Because
of the impact of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,
children of Fukushima Prefecture seldom have the opportunity to play outside. Furthermore,
outdoor play areas for children are limited around the temporary housing complexes.
Not being able to play outside not only leads to psychological stress for the
children, but constant lack of exercise, which causes obesity and the weakening
of the immune system, is also a concerning matter.
The
city of Sukagawa located in central Fukushima, is no exception. According to a
research conducted by the city, approximately 1,000 houses and 3,400 houses were
completely destroyed and partially destroyed respectively, and more than 14,500
houses had been affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (as of January 4th,
2012). Even now, more than 1,800 people are living in the city’s temporary or
subsidized housing complexes as disaster evacuees.
In
response, AAR Japan held the “Nishi-Aizu Waku-Waku Kids’ School” (waku-waku
describes a state of excitement in Japanese) to help reduce the stress that the
children experience from living in temporary housing and to combat the problem
of lack of exercise. We also hoped that this event would be a good opportunity
for the children to create unforgettable summer memories during such tough
times. For two days from July 22nd to
July 23rd, the event was held in the town of Nishi-Aizu in Fukushima
Prefecture’s Yama County. Twenty families from Sukagawa City were invited to Lotus
Inn and the International Art Village to take part in nature experience workshops.
With a population of about 7,000, Nishi-Aizu Town is a remarkably nature-rich
area with a beautiful landscape that is located in western Fukushima. The
amount of aerial radiation is relatively low at about 0.8 micro-sievert per
hour, which is about the same level as that of the Kanto region.
A Challenge for the Whole Family:
Making Soba Noodles and Building a Fire
on Your Own!
At noon of the opening day, local soba-making expert Mr. Tadashi HASEGAWA was invited to give the participants an opportunity to experience making of soba-noodles. Under the expert’s guidance, children and their parents kneaded and stretched the soba dough together. Even though the shapes weren’t always perfect, the participants were able to make shiny soba noodles with a nice fragrance. While some said, “The noodles feel a bit tough…the chewiness might actually wear your jaws out!”, many still asked for seconds saying, “It’s delicious!”. Eventually, the soba noodles that everyone had put all their effort into making was gone in no time.
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| July 22nd, 2012 – “It’s difficult to cut it thinly!” The children carefully cut the soba dough that they had kneaded on their own. Pictured in the center is AAR Japan staff member, Sawako MIYAZAKI. (Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
Afterwards, Mr. Hideki SEKINE, a researcher of ancient
crafts and folk customs from Ishikawa County, Fukushima Prefecture, was invited
as a lecturer for bamboo-crafting and fire-making. Mr. SEKINE teaches at Wako
University, Kuwasawa Design School, and Tama Art University, among other
institutions, and furthermore holds the title of “Fire-Making World Champion”.
First, he put on a bamboo-crafting workshop. After cutting the bamboo and making holes, the children crafted original percussion instruments, flutes, cups, and water guns. Then, under Mr. SEKINE’s careful guidance, everyone took part in the challenge of making fire the primeval way. Using a simple piece of wood and a string, frictional heat created on a plate is used to start a fire. This was a totally new experience, not only for the kids, but also for their parents! Even after several failed attempts, no one gave up. When the fire was finally lit, everyone burst out cheering.
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| July 22nd, 2012 – “It’s difficult to use a saw” Pictured second from the right is Atsushi NAOE from AAR Japan. (Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
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| July 22nd, 2012 – A family working together to start a fire. “Hey, I see smoke coming out!” (Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
“It’s been a really long time
since I last let them play outside this freely”
In order to let the children play outside as much as
they wanted, they were given plenty of free time during breaks between the
workshops.
“Look, I found a big grasshopper! Oh, it escaped... where did it go?” “I want to go on the swing!” The children caught insects and played in the tree house at the Lotus Inn. In the evening, everyone enjoyed the barbecue and played a watermelon-smashing game and even got to enjoy fireworks.
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| July 22nd, 2012 – “Look, I caught a big grasshopper!” (Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
Mrs. Hiromi KOBAYASHI (age 37), who participated in
the event with her whole family including her three children, said, “It has
really been a long time since I last let my kids play outside this freely.”
Ms. Hiromi IWASAKI (age 66), who participated with her
two grandchildren, lives in a temporary housing complex far away from the
family of her grandsons. With a big smile, she said, “It’s usually very hard to
take the kids outside. Thanks to this event, I was able to let them play as
much as they wanted.”
The “Nishi-Aizu Waku-Waku Kids’ School” was made
possible with the support from and cooperation with Global Giving, the Social
Contribution Club of Ricoh Co. Ltd., FreeWill, PEACE PROJECT, Kikkoman
Corporation and Okada Metal Industries Co., Ltd.
AAR
Japan will continue to reach out to Fukushima Prefecture in the future. |
| The dinner on July 22nd was prepared by PEACE PROJECT members. Everyone enjoyed the barbecue! (Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
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| July 23rd, 2012 – The children made hand-prints with paint made from powder of natural materials. (Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
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| July 22nd, 2012 – With a proud grin, “I made cups with my family’s name on them!” (Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
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| July 22nd, 2012 – Children cheerfully playing in the tree house. (ishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) |
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Atsushi NAOE, Tokyo Office
After
working for a private company, he studied abroad in the USA. After that, he
worked as a JOCV member in Zambia for two years. He joined AAR Japan with the
hopes of assisting the disaster victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake,
which happened while he was stationed in Zambia. He has been working at the
Tokyo Office since October 2011, in charge of both domestic and overseas projects. |
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