Photo/Illutration Local street vendors open one-day shops on Jan. 20 at Komaruyama Elementary School in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, which is being used as an evacuation center. (Yoshiaki Konishi)

Sixty-three years ago, author Masuji Ibuse (1898-1993) went on a shopping trip with the antique dealer that the protagonist of his novel, “Chinpindo Shujin,” had been modeled after.

The book was being made into a film around that time.

While traveling north by train from Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, a local woman clad in “noragi” (traditional farmer’s working clothes) strongly urged Ibuse to visit the ruins of Nanao Castle.

In a coastal town, Ibuse and his companion were shown a massive collection of antiques at the estate of a local personage.

All the people they met were kind and firmly rooted in their communities, according to Ibuse’s travelogue titled “Noto Hanto” (the Noto Peninsula).

My heart aches as I read this book now and see the names of many of the places Ibuse visited--Nanao, Anamizu, Ushitsu and Sosogi. They all suffered considerable damage in the Noto Peninsula earthquake on Jan. 1.

Three weeks have elapsed since the disaster, but more than 14,000 people in Ishikawa Prefecture remain at evacuation centers.

The prefecture is now offering them what it calls “secondary evacuation plans,” but only about 20 percent of the citizens have taken the opportunity to move.

The reasons for their overall lack of enthusiasm are varied. But for most people, it is their reluctance to leave their familiar hometowns.

They understand the benefits of moving into hotels or other places in safe areas. But by staying put, they are surrounded by neighbors who they have close relationships with and can help one another.

And what if they are never able to return home? Especially for people with disabilities, a change of environment is a huge burden. Health and safety are not just for the body, but for the soul as well.

A survey done in the wake of the Noto earthquake of March 25, 2007, showed interesting results.

In Wajima, there were about 300 households in a community where the majority of residents were senior citizens, but only four households left there after the quake.

This indicated the residents’ high level of “permanent residency awareness,” according to a book by Juichi Yamazaki titled “Fukko Shuraku no Jizokuryoku to Moderu-sei” (the sustainability of reconstructed communities as models).

Home, aside from just being where one lives, is also where people gather to celebrate traditional holidays such as Bon and New Year’s Day.

Noto has a rich cultural tradition of centuries-old festivals and religious rites that have been passed down from generation to generation.

What Ibuse encountered while traveling there was the kindness of the locals who were graceful and strong.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 24

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News