TANOHATA, Iwate Pref. (Kyodo) Three English teachers from the United States and Britain have earned the thanks of evacuees at a shelter in Iwate Prefecture after deciding to stay in the area to offer their help.
The three men's relatives suggested they leave Japan for home, but they chose to work at a shelter in the village of Tanohata, helping to move things and cook meals for several hundred evacuees because they like the community.
Victor Kochaphum, 29, originally from the United States, was an assistant English teacher at the elementary and junior high schools in the village.