World

A year after the quake, this Australian is helping restore local crafts in Japan’s Noto Peninsula

December 23, 2024

Key Points

An earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024 killed more than 200 people on Japan’s Noto Peninsula.
One year on, restoration efforts remain slow compounded by heavy recent flooding.
Benjamin Flatt, an Australian chef who lives in Noto, started an association with his wife that helps preserve the local culture and bring people together.

A day of celebration turned to tragedy when Japan’s isolated Noto Peninsula was hit by a massive earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024.

The killed more than 280 people, injured more than 1,300 people and completely destroyed more than 8,400 homes, according to a

Located in Ishikawa Prefecture, on the central coast of Honshu Island, the largely rural area has a high ageing rate, with more than half of its population aged 65 or older.

People walk past collapsed buildings following an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. A series of powerful earthquakes in western Japan damaged homes, cars and boats. Source: AAP / ñÓìáêíãM/AP

The earthquake highlighted the challenges of managing disaster relief efforts in older communities who require more support during evacuation procedures.

It has also had a devastating impact on local lacquerware artisans, with many workshops totally or partially destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent fires.

Wajima lacquerware (Wajima-nuri) from Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture is renowned for its durability and intricate decorations. Credit: Noto Sapo

Wajima, one of the worst affected municipalities, has been renowned for its lacquerware (called Wajima-nuri) production since the late Edo period (1603–1868)

The craft, with its complex and labour-intensive production processes, is recognised as an ‘important intangible cultural property’ by the Japanese government.

Slow restoration

One year on, the people of Noto Peninsula still haven’t returned to their former lives due to delays in restoration efforts and then floods that hit the same area in September.

Sally Townsend is Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ). She and her staff recently embarked on a tour around the peninsula to observe firsthand the utilisation of a 2 million yen donation raised at a charity auction in January 2024.

Slow progress to ristoration in Noto Peninsula 2024-09-20 provided by Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Restoration efforts on the Noto Peninsula are still progressing slowly, as of September 2024. Credit: Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Though Townsend said she expected the recovery pace to be slow, given the severity of the earthquakes and the difficulty of accessing the area, she was shocked to learn that some places had only just had their electricity reconnected in September.

“Some of the residents in Wajima had gone through the entire summer without any electricity at all. It was heart-breaking to hear that,” she told SBS Japanese.

“Many homes that had collapsed have simply been bulldozed and cleared so you’ll drive down a beautiful little street that’s pocked with empty lots that look likely to remain that way.”

Part of the Noto ‘family’

Benjamin Flatt is an Australian chef who has lived in Noto town of Noto Peninsula for 28 years, where he operates a guesthouse and Italian restaurant with his wife, Chikako Funashita.

Noto town is home to less than 16,000 residents, and Flatt acknowledged it was quite a ‘closed’ community.

But by accepting the local ways — their rules, culture, and even how to work — he said it did not take long for people to accept him.

When they said to me, ‘Ben-san, you’ve become local,‘ I felt they were my family.

Benjamin Flatt

Flatt and Funashita’s guesthouse was partially damaged in the quake, forcing them to evacuate with their staff by car.

“There were 500 aftershocks in the first month. We slept in our clothes and shoes, always ready,” Funashita said.

Within a few days, Flatt and Funashita started sharing water, food and essentials to help their neighbours, especially the elderly.

“It is not easy for older people in the area to talk with unknown people, even volunteers. Older people may feel ashamed or like they’re being invaded, especially when the volunteers take photos of their damaged house,” Funashita said.

Flatt and Funashita understood that they could not ask others for help, so they visited an elderly neighbour, found what they needed, and delivered it to them.

“All official relief supplies went to the evacuation centre first. But there were many other people who had to stay in their cars or sheds, not evacuation centres. They could not receive the official relief supplies,” Flatt said.

Many houses did not have running water and electricity, and were partially destroyed, hampering mobility.

Chikako (second from the left), Benjamin (third from the right) and their staff cooking for neighbor after Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred 1st January 2024

Chikako Funashita (second from left), Benjamin Flatt (third from right) and their staff cook for neighbours after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred on 1 January 2024. Credit: Supplied

Flatt and Funashita said they received a lot of help from friends and customers from outside the affected area, which allowed them to focus on how to efficiently share relief supplies with neighbours and cook for them.

One month later, the couple founded (Noto Sapo), an incorporated association whose activities include the distribution of donated goods, soup kitchen support, preservation of Wajima lacquerware, efforts to pass on Noto’s preserved and fermented food culture, and gatherings to connect people.

When Flatt cooked pasta for 150 people in the community hall used as an evacuation centre a few months later after the earthquake, he said people applauded him to show their appreciation.

“But no, it was nothing compared to those people’s strength,” he recounted.

“So many people living in a small place together, without complaining or fighting. Because no volunteers came, they had to cook for themselves in the first two months.”

Funashita and Flatt started a “revival market” at the community centre, where local businesses could sell their products with part of the profits used to fund a soup kitchen or tea room for residents to meet and talk with other people.

Crisis of culture

Townsend, of the ANZJCC, reiterated the importance of maintaining the local culture, in particular Wajima lacquerware.

“Wajima lacquerware is a very important part of the history and culture of the region, and each piece takes months to craft. One local craftsman who runs his business with his son, had his workshop almost entirely destroyed in the January 1 earthquakes,” she said.

Rescued Wajima Laquearware Source: AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN JAPAN

Among the rescued Wajima lacquerware are items that are 300 years old. Credit: Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan

After the earthquake, Flatt and Funashita noticed more and more treasured items of lacquerware scattered amid the debris.

Funashita said the lacquerware is not only of historic value, but is part of the everyday fabric of the region — passed down for generations and used in celebrations and funerals held at home.

The couple were determined to act quick to preserve these items thought Noto Sapo. Their guesthouse re-opening could wait.

“What we have to do now is protect our culture,” Funashita said.

Washing wajima-nuri (Japanese lacquerware from Wajima) that were rescued from the damaged house of the earthquake

Benjamin Flatt (right) washes Wajima-nuri (lacquerware from Japan’s city of Wajima) that was rescued from a house damaged during the 1 January 2024 earthquake. Credit: Supplied

In their scheme, the owner entrusts Noto Sapo with their lacquerware, and then volunteers clean and restore the heirlooms before packing them for ‘adoption’.

According to the Noto Sapo web page, as of December 2024, 150 sets have been “rehomed” to Noto Peninsula residents for free so far.

Also, donors called ‘Noto Supporters’ can register to receive the items.

“The newer ones are 50 years old, some older ones are 300 years old. Please accept it as our piece of history,” the Noto Sapo page said.

Rescued Wajima-nuri (Wajima lacquerware ) , some are 300 years old

A Noto Sapo volunteer is cleaning wood cases of Wajima lacquerware.

Townsend said these efforts are giving residents peace of mind, knowing that their precious heirlooms are being cared for and appreciated by others.

“Going into the old school they’re using for storage space and seeing just how many items are there, seeing how they’re being gently washed, recorded, and re-packed or restored and the amount of work they’re putting into the project was quite moving.”

“The number of pieces and the amount of work they need to do is daunting but rather than be overwhelmed, they are motivated to keep going by the sheer importance of the urushi (lacquer) culture to the region. “

“Sets are given ‘new homes’ for an adoption fee, which then goes back to the original owners. Many of the sets have gone to high-end restaurants in Tokyo who then post images on social media of the lacquerware being used,” she said.

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