as i was driving back from the airport in hawaii, i must have drove by 5
playgrounds. it’s pretty much all over the place. it brought back the
shocking memories of the destroyed playgrounds i witnessed in japan.
cars, houses, boats, and trees smashing the place where kids once
gathered. then it came to my mind. why not build a playground or
playgrounds in japan? why not put a happy place back in the towns that
were totally destroyed? why not put a smile back on the traumatized
kids face?
so here is my plan for mission 4 or 5. build a playground. when we
were driving through the most devastated places in oshika hanto, i
haven’t seen one playground in a town that survived. i haven’t seen
kids outside playing. why? because there was no place to play. all
the kids pretty much left their town, but when they come back to visit,
a colorful bright playground would be a nice warm homecoming.
so i’m calling out to people that want to help on this project. we can
either order one, buy one, or build one. i need advise. first, hey
matsu, can you call kobochihama and ask them if there is a place we can
put one? and call ryoko-san and ask if there is an elementary school
that needs a new playground. second, can we build one in 2 days? is
there a carpenter that can volunteer his or her time? if not, where can
we buy one from? third, where can we get the wood and supplies from? i
got my hammer and nails ready!
i’m getting excited thinking about mission 4 that will happen in june or
july. this is a big project that i’m looking forward too. if you have
any ideas or advise, please email me. let’s make it happen for the kids!
