Name: Ryo MUNAKATA

Age: 25

(Age 12 in March 2011)

Birthplace: Tomioka Town

Home address: Tomioka Town

Occupation: Storyteller (3.11 Tomioka storytelling Party)

‘My life after evacuating from the nuclear disaster’

① We were hit by the earthquake during gym class, while I was playing soccer with my classmates. We gathered together on the center of schoolyard, and together with some friends I waited for about 2 hours for my parents to come pick me up. When I got to my room, I found there was not much damage, outside of some comic books that had fallen from the shelf. The power had gone out, so we went to the Tomioka No. 2 Elementary School’s gymnasium, where we spent the night.

② On the morning of the 12th, I was told that ‟we were going to grandma is home in Kawauchi,” and left taking only a game console …. And 2 comic books. When I was trying to bring a video game with me, I got scolded out“not to bring that,” and I didn’t bring any clothes either. I managed to bring a handheld game console, charger and some game devices with me anyway.

③ My parents wouldn’t let me go outside. We couldn’t go out shopping, and there was nothing on TV. I wasn’t allowed to charge my game console, so I just read the same comic over and over again. I remember it feeling like a really long week.

④ I heard that my dad was staying at Big Palette Fukushima, so I told my mom that I wanted to go ahead and go there.  I stayed there until June, and at the time all I did was have fun. Us kids banded together and acted like little brats. It was spring break, so we fooled around all throughout the day, and when we got hungry we’d get money from our parents and go out to eat. We’d get chased and scolded by the police on patrol.

⑤ My biggest recollection is life at school just being fun. I hardly went to school during the first semester. Not because I was bullied or anything like that, but because I didn’t want to be separated from the friends I hung out with at Big Palette, so I only went to school sporadically. After summer break ended, I started going to school for real. I started getting into anime during the summer, and when I watched an anime set at a school, I started wanting to go. Anime was also one of my answers to the question ‘How should I make friends?’

⑥ Whenever I would return home temporarily, I would realize that I was an evacuee, but I had grown so distant from Tomioka, I didn’t really have a strong desire to go back. With regards to the right time to go back, I didn’t have a change of heart. When I graduated from a vocational school at 20 years old, I ended up returning to Tomioka together with my family.

⑦ I want others to know about my experience, and for them to take an interest in and visit Fukushima. By sharing my story, I hope that people will stop thinking of disasters as something that would never happen to them, and I want there to always be someone who can keep passing on their story. When I see the audience learning and taking notes, and thanking me afterwards, I get motivated to keep going, and feel happy, because it feels like I got my message across.

CAPTION

This backpack was used by an elementary student six years textbooks pencase and indoor shoes, were inside. They are pretty worn out, and full of memories for Munakata.

Kids playing with a ball outside of the Big Palette Fukushima, a convention center. The Self Defense Forces’ vehicles in the background make for a very distinct contrast.

Children playing games in the Big Palette Fukushima. As it was spring break at the time, the children had little to do, leaving them to spend their time playing card- and video games.

On of the concerts held inside the Big Palette Fukushima. Celebrity visits were organized regularly to cheer up of the evacuees.