KORIYAMA, Fukushima Prefecture--English teacher Ryan McDonald says that Fukushima Prefecture is beautiful, but nobody back home in the United States believes him.
McDonald has been teaching English to elementary and junior high school kids in Fukushima since 2002.
Even after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the 42-year-old American still lives in what he calls his "second home" on the shores of Lake Inawashiroko.
After being inundated with post-3/11 e-mails and phone calls from friends in the United States who believe the prefecture is a dangerous nuclear wasteland, McDonald decided to do something to dispel misinformed rumors from back home.
An assistant language teacher (ALT), McDonald organized a project to create a calendar that shows the real Fukushima through the eyes of himself and other ALTs who work in the prefecture.
The calendar, with a printing of 3,500 copies, includes photos of traditional arts, majestic scenery and the people of Fukishima Prefecture. The ALTs are sending the calendars to people around the world to spread the message that "Fukushima is about more than just a nuclear disaster."
After McDonald went online in September seeking donations for the project, he received more than 60 contributions from Japan and abroad, exceeding his target of $5,000 (525,000 yen) in about one month.
The photographs were taken by the ALTs after the March 2011 accident. They include Ouchijuku in Minami-Aizu, a former post town along an Edo Period (1603-1867) trade route where the traditional buildings have been preserved; the Hadaka Mairi festival in Yanaizu held during the New Year's holidays; Lake Inawashiroko at sunset; and the Taimatsu Akashi festival in Sukagawa.
The calendars have been sent to world leaders such as U.S. President Barack Obama and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, government officials, Hollywood actors, movie directors and other prominent figures. The British royal family sent a letter expressing its appreciation, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter sent a thank-you letter.
McDonald hopes people will always keep Fukushima in their thoughts as they view the calendars every day. He says he wants to mail out the remaining stock of less then 250 copies for free.
E-mail inquiries can be made to ThisIsFukushima@gmail.com.