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To the Children of Fukushima ‘Nomaoi Bunko’

The city of Minamisoma is one of the areas hit with the triple suffering inflicted by the powerful earthquake, the tunami, and the radioactivity spewed out by the damaged nuclear power plant.

We have been watching over the lives of people in this area and, on the 11th of every month, selecting and bringing books to the meeting places of Minamisoma people. we name these small libraries Nomaoi-bunko
“Nomaoi” is the name of a traditional festival passed down in this area.

Today more than half of the children who normally live in the city have moved elsewhere. many families are splited up, with the father alone returning to a job in Minamisoma while the mother and children take up residence in some other town. Still, half of the children continue to live in this place.

In April and May 2011 soon after the disaster, the evacuation centers in this area were hard to reach. Even delivery of food and other relief supplies was difficult. At first we entrusted our books to the pediatricians who were making the rounds of the centers.
In those early months, we selected books that would carry the message “Daijobu dayo” along with books that could be enjoyed with others and with someone close by, and also cloth books.

Recently we are receiving messages saying that people now want books that will energize them, enjoyable books that will make them smile and laugh out loud.

Many elderly people live there.They often choose books of Japanese folktales. Folktales are known for telling of the forces of other worlds. Perhaps the notion of otherworldly powers gives them a sense of hope.

If you ask the people of Fukushima what kind of support they want the most, the first thing they say is “not to be forgotten.”
And so, we at JBBY have sent the message, by bringing books every month on the 11th of the month, that we have not forgotten.



This post is aloso available in: Japanese