{"id":1810,"date":"2011-06-13T13:41:16","date_gmt":"2011-06-13T12:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=1810"},"modified":"2015-06-29T17:31:35","modified_gmt":"2015-06-29T16:31:35","slug":"sludge-shoveling-in-ishinomaki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2011\/06\/13\/sludge-shoveling-in-ishinomaki\/","title":{"rendered":"Sludge shoveling in Ishinomaki"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>I recently completed\u00a0seven days volunteer work with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBsaigai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Japan-based non-profit organization Peace Boat<\/a>.\u00a0 I was part of an international group of 6\u00a0volunteers \u2013 British, Japanese, Irish and Vietnamese.\u00a0 Complete strangers at the start, the nature of our work and life in Ishinomaki brought us together.\u00a0\u00a0We barely lost sight of each other all week.<\/p>\n<p>Our day started outside in the courtyard with <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jqV2B6lNpM4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rajio\u00a0taiso<\/a><\/em>, a slightly camp but addictive\u00a0musical warm-up exercise. \u00a0We shoveled sludge from 8-5, then washed our tools and work-clothing before re-entering the base.\u00a0 Most evenings we cooked and ate together.\u00a0 For the benefit of others, I helped with eating rather than cooking.<\/p>\n<p>Our home for the week was a square of small plastic-covered tatami mats in the corner of Kasuka\u00a0Fashion, a two storey building which is a base for Peace Boat relief operations in Ishinomaki.\u00a0 The base is just 1km from the sea, on the edge of a vulnerable flat bed of land that the tsunami swallowed up three months ago.<\/p>\n<p>The homes around Kasuka have been affected in one of three ways: those completely washed away, those damaged but still standing, and those structurally unhurt but with <em>hedoro<\/em> (sludge washed in by the tsunami) piled up inside.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1820\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1820\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cycling-to-work1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1820\" title=\"Cycling to work at the Endo&#96;s home.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cycling-to-work1.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cycling-to-work1.jpg 658w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cycling-to-work1-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cycling-to-work1-390x267.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1820\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cycling to work at the Endo`s home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Our group specialized in removing this <em>hedoro<\/em>.\u00a0 Handling <em>hedoro<\/em>\u00a0is a curious experience.\u00a0 It smells like seawater, can be toxic, and looks like dark chocolate mousse.\u00a0 Carefully avoiding the temptation to taste some, we shoveled it into sandbags which we took onto the road to await collection.<\/p>\n<p>It was not always straightforward work.\u00a0 <em>Hedoro<\/em> is a stubborn elusive foe that lurks in every nook and cranny.\u00a0 We needed support.\u00a0 Peace Boat provided us with weapons to evict the unwelcome lodger.\u00a0 We used a <em>koatsu\u00a0hosu<\/em> (high pressure hose), <em>neko<\/em> (wheelbarrows), <em>baketsu<\/em> (buckets), <em>chiritori<\/em>\u00a0(dustpans), <em>joren<\/em> (a cross between a shovel and a scythe) and <em>sukopu<\/em>\u00a0(shovels).\u00a0 In awkward areas, where none of these tools were suitable, we used our rubber-gloved hands.<\/p>\n<p>In the house of the Endo family, <em>hedoro<\/em>\u00a0had made a home amongst the pipes in a narrow culvert under the bathroom floor.\u00a0 Wearing a\u00a0head torch, helmet, facemask, goggles and taped-up rain suit we took turns to wriggle in and clear it out.\u00a0 Nicknamed the SWAT job, it wasn`t a pleasant task, but it made for good photos and banter afterwards.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1813\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1813\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/removing-sea-sludge-from-under-bathroom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1813\" title=\"Removing sea sludge from under bathroom\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/removing-sea-sludge-from-under-bathroom.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/removing-sea-sludge-from-under-bathroom.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/removing-sea-sludge-from-under-bathroom-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/removing-sea-sludge-from-under-bathroom-390x293.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1813\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hiro, a Japanese volunteer home for a holiday from Texas, takes on the SWAT job at the Endo family home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The six of us took us 5 full days to clear beneath the floor\u00a0of two homes and from the\u00a0garden of another.\u00a0 Our role was just one stage in the rehabilitation of these houses &#8211;\u00a0professionals will have to complete the job.\u00a0 When you consider more than a 100,000 houses were damaged or destroyed by the tsunami, both professionals and volunteers will be needed for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Three months after the event,\u00a0many parts of\u00a0Ishinomaki still resemble a war-zone.\u00a0 It`s almost as if the tsunami happened just yesterday.\u00a0 In some areas, apart from the roads, little seems to have improved since March 11<sup>th<\/sup>. \u00a0In no-go zones, the Self-Defence Force\u00a0are still searching wreckage for bodies.<\/p>\n<p>This snail-paced recovery is not down to tardiness, but because of the scale of the devastation.\u00a0 Estimates suggest that the earthquake moved the east coast of Japan 8 feet, while parts of Ishinomaki sank by over one metre.\u00a0 In a seaside town, this shift has serious consequences.\u00a0 At high tide, roads now become rivers, and some coastal residential areas may be declared uninhabitable.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1814\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1814\" style=\"width: 425px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/246979_10150193522782791_678602790_7393063_1882415_n1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1814\" title=\"246979_10150193522782791_678602790_7393063_1882415_n[1]\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/246979_10150193522782791_678602790_7393063_1882415_n1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"425\" height=\"204\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1814\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ishinomaki seafront.<\/figcaption><\/figure>Our contribution felt tiny, inches\u00a0of progress when there are miles to be travelled.\u00a0 But tiny contributions are all that one person can make. When all these tiny contributions are added together you can see a difference.<\/p>\n<p>The Endo family were gentle and kind to us, even though we were stomping around their home in filthy safety boots.\u00a0 They have been stuck on the 2<sup>nd<\/sup> floor for almost three months, effectively living above a bog.<\/p>\n<p>The father works while the mother looks after their young children, any free moments are spent cleaning their home.\u00a0 Removing the toxic <em>hedoro<\/em> in a relatively short space of time, we were able to make a real difference to their quality of life.\u00a0 It felt like we had helped them take a step back up a ladder they had been pushed off.<\/p>\n<p>To show their gratitude, Mrs Endo regularly handed out sweet snacks.\u00a0 This was appreciated.\u00a0 It confirmed we were welcome guests, and more importantly, it took away the nauseating aftertaste of my cheese-filled fish sausage packed lunch.<\/p>\n<p>On my final morning, before I boarded the bus back to Tokyo, a leading volunteer shook my hand and said \u201cHope to see you again\u201d.\u00a0 He`s not going home for a while, and neither is Peace Boat.\u00a0 Manpower is still desperately needed in Ishinomaki, so much so that Peace Boat is now accepting volunteers for two-days.\u00a0 The job has only just started.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1811\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1811\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/team.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1811\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/team-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Japan volunteers team\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/team-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/team.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/team-390x293.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1811\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our team. Should note this was the muddiest I saw any of the volunteers get during the 7 days I was there. (All photos are courtesy of fellow volunteer Phuong Nguyen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F1810\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! I recently completed\u00a0seven days volunteer work with the Japan-based non-profit organization Peace Boat.\u00a0 I was part of an international group of 6\u00a0volunteers \u2013 British, Japanese, Irish and Vietnamese.\u00a0 Complete strangers at the start, the nature of our work and life in Ishinomaki brought us together.\u00a0\u00a0We barely lost [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2356],"tags":[1475,1603,1667,1873,1982,2258,2289,2534],"class_list":["post-1810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-miscellaneous-blog-posts","tag-earthquake","tag-hedoro","tag-ishinomaki","tag-miyagi-prefecture","tag-peace-boat","tag-tsunami","tag-volunteering","tag-tom-orsman"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1810"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9286,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1810\/revisions\/9286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}