Play Space for Children Set Up at Kumamoto Quake Shelter

Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 9 (Jiji Press)--A space for children to play was set up at an evacuation shelter in Kumamoto Prefecture after a powerful earthquake that struck the southwestern prefecture on July 28 forced nurseries and after-school care services to suspend operations.

In the city of Yatsushiro, which suffered significant damage from the 7.1-magnitude quake, the second-floor space of a gymnasium at a city-run junior high school serving as a shelter is being used as a play space for children. In the space, equipped with games and cardboard beds, children ranging from elementary school age to high school age gather to chat and play Uno, a card game.

"I feel like things have returned to normal (when I'm here)," a 15-year-old high school girl said. A male high school student of the same age said that people are smiling more.

At the shelter, high school students are volunteering to look after younger kids. The play space was created with support from Tokyo-based nonprofit Chance For All, which supplied playing cards and board games, after evacuees called for an area for kids to relax to be created.

Kanta Kojima, 27, a member of the nonprofit, said he is worried about the trauma that children are experiencing. He saw preschool children and young elementary school students engage in pretend play over earthquake, such as knocking over building blocks to simulate damage and saying phrases including "call an ambulance" and "give artificial respiration."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]