Blue Sky

18 June in Otsuchi, Iwate, we had a clear blue sky with beautiful gentle breeze. It was the 100th day from the March 11 disaster. A group of us was there to clean the Otsuchi-gawa River, where tsunami travelled upstream. The surrounding communities as far as 5km were devastated. Although the river water is cold and clean, the riverbed is filled with pieces of glasses, nails, roof tiles and fragments of household goods and industrial materials. On both sides of the river stand the Otsuchi Primary and Secondary. In the coming warmer months, we hope children can enjoy cool clean water in a safe environment. As we were finishing for the day, a string of kites flew straight up into the blue summer sky, as if to free the soul of those who were lost and the grief of their families and friends.

Suikinkutsu in Broome

The Suikinkutsu at the entrance of the Broome Shire Council,WA was installed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Broome-Taiji Sister-town Relationship. Simon Wearne, who has learned the art of Suikinkutsu making from Master Kubo, completed this installation using all local materials, plus stones from Taiji (grey stones in centre). The installation coincided with the naming of the street in front of the Taiji Town Council as "Broome St". The Broome suikinkutsu features special stones permitted from Yawuru People, the traditional owners in the Kimberley region and native plants, showing distinctive Broome landscape. This is the 5th suikinkutsu by Team Kubo, who has been installing this beautiful land art with a specific aim to communicate and celebrate the importance of peace, friendship, natural environment and local culture. With this installation, we acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, and the Japanese ancestors who came across the sea, worked hard in a foreign land, many of whom never saw their homeland again.