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All of our 2011 participants have safely arrived and are now living, learning, and working at the seminary in Tsurukawa. The program officially started on May 2nd and so far all is going smoothly. The group is energetic and motivated and it is an extra-ordinary blessing to be able to have them with us this year. This weekend we will hold our Opening Ceremony at the ARI campus and all the staff and participants will come up for that. At the same time we will have a dedication for our new, 90% completed, farm shop. It’s coming along nicely and looks beautiful.
Cleanup and repairs are still continuing here. We are nearly finished building a new temporary shelter for our pigs, since one of our pig pens is now in a slow state of collapse. We are also working to come up with a comprehensive rebuilding plan for the main building, and Koinonia house, and for this we are receiving the wonderful assistance of the United Church of Christ in Japan. The first step is to have our land analyzed to find out which area is the strongest. It seems that some of those cracks in the earth we saw after the quake extend directly under the main building and the land beneath Koinonia was also unstable. So it would not be wise to rebuild without first finding solid ground.
We continue to prepare our rice seedlings and plant our vegetables. Recent tests have shown that the level of radiation in the ARI soil is low (though above normal levels). However, we need to monitor it and our produce continuously and for this we are purchasing a Geiger Counter (with the great help of the European Friends of ARI). We also have plans to cleanse the soil through natural processes: one which incorporates the use of micro-organisms, and the other to plant radiation absorbing plants and then dispose of them in a specially filtered incinerator. We have a lot of work to do, but there is great potential for renewal. I still find it strange to be talking about things like gamma radiation, cesium, and Geiger Counters, but these things are unfortunately a part of our lives now. I hope that people and governments around the world will remember the lessons of Fukushima. Though to be honest I don’t harbor too much hope of that. One would think that Three Mile Island and Chernobyl might be pretty good teachers, but it seems we are not very bright pupils. Thank you once again for your prayers and encouragement. Some of you have said that offering only words has little meaning, but that is not true. Knowing that so many people really care about what happens to us, and do not want to lose ARI…this gives us strength to heal and to carry on.
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It has been over one month since the Earthquake and Tsunami. On April 11, exactly one month after the quake, we had the pleasant experience of getting one of the biggest aftershocks, over 7 on the Richter scale. Only a few books and things fell down, but the tension, the almost imperceptible tightness that had kept us all on edge, but was slowly dissipating, that same feeling came back instantly. These aftershocks, both big and small, continue daily. Last night there were at least four. Each time you feel the tremor start, you wonder if this one will evolve into another huge quake or not. And sometimes you realize that there was actually no shaking at all – it was only the wind blowing or your heart beating.
At ARI we have been trying to get back to some of our regular activities that had been disrupted. We are longing to return to some sense of normalcy. We have resumed morning exercise, after which we hold a short meeting to share updates on the nuclear power plant situation, report the wind direction and radiation levels in the air and water, and decide our daily work. Today the news was not so good. The power company outlined a plan that will take nine months to stabilize the reactors. The first three months would be focused on getting the cooling systems working again, which is essential in stopping the release of radiation. This timeframe is assuming that things go well and there are no further complications. But the more immediate bad news was the wind direction. Today it is blowing from east to west and is swirling all around Japan. Up to now it had been blowing consistently toward the sea. It is not very comforting to know that our well being rests on something as fickle as the direction of the wind.
We are moving forward, however, with our plans to begin the training program on May 2, just one month late. We are expecting 22 participants. The number is a bit less than usual because we had some difficulties with visas, but this year it will be helpful to have a smaller class. About two weeks ago we made a major decision to hold the first part of our training at a different location. Since all of our students come from overseas and live on campus, ARI bears somewhat more responsibility for their health and well-being than a typical school. The main reasons for this precautionary measure are: (1) the facilities in ARI are not completely ready for use. Work is going quickly and smoothly, but completion will require more time (2) We still continue to experience aftershocks in this area (3) The situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant remains unstable. We are located 110 km from the plant. The government has issued no warnings about this region and no special actions are being taken at other schools in Nasushiobara (except to reduce outdoor sports and activities). However as long as the plant continues to leak radiation at the current rate we feel more comfortable relocating temporarily. The first 30 to 90 days of the training will be held at the Theological Seminary for Rural Mission in Tsurukawa, a suburb of Tokyo. This seminary is the birthplace of ARI and they have kindly allowed us to make use of their facilities.
At the beginning of the month I made a short trip to Kyushu to bring back my family, where they had been staying with grandma. School started last week, which forced us to make a decision for the kids – restart life here or settle in for the long term in Kyushu. Actually, life is pretty much normal in this town. Schools and businesses are open as usual. Both government and independent sources have declared areas this far from the plant as safe. Radiation in the air is down to 0.20 microsieverts/hour and water at the nearest reservoir is 2.5 Becquerels per liter. Both figures are far below government set safety limits. So we are back. But let me tell you, as a parent this was not an easy decision to make. No matter what level is said to be safe I never thought that I would have to decide how much radiation is OK for my kids. The fact that ARI water has been tested clean (at least for the time being) is a huge relief. A recent photo I saw in the newspaper of a health official holding a Geiger counter to the throat of a child who lives in a town closer to the power plant is still etched in my mind. Iodine, which accumulates in the thyroid, is an important component in the natural growth and development of children. Radioactive iodine, or iodine 131, is not. “Lucky” for us is that Iodine 131 has a short half-life of 8 days. Other staff with children have had to make similar difficult decisions. Gussan’s pregnant wife, Natsuko, is not planning to return soon!
Regional governments throughout northern Japan have been checking the soil to determine which areas are safe to start planting and which are banned from agriculture. Northern Tochigi was found to be within the safety limits, so we are preparing our rice seedlings and vegetable nurseries and we will see how it goes. We are exploring ways to be able to independently measure our soil and food products. We are also working with a research team that is experimenting with using certain kinds of microorganisms to clean radiation from the soil. Bans on certain food products from certain areas of Japan continue, but they are slowly becoming less restrictive. I heard that Tochigi farmers are gradually finding markets to sell their produce – though consumers remain hesitant, even if the products are deemed acceptable. I find it ironic that we now call instant food and bottled drinks as “safe” (stores can barely keep these on the shelves) while we have to “protect” ourselves from air, water, and fresh vegetables. We are not sure yet, how our customers will respond to our products. Fortunately ARI eggs have tested completely free of radiation!!
The extent of damage to the campus is pretty heavy and the big aftershocks have not helped matters much. Actually the aftershocks have confirmed what the building inspector already suspected. Some of the buildings frames are in a weakened state and become more so with each quake. The Koinonia Dining Hall and the Main Building are especially problematic. With some repairs and reinforcements we should be able to use them for this year’s program but it is recommended that they be replaced at the end of the year. This is going to be an incredibly tough challenge for us since the costs are estimated at $2,000,000 for Koinonia and $1,500,000 for the main building. We also need to tear down and rebuild the “Denmark” style pigpen. It is basically in a state of slow collapse, but don’t worry, the pigs are in a process of planned evacuation. On the bright side, the construction of the new farm shop is coming along nicely. This was in the works before the earthquake, which hit just after the old farm shop was torn down and before work had started on the new one. The dorms and other buildings sustained some damage, but are basically OK. Most areas of campus have been cleaned up and water is running once again. Repairs continue all around with good progress being made. We have been receiving donations from people near and far and I can’t tell you how much this helps. The bills have started rolling in, but because these contributions are also coming in we are able to rebuild and we are able to continue to carry out our work and mission, not only this year, but in the years to come. Thank you.
ARI continues to supply food to people at the nearby evacuation center. On the weekends some staff go to visit farmer friends in the areas near the nuclear power plant. They carry eggs, meat, and produce to distribute to the people there. This food is very welcome since many are living on a diet of instant noodles and cold rice balls. I said this before, but I will say it again. ARI’s life of self-sufficiency is given even greater meaning by this disaster. Rather than being in need food we are able to help out others.
Last weekend that one organic farmer who lives about 40 km from the plant decided to pack up move out. After 30 years his land was rich and beautiful, but not anymore. We also checked on the boys from Iwaki city (who evacuated to ARI for about a week). One of the aftershocks seriously damaged their house, but they are somehow getting along. Tohoku people are known for being reserved, conservative, and tough. I saw a woman on TV who had lost her house and even some members of her family say, “I can’t think of myself because others have lost more than me.”
We at ARI are all past the initial shock and now that we have a plan in place to receive this year’s participants we are working with more vigor. This disaster has tested us in unexpected ways and at the same time it has brought us closer together. When you shake the foundations in life, you find the things that are truly strong, truly important.
In stubborn defiance to the seriousness of the situation, the spring flowers are in full bloom and the cherry blossoms are now at their magnificent peak. Last Saturday I went to the park with Miki and the kids to do drawings and a lot of people were out. As we sat on the ground with our sketch books we were rocked by yet another tremor, but no one moved. We were already in the safest place we could be. As I looked at the cherry blossoms stretched out over the small lake I couldn’t help feeling sad though. Every piece of nature that caught my eye; every flower, leaf, blade of grass, and the life of every person walking by has been affected by the radiation of a nuclear power plant over 100km away. How in the world did we do this? Why did we do this? These are the questions I have to answer to my children, and not some day in the future, but now.
Thank you once again for all of your prayers and words of support.
Steven Cutting, Ecumenical Relations Coordinator
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ARI Staff Prepare for May Training Program Government inspectors have determined that only the basement of Koinonia house (Chapel, computer room and meeting rooms) can not be made safe for use for the 2011 training program. Other buildings and campus infrastructure can be repaired. The staff have decided to begin the program on May 2nd, just a delay of one month. However, staff actually have a bigger concern. As Steven Cutting writes: Our main worry is about the nuclear plant and radiation. Though we have been told numerous times that levels are, in fact, very low and not harmful we still have to remember that we are responsible for these people we are bringing in from overseas. Air and water radiation levels continue to decrease. Air 0.23microseiverts / public water 5 Becquerels/kg (ARI well water is normal). Farm staff are carrying on with their work as normal. In fact most people in this city carry on with life pretty much as normal. Public schools are due to open next week as scheduled. However some people are very nervous and try to keep themselves covered as much as possible. We also have to consider that while the situation at the plant is improving (albeit extremely slowly), it is still dangerous and there can be a major accident at any time. Therefore we have decided to start the program at a different location.
The new location is the Tsurukawa Theological Seminary near Tokyo. Tsurukawa is where the original Rural Leaders' Training Program was developed before it moved to the location in Tochigi prefecture. Cutting writes:
We have been talking with them have a tentative arrangement that we can use some of their facilities for up to 90 days. My personal hope is that we would only need to be there 30-60 days.
With a back up location for the training program in place, the next questions to be addressed are food and water.
Cutting addresses this point as well:
Farmers in Fukushima have been asked not to plow – to postpone planting. I don’t know how long they are supposed to wait. Farmers around here seem to also be delaying plowing. Many farmers are worried that even if the food is declared safe, that people won’t want to buy it....We are planting for our own consumption, but we too need to be careful. Tasaka sensei (former director) came to ARI last week with a Geiger counter and checked the soil. Wet or muddy areas contained the most elevated levels of radiation. I think about 10 times the normal. Eggs, milk, and well water were all normal. Vegetables harvested from the field and washed were also normal. We don’t know yet about the long term effects to the land. We got the potatoes planted. We don’t know if we will be able to eat them or not, but we had to get them in or miss the planting season. Another building on campus that ARI is concerned about is the new farm shop, now under construction. The old shop was demolished prior to the earth quake and the foundation for the new shop laid. Therefore, there was no damage to the new shop, just a delay in construction. Construction has resumed in earnest and ARI staff are optimistic that the building will be complete by the opening of the training program.
With the campus being put back together, and a back up campus this year's group of participants is ready to come and waiting for the go signal from ARI. At the same time, organizations sending overseas' volunteers to ARI have pulled them out of the campus for the time being. It is hoped that the improving situation at the Fukushima power plant will soon allow these organizations to send those volunteers back to ARI.
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