ISSUE #74

DECEMBER 2012

JLGC NEWSLETTER
Japan Local Government Center ( CLAIR, New York )Issue no.74 December 2012

This program has been affording senior state and local government
officials an opportunity to experience Japanese government administration first hand. This year the program will be held in Tokyo andKagawa Prefecture.
SETOUCHI INTERNATIONAL ART
FESTIVAL 2010 IN KAGAWA.

ISSUE NO.74 DECEMBER 2012

CLAIR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM WILL BE HELDFROM JANUARY 20 TO 30
IN 2013 (PAGE 1-2)

From an idea, born of business and local government, to turn the island of Naoshima into a place to appreciate culture and art, theSetouchi islands have become a unique destination for arts-loving
tourists from around the world. Now, Kagawa Prefecture has turned
itself and the Setouchi islands into a major international arts festival.
2013 will be the second of what is to be a triennial event. Kagawa will
be delighted to show how this has transformed its status in the worldof tourism.

Theme
Tourism Industry Promotion

JETAA NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSTS

THE 2012 JETAA USA NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN
SAN FRANCISCO (PAGE 3-4)
VISIT TO ISHINOMAKI CITY,MIYAGI REPORTED BY
MATTHEW GILLAM~ APPEARANCE AND REALITY:RECOVERY IN TOHOKU~(PAGE 5-6)
~ IT’S NOT JUST MUD: VOL-

Schedule (tentative)[Tokyo Seminar]
Introduction to the Japanese Local Government System
Presentation by a Japan National Tourism Organization official
Welcome Reception
Tour of Government Facilities in Tokyo

UNTEERING IN ISHINOMAKI ~(PAGE 7-9)

THE FIRST PEACE MESSAGE
FROM HIROSHIMA AT PEARL
HARBOR(PAGE 10)<EXTRA>LONELY PLANETANNOUNCES “TOHOKU IS VERY
MUCH OPEN FOR TRAVEL”(PAGE 11)

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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[Exchange Event in Kagawa]Workshops on promoting the Setouchi International Art Festival and local foods, The quest for UNESCO World
Heritage designation of The Shikoku Pilgrimage. Tour of various facilities (Ritsurin Garden, The Isamu Noguchi
Garden Museum, Konpira Shrine, etc.)

Art Museum in the Earth on Naoshima

Setouchi International Art Festival 2010

CLAIR Fellowship Exchange Program 2012 Participants
Ms. Erin Sparks

Mr. Jeremy Lynn Williams

Senior Policy Analyst,

Policy Analyst,

National Governors Association

The Council of State Governments

Mr. David Thompson
Executive Director,
North Carolina Association of County
Commissioners
Mr. Ted Gaebler
City Manager,

Mr. Jim Brooks
Program Director,
National League of Cities
Mr. Robert O'Neill, Jr.
Executive Director,

City of Rancho Cordova, California

International City/County Management
Association

Mr. Mike Murray

Ms. Nancy Wright-Laking

Chief Administrative Officer,

President,

Regional Municipality of Waterloo,

Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks
and Treasurers of Ontario

Ontario
Ms. Lucie Lavoie
Counsellor,
International Affairs, City of Montreal,
Quebec“Pumpkin” on
Naoshima,
Designed by
Yayoi Kusama

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ISSUE #74

DECEMBER 2012JETAA Northern California hosts

The 2012 JETAA USA National Conference in San Francisco
At the end of October, delegates from eighteen
JETAA chapters in the United States gathered forthe annual JETAA USA National Conference in San
Francisco, CA. Sponsored by CLAIR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 2012 JETAA USA National
Conference was hosted by the JETAA Northern California (JETAANC) chapter at the Consulate-Generalof Japan in San Francisco. The conference featured
informative presentations and workshops on Sister
City initiatives, institutional partnerships, entrepreneurship case studies and membership databasemanagement. Delegates representing JETAA chapters around the United States were able to participate in lively discussions with presenters and panelists on various topics, such as ways to increase membership and promote Japanese cultural activities intheir own regions.

The National Conference began with an informal
reception on Thursday evening at Off the Grid, a
local gourmet food truck gathering that was started by JET alumnus Matt Cohen. Delegates wereable to visit different food trucks, while mingling
and getting to know each other. Presentations
and workshops officially began on Friday morningwith welcome remarks by the Consul General ofJapan in San Francisco, Mr. Hiroshi Inomata,First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in Washington DC, Noriko Watanabe, CLAIR’s Executive
Director, Takaaki Ogata, and JETAANC President John Dzida. Delegates learned about thecurrent state of the JETAA USA 3/11 Relief Fund,which raised close to $89,000 and has been distributed to various organizations and relief projects inJapan. CLAIR Senior Researcher Matt Gillam
also discussed the updates from the JETAA Canada National Conference, as well as their goals forthe next year. A panel discussion on Northern
California Sister Cities initiatives provided conference delegates with ideas on how to foster relationships with local sister cities. On Friday evening, the conference delegates attended a reception
at the Consul General’s residence, which also included recently returned JET participants andparticipants of the Japan-US Training and Exchange Program for English Language Teachers(JUSTE).

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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

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Saturday began with a presentation by the JETAAUSA Country Representatives on the the approved
bylaws and newly established Board of Advisors thatwill help to structure JETAA USA. During the day,delegates were able to choose to attend various
breakout sessions discussing topics such as chapter
finances and treasury, membership management,
and community collaborations. CLAIR also hosted a
reception for the delegates and community members
on Saturday evening at Yoshi’s in San Francisco,which featured modern Japanese cuisine and jazz.
The National Conference concluded on Sunday
morning with a discussion on how the JETAA chapters could promote inter-chapter cooperation andteamwork. As the conference came to a close, manydelegates felt energized by the useful ideas and initiatives they could bring back to their respective chapters for future projects and events.

Doug Tassin from the New Orleans chapter of
JETAA (JETAA NOLA) said, “The conference reallyprovided me with some great insight into membership involvement and collaboration with other chapters and the Japanese groups in our local communities. I feel really confident that I can take these ideas back to my chapter in New Orleans and produce
some positive results.”
We would like to thank CLAIR and the Ministry ofForeign Affairs for their continued support for the
JETAA USA community and our National Conference and we were honored to have their representatives in attendance. We look forward to all of thegreat initiatives and events that will spring forth
after the conference and to another exciting meetingnext year.

Melissa ChanJETAA USA Country
Representative
Tokyo, 2005-2007

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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

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Visit to Ishinomaki City, Miyagi reported by Matthew Gillam~ Appearance and Reality: Recovery in Tohoku ~Sendai looks normal. As if nothing has happened.
Even as you drive toward the coast, there is reallynothing to indicate that a major earthquake and devastating tsunami hit this area a little less than two
years ago. And even when you arrive in Ishinomaki
City it is still not apparent until you enter the lower
sections of town, away from the bus station, thatsomething is wrong.
Where is the Ishinomaki City located? (From Ishinomaki city’s website)

It takes more imagination now, especially for someone who is on their first journey to the region, to understand what was there before and how vast thedevastation is. And the people seem to be moving on,
adjusting to their cramped temporary quarters, sending the kids to school, looking for jobs, getting on with
their lives. Even people who live there can sometimes
be amazed at the pace of recovery. Until you talk for awhile and realize there are two recoveries going on,
the physical and the psychological, and there is a vastdifference between what can be seen and what cannot.
While most debris has been cleared from the tsunami zone, some buildings
are still waiting to learn their fate. Watanoha, Ishinomaki City.

This point was driven home for me when I spoke withthe principal of an elementary school in Ishinomaki
who talked about how many problems the kids arehaving lately and the increase in theft, bullying,fights, and other manifestations of the stress andtrauma that they bring to school from their homes.
Even for families that did not lose their homes, there
is not a household that did not suffer in some way –As we approach the second anniversary of the March
11th earthquake and tsunami, through the workings oftime and a herculean cleanup effort, it has become
harder to discern where large neighborhoods havebeen erased or decimated, and exactly how massive
the scale of the tsunami was. Now, to a large extent,roads are repaired, destroyed buildings torn down andrubble cleared, less damaged buildings renovated, andsurvivors moved into scattered blocks of temporary
housing. There are enough ravaged and gutted buildings left standing to serve as testament to the disaster
APAN
and, when you lookclosely, OCAL
the concreteOVERNMENT
foundation
walls in the lots overgrown with weeds defining where
homes and businesses once stood to give a sense ofwhat has been taken. And the “garekiyama” – thosemountains of debris and junked cars that line thecoast – loom over the zones of destruction like breakwaters put in place too late.

J

L

G

CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

A new shopping center in Watanoha, Ishinomaki City.

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with family and friends killed or struggling to put theirlives back together, jobs washed away, vital services
disrupted and communities devastated. And to add tothis, the school is surrounded by temporary housing, sothat it has taken in a large number of refugees from thehardest hit areas who have lost everything and are now
forced to live in very cramped quarters. One of the biggest problems children have is the lack of a quiet place
to study, since so many are forced to live in small
apartments or share their space with other family
members. Another problem is a lack in many places ofsports grounds or parks for students to practice or play,since either their schools have been destroyed and they
are sharing space in other districts or their open space
has been given over to temporary housing.
One group in Ishinomaki that is working with schools
to provide programs for students is Project Yui(http://project-yui.org/).
Yui works inpartnership withcitizens groups,
government, andbusiness to create opportunities
for children tolearn and to play.
Yui pursues avariety of activities that focus on making schools andthe communities they serve more healthful and supportive for families through providing educational andrecreational after-school programs, gathering information from and helping coordinate efforts among thevarious entities involved in relief and recovery in orderto more efficiently and effectively provide aid to affected communities, and putting on special events to cheer
people up and give them a break from their cares.

Another organization involved in much the same workis the YMCA. The Ishinomaki YMCA, for example, hasbeen holding after-school study sessions followed byrecreational time, as well as providing the chance forkids to get away from everything with their families
and go camping. Other programs include visiting temporary housing facilities and conducting evening singing programs, and sponsoring other community
events.
There are a number of mental health initiatives beyond simply addressing children’s needs for quiet places to study or space to run around and be kids. Manyof these are being undertaken by various government
agencies, but there are also a number of NPOs working with schools and citizens’ groups to address theneeds of those who have suffered trauma and are dealing with its lasting effects.
One of the first groups on the ground after March 11th
was IsraAid, a group involved in addressing issues ofstress and PTSD around the world. Their first personnel arrived in Japan on March 15th, 2011, to assessneeds in Tohoku, but soon found the situation too overwhelming for even that basic task. However, they havepersevered, and were eventually able to start a pilot
program to help children find ways to deal with dailystress and to work through the larger issue of posttraumatic stress that so many have been left with. Almost immediately, however, the group came to understand that they could not simply ask teachers to help
with these efforts, since the school personnel themselves were suffering just as badly and were in no condition to help others. IsraAid has since developed programs to help educators cope with their own issues
while providing necessary support to students. They
have also partnered with Hilton Hotels & Resorts inJapan to help provide job training to young people interested in careers in the food and service industries –JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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

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an important opportunity in a region where many people do not go on to college and lack necessary skills tocomplete in the post-disaster economy. While talk therapy would normally be one central component of healing for disaster survivors, both cultural and linguistic
barriers largely hinder that in Japan, so IsraAid has
found that many non-verbal activities are better-suited
to people’s needs. Activities involving singing or movement, creating visual art projects, etc. have been
providing effective channels for broaching painful topics and getting both children and adults to face andtalk about their experiences. They have also conducted
workshops in Fukushima Prefecture, where the need is
especially great among children who are forced to stayinside all day because of radiation, making it evenharder to get their minds off of their troubles.
Another group active in the area is the Miyagi International Association (MIA). One project they were involved in was the 2nd Looking Beyond Disasters
UNESCO Youth Forum, held in Sendai in mid-Augustof 2012. This forum brought young people from otherdisaster zones such as New Zealand and Indonesia to
Sendai, where they could meet with survivors of theearthquake and tsunami.

This was an important chance for the participants toshare their experiences and find support among theirtrue peers – people their own age who know what it
is like to suffer loss and disruption, but who havealso learned how to find hope and the strength tocreate a more positive future for themselves despite
everything that has happened. One focus of the forum is to find ways to get youth especially, but all
members of the community, more involved in disaster preparedness and response. This kind of engagement has not only practical benefits in terms of better preparedness and more effective response, butalso in terms of giving people a sense that they are
not powerless and have a role to play in an emergency. MIA has also been involved in providing help todisplaced non-Japanese residents in the affected areas of Miyagi and in acting as a bridge between theseresidents and the officials responsible for runningevacuation shelters and other response programs,
where communication difficulties can lead to poor
information exchange and isolation even in supportive communities.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of all theefforts being made by so many people. It is, rather, aquick introduction to a few organizations I have met
with during my visit to Ishinomaki, in the interest oflearning something about the needs of the people
and the resources currently available to themthrough various non-government groups. There aremany relief organizations still very active in andaround Ishinomaki and throughout the region, andthe services they are providing will be essential forthe long-term recovery of the March 11th survivors.

Japan Local Government Center
Senior Researcher
The 2nd Looking Beyond Disasters UNESCO Youth Forum (By MIA)

Matthew Gillam

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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

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Visit to Ishinomaki City, Miyagi reported by Matthew Gillam~ It’s Not Just Mud: Volunteering in Ishinomaki ~Even as governments in Japan at all levels, central,
prefecture, and local, work to help the Tohoku region
recover from the disasters of March 11, 2011, a huge
number of volunteers have also been engaged in theefforts to clean up the debris and help the survivors
move on with their lives. And while these numbers
have decreased over time, there are still many people,
both Japanese and non-Japanese, working through avariety of government-sponsored and nonprofit organizations, where they contribute their time, money, andexpertise to support the future of Tohoku.
This past October, I was fortunate to be able to spend
four days volunteering with one of these groups in Ishinomaki City, called “It’s Not Just Mud”. Formally established as a nonprofit organization, INJM is a looseknit community that claims the loyalty of numerous
people in Japan and around the world. Many people
come and go as their work and personal demands allow, while others will come through once or twice foranywhere from a few days to a few months to help out
and experience what’s going on in the region.

INJM Board of
Directors(Photo is from
INJM’s website)

During my first two days with the group, we were in
Onagawa Town helping cut brush and clear out an
old house so that a man who had lost everything
could fix it up and move in, allowing him to leave thecramped temporary housing where he currently lives.
It was two days of heavy work for a crew of about ten
people, clearing away years of growth, hauling out
old furniture, and demolishing a collapsed floor
where years of neglect had allowed the underpinnings to rot away.

Through its website, http://itsnotjustmud.com/, thegroup provides information on its recent activities andon what potential volunteers need to know to sign up
for a stint helping out with cutting brush, cleaning up
tsunami-ravaged buildings, putting on events for thekids, and all the other activities going on to make life alittle better throughout the area around Ishinomaki.

The hospital in Onagawa. The tsunami was so immense it destroyed the first floor.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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

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We then spent the afternoon helping Habitat for Humanity Japan build simple, bench-like verandas for the
temporary housing units in a small complex near Ishinomaki. These enable residents to have at least a small
space to step out of their cramped units to hang laundry or get some fresh air. It was heartening to see theyoung children running around and playing games
while some of the older children and mothers helped
build and paint the verandas.

Funakoshi, seen from the roof of the three-story school building. The tsunami
reached to about the roofline of the house seen to the left in the middle distance.

Our third day, we traveled to Funakoshi Village,
about one and a half hours out of Ishinomaki, where
we spent the morning again cutting brush, so that aparking lot and temporary units could be put in tohouse the workshop used by the “Funakoshi Ladies”
to create necklaces, charms, and other ornaments outof the famous local slate, which they then sell to raisemoney for rebuilding the community. The village wasalmost completely destroyed by the tsunami andmust now be moved up onto an adjoining mountaintop if it is to survive. The workshop is currently located in the school building, which was gutted up
through the second floor by the tsunami, leaving only
the third floor usable now. We then spent the afternoon helping prepare the stones for the women to
paint and string. Another volunteer organization very
active in the area, Peaceboat, has a very good explanation of the situation in Funakoshi and the origin of
the effort by the Funakoshi Ladies, accessible at
http://peaceboat.jp/relief/reports/funakoshi-ladies/.

Bringing in seedling oysters in Higashimatsushima

There are a myriad of projects and activities going on
every day to help enable people cope with life after thedisasters and, hopefully, to build new lives and a new
future for Tohoku. Many things, like the projects I was
honored to help with, seem small. But it becomes readily apparent if you look that even the smallest improvements can have huge meaning for the people there whohave lost so much.

The morning of my fourth day was spent on the waterin Higashimatsushima, helping the local fishermenbring in loads of scallop shells on which oysters werebeing cultivated. We then helped arrange and packthese for transport
down toOCAL
Hiroshima, OVERNMENT
where they
APAN
would be reintroduced to the water and brought tomaturity. Almost all fishing and aquaculture operations were wiped out in the tsunami, so getting theseback up and running is critical to helping restore theregion’s economy.

J

L

G

CENTER (CLAIR, NY)
Volunteers making bench verandas for evacuees.

Japan Local Government Center
Senior Researcher
Matthew Gillam

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The First Peace Message from Hiroshima at Pearl Harbor
On June 8, Mayor Matsui from the City of Hiroshima visited the USS Arizona Memorial at
Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. He dedicated flowers
and gave a speech for visitors. It was the firstspeech by a Japanese mayor at the Memorial.

Mayor Matsui at Pearl HarborHis key message was as follows:-It is my pleasure to be able to visit and offer flowers here at the USS Arizona Memorial on its milestone
50th anniversary.
-I would like to offer a prayer for the peaceful repose of all the individuals honored here.
-This wall is carved with the names of many of the victims. Similarly, Hiroshima has lost 140,000 people in
the atomic bombing. The battle between America and Japan began here in Pearl Harbor, resulting in alarge sacrifice for the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
-However, the history of friendship between our two countries is very long, and this unfortunate period comprises no more than a moment in comparison.
-What we seek now is peace through reconciliation.
-The reality is that I have a friendly relationship with Mr. Carlisle, Mayor of Honolulu, the city that contains Pearl Harbor. Mayor Carlisle and I know how important it is to sever the circle of past hatred and establish a future-oriented relationship.
-I think all of you are gathered here today to console the spirits of the war victims who lost their lives here.
I would like to make a pledge here to one day realize a peaceful world through reconciliation, and I would
like for everyone else to make the same pledge.
The City of Hiroshima desires lasting peace and Hiroshima is continuing to promote world peace.
Naomi Maki, Assistant Director, Japan Local Government Center

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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

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Lonely Planet announces “Tohoku is very much open for travel”
Lonely Planet has announced on their websitethat Tohoku is “an enchanting land of rugged
mountains, hidden hot springs and ancient folkways – and is very much open for travel. Infrastructure, excepting the coastline, is fine and visitors will find themselves welcomed with not justthe usual Japanese hospitality but with warmthand gratitude.”.
(http://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/travel-tipsand-articles/77551)

Lonely Planet also has been
providing the newest Tohoku chapter as a free download (67 pages)‐ a special early digital release
for travelers in advance of theirfully updated Japan travel guidedue out in September 2013.
(http://media.lonelyplanet.com/pdfs/21-northern-honshu-tohoku-jap13.pdf)

Now is the time to take this opportunity to go
to Tohoku.
And your sharing this information with someone will show your support for the Tohoku region!
The Lonely Planet website

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

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

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