By: Tess Wissell
On March third, 2011 one of the largest earthquakes the world has ever seen shook Japan. There were many monstrous aftershocks that terrorized the people of Japan. And only a few minutes afterwards a massive tsunami completely decimated many eastern seaside towns and cities. Thousands of people died. And to this day thousands of people are still missing. However, there are many more people who survived this disasters and their accounts are harrowing. And while their accounts are all somewhat similar they also have striking differences, which is what I will be exploring in this blog post. Also it is important to note that while I will be analyzing these people’s accounts there is not right or wrong way to deal with this kind of trauma.
When the earthquake hit and the tsunami waning was issued, many of the survivors’ initial reactions were what ended up saving their lives and many of the dead’s initial reactions was what lead to their death. An elderly man called Masao Takeda immediately left his home with his wife, and his wife wished to take their dog with them. Takeda did not want to, and they left without the dog. They safely reached their designated safe house, however Takeda’s wife went missing. She had gone back for their dog and she was never seen again. (Masao Takeda, “Experience” pg 1) Another account comes from a woman named Ayumi Okuda. After she felt the earthquake and heard about the tsunami warning, she did not feel very threatened and returned home. Upon arriving, she could not even enter her houses and realized that she was in very great danger. Incredibly, she managed to find shelter and survived the tsunami. (Ayumi OKuda. “Experience” pg 4-5) There are countless stories like these ones, and unfortunately it seems that many people who died were the ones who tried to go back to save other people simply because of how quickly tsunamis can travel. Also due to the fact that only a few days earlier there had been another large earthquake that struck (albeit not nearly as large) that came with a tsunami warning, and that tsunami did virtually no damage gave many people a false sense of security. And that is one of the most frightening things about a tsunami, aside from its immense power and speed, they are almost impossible to properly predict. However, even some of the people who listened to the warning and went to shelters also died because of how massive this particular tsunami was.
Some of the survivors of this massive disaster think that there are certain reasons as to why they or others specifically survived. Ayumi Okuda explains the concept of Tsunmai Ten-ken-do, which “means to be responsible for your own safety, run away from danger immediately, and get away from the sea as far as possible.” (“Gratitude”, pg 3) Though she did not do this herself, as she returned to her home, she is incredibly grateful for escaping with her life. She says she will never forget that grateful feeling of being alive. A man called Soranosuke Endo says that ” “Fighting for the best will surely lead to a light of hope”, when describing how to get through this kind of disaster in “Gratitude”. (pg 3) He feels that this kind of motivation will keep a person going no matter what the circumstance. One woman Shinobu Takako does not give much detail as to her situation, but she explains that she could have easily died in the disaster, but after receiving a message from her child she felt she had to live for her family. And had she not gotten that message, surely she would have died. (“Gratituade”, pg 16) In Japanese culture the idea of ‘giri’ or duty to social constructs such as family or work are incredibly strong. At least far stronger than what we often see in America.
Some of the people affected by this disaster seem to have lost some part of themselves after experiencing what they did. Although it is quite subtle, many of the survivors describe feelings of survivors’ guilt. None of the out right say that they feel as if they shouldn’t be alive, however as Yasuhiro Nasuno puts it, “I would say that I should try my best for the rest of my life because I have been given my life again.” (“Gratitude”, pg 23) There are countless things that the survivors say that are similar to this. Now while it is true that many people did die, it was obviously not the fault of any person who survived, it was the earthquake and the tsunami’s fault. No one was to blame for a natural disaster and yet many survivors lost a part of their freedom to this disaster. They have chosen to carry the heavy burden of their friends, family and fellow Japanese people’s death on their backs for the rest of their lives, simply because they, by chance, happened to live. As one victim explains, ” [i]t may just be plain age or destiny, but there are people who survive and do not survive under the same circumstance.” (Soranosuke Endo, “Gratitude”, pg 3) But yet they still feel an obligation to the dead, that can really never be fulfilled.
Although it may feel callous to explore this topic, form every bad experience comes learning and growth in order to face similar harsh times in the future. Even those events as catastrophic as the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. The Japanese people are known for looking down on people of other races, and have for many years. It remains incredibly difficult for foreigners to gain recognition or be respected in Japan because they are generally considered uncouth and overbearing. However, one survivors speaks of one exchange with a foreign college student that completely overwhelmed him. His name is Masao Takeda and he was the man who lost his wife when she went back to their house to save their dog. He had set up her picture at an alter when a few young college students came up to him and one prayed for a bit and then went out and brought flowers for his wife. He couldn’t speak he was so touched by her kindness and said, “I though [she] was more Japanese than any Japanese could be, with all her thoughtfulness.” (“Gratitude”, pg 1-2) This is one of the highest complements paid to a foreigner from a Japanese person I have ever come across, and he says he is still in touch with her to this day. One elderly woman called Yukio Tanno seemed to almost come to life after the earthquake and tsunami hit. She claims that she would often think of how few years she would have to live and how that would limit her from doing the things she wanted. However, once the tsunami washed away everything she had, she decided to follow a dream of hers to build an orchard for herself and her grandchildren to tend to and eat from. She has decided that she only has one shot at this life and “feels like a child again. so why not just go for it. (“Gratitude”, pg 25-26) It almost seems as if she got the will to live back from this disaster.
One interesting thing that came up while I was looking through many interviews of survivors from this disaster is how some people speak very differently about what happened to them as time passed. What I noticed was that over time, it seemed less traumatic from the people to talk about, or at least it would appear that way. One woman discusses her experience with the disaster on August 7th, 2011, in Aoku-bu, Sendai. It was her first time being interviewed about the incident, and she says that talking about the incident reminds her of how frightening it really was.
She then looks away pensively and the interview ends. However, another woman discusses much more than only her experience in another interview. This woman is much older, in her seventies. When he talks about what happened to her, she rarely ever sounds like she is talking about something difficult, she explains everything she experienced pretty clearly. Even when she talks about how it was her first time a tsunami had reached her house and that heer shop had been washed away, her voice remains steady. The interview also starts off being about the disaster but she gets a little off course and starts talking about the oyster business in the town, and how the youngsters that should be taking over these businesses are very lonely.
This may seem odd, however his interview took place on December 1st, 2011. It was slowly nearing the one year anniversary of the event. And while of course it was still difficult for many people, a good amount of time had passed, probably making it easier for this woman to talk about. And it can certainly be seen in these interviews.
Overall, the survivors of this disaster experienced one of the most horrific things nature can produce. Too many people lost their lives, to what was supposed to be preventable. And while there is no real person or group to place the blame on directly, there are certainly measures that can be taken to prevent this kind of tragedy from repeating itself. And from reading these testimonies and interviews I can only hope that they can somehow move one and live out their lives without this tragedy always looming over them.