In March 2012, we set up the indoor playground for the children who could not play outside. We only had some pieces of cardboard. It was the fathers who were caught up in this project first and made the houses for children to play. Then children made paths that connected the houses. Girls opened the shops. Boys made swords and blowguns, rolled cardboard into balls, and began to play baseball and soccer. High school students opened a bank and issued the community currency. The children got the community currency for their produce or their labor. Then they could exchange it with sweets, genuine, not artificial. Don’t you think it’s a good system? What’s more, it is very positive. I encouraged them to do as many jobs as they can to help people and to earn the community currency at the same time.
However, some of the children came up pretending to be bank robbers and even forgers, and the bank went bankrupt in a week. Well, it is a fact of life, isn’t it?
The grown-ups got the timber and started building a tall tower. Once men get doing this sort of frolic, they cannot stop it. High school students and men jumped down from the tower. Watching them carefully, even three-year-old children jumped down from the tower of nearly the height of the ceiling. I think the children are wise. They carefully observe those jumping down, climb up a ladder as high as they think they can, but climb down when it is seemingly difficult. Observing, once again, the grown-ups jumping down, they climb up higher and higher finally to jump down themselves. Watching their children, parents are moved and become very affectionate towards them. They realize their children’s potential and cherish them. Children will stand on their own feet. The Japan’s future will be held steadfast.
Anybody has this “child” in him/her, First of all, regain “child,” i.e. sensitivity as a human, and be gentle and flexible.
There is a growing number of adult and young town planners who have get started on their work. Something unexpected has happened. For example, supplies they needed were delivered the fastest within three hours. Then we say “a god has come.” When there is a growing consciousness of the challenges facing them, they say “Let us do what our country can’t.” They have planned a study tour “Minamisoma bus tour.”
Some visitors said they had got aches and pains in their hearts when they visited the devastated area. There are things that one gets to know only through experiences – making trips to the scene himself/herself.
We have often heard of the stories such as under: Residents of the town met such a visitor on the road by chance, and they poured out their stories to a visitor, which they had kept deep inside their hearts for two years. They could tell their stories to a visitor because he/she is a stranger, the stories that could never be shared with their neighbors or the people concerned. That is why I want that you visit Minamisoma yourselves, know and have heart-to-heart encounters with the people of the town.
Although various events are held on 3.11, there are many who spend the day quietly without doing anything. It is too painful to remember. A tear still rolls down even now. But I think it important to keep this sensitivity. We humans want to forget bad experiences. However, we should not pretend as if nothing happened. If we do so, nothing would happen nor change.
With these experiences of ours in mind, I think we must build a tall tower of “hope” from now on.
Ignoring our present circumstances, the new administration steered for the re-operation of the nuclear power plants. People in general say it would be terrible if the electricity bill goes up. However, we the locals appeal: “Please stop nuclear power generation from now on.” And we would like everyone to join in the chorus of this appeal. We would also like everyone to be aware that “the silence of the good” will mislead Japan.
Finally, I would like to ask you once again to raise your voice: “Please stop nuclear power generation.”