Kobe marks 1995 earthquake anniversary amid pandemic

It is 26 years ago since the Great Hanshin Earthquake. I myself wasn't living in Japan and can't even remember seeing it on the news when I was 12 years old but have been living in Kobe for over 10 years now and have heard various stories from friends and family.

As we are all living our lives during the pandemic I think it is important to remember these things and not to forget that a new disaster on top of the pandemic can happen anytime. I also believe that, by reading and watching about the earthquake, we can get strenght from seeing how people helped each other and that we should continue to do so in a time where people are becoming more and more self-centered. On top of that, better times will come.






Regarding the last link, he is actually the music teacher for my kids at the Elementary school.
My son sang it 2 years ago in Kobe:

Even though I was living in Tokyo at the time I don't have particularly strong memories of it. Just the TV images like any other "far away" disaster. It didn't affect my day to day life at all. I'm sure my parents must have been concerned.
It did prompt me to take disaster prep slightly more seriously in that I had about 40 liters of water delivered that I stored and rotated while I lived in Japan. Plus some extra long shelf-life food.

This is a great reminder to check our earthquake kits (or rather, prepare them).

When we visited the Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum, there was one room with several large screens that vividly displayed the destruction and the terrible fires that followed. That was very educating.

The museum is really good and provides lots of information in both japanese and english. That room is very ... Indeed.

When I went there for the first time they had a truck outside in which you could feel it while being under a table.

They have many volunteers that are very kind and talk about their experiences. Thank you for your reply and recommending this place to others.

Although it has been 26 years ago, it is still deep in the hearts of those who experienced it and mine as well

It was not a huge impact on my day either as it was "far away" and soon mostly forgotten due to the tokyo subway attacks in March. I have been to the monument in Kobe in the park but not the museum. You were 10 years old Davey! My goodness I am old. So in just two months 26 years for that too.

I have known people affected by earthquakes. My school buddy married a girl from Hokkaido specifically Shibetsu (the one near the sea) that town had an earthquake that destroyed her jikka and her mother was never able to rebuild to this day. That buddy and his wife still live in Sapporo.

2011 I was in Kyushuu but it was big news. 3-11-2011 was my brother in law's 10th wedding anniversary. His wife's parents had a ship building business and a house in Fukushima that was destroyed (they are fine). We had paid for our wedding ceremony in April (showa no hi, when people could be off work) and still went forward, that brother in law works in procurement for the JSDF and was still able to make it much to my surprise.

My relatives in Kumamoto were not affected by the earthquake in 2016 and were still able to come up to Nagasaki for hatsubon for my grandfather in law, we held took his sprit ship through the streets.

I suspect so many in Japan know someone affected by a natural disaster in japan if they have not been themselves.