The document provides a summary of Washington College students' trip to Japan one year after the 2011 tsunami to experience the culture, meet with government officials, make friends, and volunteer. It describes cultural experiences like visiting shrines and dining with local families. It outlines the Miyagi government's disaster recovery plan and prefabricated housing efforts. It also details the students' volunteer work clearing debris from drainage systems and a shrine with local villagers.

1. One Year After The Tsunami:
A Report from Tohoku
by Washington College Students
Preston Hildebrand Kathleen Pattie April 11, 2012
Kimberly Pittman Gabrielle Tarbert 10:30-12:00 PM
Group photo take n at the Yasukuni Shrine on March 12, 2012.

2. Overview of Our Trip
Experiencing culture
Meeting with government officials
Making new Japanese friends
Volunteer work in Miyagi Prefecture

3. Experiencing Culture in Japan

4. Meeting with Government Officials
Students met briefly with Shinjiro Koizumi, a member of the Japanese Parliament and member of the LDP
during their tour of the Japanese Diet Building.

5. Touring the Japanese Diet
Above: The Japanese Diet Building from the
outside.
Right: One of the large chamber rooms where
parliamentary meetings are held.

6. Miyagi Prefectural Government
Students visited the Miyagi Prefectural Government Building in Sendai. They flew the U.S. flag outside to honor our visit.

7. Making New Friends
Keio University Student Daiki Matsumara, Washington College Students Gabby Tarbert, Nicholas Hall and Ceira Jessamy

8. Evening with Keio University Students
Above: Washington College students Rachel
Dumbolton and Erin Famularo with Keio
University Students.
Right: WC Student Preston Hildebrand
enjoying spending time with a Keio
University Student.

9. Volunteering in the Miyagi Prefecture
Below: Washington College students work
alongside villagers in Murohama to help clean
up a shrine.
Above: Some of the damage from the tsunami seen
in the Miyagi Prefecture.

10. The Disaster in the News:
A Year Ago
When the March 11th disasters hit, we were in all corners of the world: South Africa,
China and the United States.

11. The Global Focus?
Photo Credit:http://www.chinasmack.com/2011/stories/2011-japan-sendai-earthquake-chinese-netizen-reactions.html

12. On the Eve of Adventure:
Thoughts before the Trip
Above: A photo taken in the village of Murohama. Formerly a
rice paddy, the tsunami flooded the area. The harbor is being
used again, but the rice paddy has been destroyed.
Right: The newly constructed Tokyo Sky Tree will bring crucial
tourism to Sumida, Tokyo. The SkyTree is the tallest
freestanding tower in the world, standing at 634 meters.

13. Washington College Students:
Dedicated to Volunteering
35 students traveled to Columbus, GA to volunteer with Members of the Washington College Chapter of Students
Habitat for Humanity during spring break. WC has been Helping Honduras traveled to Honduras in January 2012.
sending a student group to Georgia for several years now and SHH engages in various fundraising activities throughout
participates in volunteer work in the Chestertown area during the year and sends volunteer groups to Honduras during
the school year. breaks.

14. Visiting The Japan Foundation
Students met with members of the Japan Foundation in Tokyo. Pictured above is Dr. Oros, Cowles Gaither, Preston
Hildebrand, Gabby Tarbert, Rachel Dumbolton and Caitie Dailey.

15. Meeting with Miyagi Government Officials
Disaster Recovery Plan
•Building communities strong
against disasters in which people can
live with peace of mind
•Recovery focusing individual
citizens as the core
•Not simply recovery but drastic
restructuring
•Recovery focusing on individual
citizens as the core
•Forward looking community
building that solves issues of modern
society

16. Governmental Plan for the Future
Above: A street in Sendai City, which houses the capital of the
Miyagi Prefecture.
Right: A road in the village of Murohama.

17. Higashi Matsushima Library
Left: Professor Narita and Dr. Oros proudly add Washington
College to a long list of those who have made donations to the
library.
Above: Our group poses with a bulletin created by the library staff
thanking us for our donation of English children books. They gave us
handmade cloth pins with the symbol of their library as a token of
thanks.

18. Tsukihama: Before and After the Tsunami
Left: An aerial photo taken of Tsukihama before the
tsunami hit. Tsukihama was once a thriving resort and
fishing village, with a beautiful beachfront location.
Right: A photo taken of the beachfront.
This roadway used to be filled with
homes and inns, now only a few remain.

19. Government Prefabricated Housing
Villagers from Tsukihama now reside in government prefabricated housing units.
These residents have been warned not to rebuild any permanent structures, as the
land is expected to shift in the next few years, with the potential to ruin any new
buildings. They expect to remain in temporary housing situations for up to ten years.

20. When in Tsukihama...
We stayed at a traditional Japanese inn
(ryokan) and wore yukata. This inn was
located in Tsukihama, a small fishing
village that was devastated by the
tsunami.
Above: All of the girls on the trip, dressed
in yukata, relax before dinner.
Right: Meals were prepared by our female
innkeeper. She used as many local products
as possible when preparing the meals,
which included seaweed (nori), oysters,
shrimp, roe and the infamous Nattō
(fermented soybeans).

21. Students met with local fisherman in their
community center

22. Socializing with local villagers

23. Volunteers shoveled mud out of flooded drainage
pipes along roads

24. Pipes were filled with debris and sewage

25. Cleared channels ensured the safe passage of
vehicles along roads.

26. The mud cleared from the drainage system will
be used to fertilize destroyed rice fields

27. Students worked alongside local villagers

28. In total 200 feet of drainage canals were cleared
and restored

29. Students also worked to clear debris from a
shrine in the village

30. A landslide resulting from the tsunami and
earthquake covered a shrine in dirt and debris

31. Words from the Wise

32. Gratitude

33. Working Together

34. Looking Towards the Future

35. Final Thoughts