Heroes

The following is a translation of two articles that tell real stories of the tsunami:

    During the tsunami, many Japanese people saved others’ lives instead of their own.

     Twenty-eight firefighters in Otsuchi, Iwate tried to close the seawall gate after the earthquake and help people run for cover at the last minute; four of them died and seven are still missing.  Koshida Fujio, age 57, is one of the dead.  After the earthquake, he closed the seawall gate and asked a coworker, Hiuchi, to sound the alarm for the approaching tsunami.  Hiuchi drove up to their office to do so, but, without electricity, the alarm was silent.  When Koshida arrived, Hiuchi told him what had happened; Koshida simply responded, “Okay,” and sent Hiuchi off to help others.  Koshida then climbed to the rooftop and began to hit the emergency bell to warn others of the approaching tsunami.  This was the last anyone saw of Koshida; he kept hitting the bell—“kahn, kahn, kahn”—until the tsunami washed everything away.  A man heard the bell from a hilltop hundreds of meters away.  He said, “Koshida must have seen the tsunami.  It sounded sad.  I cannot forget the sound of the bell.”

            Minamisanriku, Miyagi was hit with waves fifty feet high.  One young woman saw the waves approaching and began to warn people of the tsunami; her voice kept shouting until the tsunami washed her away.  She was 23 years old.  She was supposed to have her wedding in September.  She kept crying out her warning for the people living in the town where she was born and raised, for the people she loved.

Translated by Yukiko Takahashi  from “Heroes” Author 鈴木一生、山本将克,Newspaper Mainichi/ＮＨＫ　news

Edited by Celia Shiffer 

Poems from Fukushima, Japan

These poems were written by a high school teacher in Fukushima. After the unclear issue, he started posting his poems on his webpage which became popular among the victims and other Japanese people

あなたは放射能が降ってきたら、どうやって故郷を守りますか。あなた、大切なあなた。あなたは何をしますか。僕はガソリンを売ってもらいたくて、ずっと並んでいる。こんなことしか、出来ない。

How would you protect your hometown from radiation? You whom I hold so dear, what would you do? I have been in line for a long time hoping to buy gasoline…this is all I can do right now.

東北はものみな雪だろうか。南三陸では、全壊の家の周りで祖母の姿を探している家族がいる。祖母の財布のひもを見つけて、それだけで、みなで泣いて、喜んでいる。大事に、持っていこう。泣く。　

Perhaps the whole northeast is blanketed in snow. In southern Sanriku, a family is still searching the area around their ruined home for their grandmother. They find the string of her purse. That alone brings them all to tears and joy.  They treasure it.  They weep.

福島は三月にぼた雪が降る。外を歩く人に何かを尋ねられて、窓を開けて応答する。車内にいたずらに入りこむ。雪。手で 触れてみる。溶ける。恐ろしい。あんなに親しかったのに。雪が入りこむ。ズボンの太ももの上に大粒の雪。溶ける雪。静かな破壊。

In Fukushima, fat, fluffy flakes fall in March. Someone outside speaks to me and I roll down the window to answer.  Snowflakes crowd into the car as if in jest.  The mere touch of my hand melts them.  Terrifying.  We had been so close.  Snow flakes crowd into my car. Fluffy flakes melt on my thigh....silent destruction.

 Translated by Mizuki Takahashi ,Elizabeth Armstrong

 from  Twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/wago2828

Auther Ryoichi Wago 

Event on this Tuesday 19th 5PM at Bucknell University

Panel discussion: 'Japan's response to crisis'

 Bucknell University will host "Japan's Response to Crisis: A Panel Discussion on History, Religion, and People in Japan" on Tuesday, April 19, at 5 p.m. in Coleman Hall, Room 221

 

The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will provide a scholarly analysis of the crisis reaction from historical, cultural and religious perspectives. The discussion also will feature photos, eyewitness accounts and family experiences.

Elizabeth Armstrong, associate professor of East Asian studies, will moderate the panel.

Jim Orr, associate professor of East Asian studies, will offer a historical perspective on the situation in Japan, helping to understand how the 1923 earthquake and the nuclear bombs at the end of WWII have shaped the current day responses to this national tragedy.

James Shields, associate professor of comparative humanities, will discuss the religious aspects of Japanese life and how that impacts responses to crises and this disaster in particular.

Mizuki Takahashi, post-doctoral fellow in biology, will share news from his family in Tokyo and discuss the formation of the local Susquehanna Valley Japanese Community, a group that is providing support to one another and raising awareness and funds for disaster relief.

Kyoko Breczinski, a member of SVJC, will speak about what it has been like to be so far from family during the unfolding disaster and share reports from Japan.

Bucknell junior Anna Uehara, president of the Bucknell Japan Society, will share observations from Kota Suenaga, a Bucknell student currently on leave in Japan. A resident of Sendai, Suenaga's entire family has been displaced, their home and business destroyed by the tsunami.

Event on this Tuesday 12 Apr

Panel: Japanese Awareness and Education

At Susquehanna University

- Degenstein Campus Center-    

Room: Meeting Room 3

Start time : 7 PM

This panel will discuss the science behind tsunamis, the culture of Japan and how that affects information flow about the disaster and the nuclear issues, and accounts of life in the affected regions.

Panelists will be Lisong Liu, assistant professor of history; Jennifer Elick, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences; Toshiro Kubota, associate professor of mathematical sciences; Jack Holt, professor of biology; and Junko Torii, a member of the Susquehanna Valley Japanese community.

Thank you for your HEARTS！

From New York and Susquehanna Valley ,too !!

From only one to all ....

April 7. 2011

A magnitude-7.4 earthquake hit off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture at about 11:32 p.m(Japan time )Thursday. Japan Meteorological Agency officials said the quake was an aftershock of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11.

3people died of shock and over 100 people were reportedly injured .

The quake registered an upper 6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture as well as Sendai’s Miyagino Ward. The aftershock had the highest intensity since the March 11 mega-quake and its 7.4 magnitude was tied for the third largest.
 No tsunami was confirmed as reaching land.

According to the National Police Agency, power outages occurred throughout Aomori, Iwate, Yamagata and Akita prefectures. Some parts of Miyagi Prefecture were also without electricity.

According to Tokyo Electric Power Co., no irregularities were found at its Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants. Monitoring posts at the No. 1 plant did not detect any abnormal figures and water continued to be pumped into reactor cores. No workers at either nuclear power plant were harmed as of 11:55 p.m. Thursday

In ejaculation, people were screaming and kids were crying of scare . Outside people tried to drive away from Tsunami and made long line .

 This earthquake made people remind the scare again .  

April.6 2011

    Missing                   15,077 people

           Dead                   12,554 people

       Injured                    2,866 people

 Lost houses               46,268 houses

18 years old in Miyagi

Japanese school year starts from April.  Many students were about to end the year when the disaster happened on March 11^th.  Many children were killed and many children were left behind. 

“I was supposed to go to University but if not possible I’ll have to look for a job” says Yuya Numata, 18, from Miyagi.  His home has submerged with the tsunami and he is currently staying at the shelter.  Few days after the earthquake, Yuya confirmed the corpse of his grandmother, 83, and his older brother, 22.  His parents are still missing but he is prepared for the worst.  “I want to find them at least.” 

“My family members think of others before themselves” he said.  When the earthquake came, father went out on his bike to let neighbors know, mother went to the home across to see if they need help evacuating and older brother went out to help the neighbor with rope in his hand.  Yuya stayed home with his grandmother until the earthquake calmed down.

They evacuated to the community center but the water came right after.  He held onto some tire-like material.  A man asked “Are you ok?” but next second that man was gone.  It was a day later when Yuya realized he’s at the elementary school near his home.

Trying to stay strong, Yuya helps transporting the supplies and separating garbage at the shelter. However, the family is always on his mind.  If not for this earthquake he was going to be a freshman at the University starting April.  The letter Yuya wrote to his father upon graduation was also lost in tsunami. 

On 18^th, Yuya went to the place where his home once was.  The only thing left was some tiles from the entrance way and bath area.  He told himself “I can mourn later.  Now is not the time…”  Yuya hopes to find his parents as soon as possible.

http://news.mixi.jp/view_news.pl?id=1548759&media_id=2&m=2&ref=news%3Aright%3Aphoto

From my friend , She translate this Japanese Article .