Radiation and one's hometown

April 1, 2015 + books and films

Picture book about Fukushima nuclear crisis serves as education tool at schools

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150401p2a00m0na015000c.html

A picture book has become a popular tool in classrooms in Japan to illustrate the loss and sorrow that people are facing in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear crisis to help prevent memories of the disaster from fading.

The book, titled "Todoke minna no omoi: hoshano to furusato" (To reach you: radiation and one's hometown), portrays Myasa the cat as the protagonist that lives near the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. Myasa and its human family are forced to evacuate far from home in the wake of the nuclear meltdown, and the cat often thinks about its fellow animals such as cows, pigs and chickens that were left behind in radiation contaminated areas. Myasa promises to pass down stories about the nuclear disaster in hopes that such a tragedy is never repeated.

Mika Muraoka, the author of the book, hopes that the story of the feline will help readers think back on problems regarding the nuclear plant and its surrounding areas as people are beginning to lose interest in the issue.

Muraoka began writing children's books about life in 2007 after she lost her friend to suicide and traveled across the country to read her stories to children. She had visited a junior high school in the city of Fukushima six months before the nuclear meltdown and came to know students and their parents there. The author decided to write the Fukushima-themed book after hearing about hardships local residents faced while living as evacuees in the fear of radiation.

"I wanted this book to not pose questions over the pros and cons of nuclear power, but rather to be a story by which readers have a fresh look at the importance of their families and hometowns and think about what they can do (to protect them)," Muraoka said.

Muraoka wrote the feline story to have a positive message for the future, and the book was completed in February 2014. The drawings for the book were done by painter Akio Watanabe, 65, native to Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture. Also, an endorsement comment from actor Toshiyuki Nishida, 67, who was born in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, is included on the book band.

In a year since the book was released, elementary and junior high schools, as well as childcare centers in Hokkaido, Miyagi and Kagoshima prefectures that host nuclear power stations and also schools in other parts of the country, have introduced story reading time for children using Muraoka's picture book.

Muraoka herself continues to visit schools mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area to read the book to children. She has traveled to schools in farther locations from her home in Tokyo, including Shizuoka and Kagawa prefectures to read the story.

The author has received various feedback from children, as well as teachers in emails and letters, such as, "I'll never forget the incident" and "I hope to protect my family and my hometown."

"The nuclear accident is something we all should remember. I would like not just children but also adults to read the book," Muraoka commented.

The picture book is published by Shin-Nihon Shuppan Sha and on sale at 1,500 yen (before tax).

April 01, 2015(Mainichi Japan)