when we first came to ishinomaki last year, everybody here was probably at their lowest point of their lives. the whole city was pretty much demolished. little was spared but as we met the people here, there was still so much hope. some people decided to move foreword and it’s those people that are putting this city back together. this is Hayashi-san who owns a fish factory. when we first met him, his factory was still underwater on the high tide. than every time we’ve went back there, things started to get back to normal. a strong fisherman and a strong person! it was great to see him getting his life back together.
when i first met Abe-san last year, there was something that clicked. even though his whole village was flattened by the 30′ wave, he always welcomed our team when we stopped by. there is some connection i have with this man that i can’t explain. it was great to see you again Abe-san.
when you’re in the country driving along the coastline, you see the coolest things. look at this little fire engine that survived the tsunami. they should put this in a museum.
and yes, everywhere you look, you can still see signs of the damage.
and yes, everywhere you look, you can still see the temporary housings lined up. almost 2 years and thousands of people still living here.
this is M7 team. we’ve all been here before. we’ve all seen the worst. we’ve all seen the recovery. and we’ve all become so much closer. these people are in my top group of the people i respect in this world. they come, they help, and they never give up. up until now, we’ve put together 7 teams together that consist of around 20 people. all coming on their own time, all coming here with their own money, and all in this together for a long time.
Saito-san from Tokyo.
Kanae-san from Tokyo.
Miki-chan from Hong Kong.
Toco-san from Tokyo.
Matsu from Thailand.
Hey, you guys all have big hearts! thank you for coming and see you next year for M8. safe travels home and keep in touch.
