The international school community left their mark on a remote peninsula in Tohoku this summer by contributing to the building of a community library and a playground on Oshika-hanto. A total of ¥2.6 million was raised to pay for the construction of these much-needed community spaces, with a third of the money coming from five international schools — Meikei High School, Azabu Music Together, Tokyo International Kindercare, India International School in Japan, and American International School Joy to the World.
The students at Meikei High School in Tsukuba have supported Ishinomaki — the city nearest to the Oshiko-hanto area — since soon after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, with several of the students visiting the area to offer assistance. The school raised a total of ¥430,000 to sponsor the building of a new outdoor play space for children of all ages, and also contributed ¥100,000 toward the library project. Staff member Stephen Bird, along with his daughter Aya (a student at Meikei), visited the peninsula to assist with the construction of the playground alongside members of the local community and other volunteers.
Azabu Music Together held various events to raise ¥400,000, which was used to help build the library, and Tokyo International Kindercare held an “international week” where the students learned about social responsibility by engaging in various fundraising activities. They had hoped to raise ¥20,000 and were very happy to greatly surpass their target by eventually reaching ¥100,000. India International School in Japan donated money they had raised at an international carnival they had held soon after the earthquake, and American International School Joy to the World donated part of the proceeds from the spring bazaar they held earlier this year.
Other sponsors included Farmor’s School in Gloucestershire (UK), the Japanese community in Oxford (UK), Sun and Moon Yoga Studio (Japan), Plympton Rotary Club (UK), Amity Yokohama (Japan), and The 1966 Quartet (Japan), as well as individuals Lucie Kapner (US), William Hill and Kellie Fitzmaurice (New Zealand), Julian Lusardi (UK), Peter Bacon (UK), and Ruthie Iida (US).
Carpenters from Saitama and Tohoku constructed the library over a two-week period at the end of July and beginning of August, with assistance from members of the local community and volunteers. Created in the style of a home-based library in a warm log building, this new community space was furnished with items donated by IKEA, and the walls are adorned with hearts featuring photographs of all the different sponsors.
To ensure that the books inside the library were relevant to the people in the area, local residents were asked for the titles of books they had lost in the tsunami, as well as books that they would like to read. These books were added to a wish list on Amazon, and people throughout the world bought books from the wish list, which were then delivered directly to the library. Around 700 books for young children, teenagers, and adults have been donated to the library to date. When visitors lift the seats of stools that have been placed in the library, a range of wooden games for children and adults to play surprises them.
The library is built on the land where the local police box used to be, in an area known for its beautiful sunsets (Masamune Date made this village his summer home in the 16th century and more recently, a well-known Japanese politician had a second home here until the tsunami). Construction regulations require that a structure larger than 10 square metres must gain planning permission from local authorities, so the library is exactly 10 square metres, and has an outdoor terrace for further space. Outdoor cushions and mats are stored inside the library, so that people can take advantage of the beautiful view.
During construction, a small piece of land was noticed next to the library (formerly, it had the police car’s garage on it). It was still full of tsunami debris, with the addition of piles of unwanted bamboo on top — someone had dumped it on top of the debris a year after the tsunami. The debris was cleared, and the bamboo was painted and used to make a wall around the edge of the space, thus creating an outdoor seating area. (The locals have since proudly come to call this their “beer garden.”)
Three and a half years on, with a quarter of a million people still living in temporary housing, and very little rebuilding happening in the small fishing villages on this peninsula, much of the land here still looks like wasteland. The playground and community library that the international schools in Japan made possible this summer have brought much-needed social spaces to people who otherwise feel very forgotten.
If your school would like to get involved in community projects like these, please email [email protected]. The wish list for the library is still open — please search “Oshika Community Library Wish List” and send a book or two, if you can. — CAROLINE POVER
