Text and photo by Tzu Chi documenting volunteers
Edited and translated by Wu Hsiao-ting
Tzu Chi’s direct cash aid brings hope and warmth to earthquake victims on Japan’s Noto Peninsula.
Photo by Wang Meng-zhuan
On New Year’s Day, an earthquake struck Japan’s Noto Peninsula, in Ishikawa Prefecture, resulting in 260 deaths, 1,200 injuries, and damage to 80,000 houses. The quake also destroyed the only road into and out of the Noto Peninsula, complicating rescue and demolition efforts.
Even after the road was repaired, the severe damage to hotels left demolition crews nowhere to stay and slowed efforts to rebuild. For example, the earthquake destroyed about 4,000 houses in Suzu City, the area closest to the epicenter. Although a thousand people there applied for government-funded demolition, only a few cases had been completed months after the quake.
Given the extent of the damage, residents were in need of cash assistance for reconstruction. Prefectural and town offices announced emergency support funds with various subsidy measures, but many residents, especially the elderly, were unsure how to apply. Insufficient administrative manpower in the disaster area further delayed the application process.
Amidst this uncertainty, it was announced that Tzu Chi would be distributing cash aid. Many residents were hopeful but skeptical. However, from May 17 to 19, representatives from 1,091 households in the town of Anamizu received financial assistance from the foundation. They could not believe such timely help!
Tzu Chi began distributing cash assistance in mid-May and will continue into July. The aid is directed at families with homes meeting two criteria: being over 50 percent damaged and having elderly residents aged 65 and above. The targeted areas include the towns and cities of Anamizu, Noto, Nakanoto, Wajima, Shika, and Suzu. Depending on their size, households have received or will receive amounts of 130,000, 150,000, or 170,000 Japanese yen (US$825-$1,080).
Tzu Chi volunteers and a quake survivor bow to each other during a cash aid distribution at the Noto town office in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture on June 9.
Collaboration for relief
The first round of distributions took place in Anamizu, where Tzu Chi focused its care after the earthquake. Between January 13 and March 30, volunteers from Tokyo and Osaka, along with residents participating in a Tzu Chi work relief program, provided over 20,000 servings of hot meals and drinks in the town.
The second set of cash aid distributions were held from June 7 to 9 in the town of Noto, where 722 households received aid. Noto is renowned for its farming practices that harmonize with nature, which have earned recognition as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. The earthquake on New Year’s Day caused many old houses in the town to collapse, tilt, or crumble. Some houses began to sink when the soil liquefied in the shaking.
Twelve evacuation centers with over a hundred residents were still open in the town when Tzu Chi held its distributions there. Nearly half of the town’s population is elderly and settlements are dispersed, so Tzu Chi and the local government organized five distributions to ensure easy access for the elderly. Though volunteers arrived early at each location to set up, they were never early enough to beat the residents already waiting for them.
Although privacy is highly regarded in Japanese culture, the local government understood Tzu Chi’s principle of direct disaster relief, which aims to distribute aid personally, without intermediaries. Although the local government wouldn’t provide a list of affected households to Tzu Chi, they arranged for civil servants to verify the identities of recipients in the reception area of the distribution venue. Then, Tzu Chi volunteers guided recipients to service counters to gather and verify additional information necessary for them to receive assistance. Finally, recipients were directed to the interaction area where they could rest and converse with volunteers.
Seventy-six-year-old Yoshimatsu Yokochi said he was initially skeptical when he received a notification letter from the town office about Tzu Chi’s distribution, but he decided to check it out in person. Once he was there, he kept asking, “Are we really getting cash? Not a bank transfer?” He just couldn’t believe he would be receiving 150,000 yen in cash.
He and his wife were staying at a friend’s home at the time. “We’re still waiting for the city office to demolish our house,” he said, “but we don’t know when that will happen.” He was very touched when he learned the source of Tzu Chi’s relief funds and said he would cherish the money and put it towards building a new home for his wife and children. Although his children and grandchildren only visit once or twice a year, he still hoped to provide them with a home for their stays.
He added that he would tell his children about Tzu Chi’s help to encourage them to pay the love forward. “I feel your warmth,” he said, “and now I feel motivated and hopeful about building a new home.” He and his wife smiled kindly at the volunteers receiving them, saying, “We look forward to having you visit our new home.”
A volunteer passes a damaged house in the fishing village of Ukawa, Noto, on his way to distribute aid on June 9. Yan Wan-ting
Priceless warmth and love
Many people were amazed that Tzu Chi volunteers personally delivered cash to them. Exclamations like, “We can’t express how thankful we are!” were heard repeatedly at the distributions. Eighty-one-year-old Sachiko Matsuda said this several times herself.
Mrs. Matsuda lives with her 84-year-old husband, Sodetosio, and two other family members. She wiped away tears after receiving aid from Tzu Chi and agreed to let volunteers accompany her home to see how the quake had affected their house. The group arrived at a traditional Japanese-style house on a slope.
“I was cooking in the kitchen when the earthquake hit,” Mrs. Matsuda told the visitors. “I quickly rushed to the entrance of our home, but the shaking was so severe I couldn’t stay on my feet.” Her husband was holding on to the door, unable to stand up or get out. She hugged his waist, and their daughter and granddaughter hugged hers. The four of them clung together, unable to make it out of their house. Still haunted by the memory, she remembered feeling like the sky was falling. Mr. Matsuda, on the other hand, said that his only thought during the earthquake was that the house was about to collapse. He felt hopeless. “Now that I’m still alive and my family is safe,” he said, “I consider us really lucky.”
Because a wall of their home collapsed during the tremor, the whole family had to move to a nearby shelter. There was no running water or electricity in the aftermath of the disaster, so local women gathered and worked together to cook with small gas stoves. After living like this for ten days, the family rented a house near a relative’s home in Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. They lived there for some time but wanted to return to their own home, so they tidied it up the best they could and settled back in.
Mrs. Matsuda told the volunteers that it had cost them more than 2.8 million yen (US$17,760) to have a contractor repair a bedroom and kitchen. She added that it would cost at least ten million yen to have everything repaired. “The contractor hasn’t invoiced us yet,” she said. “The money from Tzu Chi will help cover the repair costs, which will make our lives a little easier.”
Many residents expressed deep gratitude for the volunteers’ comforting words and attentive listening. One resident said, “It’s not about the money you provided, but the fact that you came from afar to help us.” She was referring to the volunteers who had traveled all the way from Taiwan. “The warmth and love we received from you is priceless!”
Honya Shimako, pictured here at her evacuation center, thanks Tzu Chi volunteers for traveling from afar to help them, giving them strength. Jessica Yang
Short-term shelter solutions
After receiving her cash aid, Shimako Motoya led a small group of Tzu Chi volunteers back to the evacuation center where she was staying, right next to the town office. She had been sheltering there for over five months, using cardboard to section off a bedroom. She planned to move to a friend’s house in mid-June. “Thank you for the cash aid,” she said to the volunteers. “I’ll use it to buy daily necessities. But more importantly, thank you for coming. Your presence gives me strength.”
Sixty-seven-year-old fisherman Masahiro Yamamoto also agreed to show volunteers his temporary housing, which was built in Fujinami Sports Park. The housing complex there accommodated about 120 families. Each unit was approximately 25 square meters (265 square feet) and featured a bathroom with separate wet and dry areas, a small kitchen equipped with household appliances, including a refrigerator and a microwave, and two small rooms, one of which served as a living room. Mrs. Yamamoto expressed satisfaction with their current living conditions.
The road in front of the Yamamotos’ old residence sank 3.5 meters (11 feet), causing the house to tilt forward. The couple stayed at two evacuation centers before moving into their current temporary housing in May, which brought more stability to their lives. “I worked hard my entire life to support my family and am now blessed with many children and grandchildren,” Yamamoto said. “I never expected to face something like this at my age, but there’s nothing we can do.” He mentioned that their 30-year-old house—which looked undamaged apart from its tilt—would soon be dismantled. The thought filled him with indescribable sadness.
Their temporary housing was only available for two years, so Yamamoto thought about applying for government disaster recovery housing. Despite being retired, he could use his pension to help cover the monthly fee. He mentioned that Tzu Chi was the first and only charity to distribute cash in the disaster area and that he felt honored to receive the help.
Seventy-year-old Mikio Ueno made a special trip from Kanazawa by bus to receive the cash aid. He recalled how the town office broadcast a warning of an impending tsunami after two strong shocks on January 1, urging residents to evacuate. He and his wife quickly prepared to flee. However, their house had deformed and tilted, trapping them inside. Despite her frailness, Mrs. Ueno managed to break a reinforced glass window with her bare hands, allowing them to escape. Barefoot, they hurried to a nearby temple to borrow two pairs of shoes before fleeing to higher ground.
Afterwards, they rented a house in Kanazawa. The landlord was reluctant to rent to older people, so they rented under their son’s name. Mr. Ueno used to work in the fish trade but was now unemployed. He said he planned to use Tzu Chi’s aid to buy household appliances.
“Thank you for coming from afar to help us,” said Mrs. Ueno. “Not only did you distribute cash to us, but you also served us hot tea and snacks, and gave us good-luck ornaments. I never expected to receive so much.” She choked up with emotion as she spoke.
At the entrance of the Noto town office, numerous cards and ribbons from various locations adorn the area, bearing messages of encouragement and blessings for the local earthquake victims. Yan Wan-ting
Heartfelt appreciation in Noto
Tzu Chi volunteers repeatedly visited the disaster area for six months following the earthquake. They assessed the damage, provided hot meals, discussed aid distribution plans with relevant agencies, and then followed up with distributions.
Xu Li-xiang (許麗香), CEO of Tzu Chi Japan, shared that her mind was filled with images of the local residents’ gratitude each time she returned to Tokyo from the disaster area. She recounted the story of an older farmer who said, “My bank account is running out of money, and I’m worried about the water source for my fields. A few days ago, I brought two tons of water from a river, but I’m unsure if it will be enough for my vegetables to sprout. Receiving such a large amount of money from you is truly like timely rain.”
Xu complimented the Noto Peninsula not only for its beautiful scenery but also for its people and their spirit of deep gratitude. “Residents kept shedding tears, saying Taiwan was similarly affected after the strong earthquake in Hualien on April 3. How could they not be moved, knowing Tzu Chi volunteers still came personally to help them?”
In mid-June, Wajima city announced that Tzu Chi would distribute cash aid at the end of the month, leading to a flood of inquiries to Tzu Chi Japan. Evacuees sheltering out of town were moved and expressed their determination to return home to receive the aid. Despite the endless calls, volunteers said that the chance to express the love from around the world to the quake survivors was truly a great joy.
