TelTell Tohoku Tour (2) Minami Sanriku, Ohara and Ishinomaki

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Yukari

(Read part 1 of this trip here.)

After Kesennnuma, we headed to Minami Sanriku cho. The population of the town before the disaster was 17,378. Now they report 614 deaths and 226 people are still missing. The video below is shot in front of the remains of the town’s Department of Disaster Prevention. About 30 people climbed up on to the roof of the building, but only 10 people survived. The story of a young woman who kept announcing to the town folk to evacuate to the higher ground is utterly tragic. I lost it reporting it here.

We drove by Kitakami river toward Ishinomaki city. Population as of March 2011 was 160,394. Number of deaths 3,490.

I could not believe how stunningly beautiful it was around the river. Green mountains and blue water…Cali and I talked about how such breathtakingly beautiful nature can be so devastating.

Then we arrived at Okawa Elementary school. They lost 70% of students due to Tsunami.

There were a lot of people praying here. Heartbreaking. There was also a newly built memorial.

After that we drove to Ohara to see my friend Caroline. She is from UK but volunteers at Ohara. When we got there she was painting a shed. We met online and I love her pragmatic attitude towards rebuilding. If you wait for people to come help, you would be waiting for a long time. So, she fundraises on her own and does what needs to be done. Ohara is a small town of population around 120, but with Tsunami they lost about 50 people. Please consider supporting this small community by donating directly on her site.

Next we headed to Ishinomaki city for Yahoo! Japan Fukko Base. Fukko means Reconstruction in English. Here we did a Ustream show and interviewed Mr. Sunaga from Yahoo! Japan.

At Yahoo Fukko Base, they are offering the space for different creative project to support reconstruction of Ishinomaki area. I did a quick video here as well:

That was it for the Tohoku tour. I know what we saw was the tip of the iceberg, and there are so many people still living in temporary housings. It is such a huge disaster, many people almost feel helpless, not knowing where to begin. At the same time I got to see many people volunteering their time to make at least a little progress a day. This was one of the few positive things I saw.

We headed back to Tokyo. And the next day, we met with several Japanese alpha bloggers – Japanese term for widely read bloggers – to discuss TelTell app and also how we can contribute to Tohoku reconstruction. It was great to meet all the bloggers! John said we needed to do something big if we wanted people’s attention back to 311 reconstruction. I agree; since 311, there was Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters; economy is bad and people in other parts of the world are too busy worrying about their own problems. I also suggested TelTell can be the app for people around the world to directly communicate with people in Tsunami affected areas. It was a meaningful discussion and I feel we planted seeds for next projects here.

Thank you TelTell and Tasukeai Japan for this incredible opportunity to visit Tohoku.

Special thanks to Yuuki from Tasukeai Japan. We took a photo with same order as last year. I hope to be back in Japan soon!

TelTell Tohoku Tour – Visiting Tsunami aftermath – Kesennuma

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Yukari

After a week in sub-tropical Okinawa, we headed back to Tokyo.　It was as if winter has come back. Cherry blossoms were half way in bloom but the cold and rain have almost washed the flowers away. We were freezing in Tokyo; and we were supposed to visit an even colder climate.

Last half of our trip in Japan will be spent with R Systems, a startup from Kobe, and Tasukeai Japan, an nonprofit to support those who affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake from March 11, 2011. Just like Okinawa, I was with Cali and John. Journalist Taro Matsumura joined us too.

R Systems developed a translation app named TelTell Concierge. It uses Apple’s Facetime to connect user with an operator, who is fluent in the language you need help with.

One of the services I offer in my line of work is Japanese – English translation. I KNOW machine translation like Google Translate has its limit and I am a firm believer of human/contextual translation. So I am very picky when it comes to translation, and I was curious to check out this app.

After the product demo, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Since the testers were John and Cali – from Dallas – we only used English/Japanese translation, but Chinese, Korean and Sign Language are also available. (Spanish and Portuguese are coming soon.) All the operators we saw spoke in nearly perfect Japanese and English. I was particularly impressed with the operators’ use of Keigo (polite form of Japanese.) They really are at our service. Like the name implies, TelTell Concierge has a lot of potential to serve not only as a translator, but also as a tour guide, information provider, and more.

Along with TelTell app, with help from Tasukeai Japan, we headed to Tohoku(Notrheast) area of Japan, also known as Hisaichi(Disaster affected area). We headed to Ichinoseki by Shinkansen (Bullet Train) and drove down south through Miyagi prefecture.

You can learn more about the app and how it worked on John and Cali’s Geekbeat. TV (they will be uploading bunch of videos), but let me write more about Tohoku.

It’s been two years since the disaster, yet as of March 15, 2013, still the number of evacuees (people who moved to a different area, or people who is living in temporary housing) is over 313,000. Total casualties amounts to 15,882.

I met Yuuki Noda of Tasukeai Japan few months after 311 on Twitter. I saw his tweet looking for an English speaking volunteer. Tasukeai means “Helping Each Other” in Japanese. Coincidentally, Yuuki and I are both from same town (Sasebo, Nagasaki). We’ve kept in touch ever since. When I was in Japan last year for ANA brand ambassador tour, he came to see me for breakfast. I got to introduce him to Cali and John, and although we didn’t have time to make a spontaneous trip up to Tohoku at that time, this year, it finally came true.

I woke up to snow in Ichinoseki. Just the couple nights before, I was sweating in Okianawa heat. What a difference.

Here’s a quick clip from the morning.

Our first stop was Kesennuma. You might have seen this giant fishing vessel, Dai 18 Kyotoku Maru that got swept up one kilometer ashore.

It’s one thing to see it on TV, another to see it yourself. The bus took us where the ship is, and all of us were just silent. I was speechless in front of the tremendous power of mother nature that pushed this ship ashore.

If you look closely, you can see this is a car crushed under the ship.

There were still a lot of flowers and paper cranes at this memorial by the ship. There is a movement to keep this ship as a memorial/museum of the tsunami, however for some people, this ship is a sad reminder of the disaster.

Kesennuma is a well known fishing port. The port was pretty much destroyed, but there are people recovering from damage. We visited Fukko Yatai Village Kesennuma Yokocho – temporary market.

Here, John and Cali interviewed Sachie-san, owner of restaurant Tairyomaru, using the TelTell app. She told us that she had just stepped outside an elevator at her work when the earthquake hit, and after the tsunami, she couldn’t find her family for 3 days. Despite all the hardship, she is now running a small restaurant in the temporary market – “Because people got to eat!” She was such a lovely person. One thing she said that made a big impression for me is that she was “Just grateful to be alive.” She encourages everyone to come visit her at her restaurant!!

After the interview I bought some stickers for my son. This is the character of Kesennuma, Hoya Boya. (You know Japanese people LOVE cute characters and nearly every city and products have a character made for them.) Hoya is a sea creature and Boya is a Japanese word for “little boy”. He wears a scallop on his belt and his sword is a saury. Isn’t he adorable?!

We left the temporary market with a little lighter mood that people are positive here. Our next stop is Minami Sanriku.

…To be continued.

Hoshinoya Taketomi – Stay as if you are living there (Okinawa Part 6)

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Yukari

(This is my last post for #ANAOkinawa tour. You can see all the previous posts here.)

In Taketomi island, we stayed at this amazing resort called Hoshinoya Taketomi-jima.

Upon check-in, we were welcomed with lovely tea and sweets.

As soon as you arrive, you’ll notice the pace here is a lot slower, and relaxed.

Hoshinoya is one of the 6 types of resorts Hoshino Resort, well known high end resort chain produces.

As I mentioned in the last post, there are strict rules on building anything new in Taketomi island. All 48 villas and other buildings in Hoshinoya Taketomi is built in traditional Taketomi style, with limestone fences, Hinpun, and red tiled roof. The resort blends in with the rest of the island.

Each one of us got our own villa to stay. See my excited reaction when I entered my villa.

I loved the fact that I was given an actual key, unlike a card you get at most hotels these days. The villa is equipped with a pair of flip flops, an umbrella for sudden rain showers, and a flashlight for your evening stroll. There are small towels in a basket by sliding door entrances so you can clean your feet. They even provide cute little carry bags for your keys, cell phone etc when you go for a walk. The attention to details is everywhere.

The decor of the room and entire resort is simple, yet breathtakingly beautiful. It was pretty hot and humid when we were there (27c/80F), but the way each villa is built allows plenty of breeze to come through the room.

Resort staff move gracefully and although their customer service is top notch, they never seem to be rushed. Time seems to pass slower in this village.

There is a beautiful pool in the center of the property. The bottom of the pool is painted in dark color because this is modeled after a well in a village.

View of the pool from the lounge at sunrise.

Streets in Taketomi islands are covered with white coral sands. This is so that it reflects moonlight in the evening, when poisonous Habu snakes come out. It makes it easy for us to spot them. I was told that most people in Taketomi go outside after late afternoon in summertime in order to avoid blazing sun.

We enjoyed wonderful local Okinawan cuisine while at Hoshinoya. Every morning they served different fresh juices. My favourite was Watermelon and Hot pepper juice.

I loved this lounge/bar/library/gift shop with the view of the pool. Here’s me having Okinawa’s own Orion beer.

You can rent a bike and explore the island, or take a short bus tour to see the sunset. Taketomi island is such a gem – as Hoshinoya brochure states, the island itself is a museum.

I saw several families at Hoshinoya. Although it is a very sophisticated resort, I like that staff were very friendly with everyone including children. I would love to go back there with my family next time. I cannot recommend Hoshinoya Taketomi highly enough. I urge you to stay there.

Thank you, All Nippon Airways, Okinawa Tourism and Convention Bureau, and of course, Hoshinoya Taketomi for the amazing trip. I will be back for sure.

Land of mythology (Okinawa Part 5)

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Yukari

(This is part of my #ANAOkinawa travel log; you can read all the previous posts here.)

I fell in love with Okinawan culture. I’m not a religious person, but Okinawa’s ancestor and nature worship struck a chord with me. As a Japanese, I was taught to always respect my elders and ancestors. And who can disrespect nature? Gajumaru(Banyan), Deigo, Mangroves. Gorgeous blue ocean. It seems like such a simple idea, but when you are in Okinawa and surrounded by magnificent nature, you cannot help but feel awestruck.

There are lots of mythology in Okinawan daily life. You’ll see Shisa dogs everywhere. They are to ward off evil spirits. Sounds like there are opposing stories (just like in any other mythology), but I was told the one with open mouth is male and it’s warding off evil spirits, and closed mouth one is female, who is catching good luck and not letting go. In fact I bought a pair of mini Shisas for myself.

Most houses have a Shisa on the roof.

Also I was fascinated with Hinpun entrance wall. Traditional Okinawan houses will have limestone fences around the house. And they always have another small wall in the center entrance. This wall is called Hinpun, and I saw this architectural detail in modern looking houses (e.g. concrete fence) too. Hinpun’s roles are twofold. 1) For privacy. 2) Again, to ward off evil spirits. It’s believed that evil spirits travel in straight lines and cannot turn corners, so there are many of these “T-junctions” to stop them from entering into your house.

When you enter a residence with Hinpun, you should always take the left side path. Right side path is reserved for Good luck, or “God”. Fascinating.

We’ve also seen several sacred sites. There are many “Utaki”-sacred sites- in Okinawa. We went to see one of the biggest Utaki in Okinawa, Sefa Utaki, which is a UNESCO World Heritage SIte. Although I cannot show you the photos as I don’t have the permission, it was magnificent.. There are picturesque and mysterious rock formations in a sub tropical forrest. (You can see a photo in this Wikipedia entry)

Obviously, hundreds of years ago someone felt a strong inspiration and deemed the place as a sacred site. I cannot help but wonder what sort of sacred rituals were performed at the very place, some 500 years ago.

Read the next post: Hoshinoya Taketomi – Stay as if you are living there (Okinawa Part 6)

Or jump to the list of all the Okinawa posts: #ANAOkinawa Travel Log