George Suzuki will never forget March 11, 2011, the fateful day that Japan was slammed with three disasters — a 9.0 earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami that killed thousands and a nuclear meltdown that shook the nation to the core. He knew something was wrong, terribly wrong. His family’s home in Miyagi Prefecture began […]
Friendships and trials across nations
July 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment
TOMO: FRIENDSHIP THROUGH FICTION – AN ANTHOLOGY OF JAPAN TEEN STORIES Edited By Holly Thompson (Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, 2012, 384 pp., $14.95, paperback) Children’s author Holly Thompson, who resides in a seaside town in Kamakura near Tokyo, missed the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that struck while she was visiting […]
HOPE AMID THE DISASTERS: One year later, Ishinomaki survivors continue to persevere
March 9, 2012 by 1 Comment
ISHINOMAKI, Japan — As students bustled through the many hallways, corridors and buildings at Ishinomaki Senshu University in December 2011, tangible reminders of the Great East Japan Earthquake were difficult to find on the hilltop campus, which escaped much of the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami that struck nine months earlier. Many of […]
Veterinarian works to save surviving animals in Fukushima
February 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment
A long row of cows is crowded at a gate, their heads straining through the metal as if desperately reaching for food. All of them are dead. For Dr. Shigeki Imamoto, a veterinarian who travels to Fukushima Prefecture to save animals in communities devastated by last year’s disaster, this was not an uncommon sight. In […]
A CALL TO ACTION: JCCCNC spearheads multimillion-dollar grassroots relief effort
January 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
On March 11, 2011, the world witnessed one of the most horrific and devastating natural disasters in Japan’s history. The country’s pain, sorrow and loss were felt worldwide. Within hours of the disaster, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) established the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (NJERF) to provide support for […]
Journey to Tohoku
December 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
In early November 2011, my wife and I traveled to the Tohoku area on the northeast coast of Japan to witness the aftermath of the enormous earthquake and tsunami that devastated that area on March 11, 2011. Watching the tsunami destroy everything in its path on our televisions and the Internet was frightening enough, but […]
Holiday cards for hope
November 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Are you looking for your holiday cards for the season? The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California’s (JCCCNC) Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund is selling bags with a set of 12 holiday cards ($35) that the survivors from the Tohoku area — which was stricken by the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear […]
Leaders discuss future of Japan’s recovery at U.S.-Japan Council’s annual conference
October 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
WASHINGTON — The 2011 U.S.-Japan Council’s (USJC) annual conference, entitled “Innovate, Educate, Collaborate: Moving Forward the U.S.-Japan Partnership,” addressed the evolving relationship between the United States and Japan as leaders from both sides of the Pacific came to discuss the next step toward recovery. The U.S. delegation pledged continued commitment to Japan. The conference opened […]
TOWARD RECOVERY, HEALING: Japanese relief workers visit Bay Area for workshops
September 29, 2011 by 1 Comment
On the week of Sept. 18, 12 employees and volunteers who are aiding various relief and reconstruction efforts in the earthquake and tsunami devastated regions of Japan came to the Bay Area to learn about community-based health care, mental health services and training, and enjoy a brief respite to recover from the stress of the […]
As we rebuild, will people remember us?
In a few days, Miyagi Prefecture and all of Japan will mark the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. During this past year, we have had a number of foreign visitors to Miyagi, who have all expressed their surprise at how fast the area has cleaned up. My family and I visit my […]