"Arigato!"

One youtube clip has been receiving a lot of views in Japan.  It is a video remembering the tragedy of March 11 one year ago and thanking the world for its kindness and charity.  "Arigato", which the featured people repeatedly say in this video, means "Thank you".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS-sWdAQsYg&feature=share

"Be Strong!" Hashikami Jr. Highschool Graduation

As is tradition in Japanese junior high schools, the valedictorian salutes the class with his speech, thanks the teachers, and delivers a pledge for the whole class.  


This is a clip from the graduation ceremony of Hashikami Junior High School in Kesenuma City, a city that no longer exists.  The ceremony was held at one wing of a gymnasium that now serves as an evacuation facility.  There are parents receiving the diplomas in place of their children who are dead or missing.  The translation below is from 0:43.

Principal:

"We have all been stricken by sudden and incredible tragedy.  Knowing that disaster could hit our city one day, we did prepare.  But the disaster that struck us and continues to grip us day by day has proven to be something unimaginable ... far more terrifying than we had ever imagined.  

We have been burdened with enormous grief and sadness, but we must overcome."

Valedictorian:

“Hashikami Junior High School has always been known for its excellent disaster prevention training, and as such, we have been highly respected both from within and without.

“But, in the face of nature’s fury, we were entirely powerless, and it has mercilessly robbed us all of things we hold dear.  These are trials given to us from above, but they seem too painful to bear, and too baffling to understand. 

“But even in distress, it is the duty of us the graduates of Hashikami Junior High School 2011, to not blame heaven, to persevere through our lot in life, and to always help one another in our life ahead together.”

Principal:

“Courage. Be strong.”

Sendai City Goes Dark After Huge Spark

Camera catches an series of enormous sparks in the horizon after the April 7th quake, immediately before the entire city goes dark at 0:25.

Sake Brewery's Appeal: "Don't Stop the Festivities For Us"

My name is Kuji Kōsuke. I am the fifth generation brewer of "Nanbu Bijin" ("Southern Beauty") Sake, from Ninohe City in Iwate Prefecture.

Iwate Prefecture was severely damaged in the recent North-Eastern Japanese Earthquake.  My brewery was also badly damaged; a chimney fell down, and an old part of the brewery was destroyed.  However we are trying to rebuild as fast as we can.

We are of course extremely grateful for your donations.  We also received great amounts of supplies. We are truly grateful.

With the situation here in Tohoku region, it’s not really the time to be drinking sake.  But if things are left at that, we’ll be badly damaged a second time, this time by the economic side-effects of the tsunami.

Sake improves well-being and soothes the soul, and we would like call on everyone in Japan to support us by continuing to buy and drink our sake.  In fact, we would be far more grateful if you held hanami (spring festival) parties like you do every year, instead of cancelling them out of a sense of propriety [as some government authorities have done].

Japanese sake sooths the soul, makes food more delicious and gives us all a feeling of luxury. Please continue to buy and drink Japanese sake.  We make our sake from nothing but rice, water and kōji (rice malt), we believe it has the ability to bring spirit and energy to the people in Japan.  We urge you to take the energy you gain from drinking our sake and use it to help the devastated areas in any way you can.

We sake brewers of Iwate urge all Japanese people, especially those in the metropolitan areas, to help us continue our ancient art of making sake. Let us continuously improve upon it, and not let it die.  Help us grow strong again so that we can in turn help rebuild our coastal regions.  Please support us by buying, drinking, and continuing to appreciate our sake.

Thank you.

120 Miles of Bullet Train Infrastructure Restored

As another testimony to Japan's incredible ability to restore it's infrastructure regardless of the mass damage inflicted on highly complex and expensive technology, large sections of Japan's bullet train systems between Tokyo and the north are already operational, with the rest to quickly follow and be fully restored within April.

(Pre-March 11th footage of major Bullet Train systems in Japan)

The Tohoku Bullet Train system had approximately 1,200 badly damaged sections over a 310-mile area, including severed cables, broken power poles, and cracks in the elevated tracks (see photo below).  However, approximately 120 miles have already been restored, with bullet trains already operational.

There were also no fatalities on the Bullet Train system as a result of the March 11 earthquake.

Although twenty-four Tohoku line Bullet Trains were running at high speeds when the quake struck, they all stopped without a single derailment because a network of nine seismographs along the coast and 44 seismographs along the Bullet Train route detected the initial seismic movements and emergency brakes were applied.

A JR East official said, "After the Chuetsu earthquake, people in Niigata told us, 'Restoring Bullet Train services will bring brighter news to the quake-hit areas.' We want the restoration of full services on the Tohoku Bullet Train Line to contribute to rebuilding efforts."  

The name of the primary Bullet Train model running between Tokyo and Sendai is the Nozomi model (transl:  Hope).  The Bullet Train was a symbol of Japanese economic recovery after WWII.  Apart from its practical and crucial role to connect Tokyo to the disaster-hit areas, its incredibly fast restoration also is a message of hope to the people in the north that they are no longer isolated, and that big help is on its way, fast.  

Referrences: http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201103290189.html

Engulfed Sendai Airport Reopened After 5 Days

Incredibly, Sendai Airport, which was entirely engulfed in the tsunami on March 11th (see footage below), was reopened on March 16th for limited relief flights and continues towards full reopening at a tremendous pace (see photo below).

Movies From the Ground: Massive Explosion in Chiba Prefecture

Two movie captures of the explosion of the oil refinery in Chiba Prefecture.

Apologies, no sound.

First part: Watch from the beginning
Second part: Watch  from 1:30.

Movies From the Ground: Tsunami Engulfs Fleeing People

One of the most vivid and disturbing scenes captured by a person who had fled to safety on the high ground.  The tsunami approaches and wipes away people who were not able to flee quickly enough.  People on the high ground are screaming at them to run.  Towards the end, they are shouting encouragements to the people who are running up the slope and expressing relief when they make the high ground.

Movies From the Ground: Boy Films Quake in His Home

This footage was taken by a boy when the earthquake hit his home in Sendai.

Note how despite being terrified the boy and his mother are very calm and systematic in evacuating the structure.

0:18
Boy: "Mom! Let's get out!"
Mother:  "Grab your phone and your wallet and get out now!"

1:05
M: "This one's pretty bad."

1:48
B: "I hope Grandma is okay. I'll try calling."
M: "I'm already calling."
B: "My phone.  I dropped it on the way out."
M: "NO! Don't go back inside."

After the shaking subsides, the boy's hands are shaking as he looks in the house for the car keys.

Despite being one of the hardest hit areas of a 9.0 quake, note how the buildings and infrastructure stay intact.  As can be imagined, the overwhelming majority of lives lost were lost to the tsunami, not the quake for which they were extremely well prepared against.

Movies From the Ground: Swaying Buildings

Japan's excellent preparation against earthquakes is proven by how these buildings responded to the quake.  String architectural regulations require them to be flexible to prevent metal fatigue, cracking, and bending.  This footage was taken by a man's mobile phone camera.  The buildings are swaying to absorb the shock of the quake.

Movies From the Ground: Department Store Evacuation

This footage was captured by a man with what seems like his mobile phone camera.  This is in Miyagi prefecture, a badly hit area.