GEt youR caFFEinE Fix in thE city - Metropolis

Global Village ThE InTERnATIonAl CommunITY’s bullETIn boARD
village voices
Not Just Victims
Workshops help
Tohoku kids help
their community
By Jessica Ocheltree
it’s tough to be a sixth-grader
in a disaster-stuck town like
Minamisoma. Not just because
they are dealing with grief and
the ongoing danger of radiation
exposure, but also because children
at that age still want to play and be
carefree. On the cusp of adulthood,
they are also old enough to worry
about the future of their community
and whether they can play a role in
rebuilding it.
“I think the kids are really
st rong,” says Nad ia Lomba rdo,
organizer of a recent event to help
children from Minamisoma realize
their potential to heal and to contribute
through art. “It shouldn’t be
all about victimization. They want
to be active; responsible for their
own place.”
As a representative of EastEdge
Resorts—a hospitality brand that
promotes several hotels and ryokan
in Nagano and champions slow
food, com mu n it y-bu i ld ing a nd
cultural experiences—Lombardo
invited sixth graders to stay at their
Azumaya Resort near Karuizawa as
a graduation present.
The weekend event was realized
through collaboration w ith
the Save Minamisoma Project,
which arranges bimonthly deliveries
of food and daily necessities to
Minamisoma, and the Tokyo-based
art space Traumaris. Held March
31-April 1, it included the usual
tourist activities like playing in the
snow and visiting the hot springs,
plus performances by a magician
and live painter Julie Blanchin.
■ After a long, cold winter, warmer weather is finally here, inviting us
all to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Even nonprofit fundraising
is going al fresco. Australian yoga teacher Dylan Robertson is going to
be offering his classes in Yoyogi Park again this year, with proceeds
raised going to the Tyler Foundation, a charity helping kids with
cancer and their families. All levels are welcome, from complete
beginners to life-long yogis and yoginis. Classes are conducted in
both English and Japanese and will be automatically canceled in
case of rain. Don't forget your own yoga mat and some water!
11am-noon, every Sat-Sun, May 12-Jun 24. See http://www.
facebook.com/events/248616201852575/ for more information.
Jessica Ocheltree
06 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp
According to Lombardo, since they
have to ration their outdoor playtime
at home, just the freedom to
stay outside as long as they wanted
was exciting for the 39 participants
and their parents.
The main events, though, were
the workshops. In one, the children
constructed a “rocket stove” with
sculpture artist Hitoshi Nishiyama.
The stoves are constructed out of
common, readily available materials
like cinderblocks and metal cans
and can cook food, bake bread or be
used for heating. Once completed,
kids had the option of bringing the
ovens home or donating them to
shelters in Tohoku.
In the “Life Stripe Workshop,”
kids created an artwork of colorful
stripes meant to represent one day
in their life, using different colors to
represent a variety of activities, like
studying, hanging out, exercising
or using digital media. “It’s a tool to
see into other people’s lives,” says
Lombardo. By comparing their work
to others, they can see similarities
and differences and it opens up an
avenue of communication.
A f ter f inishing, t he children
were given the choice of taking their
artwork home or allowing it to be
exhibited to raise money for the Save
Minamisoma Project. Every child
agreed to have their works displayed.
Some pieces were already included
in a Life Stripe exhibition in Milan,
and the complete set will soon be on
display in Tokyo.
Lombardo says the universal
participation is a sign that the kids
have understood the message they
wanted to convey: that they can be
active and creative members of the
community. “We wanted the children
to experience life through art.
We wanted to use art as an educational
tool. They can create, they can
change, or even just make life more
beautiful with their creativity and
imagination.”
Jun 12-17, 11am-8pm, free. Spiral
Garden, Spiral Bldg, Minami
A o y a m a 5 - 6 -2 3 , M i n a t o - k u .
Nearest stn: Omotesando.
www.spiral.co.jp.
DYlAn RobERTson
PhoTos CouRTEsY oF EAsTEDgE REsoRTs