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.