Giant seawall isn't the solution for everything

 

It all seems logical to build the great long wall of embankment along the coast of the Tohoku area, the three prefectures (Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima) facing the Pacific Ocean to protect them from any potential tsunamis in the future. As we visited the village after village along the coast, all we could see was construction after construction.

(To compare the changes below - check this post I wrote on August 31, 2012 in the same place).

the black line on the bottom is the old seawall, and the white one is the addition

Perhaps children may feel safer playing outside when the wall is so high that they do not see the ocean. However, Japanese life depends so much on fish and the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on Fukushima's fishery and on the lives of fishermen has not yet been brought into the spotlight yet because the radiation on the land - vegetation and agriculture - has been on the forefront of everyone's mind.

When Simmy, our friend from Iwaki who has now moved to Naraha town, first brought us to a fish drying facility, I couldn't believe what I saw with my own eyes: people handling fish less than 20 KM away from the Fukushima Daichi where over 300 tons of radio-contaminated water is leaking to the ground water and to the ocean.

Employees working with fish from Hokkaido

Dried fish products

Kazawa san lost everything to the tsunami. He had a thriving business of a fish product shop until the day of tsunami. When he felt the shaking, he instinctively knew that a massive tsunami was on the way. He immediately called all of his employees and drove them to the mountain for evacuation without a second thought. Neighbors who hesitated for seconds ended up being swallowed by the giant wave. That day, he thought he lost everything.

Photos of tsunami-destroyed fish shop on Kazawa san's cell phone

Some time after he returned to his shop and factory and decided to put behind him his life as a victim. He started volunteering at a local evacuation center. Around the same time, he started receiving young university student volunteers from the neighboring prefecture to help. He had lost his business and could not imagine re-starting his fishing or fish product business in Fukushima. He had nothing to go back to. He thought there was nothing much for these young folks to help with, but he didn't want to disappoint these energetic young students. So he started his fish shop again, but this time he started bringing fish from Hokkaido where the fish industry has not been affected by radiation. He invested over 50 million yen to set up a whole new shop with brand new equipment to start this new business even though he knew it is much harder to recover the fish industry than agriculture in Fukushima. The loss he incurred in one fiscal year is already 8 million yen last year. But because of the young people who wanted to help, because of the new hope rising in him, he couldn't just leave the industry for good.

"After all, I needed a new hope. I wanted to give hope to young people. They wanted to help and they are the next generation of our society. I didn't want them to be disappointed. We were helping one another."

Recovering the ability to "give hope" is most important after disaster.

 The university students kept coming. Some graduated and moved on with life but new students joined the team. Kazawa san continues to receive these students so their relationship of giving help and receiving hope continues.

Kazawa san's dried fish shop

The last station - Tatsuta

Today Midori and I went to meet a friend who recently moved to Naraha town, a town that is located within 20 KM of the Fukushima Daiichi. This small town was closed for over 3 years due to the high level of radiation but recently opened after the clean-up. So the railway tracks were all reconnected only recently. For the first time after the disaster 4 years ago, we took the train going north of Iwaki city.

Now that radiation clean-up activities have been going on for a little over a year, the restricted area surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi has shrunk from the original 20KM zone to 5-10 KM radius depending on the level of radiation in each local areas. "Clean-up is complete" means some of the areas are now slowly starting to receive returning farmers, businesses, and other life in general. However, many residents still are not willing to return partly due to the fear of radiation, but more humanly speaking, because they will lose their TEPCO compensation once they return to their original residence. This nuclear disaster and its messy aftermath is a mind boggling reality that anyone outside this prefecture would have a hard time understanding.

We started our journey from Nakoso and the changes I see on this trip compared to my past trips are some of the signs of hope in the midst of the ongoing grief.

Railway workers at Nakoso Station

Newly installed solar panels at Yumoto Station after reopening

Green! Planting began!

Tatsuta Station: The northernmost station of East JR line. 

North-bound railway track toward Tomioka

Overpass is closed but there is a bridge to cross to the platform. 

 Beyond Tatsuta station, all areas are still closed up to the north of Fukushima Daiichi and the railway won't open again for indefinite time as we saw what happened to Tomioka station.

A lonely Cherry blossom in the empty town of Tatsuta

Radiation clean-up workers (light blue uniform) going back to their dormitory.  

Tomioka Station, all are gone and nothing happened.

JR Tomioka Station after the tsunami (Source: Wikipedia)

Every time I come to Fukushima the most heartbreaking reality I find is that little has happened in Fukushima. Japanese people boast of their bullet train and the country-wide complex webs of railway transportation systems. They have the world's most sophisticated technology and disaster preparedness  in all levels of society. But the nuclear crisis stopped everything in Fukushima. The disaster crippled the country's most efficient transportation system. When we were driving from Minami Soma (north of Daichi plant) to Iwaki (south of Daichi plant), we stopped at Tomioka station, located 10 KM south from the Daichi plant, the station used to be just a couple hundred meters from the coast.
Because this station was located within the 20 KM zone public entrance was restricted for three years. But after the radiation clean-up, this area recently opened up. When we arrived here last Thursday, we were shocked to discover the complete open view of the ocean, and no sign of a train station. Only the long lines of soil bags block the view of ocean in front of a memorial stone and flowers.

 

Geiger Counter 

Parking lot entrance

While the damaged train station has been completely demolished, the town of Tomioka left untouched since the day of the disaster. 

 

The reality and uncertainty of the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daichi changed everything. The fact that Japanese have had to live with potential natural disasters like earthquake and tsunami has never slowed down the economy or the lifestyle of the people in this country. In fact, disaster preparedness is something they boast about. But the Fukushima nuclear crisis changed everything because even the disaster recovery couldn't even begin in many places in this land.

Inability to recover what was lost is a greater shock than the tsunami and earthquake. 

We have undone the 500 year's of God's work in creation

I am back in Fukushima, again with friends, very special friends. My new friends, Shihoko and Ken Warren from Vancouver joined me and Midori this time. I have been increasingly sensing that this new chapter of my life in Vancouver might be about connecting Vancouver to Fukushima, to learn from the people of Fukushima, their suffering, their quiet, hard labour of recovering what's been lost since the 311 triple disaster.

Today was our day of a long road trip from Koriyama to visit Haramachi Bible Church in Minami Soma and to drive southward on the recently reconnected highway no.6 to Iwaki. We were able to see the cooling towers of the Fukushima Daiichi just from one or two kilometers away while driving.

Our journey: blue line starting at the center of the map, up to the coast and then down along the coast.  

As we were driving we couldn't help but sigh at the scene after another of the rows of giant black bags of radio-contaimnated top soil removed from the land. The government decided to tackle the radio contamination on soil by removing the top 5 cm of soil and store them in deserted towns near the
Fukushima Daiichi plant where no long-term recovery is possible.

Koriyama is a vibrant city with a major Shinkansen station. As started our journey westward into the mountains, we noticed some homes were again filled with life, signs of life and work in the soil, which must show an act of will, tears and hard labour.

As we approached Itate village, we started seeing black bags everywhere as the houses looked more like haunted house with no signs of life.

Black bags on the ground contain radio-contaminated top soil. 

Rice field after removing the top soil

After our meeting with Rev. Ishiguro and his wife in Haramachi, we continued our journey, southbound on the highway no. 6. 

Highway no. 6 - The sign on the left side of the road says "Fukushima Daichi"  

Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant Sign 

View to the cooling towers at the Daichii Plant (behind the tree line). 

Radio-contaminated top soil bags being stored.

Close-up view of the bag storage in one of the deserted towns.

Ken, a professional horticulturalist, pays close attention to these matters of the land because of his passion for creation care. With a deep sigh, he said to us, "It takes 250 years to build an inch of top soil. We have undone what God has done in 500 years, just in a matter of hours and days."

It didn't dawn on me until Ken said it that our God chooses to work slowly and quietly at the groaning of the creation because of his love for his creation and in his patient work of reconciliation of all things to himself. God will heal the land when his own people called by Him repent and turn away from sinful ways.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:8-21) 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14)

When I think of those Christians I met in Fukushima, I can see this daunting reality with hope. To have that kind of hope demands faith. Dear God, please increase my faith. Amen.

Local Church: The Source of God's Beauty on Earth

“By the way, do you think your parents’ church might be willing to host a small exhibit for Fukushima art?” 

When Shihoko and I met at a coffee shop near my home in Vancouver in mid January to plan our trip to Fukushima, Japan, I asked this random question to her remembering her comment about her father --that he's an art lover and had been involved in gallery business. I thought it would be a wasted opportunity to not show such beautiful collection of work done by Christian artists to more Japanese before these would get packed and shipped to Vancouver. Shihoko's father immediately got excited about the idea of using the church building for a special occasion to stand in solidarity with the people of Fukushima. We then communicated to the lead artist of the group and got the initial assessment of feasibility. Just like that, we planned a weekend mini-exhibit for late March in Seibu Christ Church in Ichikawa. 

So I came to Japan again for this mini-exhibition in Ichikawa and to pay my "annual" visit to Fukushima for a week. The first day of the exhibit was a very quiet day but when the evening came, I began to understand God's providence in bringing the Fukushima exhibition to this church. I've never seen a local church that appreciates God's beautiful creation so much and in so many practical ways until I came to Seibu Christ Church. 

Mr. Ohtake, Shihoko's father, and four other members planted this church 35 years ago in this neighborhood of Ichikawa city and they began to meet at his home for nearly 30 years until they built the current building.  

All around the building you will see the beauty of God's creation in so many ways -- by flowers in the garden or a piece of art on the corner. This work of art is done for the service to the community.  

Three Magi's from the East

This piece of sculpture was done by a church member who has a very special visual perception and artistic gift because of his autism. When he has an image in mind, he creates this beautiful piece in about half an hour! 

Main Sanctuary Before Sunday Worship

Every Saturday night, Mr. Ohtake cleans the sanctuary and sets up the tables and chairs for the next morning. When I saw him finishing the set up and thought he left the building, but he turned the lights off and stood there for several minutes to pray in silence. In the church where the beauty of visual art is so highly appreciated, I felt the depth of silent prayer in that sanctuary where the Holy of the Holy is present in the darkness. I knew, that moment, I saw a man standing before the burning bush.

Sunday began with children and parents arriving early for the Sunday school. The small sanctuary started filling quickly for the worship and the room where the artworks were hanging filled with people joining for sunday worship.

Fukushima is still an hard subject to talk about in Japan if it is not completely forgotten in people's memory. But in the context of worship and prayers, the meaning of Fukushima starts illuminating the life which God intends for each of us to receive with joy, gratitude and hope even though it means we may not foresee what may come tomorrow.

This Sunday was a special Sunday as one of the members was being baptized, finally being adopted to this beautiful local congregation and being called a beloved daughter, bought by the precious blood of Jesus.

Ms. Etsko's testimony of her suffering for many years which finally led her to Christ and to joyful life in him, echoed beautifully in the light of the cross, with the golden map of Fukushima at the center, as if the people of Fukushima are deeply engraved in the heart of our suffering Christ.

I don't speak Japanese and do not understand a whole lot of things going on in the worship. But the mystery of God's presence becomes even more evident when my vocabulary loses its power but leaves only sensory trails of the light, sound, smell and touch of the people of God, his most precious creation.

Commemorating the 4th year after the Fukushima triple disaster

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

of everything ready-made. Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know.

The world’s Most Dangerous Room

Fukushima, Crisis Without End – Do not go to Japan, do not eat food from Japan

Japan prepares to restart nuclear industry

Listen to carrion — put your ear

close, and hear the faint chattering

of the songs that are to come.

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.

Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful

though you have considered all the facts.

How radioactive is our ocean?

Faces of Fukushima

Eat Your Veggies! Even the ones from Fukushima

Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.

Selected from “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” 

by Wendell Berry from The Country of Marriage, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1973.

Visit art4fukushima.com for weekly prayer update.