Remembering 3/11
[Remembering 3.11] Lessons for a Lifetime
Snow was falling, while from the safety of the school grounds the grinding and rumbling was deafening. It was a cold and frightful moment that led to unforgettable kindnesses.
Companion story:
The Great East Japan Earthquake was a life changing event for millions of people. March 11, 2011, could mean different things depending on who you are and where you were at the time, but for the Tohoku region of Japan, the word sorrow comes nowhere near describing its entirety.
Having lived in Fukushima prefecture from 2008, the lifestyle and day to day routine had become a big part of my identity. Like many others in the JET Programme, it was my first experience living alone, and in a foreign country.
It was the third and final year of my JET contract teaching in Ishikawa-machi’s elementary and junior high schools. March 11, 2011, was graduation day for the third-grade junior high school students, and a thanksgiving celebration for the sixth-grade elementary school students.
But that’s not all it was.
After the graduation ceremony had ended and right in the middle of the thanksgiving celebration, at 2:46 PM, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake made a roaring interruption. Beginning with a gentle rocking at first, it almost immediately turned into a severe shaker.
The thanksgiving celebration escalated into an evacuation sequence. Teachers and adults calmly ordered students to prioritize their safety and redirected everyone to the school’s outdoor grounds.
From there, it became apparent how sizable the earthquake was as we watched the roof tiles fall off the school buildings, windows shatter, and nearby trees topple over. All this was in chorus with nearby infrastructure ー just imagine the deafening grinding and rumbling that was happening at the time. All the while, snow was falling on us. It was a cold and frightful moment.
Still in shock after a couple of hours, I didn’t even have the energy to react to the reports of the tsunami on the east coast of Fukushima, and the damage to the TEPCO nuclear power station. For me, the next couple of weeks were a blur, as I found myself living in different places around the town, just trying not to be alone or hungry.
Experiencing the earthquake and living through it with the local community, I realized their strong resilience in the face of the dire situation. It puzzled me how townspeople could have such a positive mindframe. Were they not concerned? Afraid? Angry? What was the right emotion?
Speaking with various people during this short period taught me valuable lessons that I hold on to this day.
Lesson 1: Positivity Spreads and Heals
A grandma who was giving me food and checking up on me regularly at the time said something I will never forget. “Being optimistic is a [your] choice”. It was the cliche, glass half-empty or half-full analogy, but she was absolutely correct.
She wanted me to think about how to uplift others instead of focusing on my despair. And it really hit me - things could’ve been much worse, but they weren’t. I was serving up too much glass-half empty energy to people around me.
Through that grandmother’s positivity and wisdom, I changed my mindset, and felt much more refreshed.
Lesson 2: Kindness is Free and Valuable
People didn’t have to offer me shelter, but they did. Nor did they have to give me warm food, but it was their impulse to share.
In many cases, those generous people had lost more than I had. The countless acts of kindness I experienced during that time still makes me feel fuzzy just remembering them today.
One case in particular involved a co-worker, my supervisor. Although he had his own family to take care of and damage to attend to, he made it a priority to spend a couple of hours with me each day for the first few days after the earthquake. He wasn’t doing it just because he was my boss, and I really understood that he was genuine and sincere. I can still recall how I felt, and it was a priceless feeling.
Lesson 3: Make the Right Memories Count
Living in a town where the majority of people were in their senior years, I was able to meet an elderly man who had experienced WWII. Listening to his story of how the town would alert the people when enemy airplanes were flying nearby and there was a threat of bombs being dropped, and how he compared it to the present day daily announcements of the radiation level in town, made me think about the concept of time and memories.
He challenged me to think about how I want to remember the Great East Japan Earthquake ー and most importantly, how I want people to remember me during that time. The impact we can make on others in a short time, can last for a lifetime.
Looking Back ー And Forward
It is still my prayer that people who were displaced by the disaster be able to return to their homes. Although much progress has been made ensuring the safety of Fukushima products and infrastructure, a recent survey by NHK indicates that only 37% of the respondents feel that the recovery [from the 2011 disaster] has reached completion.
Out of the prefectures in Tohoku that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami, Fukushima is arguably the one that has suffered the most. It is still dealing with the nuclear power station disaster. Nearby countries such as South Korea and Taiwan had terminated certain business operations and banned food imports from the region (Taiwan has since lifted its ban), and there were no international direct flights in and out of Fukushima to either destinations.
Using March 11 every year as a marker for the next however many years it takes, each and every one of us should make it our responsibility to contribute something to help restore Fukushima and Tohoku to a condition closer to the state they were in the year before the disaster.
Everyone is encouraged to learn about the recovery efforts that are happening, and especially how much the people have moved forward with their lives since that terrible day 11 years ago.
Listen to the companion story.
Related
- Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework Aims to Bring New Life to Regional Economies
- How to Prepare for an Earthquake: Lessons from the Life Safety Learning Center
- Tokyo Prioritizes Tackling Floods Before the Next Big One
Author: Galileo
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