1. The nationwide exhibition is coming to an end

December 30, 2012. On this day, a quilt exhibition was being held in Otsuchi Town, a coastal town in Iwate Prefecture that was devastated by the tsunami. There were only two more exhibitions left in Japan. The reconstruction support project using Kids' Message Quilts sent from all over Canada, proposed by Linda Ohama, was also reaching its final stage in Japan. It had been a year and a half since the quilts arrived in Japan in June of the previous year. When I close my eyes, various scenes come back to me.

2. The quilt arrived

June 25, 2011. I received an email from my friend Norm Ibuki who lives in Canada. "Canadian children have written messages on quilts to show support to children in the disaster-stricken areas. A woman named Linda will visit schools in the disaster-stricken areas with the quilts. I'd like you to find someone in Sendai who can help out. Please do so by Sunday." It was a Saturday in Japan, so I only had one day to spare.

At the time, I was living in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. Moreover, I was due to retire in a month, and I was working every day on weekends to sort out the remaining work. "A bird in flight leaves no trace behind." Right now, work is my top priority. Even though I thought that, Norm's request and the images of the disaster area flashed through my mind.

"What should I do?" I felt anxious, but no good ideas came to mind. Time just passed. Then I suddenly remembered the Sendai International Association. It was the base of my volunteer activities until five years ago. I dialed the number with a prayerful heart. I got through to my old acquaintance, Kikuchi-san. When I explained the situation, he suggested I contact GOZAIN, a volunteer interpreter guide group.

I immediately searched for GOZAIN on the internet. "There it is!" I found the phone number of vice-president Gunji-san as a contact. With my hands together, I pressed the push button on the phone. Is this what it means to "grasp at straws"? As I was thinking this, I picked up the receiver and heard a calm voice in my ear. "This is Gunji-san. First, I want you to let me know the situation. Send an email to director Hozawa-san and me."

I quickly wrote an email and sent it out, expressing my heartfelt gratitude. Upon receiving the email, Gunji immediately called out to the members, saying, "July 1st, Yuriage Junior High School. If you can provide an interpreter, please contact us immediately."

3. First visit to the disaster area

Thanks to the interpretation by members who responded to Gunji's request, the opening ceremony of the quilt exhibition at Yuriage Junior High School was successfully completed. In the presence of a member of the Canadian Embassy and the mayor of Natori City, Linda's project got off to a quiet start.

That evening, I headed to Sendai after some work and met Linda for the first time. Our appointment was at a family restaurant in the city. When she showed up, she had a big smile on her face and a friendly demeanor. After a brief self-introduction, I listened to her talk and she mentioned several disaster-hit areas in her plans for the future: "Ishinomaki, Minamisanriku, Kesennuma, Shiogama..." However, when I listened carefully, I realized that these were only places Linda wanted to visit. At that point, the only place she had decided on was Yuriage, which she had already visited. "I want you to help me find places to visit." That was the gist of the conversation.

"That's not what we said!" I swallowed these words and contacted Mr. Hozawa and Mr. Gunji of GOZAIN and explained the situation. The next day, I decided to consult with Mr. Kikuchi of the Sendai International Association. Linda was scheduled to stay in Sendai for about two weeks. When the four of us met, we said we had to make plans to visit during that time, but we had no idea what to do. After a long discussion, we came to the conclusion that we should each try to find someone we knew.

Ms. Hozawa went to Ishinomaki City Osu Junior High School, where her husband's junior colleague is the principal. Ms. Gunji went to Onagawa Town, where her cousin is the mayor. And I went to Oritate Elementary School, which I was introduced to by my acquaintance, city council member Mr. Sato. "I want you to see the quilt messages of support that we received from children in Canada," she said. I negotiated with each of them with a desperate feeling.

Perhaps Linda's enthusiasm, which was a bit like impatience, got through to them. They each said they would accept her. In addition, Gunji also received approval from the evacuation center in Shichigahama Town. Furthermore, guided by another friend of Norm's, Kurosu, they visited Minamizaimokucho Elementary School and Katahira Nursery School. Thus, Linda was able to exhibit at six locations during her stay in Sendai.

4. Subsequent visits to the disaster area

Linda returned to Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture on July 14th. The other members also went to their respective posts. I was the only one who remained. Linda asked me to visit the two disaster-stricken prefectures of Fukushima and Iwate, so I called the international exchange associations, boards of education, and schools in each area that I had found on the Internet every day. I kept asking, "Please show your students messages that will encourage children." However, perhaps due to the confusion after the earthquake, I only got responses like, "We appreciate your kindness, but we would prefer not to exhibit the message." Meanwhile, Linda frequently contacted me, asking, "What happened to Fukushima? What about Iwate?"

August 1st. I retired and came back to Sendai. From that day on, I devoted all my energy to finding places to visit. One time, I visited a temporary town hall in a town that was evacuated due to the nuclear accident. Another time, I visited a shelter. "I don't want to let the kindness of the Canadian people go to waste." With that thought as my backing, I went around asking for exhibitions in various places. As the saying goes, "if you shoot enough times, you'll hit something." Although I was turned down, four places in Fukushima, two in Iwate, and one in Miyagi accepted my request.

5. Quilt exhibitions across the country

On October 13th, messages of support sent by Canadian children and messages of thanks drawn by children in the disaster-stricken areas were exhibited at the Takamadonomiya Memorial Gallery of the Canadian Embassy in Japan. This was the start of quilt exhibitions being held all over the country, in 33 locations in total. This is the result of the efforts of Linda herself and the volunteers, as well as the cooperation of the local executive committees and Nagao-san, the project secretary in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Messages of support for the disaster-stricken areas were also created at many of the locations where the exhibitions were held.

6. Exhibition in Niigata and Sendai

I was in charge of six of the exhibition locations across the country. Among them, Niigata and Sendai had a special attachment to me. Last year, the Tohoku-Kanto Earthquake Volunteer Activities Fund in Niigata Prefecture provided financial assistance for our activities visiting the disaster-stricken areas. The fund is available through the Niigata NPO Association. I wanted to thank the association for their support, and to show my support for the people of Fukushima, who have been evacuated in large numbers due to the nuclear accident. For these two reasons, I really wanted to hold the exhibition in Niigata.

The venue was provided by the Tohoku Japan Canada Association. On July 4th, I contacted the Niigata City Social Welfare Council and asked them to recruit volunteers and an organization to host the quilt exhibition. The council immediately called for participation in their journal. However, there was no response for two months. I was about to give up on holding the event, so I called Yamagishi of the Tohoku Japan Canada Association. However, I got a reply saying, "We have arranged the venue. We have also listed it in the newsletter. Cancellation is not allowed." I was worried. But when Yamagishi said that, there was no turning back. In the worst case scenario, I would have to set up the venue, display the quilts, receive visitors, and take down the quilts all by myself. Just as I was preparing myself for this, I received good news one after another from Niigata University Volunteer Headquarters, Niigata International Aid Student Volunteer Association, and Niigata NPO Association. Each of them said they would send student volunteers.

Encouraged by this, we were able to hold the exhibition for six days from November 6th. During this time, NHK and one local commercial broadcasting station covered the quilt exhibition. However, perhaps due to the bad weather, the number of visitors was only a few. However, this led to an unexpected result. It gave us time to provide attentive, one-on-one service. We showed the visitors a DVD about the support activities in Canada for Japan that took place immediately after the earthquake, and Linda's visit to the disaster-stricken areas, and then explained about quilting. As a result, many people left the exhibition with words of gratitude, saying, "I was able to see something great."

November 10, 2012 at the Niigata venue

The quilt exhibition in Sendai was held for one week from December 18th. The venue was in front of a bus stop in the city's downtown area. It was a location we couldn't have asked for better. We received sponsorship from 12 companies and organizations, and we also notified related parties about the event. Thanks to the arrangements made by Goto of Tohoku Fukushi University, 24 people from the university and thanks to Mr. Hozawa, we also received offers to volunteer for the event from GOZAIN. All that's left is to wait for the day to come.

On the first day of the event, as soon as the doors opened at 10 am, a large number of visitors poured in. From the third day, Linda also attended the venue. She told each visitor an anecdote about the quilt messages and handed out Canadian pin badges and wristbands. After learning about Canada and Linda's support, one disaster victim received the small present presented by Linda and said, overwhelmed with emotion, "This is my treasure. I will never forget this day."

December 17, 2012 at the Sendai venue

About 2,400 quilt messages were displayed at the venue. Each one has a story and contains the individual's thoughts. They represent kindness and compassion, and have reached the depths of the hearts of the people in the disaster-stricken areas. It may take years for the disaster-stricken areas to recover. But the kindness of the Canadian people has nourished the hearts of the people in the disaster-stricken areas, and it feels like the gears of recovery have moved forward one step. It won't be long before we can show the people of Canada the restored disaster-stricken areas. The thank-you messages drawn by children in the disaster-stricken areas speak volumes. The messages will soon reach Canada. To Linda, Norm, and everyone across Canada. This time we are sending them from the disaster-stricken areas. A big, big "Thank You!"

※Related website : http://www.clothletters.com/

(The quilt project, which was started by Linda, has deeply moved people in the disaster-stricken areas and all over the country. As one of the victims and also as someone who has been involved in the project, I have taken up my pen to express my gratitude to the people of Canada.)

© 2013 Tsutomu Nambu