MINAMISANRIKU EDUTRIP
June 4th-5th, 2016.
Miyagi University of Education
It was a blessing that i got chance to join an Edutrip to Minamisanriku, an area in northeastern part of Miyagi Prefecture which was devastated by Tsunami 2011. It was really fun and full of learning trip. There were 18 foreign students, several lecturers and administrative staffs of Miyagi University of Education joining the program. I really enjoyed the series of activities during the program.
Day 1
All participants were to gather in sendai station at 8.30 a.m, where we set out the trip. It took 2 hours to reach Minamisanriku by Campus Bus. To me, the trip from Sendai to Minamisanriku was very fascinating as i managed to enjoy greenery on the right and left side of the road.
The first spot we visited was Shizugawa bay. It was an area which was impacted by Tsunami in 2011. It’s condition today is very beautiful. A documentary picture and video described how this area was seriously devastated completely when it was stricken by Tsunami. We took a boat to wander around the bay for almost an hour. Wandering the bay was a breathtaking experience, as the place offered beautiful scenery. On the boat, we got explanation from a local tour guide about how the ecosystem in the bay was getting better and better after Tsunami strike. More species existed and got richer in number. Some local people grew seaweed, sea urchin, khoya, oister, and salmon on the bay, as it had become a good habitat for those species.
Peaceful atmosphere, the beauty of the scenery of the sea, and how surprisingly birds got along with us really made me feel a sense of perfectness on the harmony of nature. It triggered a willingness to be committed to conserve the nature on me. The guide explained that the locals’ awareness to look after the environment grew up much more significantly after the Tsunami. I felt it no wonder that the place looked so well-conserved.
The guide also explained how some local people grow khoya. To my surprise, he let us try eating the khoya in raw condition. Just picked up from the sea water, chopped it into two parts and started eating the edible part of khoya. It was challenging for us, as it was going to be first time for us to eat khoya in a completely row condition. Not many of us dared enough to take that challenge, and i felt lucky that i dared enough to eat two pieces of khoya.
After finished wandering the bay, we were served a super delicious lunch with seafood and Nori. I crazily ate a lot of seafood there. Not only because of being hungry, but seafood is my favourite. We had a talk with some local about how their plan will be to look after the area in the days after. After finished, we went on our journey for the next agenda, watching documentary film of tsunami, and had discussion about it.
In a bit late afternoon, we were introduced to some Homestay families. We were divided into groups of 3-4 students, and had to live with Homestay family. I was grouped with a Filipino and a taiwanese friend. We stayed with Japanese American family. I had no problem to communicate with the Homestay family as they spoke english very perfectly. Mr. Frank, the head of the family, was an American who was married with Japanese woman. He had lived in japan for more than 10 years. With the Homestay family, we did a lot of activities like chopping firewood, going to Mr. Frank’s private owned forest, enjoying hot spring at night, having discussion on current issues, watering some vegetables, and having ‘vegetarian’ dinner, and sightseeing. We spent a night in a wooden house owned by Mr. Frank located on a top of a hill. The house faced to perfect view of the sea. I would prefer calling it villa rather that a house. The location of the villa was quite far from crowds, tranquil, so natural, good for contemplating, yet very easily accessible.
Day 2
Going to bed a bit late at midnight due to being engaged in passionating discussion, we woke up a bit late in the morning, at 8 o’clock. We were a bit rush to fix everything, as two hours later we had to arrive at checking point to see other participants and go on the next agenda. Mr. Frank had two houses, actually. First house was where he and his family lived, and the other was where guests like us stayed, the villa. To have a meal, we had to go to His main house. It took roughly 6 minutes by car to reach his main house. We had nice dinner with the Homestay family, before heading to checking point to meet the others.
The first day of the trip was worth-remembering experience.
3 hours visit to Matsushima
I thanked Miyagi University of Education a lot for bringing me to matsushima, because it was the place which i had been looking forward to visiting, yet never managed before. Matsushima is a bay in Miyagi prefecture - 25 km from the prefectural capital, Sendai - that is famous for its view of over 260 tiny pine-clad islands - "matsu-shima" meaning "pine islands." It is considered one of Japan's Three Great Sights (Nihon Sankei), and its beauty was immortalised in one of wandering haiku-master Basho's most famous poems.
Trip to Matsushima took on hour by bus from minamisanriku. Matsushima is a very awesome place to visit. In Matsushima, i visited Zuiganji temple, an old temple built in 1606, Entsuin temple, Michinoku Date Masamune Museum, and matsushima coastline. I love tasting typical food of every place i visit, and in Matsushima i relished several kinds of food. It would have been more perfect if we could get in a boat and go offshore to se beautiful island on its nearby. But, we could not make it due to the limit of time.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience.
Dahlan
Indonesia
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