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JAPAN Forward launched its "Ignite" series of essays in English to directly share Japanese students' voices with their global peers. Keio University student Shiho Anzai is one. As part of the US-Japan Council's TOMODACHI Initiative, Anzai and other participants traveled to the region devastated by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake on March 14-15, 2026. From that experience, she considers ways outsiders can provide meaningful support to communities engaged in disaster recovery.
The TOMODACHI Initiative is a private-public partnership between the US Embassy Tokyo and the US-Japan Council. Launched in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, it focuses on developing next-generation leaders in Japan and the United States. This particular Noto Peninsula project was organized by the TOMODACHI Regional Representative of the Chubu-Hokuriku Region, Shiori Sata. Funding was provided by Prudential and Amazon.
Anzai's essay is the sixth submission among participants in the TOMODACHI 2026 Noto Peninsula project. It is also the 45th essay in the Ignite series. She considers how rebuilding can be supported by those outside the community, like herself, to make a difference. Anzai addresses a question many of us have when disasters happen, so let's listen.
Forty-fifth in the Series, 'Ignite'
By Shiho Anzai
Essay on the TOMODACHI Initiative Noto Peninsula Project
Hello everyone, I was born and raised in Tokyo, and now I am a 4th-year university student, majoring in law and political science. I participated in the TOMODACHI Initiative's Morgan Stanley Ambassadors Program, and I spent two weeks in Washington DC. There, I studied nonprofit activities and entrepreneurship with local students.
My participation in the Noto Project was sparked by my study abroad experience in Washington, DC. While there, I teamed up with American students to spend several days preparing and presenting a proposal for establishing an NPO aimed at solving social issues in Japan. Our team proposed the establishment of an NPO dedicated to building local communities to address the problem of elderly people dying alone, called "Kodokushi" in Kyushu, Japan.
However, as American students asked me questions about depopulation in rural Japan, I realized that I myself lacked both knowledge and a sense of personal responsibility regarding the issue of depopulation in Japan's regional areas. Having been born and raised in Tokyo, I felt ashamed of my ignorance regarding the current state of rural Japan, which makes up the vast majority of the country. This experience sparked a desire within me to visit these regions and learn firsthand about the challenges they face.
TOMODACHI Noto Project
Just as I was thinking this, I came across the Noto Project. Additionally, I had developed an interest in the Noto region through the manga "Skip and Loafer" by Misaki Takamatsu, which features a high school girl from Noto as its protagonist. For example, after the Noto Earthquake, I participated in a charity campaign for Noto's recovery by subscribing to the "Skip and Loafer" manga. For me, the awareness of the depopulation issues facing Japan's rural areas that I gained in Washington, DC, connected with my interest in Noto inspired by "Skip and Loafer." That's why I decided to join this project to engage directly with Noto's recovery efforts and its struggle against depopulation.
What struck me most this time was that many of the ryokan (traditional inns) in Wakura Onsen had been forced to close due to the earthquake.
On January 1, 2024, the day of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the ryokans were filled with many guests and local residents who had returned home for the New Year. Fortunately, no fires broke out at the Wakura Onsen Sōyu, and 1,200 guests were able to evacuate safely and return home from the ryokans. But the water supply remained cut off for over three months. Furthermore, of the 20 inns that originally existed, only nine are currently in operation ー a situation that is quite dire for the inn district. On the ground, it was painfully evident that the majority of Wakura Onsen's seawalls had sustained severe damage.
Private Homes Also Lost
I heard from a volunteer that their own home had also been damaged and had to be demolished, and that about one-third of the repair costs were covered by donations from across the country.
For me, it was the moment when my experience of the disaster ー which I had only known through "Skip and Loafer" and television ー shifted from "imagination through media reports" to "the reality of daily life" thanks to the words of the local volunteers.
I felt that the relief efforts I had undertaken from Tokyo were leading not only to physical support, such as building repairs, but also to psychological support ー the message that "Wakura Onsen is not alone."
Although I hadn't realized it while I was in Tokyo, for the first time, I felt that my support had meaning. Time has slowly passed since the disaster. I reaffirmed in my heart the significance of continuing to provide support to Noto from all over the country, regardless of time or place.
Just as with Noto for me, it is not easy to maintain a connection to a region where I have never lived. However, I believe that if I continue to turn my thoughts into action, someday that region will become a place that is dear to me. Through my visit to Noto, I felt truly glad to have encountered this place.
Value of 'Community'
What I particularly loved about Noto was the sense of community ー the fact that the town's culture and spirit have not been lost but continue to thrive. Seeing so many residents gather in the communal space at the Noto Food Festival Market to enjoy music and the warmth of people returning home for the festival symbolizes their deep affection for this place. I believe that having more people who love their town in this way is the greatest driving force behind revitalizing the community.
Finally, in Wakura Onsen, there are an increasing number of shops that appeal to the younger generation, such as the "Noto Milk" gelato shop. I believe that the presence of these new, youthful businesses adding color to the town represents the first step toward a new future ー a budding of new life that lies beyond the challenges of reconstruction and depopulation.
As a young person myself, I want to continue learning about the issues of rural depopulation and revitalization from the perspectives of political science and public administration that I studied in college, and share what I learn with people in urban areas.
Wakura Onsen is not a place where time has stood still since the earthquake. It is a place that convinces me that, just as the hot springs continue to flow, the town is moving forward little by little, thanks to the passion of its people! I would love to continue supporting Wakura Onsen and Noto from Tokyo!
About the Author:
TOMODACHI Initiative alumna Shiho Anzai was a fourth-year student at Keio University in Tokyo when she participated in the Noto project. Born and raised in Tokyo, she is currently studying Law and Political Science at her university. Anzai is also an alumna of the Building the TOMODACHI Generation Morgan Stanley Ambassadors Program. The program takes selected Japanese participants to Washington, DC, for two weeks of leadership and cross-cultural training.
RELATED:
- New Insights on Disaster Recovery Through the TOMODACHI Initiative x 'Ignite'
- Off the Beaten Track on the Noto Peninsula
Author: Shiho Anzai
Student, Keio University and TOMODACHI Initiative Alumna
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