Our sister city, Tobishima Village, responded quickly after the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, setting up six donation sites in locations around the village to collect relief items for shipment north.

In a recent decision, Tobishima Village offered to open its doors to some of the people displaced by the disaster. Up to 75 junior high school students and teachers can come to Tobishima to live and study for at least one year. Charter buses will be provided to transport everyone to Tobishima and be made welcome. The former junior high school facility will be converted into a dormitory for the students and teachers. Along with the construction work required, all the necessary household items, bedding, meals and any other costs will be provided at no charge by the village of Tobishima. The new arrivals will attend school at the beautiful new combined school which was dedicated in 2010. This modern learning environment serves both the elementary and middle school students. Tobishima Village will hire any additional teachers to ensure that all students receive the best education possible.

The village has also sent groups of volunteers to affected areas to clean up debris, deliver supplies, and provide other needed assistance.

In 1959, Tobishima Village and other nearby communities were destroyed by the Ise Bay Typhoon, also called Super Typhoon Vera. The storm killed nearly 5,000 people, left an estimated 1.5 million people homeless, and injured almost 39,000 people in the region. At that time, Tokio Kuno, now the mayor of Tobishima, was in the sixth grade. He and other Tobishima students were evacuated to Nagoya to live and attend school until Tobishima Junior High School and the village could be rebuilt. “Now, after 52 years, it is the right time for Tobishima to show our appreciation for the help we received many years ago,” said Mayor Kuno.