More Trips to Minamisanriku-cho (May 31st – June 3rd, June 6th – 10th)

再び南三陸町へ（5月31日から6月3日までの訪問と6月6日から6月10日までの訪問）

Thanks to the combined efforts of A LOT of individuals, we have been able to coordinate the delivery of more supplies, and bring volunteers up north to help with the sorting and distribution.

多くの方々の協力に感謝します。そのおかげで、私たちは、さらに多くの生活必需品を届け、分類分けや仕分けを手伝ってくるボランティアの人達を送ったりすることができました。

May 31st – June 3rd　5月31日から6月3日までの訪問

The Kuriowa family collected more supplies from their neighbors and friends, and Avery Sakamoto and his sister Mari drove a truck all the way from Nagano prefecture to help us get it all to Minamisanriku-cho, along with supplies we collected in Noda.

黒岩さん家族は、再び友人や近所の方々から生活必需品を集めてくれました。坂本エィブリーさんと妹のマリさんが長野県からトラックで来てくれ、そのすべての物資とまた野田市で集まった物資を載せて南三陸町まで行ってくれました。

Everyone went up to help with the delivery. Arai san, Kaoru Ogihara, and Jamie Kuroiwa were able to stay longer. Supplies are constantly coming in from all over the country, and the sorting and delivery is a huge job. They were caught on film by a TV crew who were there at the time. Footage coming soon!

多くの人が配達の手伝いを助けにかけつけてくれました。新井さん、荻原かおる、黒岩ジェイミーは、他の人よりも長く滞在しました。物資は、日本中から絶え間なく届いていて、仕分けや配達は非常に大きな仕事です。そこにテレビの取材班がいたので、作業中の場面を撮られました。その映像をもうすぐお見せします！

A BIG THANK YOU to the Kanno family in Sayama-shi, Saitama, who financed the last trip on May 18th – 21st, and part of this trip as well.

埼玉県狭山市に住むカンノウ家族が、5月18日から21日の訪問のために出資してくださったので、心からのお礼を述べます。ありがとうございました。

June 6th – 10th　6月6日から6月10日までの訪問

We did another collection of relief supplies at Noda on June 5th, and after sorting the goods, we loaded up and were off with a team of 11 in three vehicles. Kato Aiki drove a truck up from Tateyama to help us get the stuff up there. First stop was at the Matsudo Market where our friend Mr. Kasai again donated dozens of boxes of fresh vegetables.

6月5日、野田市で再び救済物資を収集しました。物資の仕分け後、3台の車に物資を載せ、11人からなるチームも乗りました。館山市から加藤合気さんがトラックで来て荷の運搬を助けてくれました。最初に立ち寄った場所は松戸市場です。そこで、再び友人のカサイさんが何ダースもの箱に入った新鮮な野菜を寄付してくださいました。

Then for some drama: the gas station attendant noticed a problem with the back tires on the truck. The mechanic checked and recommended not taking this truck on any long trips…yikes. But shoganai, (Japanese for “oh well…”) all we could do was pray and drive REALLY slowly, as it was too late to back out now.

All was well in the end, as everyone arrived safely that night to a warm welcome by our friends there.

それからちょっとしたハプニングがありました。ガソリンスタンドの店員さんが、トラックの後ろのタイヤの問題に気づきました。整備工の人が点検し、このトラックを長い旅には使わないことを提案しました…困ったな。でも仕方ありません。後戻りするには遅すぎたので、ただ祈り、非常にゆっくりと運転しました。

結局は問題なく全員、安全に夜到着することができ、友人の方達に温かく迎えられました。

Sorting supplies into packages

品物を分類して、パックします。

Another truck to unload

またトラックが到着し、荷をおろします。

The mighty Olivier Vaivrand

(sorry, the time setting is off on some of these photos)

強いオリバー・バイブランドさん。（時間が間違っている写真がありますね。ごめんなさい。）

K-trucks that we used for delivery

私たちが配達に使ったＫトラック

at a shelter in Tome city for evacuees from Minamisanriku-cho

南三陸町の避難者を受け入れる登米市の避難所

Here is our whole team, along with Miura san, and some other volunteers

三浦さんや他のボランティの方達と一緒の、私たちのチーム

Delivering supplies at temporary housing units

仮住宅に物資を届ける

A BIG THANK YOU to the TFI members both in Japan and around the world whose donations financed this trip. We couldn’t do anything without your support and prayers. Thank you so much!

このトリップのため出資してくださった、日本国内の、また他の国のＴＦＩメンバーに感謝します。皆さんのサポートと祈りがなかったなら、何もできなかったことでしょう。ありがとうございます！

Megumi Kitano and Sakana no Miura san

北野恵さんと魚の三浦さん

About Ainote volunteer network

We had formed a simple volunteer network with some friends last year called Ainote (literally “love’s hands”…but it doesn’t sound quite so cheesy in Japanese) with the goal of helping ordinary people to be able to help others in some way through coordinating overseas trips to developing countries, etc. (see website ainote.jp.fm) When the earthquake and tsunami hit, we were able to use the network to begin coordinating help for the Tohoku disaster victims. If you would like to be involved, either personally or by supporting in some way, please contact us at tohokumission@gmail.com.

愛の手ボランティア・ネットワークについて

「愛の手」という友人たちからなるシンプルなネットワークを形成しました。発展途上国へのトリップなどをコーディネートすることによって、普通の人が何かの面で他の人の力になるのをお手伝いすることが、ゴールです。（ainote.jp.fm　というウェブサイトを見てください。）地震と津波が起こった時、このネットワークを使って東北津波被災者の方達を支援するコーディネートを行なうことができました。直接にか、また何かの面でサポートすることで関わることをご希望されるなら、どうかtohokumission@gmail.comに連絡してください。

Bringing Food and Aid to Minamisanriku (Again!)

(By Gene)

An associate of ours, Shimonaka, from Tamba city in southern Japan contacted us about a friend of his living near us who had 500 kgs of rice, along with other food items that he wanted to donate to the tsunami victims. We were able to pick up all the supplies, thanks to our friends Sean and Akira who came in their van to help us get it all to Noda. Thanks guys. Kasai san, a friend who works at the Matsudo Produce Market also donated a carload of fresh vegetables for us to take to Minami Sanrikucho in Miyagi Ken.

On the evening of May 18th, we loaded the supplies and drove through the night (thank you Arai san) to Minami Sanrikucho. Mr. Shimonaka and his son Daiki had gone on ahead of us with half of the supplies in their car. We spent the next three days there with Miura san, along with other volunteers who had come to help. We sorted the supplies that we had brought, along with other stuff that arrived every day by mail, and delivered it to some of the more than 40 locations that Miura san has been supporting regularly.

At this point, most of the immediate physical needs of the evacuees still in government sponsored evacuation centers are being covered by the government. Just prior to our trip, the Miyagi prefectural government announced that they were no longer requesting donations of supplies from private individuals, as they already had more than they needed. However, while this may be true in some cities, the situation on the ground in Minami Sanrikucho was a very different story. In most cases, only those who are still living in the evacuation centers are receiving relief aid from the government. Evacuees who want to move into government built temporary housing will in most cases no longer be eligible to receive supplies, meaning they have to buy all of their needs themselves. Because of this, many of the victims are unable to move into temporary housing even if they do win the housing lottery, as their jobs and livelihoods were wiped out in the disaster leaving them unable to support themselves. In Minami Sanrikucho, nearly 90% of the town was destroyed in the tsunami, so there are virtually no shops left to buy basic necessities. With thousands of vehicles destroyed, many of the victims have no way to get out of town to shop, even if they have the needed money. Basic utilities have yet to be reconnected in most areas, and even when the water network is back on, it is estimated it will take months for the water be drinkable, as the water table was polluted by the tsunami. There are also many people in the surrounding villages whose houses were not completely destroyed, but the first floor was ruined, leaving them without cooking or cleaning supplies and basic household goods, and no income. It is to these people that our friend “Sakana no Miura” (literally, Miura the fish man) has been delivering supplies that have been sent to him from concerned individuals all over the country. He has been in the news quite a few times since, and what was once just his personal initiative has grown considerably as more and more people heard about what he was accomplishing. We were put in touch with him through one of our friends in Saitama, and this was the second trip that we made to deliver supplies through Miura San’s network. We will be making another trip from May 31st, and hopefully again from June 6th and June 20th.

Distributing

Sorting rice.

The vegetables that we brought.

This is Enoki Takaaki, who is an actor and a very nice guy. He came to help out for a couple days along with some of his associates.

Tohoku Trip #4: Bringing Music to Fukushima, Day 2 and 3

東北トリップ＃４　福島県に音楽を運ぶ　　第二日と三日

Highlights:　ハイライト：

Meeting the Head of the Nasukashi Youth Center (which has been an evacuation center for some time now).

那須甲子青少年自然の家（避難センター）の責任者の方との出会い。

The people that we met at Nasukashi were some of the most friendly I've ever met in my life. They hung around after we were done to talk and get our autographs.

那須甲子には、今まで私が出会った人達の中でも一番フレンドリーだと思った人達がいました。私たちが歌い終わった後でも、そこに残って話しかけ、サインを求めてくださいました。

We were able to sing a lot of the songs that they requested (we were lucky that they requested songs that we knew!!)

彼らがリクエストした多くの歌を歌うことができました。（すでに知っていた歌をリクエストされたので、ラッキーでした!!）

This is the head manager of the Sukagawa Arena. A real funny, likeable guy. He spent a long time after we finished our show trying to figure out how to make animal balloons like us. And he managed in the end!!!

須賀川アリーナのマネージャーの方です。非常におかしく、感じのいい人です。ショーの後、彼は、長い時間をかけて、なんとか風船の動物を作ろうと試み、最後にはできました!!

At the Sukagawa Arena, all the children were out because it was a school day. But when we made a balloon for the one child who was in, everyone else came to hang out and see what other balloons we could make. So we ended up making a lot of balloons for everyone!

須賀川アリーナでは、子供達は学校に行っていて、いませんでしたが、一人残っていた子供のためにバルーンを作ってあげると、他の人達が皆来て、他にどんなものが作れるのかを見てくれました。結局は皆さんのためにたくさんのバルーンを作りました！

Singing for a lively crowd at the Sukagawa Arena.

須賀川アリーナの元気のいい皆さんのために歌いました。

(It says, "For all the sadness that exists, let us go on to make that many smiles.") Written on a banner with messages of support at one of the evacuation centers that we visited.

私たちが訪問した避難センターのひとつで、旗に書かれた応援メッセージです。

Tohoku Trip #4: Bringing Music to Fukushima, Day 1

東北トリップ＃４　福島県に音楽を運ぶ　

第一日

Happy to be on the road again!

People in the evacuation centers in Fukushima have either lost their homes in the tsunami, or are unable to return to their homes because of the unstable situation with the nuclear reactors.

再び旅に出てうれしく思います！

福島県の避難センターにいる人達は、津波で家がなくなったか、原発所の不安定な状況ために家に戻れないでいます。

Revisiting the Fukushima Big Palette! A lot of our friends were there, and we were able to sing some of the songs that they requested last time!

福島ビッグバレット再訪問！　以前お友達になった多くの人達がそこにいたので、先回の訪問でリクエストされた曲をいくつか歌いました！

We visited 4 places today. Such beautiful locations overlooking the most amazing view of Bandai-san and the surrounding hills. Fukushima is such a gorgeous place!!!

今日、四か所を訪問しました。皆、美しくながめの良い場所にあり、磐梯山とその周辺の丘を見渡すことができます。福島県は実に素晴らしい場所です。

Look for updates on our Fukushima trip!

We went to Fukushima! Updates on their way!

福島に行ってきました！

Update about Ainote bringing relief goods to Minamisanriku

They laid out the donated goods in 3 separate locations, and the local residents came to take what they need.

寄贈された物資を三か所に並べ、地元の居住者の方達に、必要な物を受け取っていただきました。

Thank you to everyone who donated their time to shop for these goods (many of them were brand new) and drop them off!!

時間を割いて、これらの支援物資（その多くは新品です）を持って来てくださったすべての方にお礼を申し上げます！

Ainote collecting aid for Minamisanriku

「愛の手」ボランティアが宮城県南三陸町のために支援物資を収集

The Kuroiwa family contacted us about working together to bring relief goods to Minamisanriku through a fisherman that they were put in touch with by one of their English students. This man has been working to personally bring aid and help to many of the houses that have been cut off by the disaster, and helped us to know what specific items could be a help in that area.

Arai-san was able to put an ad in the newspaper for items to be donated for this trip, and many of our neighbors brought what they could. The Kuroiwa family got aid from their neighbors as well.

On Sunday, we held an "aid-assembling" day, and volunteers from Ainote came to help with the packing. Thank you!!!

黒岩さん家族が連絡をくれ、英語クラスの生徒さんが紹介してくれた漁師の方を通して支援物資を南三陸町に届けるために、一緒に働けないかと聞いてきました。この漁師の方は、災害によって孤立した多くの家々を自ら訪問してまわり、救援物資を届けてきました。この方を通してその地域が必要としている物資が何であるか明確に知ることができました。

荒井さんが、このトリップのために必要とする支援物資を募る広告を新聞に出すと、ご近所の多くの方々が分け合うことのできる物を持って来てくださいました。黒岩さん家族もご近所の方々から物資をいただきました。

日曜日に、物資の仕分けをし、「愛の手」ボランティアの方々が来て荷作りを手伝ってくださいました。ありがとうございます!!!

This is the group of people who left to deliver the aid to Minamisanriku. Ganbattene!!!

このチームが、救援物資を届けるために南三陸町に向かって出発した人達です。がんばってね!!!