Noto: a Peninsula Still in Need of "Nozomi"

Last month, 7 months after our last visit to deliver our charity beer (Previous blog article), I went back up to Noto in Ishikawa again.

The purpose of the trip was two-fold, firstly to volunteer in the area, and also to deliver the profits collected from our collaboration beer with Kobo Brewery and Godspeed, as well as our taproom’s donation box.

As documented in the news, in September, 9 months after the devastation from the earthquake and tsunami destroyed much of the region, and left survivors without power and water supplies, heavy rainfall came along and caused flooding as well as significant landslides.

I want to share my experiences on this trip, and give those unable to visit to get a sense of the reality there now, but there were a few general takeaways that I want to emphasise now, as well as again later.

The first is simply, whilst perhaps cliched, small actions put together can have a major impact, and so I would encourage people to help in whatever way they can, whether taking the plunge and volunteering, or making even a small donation.

In our own case, this all started with our thinking of something small that perhaps we could do to help, which has snowballed into more continued support. While our level of support is still insignificant on one level, being on the ground and seeing the value of these small actions has been both inspiring and has only made us want to do more.

Hopefully those wondering whether they can help can get something out of this article.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーWhilst on my way out of Noto Peninsula in March, I already had it in my mind that I wanted to come back again. What I hadn’t expected, however, was that further disaster would strike the region and that would be the timing when I would return. Record-breaking heavy rain fell in September, causing further major damage through overflowing rivers, flooded roads, and many buildings, including temporary housing, being flooded as well. It was in the wake of this that I went up there this time.

I reached out to Chizuru Kinoshita of the Ishikawa Prefecture Disaster Volunteer Association, who had helped us in distribution of Nozomi back in March, and asked her about the situation on the ground. She shared that the situation is changing daily, there was a relatively decent volume of supplies, but what was really lacking was human resources, and that a huge number of people to scrape mud out was needed.

Our recent collaboration with Godspeed and Kobo, Mokumokujin, was something we had already decided to donate all profits from. This was partly because Kot’as, head brewer of Kobo, used to live in Noto, and has spent much of his free time going up to help in any way that he can. We were originally going to purchase resources to provide, but given our latest information, we decided that donating the money would be the better way.

We loaded supplies and headed up, arriving at our first stop off at noon, where we donated some beer for distribution, and picked up some supplies from the disaster relief volunteer center where Kinoshita-san was. Meeting her only for the second time, it is hard to think that we haven’t known her longer, not least because her bright and cheerful personality manages to break down all barriers. After gathering information from her, we left for Suzu.

【Suzu】
When we visited in March, most destroyed houses were untouched, and because the water supply hadn’t yet been restored, volunteers were generally not being accepted. Rebuilding was barely happening, to put it mildly. At that time, though, we met Azusa Takeshita of Sadamaru Village, who was accepting volunteers and leading activities for the local community, bringing both much needed aid, and much needed hope.

This was the first place I went back to this time. While I was welcomed with the same smiling face as last time, I learned that Takeshita-san had just come back from some time off sick due to a lung issue, likely cause by dust from the work, and had just started accepting visitors again. Lots needs to be done in Suzu still, but convincing people that they have a role to play is something Takeshita-san is concerned about. “Many people think volunteering isn’t worthwhile if they don’t have skills or experience, but there are so many things that people can do if they come here. I really don’t want people to hesitate.”

After spending the day doing what I could with Sadamaru Village, I stopped by Kodama, the Italian cafe and restaurant where we previously had visited, and who were offering both release and a bit of normality to locals. We passed them some beers before heading out to Wajima.

【Wajima】
In Wajima, I headed for the Wajima City Disaster Assistance Center for instruction, and after being allocated to a team, headed out together to the work site.

Our task, that day, was to rescue a buddhist family altar from a house that was heavily damaged by the earthquake. With the house having been just above the line of the flooding, it had been spared from further damage last month, but was still uninhabited from the start of the year, with it having been left unstable, and therefore unlivable. The owner had cleared out most of the belongings, but the altar, which was so large that 4 adults were needed to lift it, was the last item of significance remaining. As we awaited the truck, the owner told us of the day of the quake. She had gone upstairs to get clothes when the quake hit. She clung to a pillar due to the intense force of the quake. Outside her second floor window, she realised she was looking at the first floor view, upon which it dawned upon her that the whole ground floor had collapsed. “If I hadn’t gone upstairs... “ she reflected, knowing that the second floor would have collapsed on her had timing been different. As with many other stories, despite the shocking reality of what she went through, we felt the warm of her upbeat smiles, and were reminded of the courage of so many in this region.

Our next task was back by the morning market in Wajima that was completely wiped out by the fires that broke out when the earthquake struck. The car park there was inundated with mud from the neighbouring river that overflowed last month, and the role of our group of 10 was to scrape back and shovel this mud out and transport it to the collection point. While repetitive and hard work, the solidarity that emerged from the group working together towards a common goal was meaningful and inspiring.

There is still a severe shortage of accommodation in Wajima. The result of this is that many of the volunteers stay in Kanazawa, and are ferried by bus for the day to the work site. It’s a good 2 hours in each direction, wasting a lot of valuable work time. One thing that is helping a little is the development of “Instant Houses” that were set up for both disaster victimes and short-term volunteers. The look like white balloons sitting out on the coast and overlooking the sea. The insides are lined with insulation, and they can effectively accommodate around 8 adults. I actually found it quite comfortable, and learned that they have been developed by a professor at the Nagoya Institute of Technology with the aim of improving life in evacuation centers. The cost is quite low, and construction is as quick as 1-2 hours by one contractor, making them an excellent solution for such situations. For those interested in helping, you can stay for about ¥500 per person, per night (please contact the Ishikawa Prefecture Disaster Volunteer Association for further details and reservations).

Another benefit for those volunteering is the Takayama hot spring bath set up next to the temporary housing in Marine Town, providing free baths to not just those living in the housing, but also to other volunteers. Cleaning off the mud and soaking aching muscles after a day of working was an indescribable comfort, and the messages of support and drawings from the children of Gifu posted near the entrance were just as warming to the heart, and a reminder of how much support there really is.

My last day was spent clearing mud from a private house. Earth and sand had poured into the room from the mountain situated behind the house, piling up to about 30cm depth. This time it was a group of volunteers from Mie prefecture, and another reminder of just how widespread the support is.

We met with Kinoshita-san of the Disaster Volunteer Association afterwards, and spoke to locals living in the temporary housing. I sat and ate with them, talking to the warm and friendly mothers living there. They were interested in the beers we had brought, and it felt encouraging to know that those little things, far from the essentials, are doing their job of providing a moment of respite and normality. From there, it was just a matter of heading back to Kyoto.

We finally offered our donation to Mr. Shimo of the volunteer association for appropriate allocation, a man who has helped me much on this trip. His spirit was another source of inspiration, working hard for his community despite how badly his own family has been impacted by the disaster, and maintaining a great sense of humour throughout.

The cold is settling in now, and winter will soon be upon us, coming around to the 1 year anniversary of when the earthquake happened, on January 1st. This must have indeed been an incredibly long year, but despite the lack of water, and an incredibly slow and long path to recovery – one that seems to be getting ever longer – but people are still doing their best to persevere. I still feel uneasy. I really hope that people continue to pay attention to the current situation in Noto, and continue to help. While the coverage in the media fades away, it can be easy to forget, but this is a long path ahead, and one that will require the strength of continued assistance that all of the volunteers and donors are providing. I returned home with a sense that I want to keep contributing in support activities.