Tea time? - Get some Nambu Tekki ironware

One of Iwate’s most famous local products - Nambu Tekki Ironware - is popular throughout Japan and around the world. Nambu Tekki has been made in and around Morioka for around 400 years. You can watch artisans making this traditional craft at the Iwachu cast-iron works.

 

Iwachu began operations in 1902, and has been making high-quality ironware products ever since. They  specialise in a range of traditional Nambu Tekki products including kettles, teapots, wind chimes and lanterns, as well as modern cookware.

Watching the craftsman work the iron looks like very hot and back-breaking work...

 ... but they make the best tea pots!

Morioka - My old home town

One of my favourite things in Morioka is the Ishiwarizakura, the Rock-splitting Cherry Tree. This tree, which has grown out of a solid granite boulder, is almost 400 years old and has been designated a National Treasure. More importantly, by showing that a single seed can take root and thrive in even the most inhospitable surroundings, the tree symbolises the strength and endurance of the people of Iwate. Looking at what has happened and what they have achieved in the past 6 months, I think this symbol is even more fitting now.

Wandering around the grounds of Hachimangu shrine on a warm August evening, I could hear the echo of taiko drums. This is a very common sound in Morioka during the summer, as the whole city practices for the Sansa Odori festival, held each year at the beginning of August. Sansa Odori is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest gathering of taiko players in the world, with around 10,000 drummers and dancers parading through the city. Although I was too late to see it this year, hearing the children practising taiko in the shrine gardens brought back many wonderful memories of my time in Morioka.

My other favourite things in Morioka

 Mt Iwate and the Kitakami River

 The 16 Buddhist Disciples

  Hachimangu Shrine (the largest shrine in Iwate)

Beautiful skies

 Morioka Reimen

 Nambu senbei - the best rice crackers in the world!

Iwate Prefecture's Basic Reconstruction Plan

The situation 6 months after the tsunami

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami has had a devastating effect on Iwate. To date, almost 4,650 people have been confirmed dead, and almost 2,000 are still missing. Some communities, such as the towns of Otsuchi and Rikuzentakata in southern Iwate, have lost around 10 per cent of their entire population. 

 

Tsunami victims (as a share of the total population)

Almost 30,000 homes were destroyed by the waves. With damage to infrastructure and the loss of local businesses, the prefecture is also facing a huge financial cost.

Total tsunami damage in Iwate, as at 25 August 2011

The numbers are truly staggering. And it made me feel a bit apprehensive about going to the coast later in the week to see the situation for myself.

Iwate’s Reconstruction Plan

The prefecture has put together an 8-year reconstruction plan to rebuild local communities and try to prevent any further loss of life from other disasters that may strike again in the future. Although a top-down plan from the prefecture (with input from many experts), there is scope for individual communities to consult with residents and adapt the plan to suit local conditions.

The three main goals for the reconstruction process are:

1.    Ensuring safety

2.    Rebuilding lives

3.    Rebooting industries

The first goal, ensuring safety, includes things such as removing debris, monitoring radiation levels, constructing coastal protection facilities and improving transport access, community planning, and education. 

 Piles of cars destroyed by the wave. But where to put them all?

To help residents rebuild their lives, the prefecture is providing temporary housing for two years (so that everyone can finally move out of evacuation centres), focusing on job creation and re-training to assist people find employment, and supporting mental health support, especially for children.

The prefecture also plans to reboot local industries, particularly fisheries, agriculture, forestry, retail and tourism. 

I hope they are able to carry out their plan. There were concerns that local plans and operations are being held up by budget delays in Tokyo. On the other hand, however, I imagine the national government wants to make sure that funding is being used in the most effective way, to help all the people in Japan affected by this disaster.

Back to work! – Revisiting Iwate Prefectural Government

It didn’t feel so strange walking back into Iwate kencho, the prefectural government building where I had worked each day for three years. But there were signs that things were different now. The most obvious change was the efforts by everyone to conserve electricity (setsuden). Lights were switched off, so it was noticeably darker in the office. The air conditioning has been switched off all summer, so people have adapted by keeping hand-held fans (uchiwa) at their desks and wearing ‘Ganbaro Iwate’ polo shirts instead of suits. (This year the government is promoting ‘super cool biz’ dress codes, allowing public servants to ditch their suits and wear more casual, cooler clothing in the heat. Many people have taken the opportunity to wear T-shirts with ‘ganbaro’ and other messages of support on them, in a show of solidarity with the people affected by the disaster. )

The Governor of Iwate in super cool biz mode
Source: http://www.pref.iwate.jp/view.rbz?cd=13286&ik=0&of=1

After briefly meeting my successors in the NPO, Culture and International Relations Division, it was off to the Reconstruction Office, to hear about how they are planning to rebuild the coastal communities devastated by the tsunami.

Summer in Japan

I got a very pleasant surprise while riding the Narita Express into Tokyo – a view of the Sumidagawa fireworks! This great Tokyo Summer tradition is usually held on the last Saturday in July. This year, the Sumidagawa and other fireworks festivals around Japan were going to be cancelled (to save money and as part of the more general sombre mood in Japan), just as hanami (picnicking under the cherry blossoms) had also been scaled back earlier this year. Luckily, however, the authorities changed their mind and fireworks festivals, as well as traditional summer festivals such as the Morioka Sansa Odori, have been held all over Japan, helping to cheer up people and bringing communities together.

One of my other favourite things about Japan in summer – rooftop beer gardens!

Ganbaro Japan!

Arriving at Narita Airport on the evening of Saturday, 28 August 2011 (one year since I was last in Japan and ten years since I went on the JET programme) I was struck by how quiet the airport was and how few tourists seemed to be arriving in Japan, compared to this time last year. There had been very few non-Japanese people on my flight, with some of the other Australians I encountered explaining they were just in transit. Of course, this was great for me, as I managed to get through the notorious Japanese immigration queue in less than five minutes, whereas in the past I have waited up to an hour to clear customs. But it was a bit strange.

Later, wandering the streets of Akasaka with friends, we all commented on how eerily quiet it was, without the crowds of people and usual ‘buzz’ of the city. It was also dark – much darker than normal – with shops, restaurants and office buildings turning off their lights to conserve energy. In fact, the lack of bright, neon signs made it difficult for us to find the restaurant we had booked. When they’re not there, you come to realise how much the neon lights have become key landmarks in Tokyo.

Despite the somewhat sombre mood, my main impression from that first night in Tokyo was that everyone is playing their own small part in helping Japan recover from the earthquake. Convenience store employees are wearing ‘ganbaro Japan’ name tags, taxis are covered in ‘ganbaro Tohoku’ stickers, and collection boxes are in shops and hotel lobbies, raising money for the rebuilding efforts. And everyone is saving power.

 

I hope that in some small way, by revisiting Iwate and documenting my experiences there, I too will be able to play a small role in helping the recovery. Ganbaro Iwate!

See more photos of my trip here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150772274820314.724698.749190313&l=3ff811ef83&type=1