Thank You Messages from Japan
Koharagi Primary School December 2011
Sharing Thank You Messages from Japan I would like to thank DRF for contributing towards the fundraising last year, raised a total of £12,735. DRF and we finally found a school we could contact directly last summer, then ACS Cobham sent the money to 5 schools in Kesennuma, Iwate-prefecture, which was devastated by the tsunami. In December, we received a booklet of “Thank you messages” from kids and teachers from Koharagi Primary School, where Mr. and Mrs. Tamura visited last summer with Lisa (12th Grade). We circulated this booklet among Japanese Families at ACS Cobham. It was difficult for me to read without tears. All the messages were touching not only because all the kids were very positive even thought they lost their houses, which were washed away by the tsunami, and will need years to get back to normalcy, but they also deeply appreciated our help. They want to help someone in the future in this same way. We Japanese Families would like to share those ‘Thank you massages’ with ACS Cobham Community, so we got Japanese kids to translate a massage they were impressed with. It has been one year since the huge disaster, our country has been trying very hard for full recovery… but it seems such a long, difficult journey. However, I believe positive efforts make Japan better. We still remember and appreciate all your kindness, thoughts and supports you have done to us and Japan. Yoshiko Tsuda (Country Rep 2010-2011)
Student Messages from Japan It is great that you all are saving my life. I am happy because I got a lot of things I needed ; stationery, book vouchers and more. I would like to thank everyone who supported me. Soudai Murakami / 1st Grade Translated by Rio Yanaga / 3rd Grade Thank you everyone My house was washed away by the Tsunami. Everything in my house is gone. Everything‌.. But people helped my family. The lady from the barber shop let me sleep over. People gave me shoes, clothes and food. When I felt devastated and lonely, older friends played with me. Many more people helped me. I was really happy that there were a lot of people helping me when I needed them. I am very sad that my house has gone, but a lot of people helped me so I could feel happier. One day I want to be the person who helps people when they need help. To the people who volunteered, thank you very much. Keita Ito / 2nd Grade Translated by Shota Tsuda / 8th Grade
Thank you very much for sending us so many items, and because of your help we are starting to get back into our everyday lives. On March 11, when the earthquake struck, all the lights went out, but now our lifeline is coming back to its normal state. The people who unfortunately lost their homes are now living in temporary houses. We are using the supplies that you sent us very carefully, for example the food, writing material, clothes, and the computer sent to our school. We will use these very carefully. Thank you very much. Keima Kametani / 4th Grade Translated by Kinari Takashima / 7th Grade Thank you for everyone who gave us lots of supplies. We were very happy for lots of stationeries, foods, books, wearing stuffs and so on. We had nothing to eat and drink after few month after earthquake/ but now, we have many things to live which you gave us. Now, we can live like before earthquake. Thank you for lots of volunteers were came to school and helped us. Thank you very much for your kindness! Seiya Sugawara / 4th Grade Translated by Ryuichiro Suzuki / 7th Grade
I am no longer living at the evacuation shelter but a temporally housing with my family of six. The ground floor of my house was washed away by tsunami; the only first floor has remained itself. I am using pencils and erasers that you gave me for studying and drawing a picture. While I was living at the evacuation shelter, I made friends with many volunteers. They are still staying at my town and keep volunteering in the way of giving relief goods and supplying foods. I really appreciate for your kindness. Ayano Komatsu / 4th Grade Translated by Moeno Ogata / 7th Grade
Thank you for many relief products. The town is getting restored because we get many relief products. My house was broken but many countries gave us donations so it’s getting normal life. I was very happy that we got Letters and many products from volunteers, people in other area and many countries. I’ll do my best to live in the future. Maya Kajikawa / 4th Grade Translated by Rina Amano / 7th Grade
Many things that changed and developed 7 months after the earthquake 7 months has passed since the earthquake. I realised that there were many things that people lost after the earthquake but I also realised that many things helped people live their lives. There were many school materials that were sent to us from the people who wanted to help Japan. Some of them are pencils, erasers, and dictionaries. Now our whole school is studying hard with the materials that were sent for aid. Thank you for sending food and drink for supplies as well. The rice balls and water was really tasty and I thank you for that. We were able to have and make up for a sport festival that we couldn’t have so far this year. Even though there weren’t a lot of activities, our whole school had a lot of fun. Thank you again for everything. To bring Kesenuma back to how it was I will start with picking up the trash around the port. Yuki Kumagai / 5th Grade Translated by Daiki Matsuno / 8th Grade Thank You for the Support It has already been half a year since the disaster on the 11th of March. Because of the tsunami, many people’s houses were flooded, like mine. Some of my friends’ houses were even dragged away. Before I received your support, my heart was broken and hurt, but after I got all of the generous donations like stationary, books, shoes, letters, etc, my heart filled with warmth, and I started to become happy again. I still use the donations all of you kindly gave to me, and I will treasure them forever. If anyone is in the position to experience the pain I did, we will be here to support you. I’m not giving up! With great thanks from Miyagi prefecture. Midoriko Yoshida / 5th Grade Translated by Jennifer Morris / 10th Grade
Thank you for your support. We were studying at school, when the earthquake disaster happened. At first, the desk was shook a little. So, I thought it was just a small earthquake, but suddenly it shook stronger and doors were broken. When I went outside, a crack came to me. I was surprised. After several days had passed from it, we got messages and supports from many people. I was encouraged by them from all of Japan. We are now studying with the pencils which you sent us. They are like magic pencils and I think we can do everything with them. Kesennuma is reviving, now. We would like to cooperate one another from now on, and want to recover here same as before. Yuki Murakami / 5th Grade Translated by Kazuki Ishihara / 10th Grade Thank you for all of the supplies from you. On 11th March, 2011, my house washed away by Tsunami after the earthquake. So the next day, I had to move to my cousin’s house. And the power plant nearby was broken down, then we had power failure after that. A few days later we were given the relief supplies which were only candles and foods. But there was no pencil and notebook, etc. I was afraid whether I could go to school without pencils and notebooks. When I went to school, I could find a lot of school supplies in the relief supplies. I was very pleased that people sent us school supplies which I had lost. And in May, some computers were sent to our school. Surprisingly, we received over ten computers. We were very happy to receive so many computers because we had only a few computers and they were not enough to study for every student in our class. And it was very helpful that you sent us tooth brushes, because we could not brush our teeth at all. I will never forget your kind support and will appreciate your hospitality. I swear I will study hard from now on. Shou Kato / 6th Grade Translated by Kotaro Iwata / 7th Grade
On March 11th 2011, an earthquake and tsunami hit the east of Japan. In an instant, everything was destroyed by tsunami. A shelter life was hard for me and everyone. There was neither bath nor shower, also no bathroom. But one day, the supplies have sent us from each place in Japan, and also from foreign countries. I was very pleased that they gave us thing we need for everyday life, because there was no shop that we couldn’t buy anything at all. Every day after coming back from school, we play outside with wearing the new shoes which you gave us. Also I can brush my teeth neatly three times a day. We study very hard with pencils and notebooks from the supplies. I want to use the thing that I have learnt from the disaster, and also I will not forget how good to help each other. Thank you for your kindness Momoka Onodera / 6th Grade Translated by: Tetsushiro Suzuki / 8th Grade On the 11th of March, several buildings, including my house, were washed away by the earthquaketsunami disaster. In the evacuation shelter, there was no water or electricity, and I was very worried and sad about what had happened. However, the motivating messages, like “Keep moving ahead with the future in mind!” and “We are cheering you on, even from afar”, sent by students in Tokyo, Ibaraki, and other countries, made me feel better and joyous. Since then, many volunteers have come here. During the summer holidays, they taught us, planted flowers with us, painted artwork on our gymnasium, and did many other helpful things. I was truly impressed and heart-warmed by their efforts to help us. I aim to keep moving forwards with all of your generous help. I cannot express my gratitude enough, thank you. Kan-na Kajikawa / 6th Grade Translated by Misaki Ikeda / 9th Grade
Eight months have already passed since the earthquake struck to Tohoku region of Japan on 11th March 2011. I experienced a terrible quake in my classroom and saw many houses being carried away by tsunami. I learnt the threat of nature deeply. I could hardly sleep with terror, when I spent the night in my friend’s car. Though I had sometimes felt like my heart is breaking off, useful relief goods and heart-warming messages from you regain my peaceful feeling. I am still using your relief gifts carefully. I really want to say “Thank you for your all kindness”. As of November 2011, in my home town, ordinary life came back to us gradually. Some of supermarkets reopened, we could enjoy an annual festival. I do not forget my sorrowful and grievous feeling by this disaster and remember regrets of the people who have passed away. I hope to rebuild my hometown better than it used to be with many warm messages from all over the world. Fukutaro Kumagai / 6th Grade Translated by Yoshino Ogata / 10th Grade On March 11th, a huge earthquake hit Japan, and a gigantic tsunami rushed to North East Japan. There were around 140 people in my neighborhood, but only 95 have managed to survive. The refugee camp I went to lacked blankets and was really cold. From that day onwards, my school was closed and turned into our home. Many temporary houses were built in the play ground day by day, and more supplies were sent. Supermarkets, shopping malls, and any kind of shops were closed so supplies of groceries were really helpful. Those supplies were not only from Japan, but countries from all around the world too. Even after seven months, supplies are still arriving and helping us every day. Quite recently, Indonesian bamboo instrument called Angklung was sent from Indonesia. Many letters as well as supplies have arrived, and there were few from other people who have suffered from Earthquake before. The message was so touching and heartwarming. I believe that those people were able to write these letters because they had lived through this situation before. I want to be a strong person just like them. Thank you so much for your supports. I am full of thankfulness. Arigato. Mayu Chiba / 6th Grade Translated by Riki Yanaga / 10th Grade
I would like to thank everyone for supporting us and sending us relief supplies. Kesennuma, the city I live in was damaged by the tsunami caused by the earthquake, which occurred on 11th of March. Our house was safe since it was on top of a hill but I lost my words when I saw everything getting swiped away by the tsunami. I got know how terrible tsunami’s are. All the shops were closed and we couldn’t buy anything until relief supplies arrived from overseas like food and school goods. Food was the biggest help and I am still using the school goods carefully. I got to gain a lot of information on TV and Internet through the computer donated to the school. I want to change Kesennuma to a better place then ever by remembering this bitterest experience. Takuhiro Kashiwa / 6th Grade Translated by Kenta Tsuda / 11th Grade My house and car had been washed away by the tsunami, from the Japanese earthquake on 11th March, 2011. When I saw my house which was destroyed, I felt a great shock and I thought that I would not be able to live in my house ever again. However, together with my family, I worked hard and managed to fix my house. Although it took a long time, I was really happy. When I went to my school, important things such as food, stationery, and computers were supplied from other places in Japan, and many other countries from all around the world. From these support, I can go to school now. I received pencils, erasers, and note books and today, I am studying hard with them. Thank you very much for your support. Step by step, our town is settling down as fragments from buildings are getting cleaned by people. Nevertheless, I believe it will take many years for our town to go back into its original state. Although I cannot contribute much to help re-build our town, I am planning to donate my money to help it. And when I grow up, I want to make my town clean to regain its magnificent view. Kaito Abe / 6th Grade Translated by Yuki Tamura / 11th Grade
Earthquake happened when I was taking my class. I was terrified. But the relief goods that were sent to me made me cheer up. I was given things such as school supplies, books, letters and shoes. I am so thankful. I am especially thankful for the notebook and am using it now. Thank you so much for the relief funds that you have sent us. Ryoga Chiba / 6th Grade Translated by Yusuke Amano / 10th Grade My house was flooded by the Tsunami. I have been devastated and I couldn't think of anything else and I was really depressed. But the relief goods such as books, pencils, and school bags, made me feel better. The pencil I’m using now is also one of the relief goods. I have been gloomy but now I feel like I’m back to my old-self. The town I live has been mostly cleaned up. I will try to keep being positive and I would like to thank you all for your kindness. Kazuki Chiba / 6th Grade Translated by Kenta Mikuni / 11th Grade My house was washed away when the earthquake occurred on March 11th. My spirits had been crushed and I was depressed. But the kind messages and many of the relief goods that were sent to me made me cheer up. I had lost most of the school things by the flood and there being a lot of school things in the relief goods I was grateful. I am now using the school things such as notebooks, erasers, pencils that were all inside the relief goods. Arisa Chiba / 6th Grade Translated by Natsuko Iwata / 11th Grade
Teacher Messages from Japan To those who have provided warm support to us 9 months has passed since that earthquake. The first snow fell in November, and the season has reminded us of the incident. After that day, we have received heartwarming kindly given us the encouragement and support from all over Japan and the world. Immediately after the catastrophe, each of us received food, mineral water, clothes, and first aid items. Our hearts became warm and our stomachs were filled although the amount was very little. We felt human warmth from that of blankets. After the school reopened, the children received pencils, notebooks, clothes, and shoes for sports, rubber boots, umbrellas, and so on. We were very delighted when we were able to study at the school again. We also received horticultural items. At the flower bed at school, together with people who lived in temporary houses right outside our building, we planted colorful flowers with the children. The beautiful plants and the smell calmed our nerves every day. Furthermore, we received PC`s, CD/radio players, cleaning materials and so on. After the earthquake, we were low on many items such as textbooks and stationeries, but everything went back to normal. We have even expanded out items than ever before. We have received so many encouraging messages that there isn’t enough space to display them all in the school. Every time something new is pinned to the wall, people simply cannot take their eyes off it. They gave us the strength to carry on. The volunteers organized small music concerts and other events. These took our minds off the sadness, and we enjoyed them from the bottom of our hearts.
Thank you Thank you for the stationery materials I will take care of the pencils, protractors, and compass Thank you for the seeds I planted them with my mother I am looking forward to the efflorescence Thank you for the fan I’m using it when the temperature is high Thank you for the shoes It makes kicking the ball so easy And I am running with all my might Thank you for the cookies I ate them deliciously at home Thank you for the textbooks I will study as hard as I can Thank you for the gift / book cards I bought many books Thank you for cooking me fried noodles I ate them with my mouth full Thank you for getting us an electronic fan It makes studying much easier in humid summer Thank you for the cheering words My feelings have now gotten stronger Finally, thank you for finding my grandfather I was able to say goodbye to him Kokoro Kikuta Grade 5 Koharagi Primary School
The poem above was written by a grade 5 student from our town. The level of our suffering might be different. However, our grateful feelings towards those who gave us so much but we don’t know, and have never met, are the same. We have gotten together and created this “Thank you letter” to express our feelings for all of you. The 58 students have written this from their hearts. Please read this booklet from front to back. Our devastated area is now empty because the debris were collected and taken away. Our recovery is going to begin. The world in front of the children might be challenging, but I would like them to go through it with dream and hope. We teachers would like to lead and support them. However challenging environment we encounter on the way, we would like to try our best by thinking of the fact that we are warmly supported by people from all over the world. I would be delighted if you could understand the children’s feelings from this essay book. Once again, we thank you for looking after us, encouraging us, and mostly importantly, supporting us for a long time. We will try our best. December 2011 Ryoichi Kumagai Headmaster Kesennuma City Koharagi Elementary School
Nine months is going to pass after the disaster on March 11th. The season has gone on as if nothing had happened. The first snow fell last month, surprising us with the speed of time flowing. Our school has resumed our education on the 21st of April, two weeks late compared to previous years. We thank you for the supplies you have given us from Japan and from the world. These things have been a massive encouragement for both the students and the school staff. Days after the school had begun; temporary houses were built on the school fields. Therefore, the activities we were able to do were very limited. We could see that some students were in need of special care with their feelings, and this became an issue that we needed to solve to promote educational activities. Under this environment, we had to discuss what event we should go along with and what to cancel or postpone. The students managed to study with the kind support from your good selves, and we were able to finish the first semester successfully without any problems. The students got a short summer holiday due to the number of school days which were cancelled, and after the summer vacation, they all came to school with high spirit and they had a splendid sports day as they practiced very hard for that. The children are now focusing on their studying after finishing main school events. The students who were in need of care soon after the earthquake seem to be cured, but as we understand that after the catastrophe, the number of students who need care usually increases and this situation might continue for a couple of years, so we are now keeping our heads together in managing the school. From our school we can see the gulf and peninsula of Hiroda. At the gulf, bonitos are very common, and we could see ships sailing on the water waiting to catch them. We could also see bright lights that are attracting squids. The shape of a silhouette that the peninsula forms has not changed, and it feels as if we are back to normal. However, out of the three cities two are completely destroyed, and every time we see only dark it makes us think that it might take forever to recover. But even if it takes decades, nothing will change the fact that it is the children who will bear responsibility to rebuild this are in the future. Therefore, we would like to inform you that we will complete their education like never before and remember the support that we were given from all of you. Thank you. Translation by Shinichi Hirata / 9th Grade
On the 11th of March, the beautiful landscape of Kesenuma was suddenly destroyed by the earthquake and the tsunami that followed afterwards. It occurred to me that the things I took for granted were no longer there. After the disaster, we received many encouraging messages, flowers pots, and flower seeds. With the children, I watched the flowers bloom, and we all talked about how pretty they were. My heart was warmed by the children’s excitement. In our classroom, we are carefully using the notebooks and pencils kindly donated to us. There is still a long way to go until we can fully restore Kesenuma back to how it used to be, but I am hoping that I can work together with the children and strive for the future. Mariko Kikuta, Obaragi Elementary School 1st Grade Teacher. Translated by Misaki Ikeda / 9th Grade
Thank You For All Your Warmth and Kindness On March 11, during the last period of the day, a sudden earthquake had struck. This was a strong one compared to others but I, at first, thought it would soon be over, just like any other earthquake. However, the shaking would cease to stop, but instead got harsher and the objects in the classroom started to fall one by one. The ceiling and the debris from the walls also started to crumble, so I started to get the children to duck under their desks and reassured them that everything was going to be okay, while tightly grasping their hands. To be honest though, if the intensity of this earthquake was able to make the roof tumble off, I feared that it would also be capable of making the floor collapse from underneath our feet. After these thoughts, I was suddenly concerned about the safety of my students and how I could save them from this horror. All of a sudden, countless thoughts started to swim around my mind, leaving me helpless, confused, and in a state of panic. We all thought that was the worst, however the next few minutes after that, things far beyond our expectations had occurred… The children were all at school, so thankfully they were all safe. However the tsunami, all in one swift motion, swallowed up the houses of the students. All while the snow drifts down on a cold winter night, where the stars twinkle all so frustratingly up in the clear sky… I clearly remember feeling as if we were being tested on our ability to overcome these obstacles. From that day on, the everyday life that we took for granted changed drastically. The fact that there was a ‘yesterday’ which moved onto ‘today’, and the same way there was a ‘tomorrow’ was something that we classified as “normal” up until now. My opinion of our “normal and convenient” everyday lifestyles of waking up, eating, spending time with children, watching TV, and going to sleep significantly altered after this traumatic experience; where nothing can be underestimated ever again.
Thankfully, my house was on the mountainside therefore I was able to live my everyday life without suffering from the damages of the tsunami. However when I head back to the school, children who lost their homes would just sit there on the school grounds outside, doing nothing, just playing with the sand, letting the grains run through their clenched up fists… I remember that while being with the children, I was rarely able to strike up a conversation with them. All through the midst of that, children would say to me, “…. Miss…. I’m tired….” Those words would start endless train of thoughts, making me wonder about our unstable futures; where neither children nor adults were able to see the days that were to follow. Although we were scared and clueless on how to proceed with our lives after this tragedy, people all over the world were sending us heartfelt letters and support, along with many other necessities such as pencils, erasers, notebooks, shoes, bags, umbrellas, color pencils, crayons, clothes, etc. Many kind thoughts towards the children were expressed and delivered to us, and now the children are studying everyday with the school supplies provided by people all around the world. It’s been approximately 9 months since the natural disaster. We are now able to pass a close to normal everyday school life, just as we were before the earthquake. Although there is still fear and uneasiness within the children’s’ hearts, we spend everyday with positive thoughts and smiles on our faces. Thanks to people’s encouragement and kind support, it also gave me strength and courage. Someday, just as many people have supported me as a result of this disaster, I wish to be able to express and repay my gratitude in some form. I wonder when the majorly affected prefectures such as Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima are going to recover, and hoping that we all get to see the beautiful horizon of our cities in the near future without the wreckages and scars from this catastrophe. Thank you for everything. Shizue Onodera 6th Grade Teacher Translated by Hiyori Takashima / 10th Grade
<Postscript> We had been agonizing about whether or not to issue this booklet. We had been consulted by school counselors and other special institutions, because the children might remember this time of suffering, so as to write about the massive earthquake and tsunami on 11th March. Moreover, even though they have gradually managed to live a normal life, this action might return their feelings to that day. However, as soon as the tsunami occurred, we have been encouraged by the people, not only in Japan but also in the world, whom we have never met before and still never know. As we have been supported by them, we have been able to proceed our school activities up to now. Although our steps towards recovery have started little by little, we would like to inform you that the steps are firmly forward. This is the reason why we have decided to issue the booklet. There was a lot of school equipment which was broken or washed away by the tsunami. Stationery for study and first-aid equipment for nurses was in short supply. Fortunately, by now, all equipment has steadily been supplied. Some of them have better quality than before. All of these have been sent by those who supported us. They felt our sadness and suffering as if this had happened to them. In addition, when they have sympathised with it, they have also tried to encourage walking towards a new future. As their passion and actions inspired us, our depressed and irritated feelings would have disappeared spontaneously. What we can see now is the light of hope, which is supported by many people. We are grateful that you can feel and touch this state of mind. We do sincerely appreciate all your sympathy, encouragement and huge support. Thank you very much. We will continue to do our best. Deputy Headmaster Koharagi primary school Toshiyuki Saijo Translated by Mayumi Tamura