一般財団法人 連帯 東北・西南 RENTAI TOHOKU-SEINAN

一般財団法人 連帯 東北・西南 RENTAI TOHOKU-SEINAN

  • 日本語
  • English
  • Francais
  • Deutsch
  • 中国語



2024年03月
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            

Archives

2016.12.19 21:36

Curry Event(12/18 2016 at Sandanbashiri Kohoku Temporary Housing Estate, Ishinomaki, Miyagi)

On Sunday December 18, we cooked and served "Tomodachi Curry ®" and had a great time with the residents of Sandanbashiri Kouhoku Temporary Housing Estate, Ishinomaki, Miyagi. It was the third event at the estate since the first curry event in April 2014.

2016-Dec-18-img1.jpg 2016-Dec-18-img2.jpg

Although when we left our office in Senmaya, the surrounding area was covered with thin snow, we arrived and found the Ishinomaki area sunny and nicely warm: a good start of the day. Some residents kindly helped us preparing ingredients for curry and we enjoyed lively conversation and worked together in a homely atmosphere.

2016-Dec-18-img3.jpg 2016-Dec-18-img4.jpg

The order to add and stir-fry the ingredients in the pot is always the key to delicious curry. Therefore those who prepare ingredients and the pot keeper have to work in smooth coordination. As always, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Sugawara from Hiraizumi, everything went without a single hitch.

2016-Dec-18-img5.jpg 2016-Dec-18-img6.jpg

Tomodachi Curry ® was ready as planned before noon. As our aim was to encourage people to communicate with each other while enjoying food, the curry was only served to people who could come and have meal together in the meeting room. Like the previous gathering, we had many residents in the meeting room and had a great time.

2016-Dec-18-img7.jpg 2016-Dec-18-img8.jpg

After lunch, one of the residents sang some songs playing the guitar and everyone enjoyed the time spent together. To watch the movie of the event, click the picture below.

It was thanks to Mr. Takeyama that the series of events started in the first place. We became acquainted with him when we donated the statue of Angel at former Okawa Primary School. Now that five years have passed since the earthquake, Mr. Sata and the foundation staff are all happy to see that Mr. Takeyama is gradually overcoming the calamity and shows his smiles every now and then.

2016-Dec-18-img9.jpg 2016-Dec-18-img10.jpg

It appears that as part of the permanent housing program for the earthquake victims, a new housing estate for residents of Santanbashiri temporary houses are to be completed in 2017. Rentai Tohoku and Seinan are going to continue our emotional support until everyone moves in the new estate. We wish a good health and happiness to the residents of Santanbashiri temporary housing estate, and we hope they will be able to resume the usual life swiftly.

Categories:Staff reports

2016.12.19 21:36 admin

2016.07.10 14:15

Play with Kids Event (7/9 2016 at Rikuzentakata City, Iwate)

On Saturday July 9th, 2016, we hosted an event for children at Otomo Town, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate. Mr. Yuichi Murakami, a resident of Otomo Town, helped us make arrangements for the event, from planning, finding both the venue and the boat, and food preparation. Mr. Murakami has been a great supporter to our activities since the establishment of our Foundation.

2016-Jul-09-img1.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img2.jpg

Although our initial plan was to have a barbecue at the harbor, due to incessant rain which continued from early morning, we were forced to change our venue and set up a makeshift rain hood under the eaves of a building. There was another mishap and we discovered that some of the barbecue tools including charcoal plates were left behind when we packed. Luckily, someone found a few pieces of galvanized sheets to use as substitutes of the missing charcoal plates.

2016-Jul-09-img3.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img4.jpg

Some women got together to prepare food indoors and the Foundation's members who were outdoor-savvy built a fire outside. The preparation went smoothly and we waited for the arrival of the invited children.

The event was originally planned to provide children living at an institution with an opportunity to experience fishery. Although there were some obstacles to materialize our plan, Mr. Kinno, who were sympathetic to our idea, took the trouble to convey our thoughts to the institution and convinced the management. At ten o'clock, 19 children and 6 staff members from the institution arrived at Otomo Harbour and the event started.

2016-Jul-09-img5.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img6.jpg

Kids were all excited seeing ocean-fresh scallops landed from Mr. Murakami's fishing boat, Tenryu Maru. The volunteer members watching them were also full of expectation-- perhaps we could eat some barbecued scallops?

2016-Jul-09-img7.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img8.jpg

Ignoring the adults who were contemplating only about food, the children divided into two groups. One group went for fishing and the other got on the boat. The Foundation member who loved fishing as a hobby put baits on hooks for children. He was probably more enjoying himself than anyone else.

2016-Jul-09-img9.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img10.jpg

As the capacity of the boat was limited for safety reasons, it was dozen or so children who enjoyed the 40-minute cruise. During the cruise, Mr. Murakami, the captain, skilfully disassembled sea squirts, washed them with seawater and let the children taste some marine delicacy. On land, Mr. Murakami was a gentle, fatherly figure who smiled all the time but once getting on the boat, he transformed into a cool man of the sea with a stern look. The children who got on the boat enjoyed the cruise greatly and exchanged high-fives with Mr. Sata, the board chairman of the Foundation, as they left the boat.

2016-Jul-09-img11.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img12.jpg

The excited children, dragging exhausted Taher, walked the short distance from the harbor to the barbecue site where they discovered scallops, oysters and meat all ready for barbecue. (The great amount of scallops they saw at the harbor all arrived for barbecue.)

2016-Jul-09-img13.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img14.jpg

The staff member who cooked pan-fried noodles was also an outdoor enthusiast and he looked far happier than his usual self clad in a business suit. Mr. Sugawara, the former mayor of Hiraizumi Town happily barbecued scallops and oysters for everyone. He always joined us with his wife and the couple is now a popular fixture of our events.

2016-Jul-09-img15.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img16.jpg

It was two teachers from Hanaizumi Junior High School who grilled meat. They have been helping us at several Tomodachi Curry® events since they met Taher when he had a lecture at the school. Taher and the teachers are now good friends and three of them drove together to and from the venue.

2016-Jul-09-img17.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img18.jpg

The barbecue site was filled with hot, delicious smell and the children could no longer stay still. They squealed for joy when they saw hair crabs brought in.

2016-Jul-09-img19.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img20.jpg

Kids loved barbecued meat and seafood, and almost forgot about the existence of Taher because he was not cooking his usual curry this time. However, as if he was determined to win back people's attention to himself, he started to grill his wife's specialty spicy chicken. It was the chicken Mrs. Taher marinated overnight in her authentic spicy sauce. Half of the chicken was less spicy so that children could enjoy also. The rest was seasoned with more spices and peppers to suite adults' taste buds. Our volunteer staff members quickly devoured the delicious meat.

2016-Jul-09-img21.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img22.jpg

When the meal was over, Mr. Murakami, who had been anxiously watching over the barbecue site to see if everyone was happy, looked relaxed. Mr. and Mrs. Sugawara grilled oysters up till the end.

2016-Jul-09-img23.jpg 2016-Jul-09-img24.jpg

When it came to a summer barbecue, we could not miss our traditional watermelon splitting game. Everyone tried to hit the watermelon in turn from the youngest to the oldest but it was not as easy as expected. The high school student who tried at the end managed to split the fruit at last. For many of us, it was the first game of watermelon splitting in a very long while. We enjoyed it thoroughly no matter the age.

Following the game of watermelon splitting, the children who were enthralled by fishing in the morning asked if they could also get on the boat. As the rain stopped, the second round cruise was pleasant under the cloudy sky. Some of the kids were lucky enough to get on the boat twice. All of them were ever so excited and yelped with delight. They pumped their fists together at the end of the cruise with wonderful smile.

Although our means are limited, Rentai Tohoku Seinan is going to continue various activities with growing number of local supporters to help those suffered by the earthquake in Tohoku become self-reliant once again.

Categories:Staff reports

2016.07.10 14:15 admin

2016.04.25 14:03

Joining Meal Services (4/23-24, 2016 at Mashiki Town, Kumamoto)

On April 14th and 16th, 2016, central Kumamoto was struck by two consecutive powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.3. Humanity First Japan, a volunteer group organized by the Ahmadiya Muslim Community Japan based in Nagoya, was immediately dispatched and arrived in Mashiki Town, Kumamoto to undertake relief activities on April 17th. Mashiki Town was one of the most severely damaged areas in quake-struck Kumamoto by the two major earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher. Japan has never seen an earthquake which involves two consecutive quakes of that magnitude since 1949 when magnitude 7.0 was first introduced to the Japan Meteorological Agency magnitude scale.

2016-Apl-22-img1.jpg 2016-Apl-22-img2.jpg

On April 20th, more HFJ rescue teams were dispatched by both the AMCJ Nagoya Headquarters and Tokyo Office and they arrived in Mashiki Town with food for 5000 people. As Syed Tahir who works for our Foundation had been closely cooperating with Humanity First Japan in Tohoku, he joined them in the evening on April 22nd to help their meal services.

2016-Apl-22-img3.jpg 2016-Apl-22-img4.jpg

The rescue team was based in the Mashiki Town Hall and cooked curry and served hot meals to many evacuees sheltering at nearby evacuation centers. Although they could serve bean curry only immediately after their arrival in the wrecked town, luckily, they found and purchased 36 kilograms of chicken at a supermarket and were able to serve chicken curry on the 23rd and 24th, which coincided with the weekend, to cheer up the evacuees a little.

As the number of volunteers of Humanity First Japan was limited, they worked hard in rotation. Fortunately, some sophomores from nearby universities volunteered to help, they were able to serve curry in time for lunch.

After April 25th, fresh volunteers started to pour in from all over Japan and as their number was increasing, the Humanity First Japan teams went back to Nagoya. Seyed Taher also left Kumamoto.

Click the link below to see the movie by the Ahmadiya Muslim Community Japan.
http://ahmadiyyaarchive.org/video/hZU2XDbyO3g

For more information about the Ahmadiya Muslim Community Japan, click the link below.
http://www.ahmadiyya-islam.org/jp/

Click the pictuer below to see a movie of the relief activity in Mashiki Town.

Categories:Staff reports

2016.04.25 14:03 admin

2016.03.12 14:02

Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Memorial Service on the sea (3/11 2016 at Otomo Town, Rikuzentakata City)

On March 11, 2016 (Fri), the fifth anniversary of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, we held a memorial service for the victims of the earthquake on the sea near Otomo town, Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. Mr. Yuichi Murakami offered meticulous support to the event, from planning, the arrangement of both the venue and the boat for the ceremony, and even food preparation for the after-party "Naorai". We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Murakami and Mr. Teruo Toba, the chairperson of the neighbourhood association, for their generous help.

2016-Mar-11-img1.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img2.jpg

Before the memorial service, as usual, we cooked "Tomodachi curry" for lunch under the instruction of Taher. At 9 o'clock, our team was warmly welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Murakami and Mr. Toba. After the quick exchange of greetings, we started preparation of the meal.

2016-Mar-11-img3.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img4.jpg

Following the opening speech by Yasuhiko Sata, Board Chairperson of the Foundation, Mr. Yugi Iinuma, who is a Sendai based local historian made a speech as a special guest. Mr. Iinuma is known for his books and articles which reveal historical facts suggesting that the Sendai Plain has been hit by 12 tsunamis with a period of 180-220 years during the past 2000 years. Although he had issued warnings more than a few times about the government's insufficient disaster-prevention measures, his alerts had been completely ignored until the occurrence of 311. Mr. Iinuma continues to sound the alarm about tsunami which will inevitably hit the Japanese coast line sometime in the future.

His valuable advice was followed by a speech by Mr. Toba, the chairman of the neighbourhood association, and finally, "Tomodachi curry" was served.

2016-Mar-11-img5.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img6.jpg

Although there was a limited time before the memorial service, thanks to the sunny and warm weather, tables on the terrace started to fill up quickly. The tables outside appeared to be more popular than the tables inside the building and everyone enjoyed their meals even for the short time. 18 kg of chicken was generously donated by Mr Keishi Onodera (former chairman of the local Rotary Club) and 20 litres of fresh milk was, as ever, kindly offered by Mr. Nobuaki Sudo from Senmaya to make spiced tea.

2016-Mar-11-img7.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img8.jpg

The lunch was followed by the prayers for the repose of the souls of the disaster victims, led by religious representatives. A series of prayers started from Mr Ritsu Sato, chief priest of Kumano Shrine. The chief priest, the board chairman, Mr. Toba and representatives of the townspeople offered prayers individually, followed by the collective prayer by the entire attendees.

2016-Mar-11-img9.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img10.jpg

Master Eigo Takahashi, abbot of Kokuseki-ji temple read a sutra, and finally, Sayed Taher from the Foundation, read the Quran and beautifully chanted Adhan toward the sea as a representative of Muslims. Thus, the prayers for the tsunami victims were offered beyond religious or national borders.

2016-Mar-11-img11.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img12.jpg

After the ceremony, the party moved to the port and a small group of people got on Tenyo-maru, a fishing boat owned by Mr. Yuichi Murakami. For safety reasons, only a limited number of people including Mr. Sato, the chief priest of Kumano shrine, took the boat.

2016-Mar-11-img13.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img14.jpg

On the boat, at a sign from the captain of the boat, the group threw flowers in the sea in remembrance of the dead and paused for a moment of silence.

2016-Mar-11-img15.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img16.jpg

Those who stayed behind at the port waited till 14:46, the instant of the quake, and observed a moment of silence with Master Fujinami.

2016-Mar-11-img17.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img18.jpg

After the memorial ceremony on the sea, the participants joined a traditional party called "Naorai" and enjoyed home cooked food and local delicacies of the sea.

2016-Mar-11-img19.jpg 2016-Mar-11-img20.jpg

Mr. and Mrs. Yasuo Yosikawa from SWTJ (SOLIDARITY WITH TOHOKU, JAPAN) based in Shiga Prefecture joined the event and brought a variety of delicious western food for the party.

A story of the event appeared in Iwate Nippo with some photographs.

Iwate Nippo dated 3/12, 2016

岩手日報記事_160312_03.jpg

Categories:Staff reports

2016.03.12 14:02 admin

2016.01.24 10:12

Curry Event (01/23 2016 at Kaisei Temporary Housing Complexes, Ishimonaki, Miyagi)

On January 23rd (Sat), we organised the first "Tomodachi Curry®" event in 2016 at Nikkori Sunpark Temporary Housing Complex in Jusanhama Village, Kitakami, Ishinomaki, Miyagi and had a great time with the residents.

2016-Jan-23-img1.jpg 2016-Jan-23-img2.jpg

We held "Tomodachi Curry®" event at Nikkori Sunpark in April 2015 and this was our second visit.

2016-Jan-23-img3.jpg 2016-Jan-23-img4.jpg

From early in the morning, we did the preparation in the meeting room of the Complex with help from residents of the building. As it was the second time round, guests came to help us without feeling shy and everyone enjoyed the cooking.

We prepared naan bread instead of rice to serve with curry and the spiced tea we made after meal was greatly enjoyed by everyone. As ever, 20 litres of fresh milk to make tea was generously donated by Mr Nobuaki Sudo from Senmaya, Ichinoseki.

One of the residents sang some songs playing guitar after the meal and we truly had a good time. The movie of the event can be watched from the link.

Categories:Staff reports

2016.01.24 10:12 admin

Information

Staff reports

Field-based staff blog

Latest articles

  • 13 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake at Senmaya International Club
  • Green&White Day in Senmaya (2023/5/21 Senmaya Iwate)
  • Pre-festival dinner with locals (2023/5/20 Senmaya International Club)
  • Notice of Green & White Day in Senmaya
  • Lecture and Dinner with Local Residents (11/03/2023 Senmaya International Club)
  • Tree Planting Ceremony and Angel Statue Installation Ceremony (11/03/2023 Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture)
  • Visit to Former Okawa Elementary School and Chishouin Temple (10/03/2023 Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture and Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture)
  • Lunch and Dinner with Residents, Walk in the Hanganmori 1/11/2022,Kurikoma,Kurihara City,Miyagi
  • Haibuden Inauguration Ceremony (1/11/2022, Kurikoma, Kurihara City, Miyagi)
  • Dinner with Local Residents and Visit to Chishouin Temple (31/10/2022-1/11/2022, Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture)