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Civic Force visited the site of Atami Kicollys’ restoration work at Aizome Jizo Temple where a temple hall was partially destroyed by a mudslide. Atami Kicollys was founded by local volunteers working to protect the forests. 

The Disaster Volunteer Center focused on restoring damaged homes and stores while the repair works for the temple was postponed. As a result, Atami Kicollys and a partner organization, Atamista, began cleaning and restoring the temple.

On the day Civic Force visited, the two organizations were finalizing the clean-up and restoration works. The workers tried to save the original materials of the temple as much as possible and they also used wooden materials cut and processed by Atami Kicollys. 

As the restoration nears its end, Atami Kicollys is checking over items to return to the temple including historical materials and pre-disaster pictures of the temple.

A local resident said, “We were busy dealing with different problems in the community and could not focus on the temple. I am very grateful that Atami Kicollys and Atamista worked hard to restore our safe haven.”

The last organization Civic Force visited was Kusunoki, a cat rescue organization in Atami. In the aftermath of the disaster, Kusunoki and partner organizations rescued more than 150 cats.

Ms. Mika Nasu, the head of Kusunoki, remarked, “I think we have more cats than ever since we began our work.” In total, Kusunoki now has 200 cats under their care. They continue to participate in adoption events to find new homes for those cats while fundraising to care for sick cats.

Ms. Nasu also teaches how to evacuate with pets.

One year after the landslide disaster, Civic Force continues to support the mid to long-term reconstruction efforts of affected areas.