Far away from Namie Town (clarinetist Ayaka Takamatsu's case)

Following on from our last interview with flute player Momoka Kanno , we conducted an individual interview with another member of the orchestra who is originally from Namie Town.

At the beginning of this year, we asked all members to fill out a profile questionnaire. In addition to their current address and home address, we added a column for their hometown. The person who answered "Namie Town" was Ayaka Takamatsu, a fourth-year student at a music college in Tokyo. She has been a member of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra since last year.

I was eager to hear her share her experiences, so I spoke to her during the lunch breaks at the joint practice session in June and during breaks between practices , but the content was far too much to fit into the limited time. I ended up taking the time to listen to her again, and it became clear to me that music college students lead busy lives. After the summer holidays began, I was finally able to make time to meet her in Shimokitazawa on a weekday in late July, and we spoke for about two hours.

Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture . The town is located only about 4km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The evacuation order for part of the town was lifted on March 31st last year.

Thank you for making time for me today. Once again, please tell us where you were and what you were doing on 3/11.

I was in the second year of junior high school, and because it was my graduation day, I came home early and didn't go to school. Instead of going to my house, I went to my grandmother's house, which was about a five-minute walk away.
At first, I thought it was just a normal earthquake, like any other, but the shaking got stronger and longer, and I was shocked that it was a really big earthquake. Luckily, none of the furniture fell over, but things did, so I opened the front door and secured an evacuation route so that I could escape. When I went outside the house, it was terrible. Tiles had come off and fallen onto the roof of the carport, and the block wall in front of the entrance had collapsed. It was a residential area, so all the residents came outside and it was chaotic.

What happened after that? Was there a power outage?

The power went out at my grandmother's house, so the only information we had until we could meet up with my parents was earthquake information on our cell phones.

How did you meet your family?

The family business is exterior construction, and the parents were at a work site in Tomioka Town. The work site was close to the sea, so when the tsunami came, they had to evacuate in a hurry, and drove back by car, driving along the mountain roads that they don't usually take. I heard they don't even remember which road they took. The parents first went to the apartment where they lived to pick up their dogs, two dachshunds and a Pomeranian, and then came to my grandmother's house with luggage to help them evacuate.
In fact, my grandfather was a bus driver at the Tomioka nuclear power plant. He drove the shuttle buses and operated the facility. Around four or five in the evening, my grandfather came home and said, "The nuclear power plant must have been hit by the tsunami, too."
There were frequent aftershocks, so we were scared and gathered at night at the home of my elderly uncle and aunt who live nearby and can no longer drive. The uncle was 90 years old and the aunt was 84 years old. We brought lots of rice that we had cooked in our apartment, which still had electricity.
Then, at night, a member of the fire brigade came and told us to evacuate immediately. They didn't mention the nuclear power plant clearly, just vaguely told us to evacuate.

I don't know why, but I was just told to run away.

I later heard that evacuation orders were issued to Namie Town earlier than to Tomioka Town, for example.

Where did you run off to?

Many people in Namie evacuated to the Tsushima area, which was further north, but we fled to Reizan, where my mother's youngest brother lives. There were seven humans and three dogs, and five of us in the house that welcomed us. The nuclear plant had already exploded, so we couldn't go back, and we ended up staying there for a week. However, with 12 people and three dogs, life was a struggle, and of course some people had to sleep in the dining room. We had rice that we had brought with us when we fled, and rice and vegetables that we received from farmers in the area, so we had plenty to eat, but we were all unfamiliar with the lifestyle, and everyone became emotionally unstable, and it was difficult. My mother's brother was in the Self-Defense Forces, so he was called out for search operations and every time there was an aftershock, and it looked like it was very difficult. In the end, we couldn't stay there for long, so I, my elderly uncle and aunt, and I evacuated to Tokyo. It was my aunt's daughter's house.
My grandparents were taken care of by my mom's other brother, who lives in Fukushima City and is also a member of the Self-Defense Forces. My mom and dad went with their dog to the home of my dad's relatives who live in Saitama. They also had a dog, so they were able to take them in.

We all fell apart.

Life in Tokyo became so difficult for me that I could no longer bear it, so in mid-April I moved to my grandparents' evacuation home in Fukushima City.
My mom and dad worked in Iwaki City, so they drove two and a half hours every day to Iwaki to find a job and a house. We finally found a place to live, moved to Iwaki City, and were able to transfer to a junior high school in Iwaki City after Golden Week in May. After that, we only received one contact from the junior high school in Namie to check on my safety.
My grandfather moved to Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture to work at the nuclear power plant, and my grandmother moved to her hometown of Iwaki City.

How was Takamatsu's life in Iwaki City?

I was the only student from the evacuation area at the new Iwaki City junior high school. I thought I would never fit in. It was a mammoth school with about 10 classes per grade. Fortunately, I made about two friends in my class in the third year of junior high school.

I only see my friends from Namie when I go to the evacuation sites in Fukushima City and Nihonmatsu City. By coincidence, a classmate from elementary school is now a university student in Tokyo and lives at the same station along the Odakyu Line as where I live now, so I see him often.

Have you been to Namie Town many times since 3/11?

Two years after the accident, when I was a high school freshman, I went home wearing protective clothing. I went to see my house and my grandmother's house. And I went to get some important things. My favorite manga and books, "Shaman King," as well as the instruction books and sheet music I used at the time. I played the saxophone until junior high school.
There was no one there, even though there should have been people there. Grass was overgrown everywhere. There was no sign of anyone in the neighborhood, and it was scary, as if I was being confronted with the reality that no one had really left this place, and they would never be able to come back. Before going back, we visited our ancestors' graves and pulled out the weeds as a family.

After that, I returned to Namie Town twice. Three years ago, when I was a freshman at university, I received a message from my junior high school saying that they would be returning my personal belongings. I didn't care about the paints and other things I had left at the school because I couldn't use them anymore, but I went to Namie to pick up the sheet music I had left in the brass band club room.

(Grandma's house before it was demolished)

The third time was last March, when the public housing apartment where my family lived was going to be rebuilt, and I wanted to see it before it was demolished.

When did you start playing an instrument, Takamatsu?

I started playing the saxophone when I was in the third grade of elementary school. I joined the brass band in Namie Junior High School. I transferred to Iwaki in the third grade of junior high school and joined the brass band again, but I couldn't get used to it. There were a lot of members, over 100. We were strong, so everyone competed with each other, and there were auditions for parts, and before I knew it, I had become a ghost member.
But I practiced at home and music was my escape route. It helped me to release stress. I didn't have to think about anything as long as I was playing my instrument, so I could focus on music and distract myself from the stress of being in a different environment.
I also joined the brass band at my high school in Iwaki. I actually wanted to continue playing the saxophone, but there was no one to play the clarinet, so I lost out at rock-paper-scissors and ended up playing the clarinet. The other person had switched from double bass, so I ended up playing first clarinet. From then on, I struggled to keep up and it was a struggle. The club was a small group of 15 or 16 people, and the seniors were kind, so I was able to fit in very well. I was reluctant at first, but I ended up doing well on the clarinet.

How did the experience of 3/11 change your life, Takamatsu-san?

Actually, it was a good opportunity for me.
When I was in Namie, I was a little absent from school, but my living environment changed completely, and although it was difficult to get used to it, it changed my mood.
If I had stayed in my hometown, there was only one high school nearby, so I might have dropped out and become a NEET by now.
Iwaki High School was a good choice for me.

I hear that people in Iwaki City have a unique temperament, even within Fukushima Prefecture.

She's very straightforward and has a strong competitive spirit. They call her a Hama-kko. Most of the people I've seen in the Tohoku Youth Orchestra before are people who were in the same venue as me at the brass band competition in my high school days. I remember tuba player Tomizawa-san very well.

Did you ever feel like going back to your hometown?

I had no intention of going back to Namie. It takes about an hour to get there on the highway, but I had no desire to go back.
At first, I had mixed feelings, wondering why I couldn't go home even though I was so close. Why did I have to be so mentally unsettled? But then I got into high school and got busy with the brass band, and I didn't have time to think about it. I didn't have time to think about unnecessary things. I got to the point where I realized there was no point in hesitating about it.

What kind of activities do you want to do with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra?

At the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, we want to convey to future generations what happened in the past. And the hardships of the nuclear accident that occurred. However, we managed to recover from it. I hope people will deepen their understanding from various angles, not just from what is in the media. The crafty ones were able to earn money to live, but that's only a small part of it. I don't want people to think that way just because I'm from Namie.
They were bullied and shunned, with comments like, "It must have been hard, but you were getting paid," and "You're a refugee, aren't you?" Even though this was caused by human error. I want to say, "If you've experienced it, you'll understand how painful it is." Some people were considerate enough to not use the washing machine at their evacuation site, and instead went to the laundromat outside. That's how considerate they were.

Fortunately, I was not asked for money. Some of the people in the host village said, "You guys have money. We are hosting them, but you have nothing." When money is involved, it gets complicated. But there is a reason why they are given money. I want people to think from their perspective.

So I would like to spread the word and share this experience with people who didn't actually experience it. I think it's important to share the war experiences of Okinawa, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki.

Since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, we have come so far as to be able to return to the town. It is moving to see how much things have changed. Even in the past, the war turned the place into burnt wasteland, and it has changed from such a terrible place. As someone who has experienced something that I couldn't do even if I wanted to, I want to share that experience.

What do you think about reconstruction?

The accident is still ongoing. I think recovery is coming, but it's not complete yet. However, there are people who think that recovery is complete. I think the number of people who think that way is increasing. I myself sometimes forget about it, but I want people to think about the people involved in the accident.

I really want them to take strong measures against nuclear power plants. It's about preparing for disasters. If we don't, I think the same thing will happen again.

How is the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's performance going?

It's hard, but fun. I've always been in wind instruments, so I guess it's different from a full orchestra. It requires an understanding of the composition of the music and sensitivity. Until my second year at university, I played in small groups.
So when we're playing the climax of a piece with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, I get goosebumps when we're all in sync and we're all just happy to be playing together. Ah, I can really feel how good it feels.

What is your impression of director Ryuichi Sakamoto?

Director Sakamoto is so amazing that it's scary (laughs). My father is from the YMO generation, so he often says to me, "Do you realize what amazing people you're surrounded by?"
Of course, I had known about and liked "The Last Emperor" and "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" for a while.
There's something different about his aura. When I think about performing with him, I feel a sense of tension I've never felt before.

What do you think of the main piece this time, Brahms' Symphony No. 2?

The previous Debussy and Stravinsky pieces were difficult, but "Brahmen's No. 2" is also difficult. It's a challenging piece and I'm learning a lot. It reminds me of the sonata form I learned in class in my first year of college. It's hard to learn about the structure of music even if you learn it at school, but there are many things you can understand by actually playing it.

In the end, I was able to listen to Takamatsu-san's story for two hours. Thank you very much. In fact, I heard some experiences that were even more moving and wrenching, but I decided that making those stories public now would not be good for anyone involved. It is not a case of "special consideration." Neither Takamatsu-san nor I are in the business of exposing the dark side of humanity, so we simply "omitted" them.
As someone who has unintentionally come to know Takamatsu-san's life in depth over the last 20 years, I feel that his transfer to a school in Iwaki City, joining the brass band club, and then his "rock-paper-scissors loss" in the assignment of his instrument to play were all major turning points. It was just one game of rock-paper-scissors. It relates to the issue of "chance" that I am always exploring. That game of rock-paper-scissors that he happened to lose ultimately turned Takamatsu-san's life around. It was precisely because he lost that he was able to devote himself to the clarinet, which he was not initially keen on. Perhaps "luck" is the ability to turn chance into your ally from a broader perspective, without being swayed by the obvious immediate emotions of winning or losing. "The goddess of luck only has bangs."

Even so, her experiences, perceptions, and feelings were different from those of Momoka Kanno, a flute player from the same town of Namie whom I introduced in my previous article . However, what they have in common is a strong feeling that such man-made accidents must never be repeated.

"I actually don't like having my picture taken," said Takamatsu with a laugh, but they took the opportunity to take a commemorative photo in the streets of Shimokitazawa where construction is progressing.

Once again, we would like to express our heartfelt condolences to those affected by the heavy rains that hit Western Japan. If there is anything the Tohoku Youth Orchestra can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact us.
I pray that we can return to our normal lives soon.

We appreciate your continued support for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.