A month after the Noto Peninsula heavy rainfall in September, many foreign residents, including technical intern trainees, are living in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture where was hit by a “double disaster” following the earthquake in January. AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) held a hands-on event with the International Exchange Association of Nanao City on October 20 so foreign survivors can refresh their minds and bodies affected by the disaster by making a local specialty “Tokoroten” and apple picking.

The event was attended by 11 technical intern trainees from China and Vietnam, 7 foreign language teaching assistants from the U.S. and Canada, and staff from the Nanao City Hall and the Nanao International Association. At the “Tokoroten Making” event, conducted with the cooperation of a local organization “Nene no Kai”, participants experienced the process of boiling locally harvested natural grass, placing it in molds, cutting it into pieces, and pushing it out. They also made ohagi (rice cakes) with sesame, soybean flour, and red bean paste, which they enjoyed together for lunch.

In the afternoon, participants went to a farm on Notojima Island to try their hand at harvesting Ishikawa’s brand-name apples. They were a bit excited to pick apples for the first time, and some of them were smiling and taking commemorative photos with each other. At the end of the event, they discussed their experiences during the earthquake disaster on the lawn.

One participant commented, “I usually don’t have a chance to experience local things, so today I enjoyed a lot” (a Chinese technical trainee). “I was nervous and irritated because I was afraid of the earthquake. I am still anxious now.” A Vietnamese technical intern said, “I didn’t go to the shelter but stayed at the company’s dormitory after the earthquake. Hopefully we had food, but we ran out of water. I usually have very little contact with local people, so I would like to know about disaster prevention and evacuation shelters.”

Foreign residents do not have many opportunities to socialize with Japanese people outside of their workplaces, and at the time of the Noto disaster, they tended to be isolated without information about evacuation shelters and other facilities, and had difficulty receiving support.

We are planning to hold this event again on November 10 with more participants to strengthen the network of foreign residents with Nanao City and the International Exchange Association, which will be useful for future disaster prevention. We would like to ask for your cooperation for the Noto Peninsula earthquake and heavy rain.