Jonet Salon over the Obon period

With Obon, the three day festival for the souls of the dead, upon us, it is needless to say that each house in the disaster area is observing the first Obon after the passing away of a loved one. Many people lost their lives, not just family members, but neighbours, friends and close acquaintances. Our office wanted to support them in a respectful way. At the moment here funeral services are being held and work is being done to restore gravestones.

I was born in Ishinomaki and grew up watching relatives as, a week before Obon, they would clean the family grave and prepare for family members who were returning home for the festival.
It is most likely quiet in the evacuation centres as people are visiting their family graves or taking trips.
Maybe relatives have come to visit them and are chatting away.
However at this time there were requests to take part in the Jonet Salon to cheer up everyone in the disaster area.
We started preparing to hold a Jonet salon meeting, but when we saw how quiet the evacuation centres were, we decided to show people around the disaster area instead.

The next day’s breakfast is delivered before dinner the previous night 

Public baths were prepared using equipment in big bath house facilities
There were 1500 people needing baths at first and it was still the cold season, making it difficult work even though it was a large facility.

Police box in the town

 

A bunch of white lilies is laid on the ground where not even the base of the building is left

At first this washed-up boat had traffic directions written on it, but now it has collapsed.  

In some places the signals are still not working
 Police take it in turns two at a time to direct traffic

At the end of March the statue of the animation character Sarutobi Ecchan, a little girl with magical powers, was covered in mud, but now she’s been cleaned up and looks cute again

There was no sign of anyone in the evacuation centre and there were very few participants. The meeting place was the chemistry lab, quite far from the living space, and there was still mud left from the disaster in the room.
 

Jonet continues its activities keeping in mind individual support for each person.

For those who:

・are worried because the place they used to live is in a danger zone and they can’t rebuild
　・feel sad watching the town sinking and find it difficult to continue day by day
we　give them a short time of comfort. We appreciate their words of thanks and they leave feeling more relaxed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

mom. jonet