“Do we need to be volunteers in order to visit the disaster area?” The message from the mayor of Rikuzentakata

"To Our Friend Overseas"(April, 2012) by Futoshi Toba, Mayor of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture.

People had made their life and children had run about on the street before - just on that ground the mayor began to speak,

...I am Futoshi Toba, Mayor of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture.
The situation in the disaster area is still very critical.
We are often asked, “Is it really okay for us to visit the disaster area?” or
“Do we need to be volunteers in order to visit the disaster area?”
We are working hard towards recovery, one step at a time. Several stores are opened in town, now. We would love for you to visit us. If you have time during Golden Week or summer vacation, please come for a visit.
Being here, seeing with your own eyes, identifying how you feel about our situation here - if you go home and share these thoughts with your family and friends, we believe people will continue to keep us in their thoughts.
Please, everyone, please do come to this disaster area. We welcome you.
Public facilities such as city hall destroyed by the tsunami, will be torn down at the beginning of June. We would like for you to see our city. We do not want to be forgotten.
This is our hope. ...

This translation is quated from the official website of Rikuzentakata(Iwate).
http://www.city.rikuzentakata.iwate.jp/english/english.html

"Golden Week" means a consecutive holiday between April 29 and May 5.

His wife was also killed by last year's tsunami but as a father of two sons and mayor of Rikuzentakata he has little time to grieve.

He said,

"My job as mayor takes precedence to being a father right now. I don't have time to be alone. I don't have time to feel sad or cry, which may mentally help me survive right now.

"It is hard for me to live without the person who was supposed to always be with me. I feel her telling me to work hard for this town. Someday soon my sons will look at this town and understand why their father wasn't around more."

"Mayor puts personal tragedy aside to rebuild Japanese city" - CNN(March 8, 2012)
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/07/world/asia/japan-mayor-rebuilding/index.html