I was able to reconfirm the situation in Fuksuhima

Name: Zhang Naiji Nationality: Chinese Location Visited: Kitakata City

Message

Hi everyone my name is Zhang Naiji, I’m from Shanghai, China, and am currently studying as a post-graduate student. Time flies as they say, and already 3 days have passed since I returned home from Fukushima. Over these past 3 days I have been flooded with questions from friends asking ‘How was Japan? , How was Fukushima?’. My response was ‘It was good, but I would have liked to stay longer’.  Fukushima as it is, with its beautiful nature, felt just as though I had traveled to a tourist location nearby Shanghai, and there was nothing that seemed out of place to me. However, over time I came to hold a different perspective on Fukushima and Japan.

I first knew the name ‘Fukushima’ when the tsunami 3 years ago caused the accident at the nuclear power plant. I imagined that power plants took up a large amount of land and at that time I mistakenly thought that Fukushima was the equivalent of a nuclear power plant. After 3 years have passed, the ‘danger’ of Fukushima is gradually dissolving from peoples’ minds. This was one of the reasons I decided to apply for this tour.

After stepping off the plane at Narita everything felt fresh but natural. Familiar Asian faces, Ramen inspired by China, Chinese train conductors, while I was in Japan, I still felt at home. On the other hand there was ramen of unfamiliar flavours, various and foods and magazines lined up in convenience stores, and these were what helped form my first impression of Japan.

After we finally reached the Japanese Inn in the middle of the night, I was able to try a Japanese style onsen for the first time. I was able to widen my perspective on things by experiencing new culture including customs such as washing yourself before getting in the onsen, and only bathing for 5 minutes at a time.

On the second day, our homestay on a farm house proved to be a very precious experience. In China people are happy to give you directions if you ask, but visiting someone’s house all of a sudden feels like a very different thing. However the stay on the farm in Kitakata City eliminated any such worries I might have had beforehand. The husband who worked in the Agricultural Division at the local town hall and his family gave us a wonderful welcome. They treated us to delicious meals, taught us simple crafts, and through these activities along with our experience working on the farm we were able to experience the simple lifestyle passed down in the local region.

On the 3^rd day at an exchange event at Aizu University, I was able to experience the friendliness of Japanese students. They kindly showed us around Tsurugajo Castle, we enjoyed rich discussion together, and were also able to try our hands at pounding mochi together.

The only negative thing about this tour was that it wasn’t long enough, I wanted to learn more about Japan, and Fukushima. If I get the chance, I’d like to come back and learn more about Japan.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to pass a message along to the people in Fukushima who treated us so kindly, and all the rest, who I would like so much to meet. I wish for the quickest possible recovery of Fukushima, and that your lives will become even more prosperous and enjoyable into the future.