The story of how every student and teacher survived is being woven from the past into the present and future through the picture book, “The Story of Ukedo Elementary School: Beyond Mt. Taihei.”

If a disaster were to strike your own community, how would you protect your life? This book does more than just present the facts; it conveys a message intended to encourage readers to reflect on what happened here as if it were their own personal concern.

We hope that by sharing the background and the passion we poured into creating this book, it will inspire you to visit Ukedo Elementary School.

Witnessing the Aftermath

Our connection with Fukushima predates the earthquake. It began with an initiative called “Furusato Koryu” (Hometown Exchange), aimed at fostering interaction between urban and rural areas, through which we built a relationship with local apple farmers.

However, after the disaster, we were informed that their businesses were struggling due to the harmful rumors regarding radiation. Driven by a desire to help in any way possible, we began support activities such as selling vegetables online.

Eventually, members of our organization suggested that we should see the local conditions with our own eyes, leading us to visit Namie Town several years later.

There, scenes we had never imagined unfolded one after another—piles of abandoned cars and ships left where they had been washed ashore. In contrast, in residential areas that escaped the tsunami, buildings remained standing as they were. Wild boars roamed nearby, and weeds grew thick, showing the vitality of nature, yet there was a complete absence of human presence. We kept asking ourselves: “What can we do?”

It was then that we heard the Vice Mayor say, “Please tell our story so the facts of the disaster do not fade away.” Interest wanes over time, meaning as the number of people who didn’t experience the disaster grows, it becomes a thing of the past and is eventually forgotten. We considered how we could contribute by continuing to pass these facts and memories on to the next generation.

Then, a student from Waseda University who had accompanied us to Namie proposed, “Why don’t we make a picture book together?” They had connections with students from Musashino Art University, so the illustrators were already in place.

The story of Ukedo Elementary School, where all students and staff evacuated safely, was well-known among the locals. We felt that a picture book, through its storytelling, could help people reflect on the disaster and remain in their memories. Against this background, we decided to produce “The Story of Ukedo Elementary School: Beyond Mt. Taihei” to document the facts of Ukedo Elementary in a single volume.

A Book for Personal Reflection:
A Catalyst for Disaster Prevention

The core message we entrusted to this book is contained in the question on the final page: “Where is your Mt. Taihei?”

In the near future, major earthquakes like the Nankai Trough or a Tokyo metropolitan earthquake are anticipated. When living in a city, these events can feel distant, but earthquakes and natural disasters strike without warning.

What if those in unaffected areas or those who didn’t experience it let that day fade into the past and forget it…?

We want people to be able to protect their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. How would you respond if a disaster hit your own community? Are you prepared on a daily basis? Because the fact that everyone survived contains many vital lessons, we hope this book serves as a catalyst for discussion and spreads to every region.

At the same time, we struggled significantly with identifying the core message and deciding which elements to include. We had extensive discussions on whether to address the nuclear accident, exactly what we wanted to communicate, and to whom.

We were strongly committed to conveying the facts without dramatization. This involved conducting local interviews and using expressions that leave room for the reader’s own interpretation.

I believe this work was only possible because a group of people with such strong passion came together.

Now is the true beginning, and our challenge lies in how to utilize and expand this story. In addition to panel displays at Ukedo Elementary, we have begun focusing on picture-story show （kamishibai） readings across various regions and expanding our distribution channels.

Particularly since many people visit Ukedo Elementary School on educational tours, we hope the book will be utilized as pre-visit study material. While seeing and experiencing the site in person is crucial, I believe the learning experience is deepened significantly when there are thought-provoking prompts provided both before and after the visit.

After visiting, we hope you will face and put into practice our ultimate message: “Where is your Mt. Taihei?” and consider what you can do to protect lives.

Dankaino Noblesse Oblige

An organization centered around the baby boomer generation that utilizes the experience and personal networks of its members to address various social issues such as education and welfare, working toward a new vision for the future. They have supported local farmers since immediately after the disaster and produced the picture book with the aim of raising awareness of the facts of the disaster among a wider audience.