We left Sano on the evening of 4 May and arrived in Ishikawa at midnight. This time our team consisted of nine members, including three primary school children.

 

We started preparations early in the morning of 5 May and cooked a meal in Wajima City, which was affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The location was an evacuation centre where about 50 people were sleeping and where people with nowhere else to go were still living, even five months after the disaster.

 

On the road to Wajima City, there were many areas where the roads were still crumbling and cracks and landslides were still intact. Also, many broken houses are still rubble.

Many broken houses are still in rubble. It is difficult to get information when you live far away from the city, but the road to recovery is still far from clear.

 

Against this backdrop, we distributed Spam rice balls, miso soup, snacks and drinks for the people in the shelters and the surrounding communities. Members of the primary schools students worked hard to help and everyone put their heart and soul into making the food!

 

After the distribution, I spoke to one man.

When I said, "This is a very pleasant place surrounded by mountains", he told me, "It used to be a much better place". This man, who has been volunteering at this place since the beginning of the disaster, painfully told us about what he had lost and how hard it was. This is the moment when I witnessed the need to listen directly to stories and connect with people. It is important not only to provide material support, but also emotional support that is not often expressed.