Ishinomaki is a wonderful place. The ocean is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are kind. We thought that more younger students should visit there. For example, visitors who may visited for Tashiro-shima (the island of cats,) should also definitely stop by the city of Ishinomaki, not only to enjoy, but also to know about the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

The purpose of this pamphlet is to have foreign visitors, domestic students, and the people of the areas to once again think about the disaster with us. We learned that a strong command of English wouldn’t be enough for understanding differences between identities and cultures. It was the feeling of compassion and understanding pain, that we needed.

The spirit of omotenashi is what we Japanese cherish. We believe that we should lend a helping hand to that man who’s lost in Shibuya station, or that woman who’s struggling to understand restaurant guides. If we were able to take these actions in disaster situations, we believe that Japan, a country that lives with disasters itself, would become a more beautiful, heart-warming nation as a whole.

We may not be so influential and powerful. But we hope that the repetition of these small actions would become like a ripple in silent water that slowly grows.  

                                                                                                                                       Choate-Kaisei Exchange Program Members