We are all one : a video from Ishinomaki, 9 months after the tsunami of March 11th 2011

As Sarah Outen travels from 'London2London:Via the World' by rowing boat, bike and kayak - pedalling and paddling across continents and rowing across oceans - she is sharing the stories.

She pedalled through the Tohoku region of Japan in November 2011 on her way to the end of her first leg from London. The region was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11th 2011.

Sarah returned to the region a few weeks later to volunteer with not-for-profit group 'It's Not Just Mud' in the coastal town of Ishinomaki.

For more information on Sarah's journey see www.sarahouten.com
For more information on 'It's Not Just Mud' see www.itsnotjustmud.com
Royalty free music by Emmett Cooke 'Winter Memories' www.premiumbeat.com

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• Ishinomaki
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[gunnsteinlye]

Great video, thank you Sarah! I rode to Higashi-Matsushima in late September, just a few minutes west of Ishinomaki. Had many of the same thoughts about the devastation (there was also some typhoon damage at the time) and the resilience of the people. While I was wandering through the debris on the beach, with my head full of images from the TV-coverage of the tsunami, it was profoundly strange seeing, at the same time, the local surfers playing in the waves. Photos: flic.kr/s/aHsjwBcpBb

[maelsson]

Thank you Sarah. Ishinomaki was my home for 5 months during the spring/summer of 1990. Many friends still live there. Sadly, some were lost. All were touched by this tragedy.

[rillasvilla]

You thoughts and experiences in this area really touched me. I've been following your journey, cheering you on. Keep up the good work. I'll be sharing this video and hopefully bring some more awareness to the amount of work still left to be done.

[spectre9801]

Thanks for sharing this time you spent in Japan. It is really sad to see how much damage has been done. I have a co-worker here in the states who has a wife from Japan. Her family lives not too far from the nuclear power plants that were damaged from the wave. Luckily they all survived the initial devastation but were displaced from their homes. Its nice to know there are people like you out there helping out. Keep up the good work!

[jitenshavoluntouring]

Go-kurou-sama deshita! Thanks for your efforts! I met Yannick while we both volunteered with PeaceBoat. I also cycled a big chunk of the affected coast and hope to return in the summer. If your trip goes to the Philippines then I would recommend checking out All Hands (hands dot org) who are currently looking at setting up a project to help northern Mindanao recover from the tropical storm floods that killed over 1000 people in December.