May 29 marks one year since a volcano called Shindake erupted at Japan’s southern island of Kuchinoerabu-jima, part of Kagoshima prefecture on the island of Kyushu.
Last December, 108 residents of the island, 80 percent of the total residents before the eruption, who had been evacuated mostly to the neighboring island of Yaku-shima, returned to their home island since the evacuation instruction was lifted except for 8 families living near the crater.
Eiichi Kukiyama is watching the scene of a landslide at the area of Kimura on the island. (Kuchinoerabu-jima island, Kagoshima prefecture)
Some of the people, who came back to the Kuchinoerabu-jima island, began to grow sweet potatoes, raw materials for producing a distilled spirit called “Shochu,” so as to revitalize the economy in the disaster-hit island.
Meanwhile, they are facing a number of challenges such as house cleanings and repairing of roads closed by landslides. Some of the residents are still forced to live at temporary houses on the neighboring island.
Five months have passed since Eiichi Kukiyama, 36, returned to the island last December. During these months, automobiles loaded with luggage have been increasingly coming and going along the street on the island. He feels that his island has recovered its vitality.
Nobuaki Hayashi is engaged in farm works which have favorably supported his mental life since he was evacuated to a neighboring island. (Yaku-shima island, Kagoshima prefecture)
Besides operating a trucking business, Kukiyama also represents the Kuchinoerabu-jima Revitalization Business Association as its vice chairman, which cultivates sweet potatoes, materials of “Shochu,” on a contract basis with a “Shochu” distiller.
However, the road to revitalization of the community is tough. Landslides took place at several areas on the island. Traffic is still cut off in some places by the landslide caused by heavy rainfalls last year. The evacuation instruction has not been yet lifted at places near the crater of the volcano Shindake.
“We have young fellows striving to revive our Kuchinoerabu-jima. On the other hand, some residents cannot come back to this island. I am not sure how much time it will take until life returns to normal for us,” Nobuaki Hayashi, 70, head of the island community at the time of evacuation, said. He is still maintaining two households on his home island of Kuchinoerabu-jima and Yaku-shima island where he was evacuated at the disaster.