Kizuna: Nikkei Stories from the 2011 Japan Earthquake & Tsunami
In Japanese, kizuna means strong emotional bonds.
This series shares stories about Nikkei individual and/or community reaction and perspectives on the Great Tohoku Kanto earthquake on March 11, 2011 and the resulting tsunami and other impacts—either about supporting relief efforts or how what has happened has affected them and their feeling of connection to Japan.
If you would like to share your reactions, please see the “Submit an Article” page for general submission guidelines. We welcome submissions in English, Japanese, Spanish, and/or Portuguese, and are seeking diverse stories from around the world.
We hope that these stories bring some comfort to those affected in Japan and around the world, and that this will become like a time capsule of responses and perspectives from our global Nima-kai community for the future.
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There are many organizations and relief funds established around the world providing support for Japan. Follow us on Twitter @discovernikkei for info on Nikkei relief efforts, or check the Events section. If you’re posting a Japan relief fundraising event, please add the tag “JPquake2011” to make it appear on the list of earthquake relief events.
Stories from this series
Secret Asian Man: Far away thoughts
March 20, 2011 • Tak Toyoshima
Tak Toyoshima reflects on his feelings after the March 11, 2011 earthquake in Japan and its continuing aftermath through his comic Secret Asian Man. I have to say that I’ve been especially touched by how people (neighbors, bank teller, school bus driver...) have been asking if I had family in Japan and if everyone was OK. It’s a nice balance to the ridiculous nastiness and public displays of ignorance. *This comic was originally published on the Secret Asian Man blog …
Nikkei View: Thoughts on the Great Tohoku Kanto Earthquake and tsunami from a Japanese American in Denver
March 19, 2011 • Gil Asakawa
Unless you live in California, most Americans can’t imagine what it’s like to be in a minor earthquake, never mind a major one. As a kid in Japan, I lived through lots of little quakes. They were no big deal. If the quake seemed serious or went on too long, we’d simply go outside and wait. But there was never a major quake when I lived in Japan. In the 1990s, on a trip to Japan with my mother, an …
Reflections on Alexandra Wallace and the "Remember Pearl Harbor" Gang
March 18, 2011 • Mia Nakaji Monnier
In one weekend, a video posted by UCLA student Alexandra Wallace exploded all over YouTube, spurring responses in only a matter of hours, ranging from public service announcement-type videos made by concerned fellow students to lighthearted spoofs and angry retorts—even to videos and comments more ignorant and hateful than Wallace’s original. Wallace initially posted the video on her own YouTube channel then removed it, only for it to be replaced soon after by numerous clones. The video is a rant …
Rikuzentakata: A dos años del terremoto y tsunami de Tohoku - Parte 7: Emprendiendo la vuelta
Jan. 20, 2014 • María Laura Martelli Giachino
Lea parte 6 >> 7. Emprendiendo la vuelta En Block 808, dos jóvenes que viven y crecieron en Rikuzen Takata (RT), Kinno Masaki y Shoko-san, comentan que hubo muchos jóvenes que decidieron irse de RT después de lo que pasó. Masaki-san lo pensó, pero ella no porque no tiene otro sitio a donde ir, y decidió permanecer en el lugar. Explican que los jóvenes no hablan mucho sobre la situación después de estos dos años. La familia de Masaki-san, por …
Rikuzentakata: A dos años del terremoto y tsunami de Tohoku - Parte 6: Kesennuma y Ofunato
Jan. 13, 2014 • María Laura Martelli Giachino
Lea parte 5 >> 6. Visitando Kesennuma y Ofunato En la reunión de los responsables del Festival Tanabata conocimos a algunos de los miembros de este equipo: Yoshikatsu Sasaki, Mikiko Nakamura, Oikawa-san (era tesorero de Kawaramachi Town), Yuko Kikuchi y Kunichi Kikuchi. También conocimos a Akihito Kasuga (estudiante voluntario de una Universidad de Osaka) y a Shoma Okamoto (co-fundador de SAVE TAKATA). El Sr. Okamoto es también Director de la organización SAKURA LINE 311. La creó con otras dos …
Rikuzentakata: A dos años del terremoto y tsunami de Tohoku - Parte 5: La tradición del Tanabata
Jan. 6, 2014 • María Laura Martelli Giachino
Lea parte 4 >> 5. Esfuerzos para mantener la tradición del Tanabata Desde niño, Yoshikatsu Sasaki participó en el Festival de verano llamado “Ugoku Tanabata Matsuri”, que se festeja el 7 de agosto de cada año en la ciudad de Rikuzentakata (RT), Prefectura de Iwate. Después del tsunami, se encargó de rehacer esta tradición junto a diez amigos, y es el responsable de su organización. Todos ellos vivían en un barrio de la ciudad llamada Kawaramachi Town, el cual fue …