The idea of creating a calendar for Fukushima
started around May of 2012. Since the disaster the previous year, we continually
heard erroneous news reports about how Fukushima was a 'desolate wasteland'.
Visitors were afraid to come to Fukushima, and neighboring prefectures stopped
buying our produce out of fear it was contaminated. The economic hardship was
difficult enough, but when residents of Fukushima traveled outside of our
prefecture, others would avoid them as if they themselves were somehow
radioactive.
We wanted to do something to help rehabilitate Fukushima's tarnished image,
and by November Ryan, Paul, and Henare were determined to produce the calendar.
We initially pooled our own money with the intention of printing 1,000 copies.
We presented our idea to our fellow foreign English teachers of Koriyama city
and around Fukushima prefecture. Many people agreed that it was a great idea and
donated additional funds to help support the project. That enabled us to increase
our initial run of calendars to 2,500. The positive reaction from the public was
much bigger than we had anticipated! Demand for the calendars increased over the
following years until we eventually settled on our standard amount of printing
3,000 copies annually.
About our fundraising: not only do 100% of all donations go towards the
calendar budget, each of us on the production team typically cover the lion's
share of the annual costs out of our own pockets.
Each year, we've been blessed to meet or exceed our fundraising goals and send our calendars all around the world. They are sent to politicians, media, foreign ambassadors and royalty. For more than a decade, we continue to show the world why we love Fukushima so much.
Our primary goal of the first calendar was to show the real beauty of Fukushima.
We are not denying the three disasters that struck our second home in 2011.
What we are saying is that the whole
of the prefecture was not contaminated and most of it is still a beautiful and
safe place to live in. There is a spirit of hope here, like the beauty of this
magnificent land, that cannot be extinguished.
Another goal, more so in the second calendar, was to show people who are
contributing to the ongoing efforts to help the people of Fukushima. We also
included photos of interesting places and festivals.
The purpose of the photos in the calendar, aside from showing the beauty
of this land, is for people to see the images and want to visit Fukushima. We
live here, so we already know how beautiful it is. We want others to know it too.
There is simply so much ignorance in the world about Fukushima. People commonly
relate it to Chernobyl. That was an old reactor running a stress test
(which it failed). Fukushima Dai-ichi was a modern reactor in the process of
shutting down. Some people even think the radiation is smart and stops right at
the prefecture's borders.
The fact is that
less than 3% of the prefecture is uninhabitable.
The rest of Fukushima is trying to rebuild and move forward, which is difficult
when so many people hear the name Fukushima
and immediately assume the worst.
Fundraising for our 2026 calendar was a great success!
Thank you for your generous support!
Offline donation or Wire Transfer? (Furikomi)
calendars created
dollars raised for the calendar project
social media posts
cups of coffee consumed creating them
Ryan first came to Japan in 2002 to teach in Fukushima city. From 2005 to 2015, he was a Native Teacher at the Koriyama City Board of Education teaching grades 1-9 in several schools. In his free time, he likes working with video and motion graphics, screen printing, using 3D programs, building things, and volunteering.
Paul came to Japan in 2005 to teach English in Kitakata, Fukushima. After 5 years teaching grades 1-9 he moved to Hiroshima and then missed Fukushima so much, he came back when there was an opening for a Native Teacher at the Koriyama City Board of Education. In his free time, he likes photography, biking and aikido.
Henare came to Japan in 2007. He taught English in elementary and junior high schools working as a Native Teacher for the Koriyama City Board of Education. Sadly, he passed away in June 2019. His dedication to his students set a new standard among his peers that is difficult to match. His big heart and smiling face was always focused on the people of Fukushima. He will be dearly missed.
Mitch has been teaching English in both Aizu and the Koriyama area since 2003. In 2005 he started teaching in public schools and since 2011 he has been working for the Koriyama City Board of Education as a Native Teacher. In his free time Mitch enjoys Shorenji Kempo, barbequeing and just about anything involving the great outdoors.
Kevin came to Japan in 2014 to work for the Koriyama City Board of Education. He joined our production team the same year. He taught English at two junior high schools in Koriyama and now does translation work with a company in Tokyo. In his free time he enjoys kendo and volunteer work.
Joost is from The Netherlands and has lived in Fukushima since 2015. He studied Japanese language, history and international relations for several years which included exchange studies and internships in Kyoto, Osaka and Nagasaki. His hobbies include music and running, preferably at the same time.
Alyssa arrived in Fukushima in 2016. She majored in Psychology and Japanese Language at the University of Pittsburgh. She taught English at the junior high school level for the Koriyama City Board of Education. Alyssa pursues a variety of arts and crafts in her free time and is very fond of cats. In August 2019, she returned to live and work in the United States.
Chandan arrived in Fukushima in 2001 and is still here! He majored in art education. He teaches English at the elementary school level for the Koriyama City Board of Education. Chandan's hobbies are drawing, studying kanji, watching movies, eating out at various restaurants, and playing video games.
Matt came to Koriyama in 2017. He taught English at both the elementary and junior high school level for the Koriyama City Board of Education. His hobbies are chorus singing and volleyball. In the summer of 2023, Matt moved to Tokyo where he does translation work.
This is Fukushima