For an year from September 2016, I attended Choate Rosemary Hall as an exchange student. At Choate, I saw a plethora of students interested in Japan, especially in its subculture: anime, manga, sushi, and ramen. Indeed, these topics were on Japanese identity, and were entertaining to talk about, but I did recognize a slight feeling that what I was talking about wasn’t really what I wanted to present about Japan. I also felt that few people knew the “dark side,” the problems present Japan faces. In March 2018, after coming back to Japan from Choate, I went to Ishinomaki City, Miyagi. Seven years from the disaster, as it got closer to March 11, the news more often showed documentaries on the reconstruction of the devastated areas, which made me curious of whether the restoration of Tohoku was actually complete. When I saw the districts struck by the tsunami, I thought that the restoration wasn’t yet complete at all, and I realized the danger of the memories of disaster fading within time. After ten months brainstorming with students from Choate and Kaisei, we thought of a way to grow closer and know our cultures better. I also wanted my American friends, who were young on March 11, 2011, to see and hear what had only been unimaginable scenes of destruction on the news. Not to shock or disturb, but to expand our international friendships by meeting the brave, resilient citizens of Ishinomaki City.

We studied disaster sites, volunteered, and exchanged ideas on preparedness, first reactions, and rescue efforts.

We compiled our results, and interviews with survivors and heroes, into a bilingual pamphlet that we published by crowdfunding. The pamphlets were distributed to five areas in Ishinomaki as free historical/tour guides for local people and tourists.

Ishinomaki’s citizens and donors from everywhere, asked us to make the pamphlet available to a wider audience so I created a bilingual website so that everyone can read it online. Here it is, being read by you.

Thank you very much for your attention and interest in this program.

 

　　　　　　　                                                 Choate-Kaisei Exchange Program 2018  Founder/Project Leader   Ryo Kuno