Books enchant me.

Usually.

And they lived happily ever after……

Sometimes books don’t enchant me.

They inform me. They educate me.  They teach me.

Like these books:

These books are at our city public library.  They educate kids about earthquakes and and other scary stuff.

Why are they on display now?

Next month on March 11, 2016, it is the fifth anniversary of the super duper mega king-sized quake that ripped through Japan.

RIP!  RIP!  RIP!

Lots of the littler kids here in Japan probably don’t even remember it!

(I remember it.  I was reading a book at the time.)

It is important to learn about earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear meltdown.

Oh my!

Did you know that if you are in Japan during a super duper earthquake, phone calls on public telephones are free? Even long distance ones. It’s a great time to call your mom and let her know how your day is going!

Hey!   Let’s go on a walk in Fukushima City!

That middle flag is the Japanese flag. Japanese children love their flag because it is easy to draw.   They also love it because they love their country!

Walking along the path next to the river.

Hey, I can see some mountains!   There are a lot of mountains in Fukushima Prefecture.

I always do my best thinking while walking.   I call it “Imagination Perambulation.”

Wait.  Did we clean up our dog poop?

Japanese people are very clean and conscientious.  Let’s clean up the poop!

free images from irastoya.com

You might be wondering:  What exactly is Fukushima?

Fukushima is both the name of a prefecture and the name of its capital city.    Remember, prefectures are like states, or provinces, or territories.

This is a map of Fukushima Prefecture.

This is a much clearer map of Fukushima Prefecture.  The coast, which is along the Pacific Ocean, is on the east.   The rest of the prefecture is landlocked.

A tsunami hit the coast of Fukushima Prefecture after the earthquake on March 11, 2011.  It killed many people.   Furthermore, it damaged the nuclear power plant which was located on the coast.  (Nuclear power plants must be located near water.)

The nuclear power plant was in the middle section on the east coast.  It’s all those little towns on the coast that had the most damage, both from the tsuanami and from radiation.

Fukushima City and Koriyama City are two big cities located in the center section of Fukushima.  They got hit hard, but not as hard as further east.    Basically the further west you go, the less radiation that settled.

So what was Fukushima Prefecture famous for BEFORE the earthquake?

Mountains.  Fukushima was famous for mountains.

Beautiful, unpolluted nature.

Wonderful view of the stars.

Fresh and healthy food.

Children playing outdoors in the snow.

Hot springs.   And monkeys in hot springs.

The pristine beach.

And LOTS LOTS MORE!!!!!!!!

(Free images from sozai-library.com)

Remember, I wrote a book about Fukushima?

The book that I wrote tells more about Fukushima and its beauty.

Because yes, Fukushima is beautiful.  I’ll try to show its beauty in this blog…..so stay tuned!

Happy Meowtines Day!

You might be wondering:  What is “Tohoku?” 

Tohoku is the name of the northern region of the island of Honshu in Japan.  It’s where I live and, of course, includes Fukushima Prefecture.

The name Tohoku is a great name because it means literally:  “East North.”

東北   is Tohoku in Japanese.  The characters for East and North, stuck together!  Very simple.

Wow! Geography is fun!

There are six prefectures in Tohoku.  (A prefecture is similar to a state or a province or a territory.)

From the north:

Aomori  Prefecture  (at very far north)

below that:  Akita Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture

below that: Yamagata Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture

below that: Fukushima Prefecture

You can see that Fukushima Prefecture is the furthest south of all the prefectures in Tohoku.

What is Tohoku like?  Well, it is famous for its natural beauty.  Many other parts of Japan are densely populated, but not Tohoku.  It is abundant with nature.  It’s a place for Tokyites to go to get away from the big city.

There are not a lot of other foreigners who live in Tohoku.  Well, there are some–but not many!

Sendai City, with about a million people, is the most populous city in Tohoku.  But it is not especially large by Japanese standards.    Sendai City is only twelfth largest of all the cities in Japan.

Furthermore, Tohoku has its own distinct personality.    It has its own languages, its own festivals, its own souvenirs, its own people.

Not all of Tohoku was severely affected by the 3/11 earthquake.  The east coast felt it most sharply.  But all the people of Tohoku bond together in a spirit of northern fellowship.  We’re all in this together!

And furthermore, the earthquake effects reached all over Japan, not just Tohoku.   However, it is usually thought of as a Tohoku disaster because Tohoku felt the effects most severely.   Nevertheless, people all over Japan are rooting for us in Tohoku!

In the book that I wrote Haruka and her younger brother flee from Fukushima after the earthquake.

Do they go to another part of Tohoku?

Another part of Japan?

Another part of the world?

Another part of the universe?

It’s in the book!

Free images from free-map-Japan.com and mind-system.net and illustrain.com

On March 11 of 2011, there was a big earthquake during the afternoon.  Its epicenter was off the northeast coast of Japan, but it was felt far and wide across Japan.   Three  things happened.

First, there was the shaking. Fortunately, however, most buildings in Japan are sturdily built.   Everybody knows that earthquakes are common here, so there are standards that builders must follow.  Therefore, not an incredibly huge amount of buildings toppled from the shaking.  However, many buildings here in Tohoku (northern Japan) were partially destroyed or got cracked.

Second, there was a tsunami.  This only affected people along the east coast in the northern half of Japan.  I don’t live on the coast, so it did not affect me in any way.  However, it cost many people their lives.  The tsunami was much larger than anybody ever imagined would happen.

Third, the nuclear power plant melted down.  Its location is in eastern Fukushima on the coast.   The meltdown dispersed radiation and caused widespread panic.  This affected me since I live in Fukushima City.  I left with my son due to this event and stayed with my husband’s parents on the west coast.

For a lot of people, meltdown is a very scary word.  And now Fukushima has become a very scary word.  Meltdowns are, of course, scary and tragic, but don’t be scared.   Fukushima is just a regular place where people live.  I live here again now.  Lots of kids live here.  And we love it.

Is it safe?  The radiation dispersed quite a bit and the level here in Fukushima City is pretty low.  So I feel safe living here.  However, the area near the power plant is no longer inhabited.  Those people had to leave their homes immediately.  Many of them still can not go back.

I want to teach about Fukushima.   It’s no good pretending it didn’t happen.  If the people of Fukushima can face this disaster with courage, then so can everybody else.   We learn from our past, and we live for the future.

In the manuscript that I wrote, Haruka and her little brother live in Fukushima.  They are normal kids with normal lives.  But then disaster strikes.  Haruka and her brother face it with courage.    What exactly do they do and who exactly do they meet?   It’s in the book!

If you want to read about the tsunami, please try the book that just came out: “Up From the Sea” by Leza Lowitz.  Like me, she’s a momma in Japan.   And an excellent writer.

Free image from illustrain.com

Fukushima Prefecture is in northern Japan.  I live in Fukushima City.  That’s in northern Fukushima Prefecture.  Yep, we’re north!

Fukushima is hot and sweaty in  the summer, but right now it is winter, so it is cold and snowy.

I snapped these pictures while walking outside this past week.

Brrrr!  I’m glad I’m not a truck.

See that pink sign?  That’s a place where people can pay money and sing karaoke.

This is my favorite street in all of Fukushima.  If I were a truck, I’d drive on this street.  But I’m still glad I’m not a truck.  I think it would be exhausting!

If you look at a globe and put your finger on Fukushima City, then travelled east to the United States, you would run into Wichita, Kansas.  That’s where I was raised.  Fukushima City and Wichita, Kansas are approximately on the same latitude.  I also grew up with snowy winters and hot summers, so Fukushima’s weather is nothing new to me.

If you look at that same globe and put your finger on Fukushima City, then travelled south to Australia, you would run into Adelaide, Australia.  Fukushima City and Adelaide are approximately on the same longitude.

In the book that I’m writing, the main’s character’s name is “Haruka.”  If you look up the Japanese word “Haruka” in a dictionary, you’ll find that is says “far away.”  People around the world think of Fukushima as a far away place.  But is it so far?  We are all intertwined with each other.  You live far away, but you are reading this now.  And I was raised far away from Fukushima, but I live here now.   And Adelaide is far, far away.  But for the children in Adelaide, it’s not far at all.  It’s their home.  And they know of Fukushima and they’ve heard of Kansas….so it’s not so far, after all.

My name is Amy Lange Kawamura.  I’m not Japanese, but I live in Japan with my Japanese husband and our teenage son.   We live in a prefecture called Fukushima.  Have you heard of this place?  Back in 2011, some bad stuff happened here.  I started this blog to teach you about Fukushima!

This is a kid friendly site.  I am a momma who loves kids, so I want kids to learn about Fukushima in a safe environment.

I have written a manuscript about Fukushima.   I think it’s a great story.   But last night I dreamed I was eating a strawberry sandwich, so maybe not only will I eat a strawberry sandwich, but I will also get my manuscript published eventually!

After all, dreams do come true!

See you next time…….