Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Ageha



playing with the Ray flash, an umbrella, and a strip of wallpaper.


Saturday, April 30, 2011

49 days

Yesterday was 49 days after the earthquake and Tsunami. Japanese tradition says the dead wander around their homes for 49 days before departing to the after life.
On the Road volunteers held a minute of silence, while loading supplies at one of the Japan Self Defense Force warehouses, exactly at 2:49 pm, the time the earthquake striked Japan 7 weeks ago.
Although the pace of recovery is unbelievably fast, there is still so much to do.







Saturday, April 23, 2011

1 month after the Tsunami

"On the Road with Friends" is a non-profit organization that has settled a volunteer village, 1.5 hours from Ishinomaki city, for volunteers to come and work at cleaning the dirt from houses that were flooded by the Tsunami, as well as cooking and delivering hot meals to those living in shelters, as no hot meals are provided to them yet.

Its been over 5 years since the last time I used my tent and sleeping bag, and was not sure I had all the parts when I left home. Fortunately, everything was there, so I had a
roof to protect myself and my cameras from the rain and snow. If you are planning to volunteer, make sure you bring winter clothes, as it is still cold at night and early in the morning.

Check their webpage for more information:

http://saigaishien.jp/





























Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tsunami Aftermath part 2

I'm back in Tokyo. Spent a week in Iwate with the TV crew and traveled 2,300 km by car.
Here are a few more shots of Rikuzentakata area.




This family had a restaurant called "Wai Wai". We found them 5 blocks away from where their shop use to be. They said they had been looking all over the place, but could not find a thing.
This is where their restaurant use to be...

This lady greeted us with a big smile. The reporter asked her how she managed to still smile after loosing everything. She said that there was no time to be depressed, but that they all should work together to build their town back.

She said "As long as the sun shines, we'll be fine!", and proceeded to shovel the dirt of the floor of what used to be her bike shop. The floor was the only thing left of the shop.


Saturday, March 26, 2011

After the Tsunami

I'm working with a german TV crew in the Iwate area covering the Tsunami aftermath. What the eartquake did not break, the tsunami wave destroyed, and then fires took care of what little was left. There are cars inside buildings, houses on top of other houses, boats in the middle of the streets, on top of buildings, and under bridges. And under all this rubble, there are still thousands of missing people.

If you can donate, please do so. The people here are not complaining. They are working hard to get their lives back, and are thankfull for being alive. At the same time, they feel it is their duty to rebuild their towns, as a tribute to those who did not survive.