March 11th: Volunteer activities in Ishinomaki

March 11th, 2017.

With the help of Team Kobe, 18 members of the orchestra visited Ishinomaki as volunteers.

Team Kobe's blog has a detailed account of what happened on the day, so please take a look.

In this TYO blog, we would like to share in the words of our volunteer band members themselves what they felt and the changes that have taken place within them after visiting Ishinomaki, a place different to the places I have experienced myself, on the day of March 11th.

3/11 is the most important thing that TYO members have in common, and we must not forget it because we are young. It was good that we were able to see and hear various things so that we can pass them on. However, I feel ashamed that we caused the people on the other side to feel uncomfortable even though we went as volunteers.

Hattori Mikiko

I had visited the coast of Fukushima Prefecture before, but I had never visited the coast of Miyagi properly. I felt that the situation was completely different from Fukushima, even though it was the same coast, and I learned that there are problems that arise because reconstruction is progressing. Although it was a really poor performance, it was very impressive that the residents shed tears during the song, and I would like to continue to create opportunities to do something in this way.

Big Wave Sakura

I was worried about whether people would come to listen to our performance on the day of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and whether it would be good to call it a disaster-stricken area, and I had many other concerns, but the people who came simply thought of 3/11, checked the evacuation routes, and listened to our performance, and I felt that it was okay to spend 3/11 with a simpler attitude.

Akane Hatakeyama

I thought that the people of Ishinomaki are really strong people. Today, I think, was the first time I had finally learned about the "earthquake". I regret that I could not understand the depth of the scars of the earthquake without seeing and feeling it with my own eyes and listening to the stories of those who were forced to experience it. I wish I had realized, understood, and acted sooner. I reflected on myself, who had been self-satisfied with superficial sympathy and empathy.

Yuka Igarashi

The ocean has taken away many things from us, but I think that people don't hate the ocean. By participating this time, I have come to love music even more.

Mone Fukuzumi

I thought I should reconsider 3.11. When I was talking to residents, they said that although disaster prevention benches are certainly useful, physical labor is difficult in areas with many elderly people, and I thought that made sense. So I started to think concretely about the need to listen more to the voices of those around me and convey them as well.

Ao Nishino

To be honest, I thought the atmosphere would be much darker. In reality, everyone was cheerful and strong. But when I thought about what the people of Ishinomaki had been through, I felt a sense of respect for the residents, although I can't really put it into words.

Aoi Nogi

The shock I received in the tsunami-affected areas was greater than I had imagined. In particular, the view of Ishinomaki's streets from the evacuation shelter on the upper floors of disaster-recovery housing made me realize the current state of disaster recovery. It was even worse than what I had learned in social studies. I also felt grateful to be able to perform in such a place, and seeing people in tears after the performance made me feel like I had conveyed my feelings. And seeing the people who had been "affected" by the tsunami right in front of me, I realized that it's not easy to think of yourself as a "victim." You can only be a "victim" if you properly understand what a disaster is. And I thought that the people I met in Ishinomaki were able to do that.

Akama Sora

The local people were more cheerful and positive than I expected. They sang along with me while listening to my performance, but more than that, when I spoke to them, they asked me, "It's cold, isn't it?" and told me about the weather and its characteristics, things unique to Ishinomaki, and things unique to the people of that area. They spoke to me so cheerfully, even though it was their first time meeting me. I was surprised that in that moment, my worries about what would happen if they gave me a displeased look disappeared. The warmth of the local people, who treated me so kindly even though I had never met them before, touched my heart.

Hideaki Abe

Until now, their thinking was, "I want to convey the hardships that werefallen them during the earthquake so that they don't fade away," but through this activity, their thinking has changed to, "I want to convey that they have overcome their hardships and are trying to move forward in a positive way."

Hikari Sato

I had always wondered if there was anything I could do to help with the recovery effort, but seeing the people involved and those who receive their help made me keenly aware of the importance of continuing to be there for them. I want to think more about what I can do.

Tomoko Saito

Until now, whenever March 11th came around, I didn't want to remember what it was like back then, so I tried to avoid listening to other people's experiences. However, by participating in this event and listening to the stories of many people, I realized that rather than avoiding the topic of the earthquake, it is important to listen carefully, take it in, and then pass it on to others.

Yuko Yamazaki

I thought everyone was cheerful and strong. I got a good understanding of life in the disaster-stricken areas, and I'd like to go back if I get the chance.

Takashi Chiba

I think it was a very positive thing that the elementary, middle, and high school members were able to visit the disaster area and interact with the local people. I think it will be important for the university students to let these children experience it without being too proactive, in terms of conveying the youth's future activities (so that they can convey it to future children who will be entering elementary school in April and will not know about the earthquake).

Momo Hasegawa

The group is not well known. Without name recognition, it is unclear whether the group is accepted in the local community. Perhaps people think that they are just using the Tohoku region's name to do whatever they want. This time, the main activity was not performance, so I don't know if the people in the places we visited felt that their participation was beneficial. Even if the main activity was not performance, we are a group that performs, so I think that if we were to do other activities beyond that, we should have at least focused on the performance. I wanted to create something even better in preparation for the concert that is about to begin.

Kyohei Kato

I realized that you can't really understand the current state of the recovery in Minato district, which is much more sparse than you would think, and the feelings and emotions of the local people unless you go there in person. It's important to watch programs and books related to the earthquake disaster as hard as you can and donate money, but I felt that it's more important than anything to see the current situation with your own eyes.

Mizuki Sone

The stories of the local people (especially the elderly) were very vivid, and to be honest, it was hard to listen to. But it made me realize that it really happened. I live inland, so I wasn't affected by the tsunami. At the time, the tsunami was being broadcast on TV. It was so fast that I can still remember it vividly. Just seeing the people of Ishinomaki (and it wasn't just the people of Ishinomaki) in that situation made my heart ache.

Itagaki Nazuna

"Singing is great. It's been a while since I sang so freely," she said. "I'm glad I came because I can listen to this kind of music right in front of me," said the old lady. Music has great energy. Communicating, connecting, and continuing to be there for others. I've been practicing this since last year, but I'm keenly aware of the difficulty and weight of communicating and being there for others. Everyone's situation is different. So are their aspirations and their sense of justice. However, it's also true that overreaching yourself will only cause trouble. For better or worse, I think it's important to continue to do "student-like" activities. It doesn't have to be "thick," it's important to be "thin and long."

Yuto Nakamura

The idea and value of "being close to the local residents" seems to be a great asset that was gained from participating in Tohoku Youth, and is a different aspect to promoting music.

Please look forward to the Tohoku Youth Orchestra as they prepare for their Concert 2017.