Takako to slowly begin making new friends and feeling like her old self again. Thank you for giving JEN the capacity to help people like Takako start on the path to recovery.