Read the prologue to the evacuees' comments listed below

It’s very inconvenient for shopping around here. I can’t go anywhere without a car. But my daughter/son go to work, so I ask my neighbors to do my shopping when they go out. (Man in his 80s, Ishinomaki temporary housing, Aug 3, 2012)

I’ve been treated like a stranger because most people living in this temporary housing are originally from here. Those people give me the evil eye. I really don’t like that. The temporary housing unit is only the size of 4 tatami mats. The room has a chair, a TV and other things, so I can’t move around if I use a wheel chair. (Woman in her 70s, Ishinomaki temporary housing, Aug 18, 2012)

In Mobilia (temporary housing), my next-door neighbors are old men and women., and the people living opposite us work night shifts. So it’s alright even if the kids are noisy at night. I’ve been able to live without too much concern.

(Woman in her 30s, Rikuzentakada temporary housing, Aug 26, 2012)

I used to run a coffee shop near the railway station, but it was all washed away. I don’t feel like borrowing money to reopen it at this age. I have a part-time job now. I’ve got to earn my living. (A man in his 60s, temporary housing, Yamamoto, August 26, 2012)

It is stressful to live in a temporary housing unit because it is small. Moreover I have nobody to talk to since all my friends have moved to different places. Women can let out stress by chatting. Though we have a community center here, I seldom go there because I don’t have friends. (A woman in her 50s, Fukushima support station, July 15, 2012)

As I have only small rooms of the size of 4.5 tatami mats (2.73 m x 2.73 m) in my temporary housing unit, I have little space to store things. I can’t stock bulky things such as toilet paper. I don’t have a wardrobe, either. (Woman, age unknown, temporary housing, Shichigahama, August 3, 2012)　

I've been studying childcare for a week. A one-hour class is tough for adults like me.　But I would like to work after my life gets settled. When you watch over children, I think the adult ends up learning more than the children. (A woman in her 50s, temporary housing, Rikuzentakada, Jul. 29, 2012)

I live in Tono city alone, but it’s actually easy and comfortable. I like sewing and do it as a sideline work at home. Today, I made a small “Makenai Zousan”  for my granddaughter who will come to visit during obon holiday. (A woman in her 70s, temporary housing, Tono, Aug. 3, 2012)