Rebuilding community from tsunami with education

Dear supporters,

Thank you for your generous support in creating sustainable learning center, "MORIUMIUS" in Ogatsu.  MORIUMIUS stands for MORI=forest, UMI=ocean, and US= we and tomorrow in Japanese.  Using the amazing forest and ocean field, we would like to create future of children and the town Ogatsu together.

March 11 is the fourth memorial since mega earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan.  Recovery is still very slow, over 230,000 people are still in the temporary homes or been evacuated.  It is been said that permanent houses will be build within 2015.

We have been working very hard to open the center in the summer of 2015.  The center is still under renovation, infrastructure is set, ceilings and walls are starting to be renovated.  Outdoor bath is almost complete!  With its unique wall created by local soil, this bath will be one of the landmark of the center.  The bath will use wood boiler in order to boil hot water.  Chidren will participate in going into the forest behind the center to cut trees and to create fire wood.  Locals are looking forward to taking bath!

Many visitors are already visiting the center.  Recently, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery visited MORIUMIUS to see first hand of the development.  Minister Hayashi was very excited to learn about the project, providing sustainable development programs with local farmers and fisherman.  Also, fifteen Havard Business School students visited the center in January.  They spent time at MORIUMIUS, creating fire wood as well as to plan how MORIUMIUS can be connected internationally.

Local children are in the forest weekend to cut trees to create furnitures for the center.  They were learning the fact that wood are vauable resource in our daily life. 

Media attention has been heating up.  Huffington Post Japan's first article of 2015 was about MORIUMIUS!

We are getting close to open the center in summer!  Some schools have made interest in visiting this summer.  Please come visit us in summer!  I hope to see you at MORIUMIUS!

Warm regards,

Gentaro Yui

Dear supporters,

Thank you for your support in creating sustainable learning center in Ogatsu.  As you know, town of Ogatsu has suffered from tsunami in 2011.  As of today, population is still under one thousand people, one fourth of what it use to be.  Construction of permanent homes have started.  Local government is now creating flat land in the hills.  

However, we have been working very hard during this fall.  Scheduled to open in summer of 2015, construction as well as hiring staff has been the main focus of our work.  Creating outdoor bath has been exciting and engaging many locals as well as volunteers visiting Ogatsu.  Using local natural material, clay and straw, combining with tradtitional Japanese technique, wall of the bath is completed.  Overall construction will be completed by spring.  

Also, we have named our center, MORIUMIUS.  In Japanese, MORI means forest, UMI means ocean, and US means tomorrow.  We would like to create the future of our children as well as community of Ogatsu in the rich field of forest and ocean.  On October 7, announcing the name and schedule of MORIUIMUS.  More than twenty media showed up and listen to the update of the project.  MORIUMIUS has been featured in Huffington Post Japan!

We hope you have a wonderful holiday sason!

Warm regards,

Gentaro Yui