These groups are comprised of women who evacuated to Tokyo from Fukushima and across northeastern Japan. Since June of 2014, they have created a space where they can have heart-to-heart conversations with fellow evacuees. News members are recruited via newspaper articles, flyers, mini exhibitions, trial PhotoVoice sessions, and word of mouth. With each meeting, members come to understand what all they have in common, recognize their differences, and slowly but surely develop a deep sense of trust in one another.

Since many of these members are raising children and new members are being added, our schedules are flexible to accommodate their individual needs and situations.

This group is currently accepting new members. For details on how to join, please contact us here.

** Listed at the end of each member profile is their corresponding PhotoVoice title as searchable in the National Women’s Education Center (NWEC) Archive for Post Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction & Women Support,which is linked to the National Diet Library Great East Japan Earthquake Archive Hinagiku. If you find a title that interests you, please click the link to learn more.
You can now check the PhotoVoice listings searchable in that archive here.

Member Profiles

● Marilyn
I was a resident of Ota Ward in Tokyo with my husband and son. We were living in Fukushima at the time of the Disasters. We debated whether or not to evacuate for a while, but finally, concerned for our son’s health, we moved to Nagoya City in December 2011. Then, we moved to Ota Ward in March 2014. My family and I have just embarked on our new life here.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “A Rainy Morning” (2014)

● chiaki
In order to escape the dangers posed by the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, I voluntarily evacuated from Koriyama City in Fukushima to Yokohama City. My husband remains in Koriyama, where he works, while I live with my child in Yokohama. Currently, I am involved in a project, Smiles for Fukushima Mothers. We hold workshops for making pearl accessories for mothers who live in Fukushima or have evacuated elsewhere.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “Uncertainty and Anger” (2011)

● snowy
I am in my forties and a mother of two, originally from Tokyo. After getting married I moved to Fukushima Prefecture’s Shirakawa City, where I had been living for 20 years before the nuclear power accident happened. In order to protect my children, I evacuated to Tokyo. My husband filed for divorce, and though it never made sense to me, we divorced in January.

● Alice
I currently live in Tokyo. After the Great East Japan Disasters, I evacuated from Koriyama City to Tokyo in May. I thought that the evacuation would be only for a short time, but it’s been over three years. My children have made friends in Tokyo, and I have grown accustomed to city living. Lately, I have begun to think about settling down here.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “Christmas Feast” (2014)

● M.O
I was living in Sendai at the time of the 3.11 disasters. Now I am a mother of three with one daughter and two sons, and am doing my best to raise them.

● gusto
When 311 happened I was living in the Nakadori region of Fukushima. I had lived outside Fukushima before, and back then I was very conscious of the dangers of nuclear power. But that awareness faded when I moved back to Fukushima. I work publicly and privately to support and protect children and their future. I was born and raised in Fukushima, and I am a mother of four.
* In the PhotoVoice Archive: “The Future” (2013)

● Fukushima Nokaze
I was born and raised in the Nakadori region of Fukushima Prefecture. I was pregnant when the Disasters and the subsequent nuclear accident in Fukushima occurred. I evacuated into the Kanto area on April 2nd, 2011, and gave birth to my son there. As an evacuee mother, I have since relocated seven times before moving into government subsidized temporary housing in Tokyo, all while raising my son on my own. Under the pen name of “Fukushima Nokaze,” I am currently working as an illustrator and writer. I also respond to media inquiries and give talks about my experiences as a victim of the nuclear accident.