Miyako Group

The Miyako PhotoVoice group is composed of members of Ajisai no Kai, which is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality in Miyako City.

** Listed at the end of each member profile is their corresponding PhotoVoice title as searchable in the National Women’s Education Center (NWEC) Archive for Post Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction & Women Support,which is linked to the National Diet Library Great East Japan Earthquake Archive Hinagiku. If you find a title that interests you, please click the link to learn more.
You can now check the PhotoVoice listings searchable in that archive here.

 

Member Profiles

● Emi
I am in my sixties, still working, and a resident of Miyako City. Though I was affected by the disasters myself, I have been participating in relief efforts. Since the disasters, I have learned a great deal and developed new insights.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “Heavy Baggage” (2011), “Lord Oguman” (2013)

● Hanamasu
I am in my sixties and from Iwate’s coastal area, where I was affected by the disasters. I have been involved in community efforts since before the disasters. Now I work to watch over and advise people in emergency temporary housing facilities.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “Flowers Overflowing” (2012)

● Hiroko
I am in my sixties, a former government employee, a resident of Miyako City. After the disasters I lived in temporary housing. Since all of us in that housing facility came from the same neighborhood, we could easily reach out to and support one another, and we enjoyed our daily lives there.

● Chiyoko Miura
I am in my seventies. I have been involved in a local parenting support group, a taiko drumming club, and a women’s association, and my hobby is trekking. I cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner for the evacuation centers for a month starting from the very day of the disasters. Some neighbors came to take shelter at my house, but since there was no running water, we filtered spring water from up the mountain to drink. It reminded me of life during the war.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “Salmon Catching” (2013)

● Yamaguchi
I am in my sixties. My office was in the center of downtown Miyako City, far away from the shore, so no one thought a tsunami would come that far. When someone yelled “Get to high ground!” about 10 of us went up to the 5th floor. Many cars were washed out of the parking lot, vending machines were washed away, and a big boat came floating down the main shopping street. We couldn’t get in touch with our families, and when everyone walked back home the next morning, some people found their houses had been washed away.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “Coastal Observatory Swallowed by the Tsunami” (2012)

● Ryoko
I am in my sixties. I am active in a group that provides opportunities for people to enjoy arts and culture. Since joining PhotoVoice I have felt anew the power and beauty of nature, and I have come to better understand the feelings of my PhotoVoice groupmates.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “Landscape Visible from the Glass Window of the Embankment” (2013)

 

One Member’s Voice
*coming soon*