Iam just back from a five-day journey around Iwate Prefecture in Tohoku with an NHK TV crew.
We were making a four-part program about the Iwate-born author and poet Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933), and our journey took us from Oshu City to his hometown of Hanamaki; from the stunningly beautiful high meadows of Taneyamagahara down to to the devastated coastline at Rikuzen Takada.
One of the themes of the program revolves around Kenji's vision of a contented and prosperous Tohoku. After the tragedy of March 11 that left many areas of this northeastern region of Japan unlivable, Kenji's message of compassionate sacrifice for the good of others, as exemplified by the resolute survivors and those volunteering there, is touching the hearts of millions both in Japan and far beyond.