One Month in Tohoku: An Englishwoman's Memoir on Life after the Japanese Tsunami

by Caroline Pover

On March 11, 2011, one of the biggest earthquakes in history occurred off the northeast coast of Japan, triggering a deadly tsunami that destroyed much of the Tohoku coastline.

Driven by a desire to help the people of Tohoku, long-time Tokyo resident Caroline Pover embarked on a mission to collect emergency supplies from her native UK. Caroline delivered these supplies to an isolated part of Japan that even many Japanese have never heard of: the Oshika Peninsula. While there, she saw beyond the horror of the debris and destruction, and fell in love with the beauty of the landscape and the spirit of the people who had called the peninsula home for hundreds of years since their samurai ancestors first settled there. Compelled to do whatever she could to help, she promised to return, once more, just for a month …

"One Month in Tohoku" is the true story of what became the many months Caroline spent visiting Oshika. During extended periods of time over the course of many years, she lived alongside the people of Oshika, and they embraced her as one of their own — she still visits them to this day. This book tells us about a very traditional way of life in a remote community that cares deeply about all who are a part of it. It is the story of how, after a disaster took away everything they had, these seemingly forgotten fishing communities are still rebuilding their lives. It is also the story of how a network of people from all over the globe were inspired to donate millions of yen to support families, schools, and businesses, and to never forget the survivors of the world’s costliest disaster.

To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the tsunami, Caroline has set out in words a deeply moving tale of the very human impact of a natural disaster. Readers will cry tears of laughter as well as tears of sadness, and be touched by Caroline’s surprising humour and honesty and that of her Oshika friends as they unexpectedly become so beloved to one another. This is the story of a beautiful friendship between a very determined Englishwoman and the incredibly brave and resilient fishermen, women, and children of Tohoku.

Genres: Memoir

452 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2020

About the author

Born in 1971, Caroline Pover grew up mainly in Plymouth in the south-west of England, where she dreamed of two things … becoming a primary school teacher, and writing books. She attended Exeter University, and graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Mathematics and Education, and a Dean’s Commendation for the quality of her written work. Following graduation she worked as a primary school teacher in the school she actually attended as a child, before a desire for adventure got the better of her and she headed off to Tokyo in 1996.

Caroline taught at an alternative Japanese high school, where — having developed an interest in girls’ and women’s education at university — she was thrilled to be teaching predominantly teenage girls. Teaching by day, Caroline launched a magazine to support foreign women living in Japan, which led to her writing her first book, “Being A Broad in Japan: Everything a Western woman needs to survive and thrive,” released in 2001, and based on interviews she conducted with over 200 foreign women.

While suffering a series of strokes in 2006 and 2007, Caroline was convinced that she’d never be able to write again, but nonetheless, wrote her second book, the “Guide to International Schools in Japan,” released in 2008 and updated in 2014 (Japanese edition released 2013). She also wrote a bilingual book for Japanese women, entitled “Ask Caroline,” released in 2010, answering the many interesting questions that Japanese women often ask of their Western counterparts. The book is often used in private and group language lessons where the students are predominantly female Japanese.

Caroline was on Saipan when the March 11th earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in 2011, writing “Love with a Western Woman: a guide for Japanese men,” (English paperback and Kindle released 2012, Japanese paperback released 2013, Japanese Kindle released 2020) and subsequently prioritised supporting the survivors over her writing and publishing career.

She spent the first few years after the tsunami sharing her time between the UK and Japan, gathering support for Oshika hanto, a remote fishing community in the northeast of Japan. She eventually settled in The Cotswolds, where she took a break from writing books and established Auntie Caroline’s — a pickled onion and chutney business supplying around 70 independent shops around the UK. But still returned to Oshika every year, having raised almost £170,000 for Oshika and managed over thirty different community-led projects to assist with the recovery. She blogged throughout every trip to Oshika, determined that people shouldn’t forget the survivors in this remote little peninsula.

In early 2020, Caroline reconnected with her book-writing self and turned that almost ten-year blog into her fifth book and first memoir, to be released in August 2020, entitled “One Month in Tohoku: An Englishwoman’s Memoir on Life after the Japanese Tsunami.“

Caroline has been the recipient of a number of awards over the years, including Plymouth’s Top Ten Women of the Year, Japan-British Society Award for Contributions to Japanese-UK Relations, International Women's Day Outstanding Service Award, British Business Award for Best Entrepreneur, FEW Award for Contributions to the Foreign Women's Community in Japan, and Body Confidence Awards Nominee for "I Love My Bum" TED Talk.

She still lives in The Cotswolds, but returns “home” to Japan every year.

Reviews

[Rosie Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Month In Tohoku is an Englishwoman’s memoir about life after the 2011 Japanese Tsunami. 


Author Caroline Pover was on a solo holiday in Saipan when the disaster occurred, though she had lived in Japan for several years and thought of it as her adopted home. The pictures and news from Japan were terrible and Caroline felt a deep need to do something for the victims, but she had no suitable rescue skills. Instead, she flew back to England, and began using her network of contacts to raise money and supplies for the survivors. 

This is an inspiring story of one woman’s idea which expanded across the globe. The fundraising campaigns and the generous support which Caroline received were brilliant. She then went on to take the supplies to the heart of the people who needed them. With a determination to raise spirit, Caroline initially filled two lorries with items and later she organised goods to be delivered to a local distribution point. 

Caroline went to the Oshika peninsula, a six and a half hour drive north of Tokyo where people had only the clothes that they were wearing when they escaped the tsunami. Their houses and businesses no longer existed and they were sheltering in cramped emergency conditions.  

This was more than a one-off plan. Caroline returned to the area as often as possible and she listened to what the people needed; she used financial donations for projects to help rebuild the communities. She kept all the sponsors informed of how their money was spent, and this built up a great relationship between the donors and the recipients. One of the main problems with many of the charities today is that people believe that their money gets used up in administration and transport costs, but Caroline made sure all of the money and sponsorship went directly to the people. 

This book is much more than just one month in Tohoku; this is the story of the people and the communities and how they rebuilt their lives, and about the kindness in the world for complete strangers. Caroline has returned to Oshika almost every year. Although so much of it is sad, there is also so much that is good and happy. I think anyone who has ever considered voluntary work would enjoy reading this, especially those frustrated by the red tape which often prevents the right donations getting to the people who really need them. 

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Iwaki, Fukushima, in Tohoku, was my first home in Japan when I moved here 27 years ago. It will always have a special place in my heart. I was in Tokyo-metro on 3/11. I really wanted to like this book more, especially because I know that Caroline made such great efforts to help and support the people of Tohoku. I was one of many that sent her socks and snacks, as requested during the first few months. Unfortunately, while reading this book, I felt like I was listening to someone who tells a story adding too many, and often unneeded, details, to the point where it gets boring, and some might say "off track". This book really needed an editor. The first warning sign was at the very beginning: The book was written for "everyone". Well, you can't please all of the people all of the time... There was a lot repetition, too much listing of organizations and names of people who contributed and how much money they contributed (this would have been better placed as an appendix). The last section, The Story Behind the Story, was absolutely unnecessary. Much of the information in the "Story Behind the Story" had already been written about in previous chapters, and it left the reader with a bitter ending to a story, which had mostly been told with a warm heart.

Another flaw was including too many "characters" and not enough of their personal stories (perhaps because of the lack of Japanese to communicate with them at a deeper level). Though it is *her* memoir, Caroline kept insisting that this was not her story. Yet, I felt many times that she was indeed giving us too much info about what she did (particularly starting with her work-holiday in Bali, or was it Guam?) and not enough of the people she helped. Again, an editor would have help the author find more focus so that the readers could feel more attached to the people in Oshika.

There were some humorous bits, and as mentioned above, Caroline definitely put her heart into it. I could feel her passion. I was often reminded of my early years in Japan and the beauty I experienced in Iwaki. Also, I was happy to see that Caroline put the rebuilding into perspective relative to how few construction workers there were and lack of resources available compared to the amount of rebuilding that needed to be done along the entire coast, particularly for historic sites that needed special materials and crafts people.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the face of a natural disaster on the scale of the 2011 tsunami that hit northeastern Japan ("Tohoku"), what can the individual do? For most of us that was largely a rhetorical question, but not for Caroline Pover. Coming from that long tradition of English eccentrics - in the best possible sense - Ms Pover is a compassionate, energetic, entrepreneurial woman who lived in Tokyo up to the time of the disaster, and both in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy and in the following decade even after she had relocated to England was determined to DO SOMETHING for those whose lives and property were so damaged on that fateful day, even if she wasn't always sure in advance what that something was.
In clear and engaging prose, this book tells the tale of how the author visited and kept visiting one of the most devastated areas, returning to Tohoku once a year ever since to offer hope, charity - and Ms Pover is clearly a formidable charity fundraiser - and faith in the people of this remote and impoverished part of Japan. Any reader will surely wonder whether there is not more that they could do to help victims of natural disasters, even if the rest of us could never have a fraction of the same positive impact on our fellow man. A willingness to listen to what the survivors actually wanted, which the Japanese authorities were not good at, was her greatest attribute and allowed her to help and support many of the cast of local characters who populate the story. It does perhaps lack an analysis of what should have been done at the macro level, but then this is not that sort of book. This is both a very human and a very humane tale.

[Lisa Jardine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew Caroline when I lived in Japan, and followed her time in Tohoku on social media. This book gives the reader a "boots on the ground" inside look at what happened in the region post-earthquake. I enjoyed getting to know the "characters" she encounters, and many times throughout the book I was in awe of her bravery and chutzpah. What she was able to accomplish is truly remarkable. I'd recommend this book for all ex-Japan expats, and anyone that is interested in Japan and the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

[Liane Wakabayashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Month in Tohoku has all the elements of an epic movie–and I'd love to see Caroline Pover's story turned into a film. To call her a Super-Volunteer doesn't quite capture what she has done. As a master storyteller, a diligent journal keeper, she can hold us in her grip in this page-turner of a memoir, bringing to life the stories of recovery that are unique for the tsunami survivors who become her friends. She takes it as her mission to ensure one repaired Shinto shrine and living-room-style bus shelter at a time. Pover fills in the gaping hole left by overwhelmed government red tape and bureaucracy that leaves elderly survivors to languish in temporary shelters for years and years. From the start, Caroline surprises this tiny community of mostly elderly folks with a plane cargo full of emergency supplies she collects over months in her home country of England. They have no idea that Pover spent 15 productive and award-winning years as a publisher and entrepreneur in Tokyo. The locals don't know what to make of this high-octane, roll-up-your-sleeves Englishwoman, who is less a volunteer than a genie. The townspeople's wish is her command. What starts as one month in Tohoku turns into a decade of fundraising, trouble-shooting, trust-building, laughter, and more. I grew to love the author's new friends. She lets us in, very gradually, to appreciate a world gone by. The tsunami swept away their family members and destroyed their homes and villages. The Japanese government and the bankers insisted that they pay back mortgages on homes that no longer existed. "The bonds that were made between so many people after 311 (The Great Tohoku Triple Disaster) were wonderful, healing bonds, for everyone," writes Caroline Power. You would think that raising a whopping 23 million yen and counting in donations, goods, and services for Ohara village in remote Oshika Peninsula would have put her in good stead when she walked into the Ministry of Immigration to apply for permanent residency. A dossier of documents, articles, and her books accompanied her. But her application is flat-out rejected. The British Embassy gives her its highest award for service to the Japanese nation, Prince William speaks to her personally on his first mission to Tohoku, and life goes on. But it's a humbling lesson to see how hard Caroline works to make lives more comfortable for the elderly and a lot more hopeful for the younger generation of her adopted fishing village up north in Tohoku. One day Japan will recognize her contribution because not doing so looks just plain bad for Japan. Caroline Power has paved the way for future volunteers, foreigners, and Japanese, to do what the government itself is at a loss to do-- to open their hearts by listening to survivors' requests rather than telling them what they need.

[Jo Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Japan was hit by the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011 I watched in horror, glued to news programmes, and the subsequent documentaries that have been shown since. A Facebook friend who was living in Tokyo at the time shared the fact that her friend Caroline Pover had returned to the UK in order to fund-raise to help, so I was very much aware of what Caroline was doing following her initial return to the UK, and over the years I have followed some of what she was doing to help the people of Oshika. Her sheer tenacity and determination left me in awe of her and her achievements, but it wasn’t until I read this wonderful memoir that I really understood exactly what it took to provide such brilliant assistance to the Japanese people who needed help following their traumatic experiences.

This book is such an effortlessly exquisite account of personal and incredibly human accounts of just what long-lasting effects the earthquake and tsunami wrought on the people of Tohoku. I found myself increasingly invested in the lives of the individuals who came into Caroline’s life as she did what she could to provide help. I think there are lessons to learn from how Caroline approached her vocation to help this remote region of Japan, by listening to people in order to help them in a way that suited them best, rather than deciding what they needed, and it just seemed to be the most perfect way to help the people rebuild their lives in the face of the adversity they had faced.

I must confess I shed more than a few tears at the losses experienced by the people Caroline met and befriended, their tsunami stories were simply unimaginable, but in perfect balance to that aspect of this book, the humour and love shared between Caroline and the people of Oshika was so heart-warming, and in parts hysterically funny that there were a fair few tears of laughter too! I even learned a few useful words in Japanese reading this book!

This book was such a moving account of Caroline Pover’s experiences in helping a large group of people who needed help. It made me face up to the fact that when aid is provided for a natural disaster, when the majority of charities eventually pull out of the area, help may still be vitally important, and without someone as tenacious as Caroline fighting their corner, it is hard to imagine how the people of Tohoku would have fared over the years. This book is a tribute, not only to the lives lost, but also to the lives lived, and how love and friendship can make all the difference in the most difficult of circumstances.

[John Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply personal story with a universal theme: what can one person do in the face of unthinkable death and despair? One Month in Tohoku provides an unexpected but welcome answer: whatever we set our mind to. In the case of Caroline Pover, the question is whether there is any limit to the acts of courage and compassion this intrepid author, serial entrepreneur and philanthropist can achieve, and her stirring account provides glimpse after glimpse into the mind of a real-life superhero at work. Each compelling chapter elevates the reader to hope and inspiration from the depths of Japan's crushing triple disasters—earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear meltdowns—all related with the unflinching kindness of a woman who overcame strokes and adversity to become a beacon of succour for others. Dashing home to England to raise awareness and gather resources by visiting schools and businesses, the author arrives in Japan with truckloads of relief goods and cash, and barrels north into the heart of the devastation. What follows is a heartwarming tale of thoughtfulness, dedication, and creative generosity, in which she lifts up a forgotten community and changes the fates of countless people with the help of her extensive personal and professional networks—and her own hands-on tenacity. In this age of overwhelm, Caroline Pover stands out as a brilliant example of what is possible if we discard our jaded apathy and rediscover the joy of helping. A delight and a privilege to read.

[Andyintokyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book by someone with a gift for harnessing compassion and enthusiasm to get important things done. It’s about hope, optimism and, most of all, about love. Great read.

[Cindy Fujimoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bravely self-published book is a very personal account of Caroline Pover's trips to and volunteer work in a special village in northern Japan after the horrendous tragedy of the March 2011 tsunami that devastated much of the northeastern coast of Japan and killed almost 16,000 people.

You will meet Caroline and get to know a lot about her and the way she thinks and plans when she wants to accomplish a goal. Against incredible odds and the advice of so-called authorities, she did what few people thought to do during the aftermath of the tsunami: she approached individuals, asked them what they needed, and brought it to them. What!? You can do that? Yes, you can.

One Month in Tohoku provides readers with a great tale of survival, perseverance, joy, sadness, recovery, and friendship in the face of personal, government, cultural, and societal obstructions. Reading about how Caroline overcomes so many of these roadblocks is not only compelling and satisfying, but educational. Carefully read and understood, the book is almost part guidebook on what to do and not do when you are volunteering to help out in a disaster zone.

Caroline's book has masses of black and white pictures so that you can put faces to the names of all the colourful characters you will meet in this amazing book. There are also plenty of carefully designed maps of the area.

Wonderful!

[Samantha Aso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just couldn't put this book down and read it in one day. The sheer tenacity and spirit shown by the survivors and Caroline Pover to overcome and move forward through the tragedy dealt so cruelly by Fate is both incredibly moving and humbling. The narrative is a delight with the quirky comedic mixed with intense emotional moments, drawing the reader along to experience themselves the pathway of trust and friendship gradually built between the proud, stoic people of this remote village and Ms Pover's all-consuming desire to help. Through her words, the villages, buildings and people swept away by the tsunami and those left raw and reeling amongst the devastation are transformed from so much more than mere media stories, bringing their present-day plight back to the fore. This book left me with a lasting and profound impression; it is not only a testament to the resilience of the village of Oshika but also of one woman's passion and determination, illuminating the power of humanity to transcend any barriers, cultural or otherwise.

[Shelley]

Travel with Caroline on a journey through her time in Tohoku and specifically Oshika Hanto. She joins with the people of this absolutely beautiful part of Japan, as they live the pain of lives lost from the tsunami of 3.11 and search for ways to rebuild their lives. She brings joy, laughter and generosity to them and becomes a beloved member of their communities. You will be able to immerse yourself into their lives as her writing takes you so easily into her adventure there; helping to rebuild their lives and bring new meaning into their new life's journey.

[Tim Burland]

Great read and full of great takeaways for anyone who wants to get involved in any kind of disaster relief, aid, volunteering activities. Apart from the incredibly moving individual stories, I think the biggest takeaway for me was the concept of throwing away preconceptions of any kind and just listening to people speak and hearing their needs and responding accordingly. So true - but not only in relief situations but in any kind of relationship also, I felt. Lots of life lessons for everyone.

[Thomas Orsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story of how the author and then Tokyo-resident, Caroline turned her life around after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011 in a way that helped and inspired many people in the Tohoku region who were suffering such emotional and material difficulties. It's an inspiring story, which showcases the beautiful character of previously unknown region in Japan.