ISSUE #72

FEB, 2012

JLGC NEWS LETTER
Japan Local Government Center ( CLAIR, New York )issue no.72 Feb, 2012

ISSUE NO.72 FEB 2012

Comments fromCLAIR’s Exchange Program 2011 Participants(page 1-5)
JETAA International
Meeting and Rikuzentakata Volunteer Trip
(page 6-8)
The New York Times
Travel Show features
Japan’s Tohoku Region( March 2nd –4th, atthe Javits Center)

Comments from CLAIR’sFellowship Exchange Program
Participants
CLAIR’s Fellowship Exchange Program 2011 was held fromOctober 23 to November 1 in Tokyo and Miyagi. Miyagi wasdamaged by a horrible earthquake and tsunami disaster onMarch 11th, 2011. Participants inspected and discussed the earthquake disaster reconstruction inMiyagi, and also experienced a seminar to learn
about Japan’s system oflocal governments and traditional Japanese culture.
They thoroughly learned
and enjoyed “Japan”. HereAt Matsushima, famous tourist
is what they had to say:site in Miyagi Prefecture

For more information about CLAIR’s Fellowship Exchange Program
2011,Please visit our JLGC website :www.jlgc.org/TopicList.aspx?
topicCategoryID=2&topicID=14&languageTypeID=1&controlType=Display(page 9-10)

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER(CLAIR, NY)
3 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10016-5902
212.246.5542 office • 212.246.5617 fax
www.jlgc.org

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Comments from CLAIR’s Fellowship Exchange Program 2011 Participants
The Delegation Leader of CLAIR’s Fellowship Program 2011
Mr. Daniel GatienPresident
The Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMTCO)

Last June, AMCTO was fortunate to receive an invitation to participate in a local government exchange
and cooperation seminar from the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations. On October 22
last, I began a journey that comes once in a life time.
The trip was long and tiring approximately 14 hours in the air and there was a time adjustment to deal
with (13 hours) but was well worth it. We did not know what to expect when we started our journey but
we soon found out how informative and passionate the presenters were in each of the sessions we attended. On our first day, several presentations on the political structure in Japan and later in the day, wewere exposed to the disaster of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. These sessions were very
moving but it did not fully prepare us for when we actually visited some of the disaster sites.
First site visited was the municipality of Minami Sanriku-cho of approximately 18,000 people. The disaster coordinator Mr.Sato was our guide of the site andyou can feel his pain for his residents who are recoveringfrom the disaster. One of the comments that stood out
during his presentation was that “the surviving residents
are asking themselves why did I survive and not myneighbor”. In Ishinomaki City, our study group was very
impressed by the temporary housing for the disaster victims and how coordinated and quickly it was constructed.
There was a section of 11,000 units we visited with anaverage of 400 square feet per unit for a family. Theseunits are of a row housing type and are expected to be inplace for a period of two years; however, the officials wemet believe that the temporary housing will be in place
for five years. The major obstacle for the type of housing
will be the upcoming winter which the units are notproperly insulated.
Explanation by Minami-Sanriku town staff
The disaster in Sendai City airport and port were unbelievable and the recovery plan is in full action. Sendai City has a population of 1 million and its local
economy is strongly dependent on being able to move merchandise to and from their port and airport.
Both the airport and port were completely submerged by the tsunami and the shore of the port dropped
by .6 meter. We saw where ship container were tossed like twigs and even a tanker ship still grounded on
the main land a thousand feet away from the port.

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Comments from CLAIR’s Fellowship Exchange Program 2011 ParticipantsAlso, we were introduced to the beauty of Japan andits wonderful cultural sites. Miyagi prefecture is abeautiful part of the country with its breathtaking
landscape and hidden treasures such as Matsushima
Bay along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, the Zuiganji
temple and I cannot forget Iwanumaya, where I experienced a traditional Japanese style Inn and hotspring
bath “Onsen”. Matsushima Bay is a small city which
was spared by the tsunami because of the thousand ofsmall islands that are in the large bay that absorbed
the force of the tsunami. The ultimate experience wasTokyo with its 13 million residents and interesting sectors such Asakusa which we saw the Kaminarimongate, the famous Nakamise Street with all their venExplanation by the Sendai Port staff
dors, and Sensoji temple, Shibuya, the rodeo drive ofTokyo, the national government legislature called the DIET and many more sites.
3.11 stands for the Great East Japan Earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0., seismic intensity of 7 and aTsunami of 8.8 meters high, flooding 327 square kilometers, 72,970 residences destroyed and 78,674
heavily damaged 13 billion dollars of damage costs to public infrastructure and 15,000-16000 deaths. Inmy visit, I saw the disaster relief in motion and there are still lots of work to do. However, it is the people
that I will remember with their stories, there commitment to surpass this tragedy and to help each other.
I learned a few Japanese words during my visit but the one word that stuck with me and I will neverforget was shared by the disaster relief workers;“KIZUNA” which translates to “Bond of People”
In the next few months , I will post on our AMCTO web page a more detailed account of the my trip
along with additional information on local government in Japan, their disaster relief actions and my experiences during my trip. Let’s not forget the victims of this disaster.

You can also read Mr. Gatien’s report on our JLGC website :www.jlgc.org/files/Fellowship2011/Fellowship2011-101%20.pdf

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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Comments from CLAIR’s Fellowship Exchange Program 2011 Participants
Ms. Beverly BellMs. Nikki Guilford

The Deputy Delegation
LeaderDirectorSenior Policy Analyst

Office of Management Consulting and Training

The National Emergency
Management AssociationNational Governors Association

My participation in the CLAIR seminar was
an incredible experience, especially given mywork with the National Emergency Management Association and disaster managementin the U.S. Since my focus is at the state level, the activities at the Miyagi prefecture
were of particular interest. Thanks so much

The stories and images of the March 11,
2011, Great East Japan Earthquake will remain with me always. As a former public
servant with the state of Ohio, I was mostimpressed and moved by the compassion,commitment and strength of Japan’s publicservants.

Ms. Susan Parnas

Ms. Beverly Schlotterbeck

FrederickExecutive Editor, County
News, NACo web site

Federal Affairs Counsel
National Conference of State
Legislatures

I learned so much about the culture and resilience of the Japanese people in the wake ofa natural disaster of epic proportions. I wasimpressed by the efficiency of local government to quickly assess and respond to theconcerns of their citizens and hope that theinformation I was able to share about disaster response and emergency preparedness inthe United States will be helpful to the official I met in Miyagi Prefecture.

Public Affairs Department
National Association of Counties (NACo)

The trip was incredibly well organized andprovided exceptional views into Japan’s culture, heritage and most importantly, its struggles to recover and rebuild from the 3/11/11
earthquake and tsunami. I met generous,
hard-working, talented local officials, just likethe kind I know in county governments in theStates. It was an honor to have participated.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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FEB, 2012

Comments from CLAIR’s Fellowship Exchange Program 2011 Participants

Ms. Caryl Arundel

Ms. Dana RohrboughVice Chair, Board of Directors& Chair of Governance Committee

Deputy Principal Assistant,
Office of the Secretary ofState

Canadian Urban InstituteState of Delaware

It was an eerie feeling to see the devastation ofthe earthquake and tsunami and to hear about
the experiences of our hosts in Tokyo, Sendai,Minami-sanriku and Ishinomaki to both respond to the disaster and to plan for recovery.
The study tour was an inspiring learning opportunity about resilience and the importanceof local government. Thank you for the opportunity.

I am grateful for having the opportunity totravel to Miyagi, Japan for the CLAIR Fellowship Program and have learned a tremendous
amount from the trip. I have an appreciation
for the amount of challenges that face Japanafter such a large disaster, and have a deep respect for those who are managing the recovery
in the wake of such a significant disaster.

To see Ms. Arundel’s report “CLAIR Fellowship
Program 2011-My Impressions”, please visit ourJLGC website:www.jlgc.org/files/Fellowship2011/Fellowship2011-11.pdf

Mr. Daniel Perron
Fire Chief and Emergency
Preparedness Coordinator
City of Sainte-Julie, Quebec

To me, the highlight was Ishinomaki andMinami-sanriku. Many times within my shortstay, I was left speechless and my North
American way of understanding things became rapidly meaningless in front of such ademonstration of destruction, but also by thewill and the strength of the people we met.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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FEB, 2012JETAA International Meeting and Rikuzentakata Volunteer Trip
On October 21-22, 16 delegates from 10 countries of JET Alumni Association International(JETAAi) gathered in Tokyo for the 2011
JETAAi International Meeting. As this isthe25th anniversary of the JET program,
JETAAi wanted to have the meeting in Tokyo,
where all of our JET adventures began.

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). We also had an opportunity to meet with a member of MEXT, who
also requested JETAAi suggestions on how to improve the English Proficiency of the Japanese people.

For many of us, this was the first trip back toJapan since we had been JETs, but for all ofus, it was the first trip back since the Earthquake. Landing at Narita, you would neverknow that it was eight short months ago thatthe tragedy stuck.

Following the two-day meeting, we traveled to theTohoku region to volunteer in the ongoing cleanup
efforts in Rikuzentakata, where the late Montgomery (Monty) Dickson was stationed as a JET until
he was tragically swept away with thousands of others in the March 11, 2011 tsunami that devastatedthe region. We were joined by fifteen current JET
Program participants, led by Paul Yoo of Volunteer
Akita, including one of Monty’s childhood friends,
Steven Wilson. Several delegates used this opportunity to show some of the efforts from their homecountries. Nicky Furniss, our delegate from South
Africa brought pictures of supporting and encouraging messages drawn by children that had been badly burnt. As these children are familiar with pain
and loss they wanted to give their best thoughts tothe people of Tohoku. Delegates from JETAA USA
used this opportunity to present a donation from theJETAA USA Fund to the Rikuzentakata Board ofEducation. The proceeds will aid several efforts, including a project that provides study rooms for students and another aimed at hiring a second JET toSummary of International Meeting
The agenda and objectives of the meeting covered a variety of items ranging from improvements to the JET program to fundraising efforts for the tsunami area.
The meeting was sponsored by the Center for
Global Partnership, a part of the Japan Foundation and CLAIR. Representatives from theseorganizations, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and AJET (Association of currentJETs) attended. The meeting was also coveredby NHK News and televised in Japan. Some ofthe delegates also had the opportunity to meetwith government representatives in the three
ministries that support and administer theJET Program: Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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FEB, 2012JETAA International Meeting and Rikuzentakata Volunteer Trip

After arriving and checking in an inspiringly
crowded volunteer center, we were sent to aplot of land near the coast that was formally arice field and someone’s family home. The next
three hours were spent excavating and separating the debris from large area of sludge.
Working alongside each other and a smattering of Japanese volunteers, everyone was humbled by the sheer amount of work that stillneeds to be done, but happy that we could do alittle part of healing this area.
Following our physical volunteering, wewere invited to a meeting with the Mayor ofRikuzentakata, Futoshi Toba, in the temporary
building that serves a current city hall. Though
it is a temporary structure, many of the walls
were covered with an outpouring of support
from around the world and the general demeanor was one of hope and optimism.

During the meeting, Mayor Toba described to us
the current condition of Rikuzentakata including
the many trials and tribulations that they are stillenduring. “Since the grocery store opened, people
have started to come out into the community again,”
Mayor Toba explained. Until that point, people had
mostly been eating convenient store food and bento
boxes trucked in from other regions, and staying
close to home. Having somewhere to shop and meetwith fellow community members has helped to establish a small bit of normalcy in lives that wereturned upside down.

Mayor Toba also expressed his desire to put effort
into the English education of next generation,
whose task it will be to build a new Rikuzentakata
City, and asked for support from JETAAi in thisregard. The vice-superintendent of the schools also
spoke to us at the meeting, giving JETAAi a list ofrequests, both general and specific. Mostly, his concern was to bring more cultural exchange to the students, especially the orphans. He also requested
money for new instruments and general supplies.
In moving display of shared loss, JET participant,
Steven Wilson offered a bouquet of flowers to Mayor
Toba, to express his sympathy over the mayor’s lossof his wife and fellow community members, including Monty.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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FEB, 2012JETAA International Meeting and Rikuzentakata Volunteer Trip
JETAA International Website :www.jetalumni.org

Future ActivitiesGoing forward, the JETAAi representatives plan to continue to fundraise and support the Tohoku region during the rebuilding. They arejoined by many others with ties to the area, including the family ofTaylor Anderson, another JET that was lost in tsunami. The Andersons created the Taylor Anderson Memorial fund and are involved inseveral projects in Ishinomaki where Taylor was a JET. Back in ourhome countries we hope to help both monetarily and spiritually. In addition to fundraising, we will be pursuing various initiatives that willfurther cross-cultural exchange to the students in the affected area.
One way would be to create short skype videos of individual’s reading achildren’s book in English that we can send to current JETs to give outto their school. We are also hoping to work with schools in Australia
and New Zealand to have live skype calls between classrooms in thosecountries and Tohoku.

JETAA InternationalFacebook:www.facebook.com/
JETAAInternational
JETAA International Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/JETAAUSA/jetaainternational

Current JETs are also doing their part by volunteering regularly in thearea and undertaking creative initiatives to support the remaining residents. It is a strong testament to the grass-roots loyalty to Japan thatis created via the JET Program.

Shree Kurlekar
Chair
JETAA International (JETAAi)

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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FEB, 2012

The New York Times Travel Show features
Japan’s Tohoku Region (March 2-4 at the Javits Center)
For more information about the New York Times Travel Show, please visit the website:www.nyttravelshow.com

The Jacob Javits Convention Center willbe the venue for this year’s New YorkTimes Travel Show on March 2-4, 2012.
One of the features showcased will be
Japan’s resurgence after the devastating
earthquake and tsunami that inflicted terrible damage in the Tohoku region. The Japan Local Government Center in New Yorkwill feature an exhibition booth designed topromote Tohoku regions successful revival
effort. The Tohoku Region, in northeasternJapan encompasses six prefectures; Iwate,Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures wereimpacted severely by the March 11, 2011
disaster.

Cherry Blossom and Shiroishi Castle, in Miyagi

Tanabata Summer Festival in Sendai, MiyagiThe Tohoku Region is famous for its bucoliclandscapes that subtly change with the seasons. Blooming in late April, you can enjoy thebreathtaking beauty, serenity and fragranceof a wide assortment of cherry blossom trees.
Also of interest are the regions Tanabata Festivals, a traditional Japanese summer festival
held in August. Six prefectures in the Tohoku
region hold these festivals such as the Rokkon
Sai – or the six soul’s annual festival that wasstarted last year to cheer up the region.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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FEB, 2012

The New York Times Travel Show features Japan’s Tohoku Region
The exhibitors booth will feature tourism
information about the region, highlighting favorite and historic designations; including
Hiraizumi, a recently designated UNESCOWorld Heritage Site – (June 2011), and fortunately spared from the horrific consequences
brought by the earthquake and tsunami.

JLGC staff demonstrated JapaneseCalligraphy at Travel Show

In addition, members of the Japan Local
Government Center will provide instruction
on Japanese culture, including calligraphy (inJapanese “Shodo” ) and test visitors on theirknowledge of Japan.
Chusonji Temple at Hiraizumi World Heritage
Site in Iwate prefecture

Please come and join us at the Javits Convention Center !

For more information about Tohoku region’s tourism, please visit these websites:
Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization:

www.tohokukanko.jp/english

Tourism Tohoku Portal Site for Post-Quake Rehabilitation: www.tohokukanko-fukkou.jp/en

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Published by Japan Local Government Center
3 Park Avenue, 20th floor, New York, NY 10016 / Tel: 212-246-5542 / Fax:212-246-5617 / E:mail: jlgc@jlgc.org / http://www.jlgc.org

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