02：Heather Rogers(US)

　Since moving to the Fukushima a few months ago, the JET study tour was my 1^st opportunity to see for myself the areas affected by the tsunami and community members who have had to move forward and rebuild. Before I came to Fukushima, I wasn’t sure what the prefecture was like let alone what kind of life the people here have been living since 3.11. Fukushima has become such a buzzword in the news so it’s hard for people outside of Japan not to see Fukushima as damaged as the circulated images make it seem. My area of Fukushima, Yabuki, was affected pretty badly during the earthquake but by the time I came here, the empty lots where houses once stood are the only visible reminders of what happened over 2 years ago. 　 
                          
　On our trip to Iwaki, we spent time between the coastal areas of Onahama and Hisanohama. Even though it’s been over 2 years, there is still a lot of work to be done. Construction where neighborhoods once were is ongoing and people want to move back. When I asked people around town what they thought about people returning to homes by the sea, they told me this is their home, of course they’d want to come back. Further away from the shore we visited an organic cotton field. A lot of farmers in the prefecture have had to stop cultivating the land due to radiation fears affecting produce sails. For many of the farmers though, the grassroots program to reinvigorate the local economy through cotton gives them a creative way to come back to farming in Iwaki. I’ve never seen cotton like this so close let alone pick it. It was great to get hands on with a local volunteer project and on a day with perfect weather, it was an unforgettable experience that we all enjoyed.  
                                                 

　　I loved getting to have coffee and talk with different people about how their lives have changed and what they hope for from here on out. The events of 3.11 though have forced a lot of people to reconsider what and who it is they work for and many have brought their focus back to Fukushima, back to their home. I learned that the people of Fukushima want the rest of Japan to visit and see for themselves the efforts to revitalize the prefecture. More than anything though, they want to strengthen themselves from within their communities with what they can provide locally, 地産地消.