On September 11, as Americans marked the 10-year anniversary
of terrorist attacks on their nation, Japan marked its own anniversary of
devastation: six months had passed since a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami shattered
the island nation, claiming more than 20,000 lives.
In the weeks prior to September 11, AmeriCares Japan team
members, Kyoko Sakurai and Ramona Bajema, joined communities in the Tohoku
region to mourn those lost in the disaster during Umi no Bon festivals.
Held each year throughout Japan during August, the “O-bon” festival
commemorates ancestors; however, this year’s Umi no Bon festivals held during
the O-bon period honored those lives lost in the epic disaster. AmeriCares
sponsored Umi no Bon festivals in three towns – Ishinomaki, Ôtsuchi and Sanriku
– to help communities heal as they rebuild.
During the day, people gathered for dancing, singing and
musical performances and the opportunity to meet with old friends that had been
scattered to different evacuation sites. Memorial services took place in the
evenings. In Ishinomaki, 10,000 lanterns – one representing each life lost to
the in that area - floated silently down the river and out to the umi (sea).
“We will stand up again.”
“Watching the festival’s dance performances, it was hard to forget
that residents of these towns have a deep and long relationship with the sea,” said
Bajema. “They prospered from the sea and have also been devastated by it.
They had lost friends, family and loved ones on March 11. They had lost their
homes. They had lost their businesses. But they came to the event to
perform, to connect, and to remember.”
Photo by Ramona Bajema. All Rights Reserved.
The tsunami destroyed a historic ancestor shrine in Ishinomaki. Above, men carry a new shrine made of tsunami debris and remnants of fishing boats through the center of town.
While many people living in coastal communities are still
struggling to cope in the aftermath of such significant loss, there is great
determination to move forward. In the words of one local resident, “We will
stand up again.”
The AmeriCares Japan team is currently working with the
Personal Support Center to expand counseling and psychosocial support
activities beyond Sendai City and into the coastal towns to help tsunami
victims return to a place of emotional stability.
On March 11, just hours after Japan was rocked by the
catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, AmeriCares initiated a large scale
emergency response. Since then, our Japan team has opened an office in Sendai
to serve as a base of operations for the allocation of $8 million in long-term relief
and recovery efforts over the next three years.
