Ms. V (a woman in her 50’s) V さん（５０代）

June 19, 2016 I heard that the sea between the island and the peninsula got split in two and the seafloor was visible. I saw a picture of this occurrence. They said that the water got separated into two sides and a straight passage way was formed in between the island and the peninsula. The power of the nature is astonishing, indeed. Each side of the water crushed into each other afterword which resulted in the Tsunami. We cannot prevent an event like such that the slabs of rock moving at the seafloor level which was causing the earthquakes. We are completely powerless. It may come out wrong, but I am wondering why not build homes that are easily put back together even if they get destroyed by Mother Nature or why don’t we lead minimalist lives? The earth has tremendous power over us beyond our imagination. We are nothing more than creatures living on the surface of the earth for its mercy. You know, the bears are coming around the town recently. They come down to the village because there’s no food in the mountains, you see. They won’t bother coming down if food is available in the mountains, you know? I am wondering if the fact that we are depleting the bamboo shoots in the mountain is contributing to it, as well. I suspect humans are responsible for many bad things. Do you remember a large number of deer on the island died after the earthquakes due to food shortage? A long time ago, a herd of deer from the island moved to the peninsula side by swimming across the sea. The monkeys could not swim so they went on the back of the deer to come across to the peninsula side. How interesting. It sounds like it was made up, but it is a true story. The tide is fast around there, and I am wondering if those deer were able to time the tide correctly. Speaking of tide, I heard that the fishermen are having a hard time unloading the fish from the boat to the shore lately prevented by the tall concrete breakwaters being built or soil piled too high after the earthquakes. They are force to wait till the tide is high enough for the boat to be at a closer level with the pier in order for them to unload the fish. It is bizarre. For elder fishermen, it makes it especially difficult for them. The ground that sank by about two meters after the earthquakes is slowly rising again, and the efforts to make a higher ground by piling soil are being wasted. The earth is constantly shifting, you see? It scares me a bit. Speaking of fear, I attended a school by the shore when I was little. On one high-tide day, I remember walking to school on the road where crashing waves from the ocean was splashing over my head. I had never walked on the same road again when the tide was high after that as it’s dangerous. I am convinced that human beings are powerless against nature.