I apologize to any anxious “followers” for my lack of updates this past week, but after a little vacation this weekend and returning to work today (in Tokyo!), I feel that I finally have the time (and energy) to get back to this. These next couple entries (!/?) will be devoted to recapitulating my time in Sendai, but for those of you dying to hear about the wonderful and magical things that surely happen in a Tokyo office, I promise that a full account is on its way.
The day after our first soup kitchen operation in Minami Sanrikucho (南三陸町) we awoke at 5am to travel to Ishinomaki (石巻), a significantly larger city. Through the various thank you letters and project reports I had read in preceding weeks in Tokyo, I also knew that Ishinomaki was one of the hardest cities after the tsunami, accounting for about a quarter of those killed or still missing. One particular story that came up again and again was about an elementary school which was completely washed away, killing 74 of 108 students and 10 of 13 teachers. I was expecting to enter another warzone.
Instead, we were introduced to different victims of the tsunami - those who were left behind. Our base of operations for the day was in front of the train station, a mile inland and far from derelict – there were already several hundred people lined up when we arrived for food that wouldn’t be prepared for another 4 hours. In addition to tending to AARJ’s supplies – a kakigori machine, two grills, and several hundred slabs of “Aussie Beef” – we helped other volunteer organizations at the scene unload their goods – from soup supplies to sneakers and clothes.
Preparing Aussie Beef. Apparently the two guys on the right were Japanese pro wrestlers. [click to enlarge]
Three girls in conversation over Kakigori (shaved ice and syrup). Too cute not to share. [click to enlarge]
As things got underway it was clear today would be a different type of day. There were many orders of magnitude more people (all told we served 2,000 meals that day), and more volunteer organizations working together as well. It wasn’t long before the event began to feel more like a small town fair than an emergency supply depot – there was free fried food and snow cones, and people got prizes to take home. And most importantly (and what I’ve neglected to tell so far), there was star entertainment for the afternoon, including none other than Japan’s favorite 70s superhero, Kamen Rider!
I hadn’t heard of him either.
He could have totally looked like a normal guy chilling in a track suit, hockey pads, and fabulous red sash if it weren’t his huge moth face. The performance had everything a Japanese rubber-suit action show needs, including bad fighting, corny sound effects, and a villain who looks like a lobster.
Kamen Rider and friends take on dastardly foes. [click to enlarge]
But even with the best efforts of the bright banners and colorful costumes, nothing could overpower the hungry eyes of the people who came; each of whom asked us for a second serving, and to each of whom we had to say no. While the visitors to the soup kitchen the day before seemed to bring with them the even louder echo of those absent, this day I was brought face to the face with the hundreds of thousands left behind, homeless and hungy.
It may take a superhero to defeat Godzilla, but afterwards he rarely sticks around to help the little styrofoam people pick up the pieces their little styrofoam homes (I knew this metaphor was doomed before I started). While Kamen Rider was dancing onstage and giving out Kamen Kicks and Kamen Punches like nobody’s business, I continued to carry out my noble part in the meal assembly line, handing out chopsticks saying a polite “dozo”. I think almost anyone in that line would have traded away their superhero for just one more plate of Aussie Beef. At this point, it would be hard for me to say which one they need more.
Returning to Sendai that evening, Nael and I reacclimatized and took advantage of Japan’s lack of open container laws by knocking back drinks in the park while hanging out with a few Japanese skateboarders Nael had chatted up. After that, we stumbled into a concert by presumably a local college band, featuring all sort of Japanese angsty yelling (and a few Foo Fighters covers thrown in the mix).
What a day.
Picture mid-rage from the concert. [click to enlarge]
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