On Friday, March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Tohoku, Japan’s rural northeast, combined with a destructive tsunami to wipe out villages, ignite a nuclear crisis, and cause the greatest mass loss of life in Japan since World War II.
Caught in the disaster were the children of Tohoku, who went from finishing a school year one moment to facing tragedy the next.
This page aims to highlight news of children in Tohoku that appears in both Japanese- and English-language media. The list below provides links to stories that have caught our attention.
The Tohoku categories at right quick-link to blog posts in which we have translated or summarized information not widely available in English.
Over time we hope to focus in particular on the children’s literature and culture of Tohoku, and on book-related relief and support activities.
If you happen to notice a noteworthy literary or news item related to children of Tohoku, either in English or Japanese, and do not see it covered here, please leave a comment to tell us.
We thank you for visiting, reading, and providing feedback.
News on Children of Tohoku
Iwate teen’s soccer ball floated to Alaska
A teenager in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, identifies a soccer ball found on a beach in Alaska as his. (USA Today, 23 April 2012)
3.11 picture book project brings smiles to kids
Innovative “picture book cars” are serving as libraries for children in the disaster zones. Children elsewhere donate books and send letters of support via the cars. (Japan Trends, 12 October 2011)
Two boys who lost mother to tsunami express feelings through art
Bereaved children produced artwork expressing their feelings for a volunteer kamishibai (“picture play”) storyteller visiting Ishinomaki, Miyagi. (The Mainichi Daily News, 12 May 2011)
Children’s 99.8 percent survival rate in Kamaishi was “not a miracle”
Elementary and middle school children in Kamaishi, Iwate, survived the earthquake and tsunami due to preparedness education. (WEDGE Infinity, 22 April 2011)
Japan struggles with how to heal “children’s hearts”
As school resumes in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, educators and parents struggle with how to counsel students who survived the March 11 disasters. (National Public Radio, 22 April 2011)
Five-year-old’s view of events
One little girl living in a shelter at Shizugawa Elementary School in Minamisanriku-cho, Miyagi, since the earthquake on March 11 will be evacuated with others to another site. Her story of running from the tsunami, suffering night terrors and eventually learning to adapt to life in the shelter is one that illustrates the resilience and courage of the very young. (After begging to go home and seeing the devastation that her third-floor apartment had suffered, she merely said, “Stupid tsunami! My home is at Shizugawa Elementary School!”) The elderly who share living quarters with such children are inspired by their innocent young voices, saying gambarappe (Iwate dialect for “we must go on”). (Mainichi Shimbun, 21 April 2011)
Even with so many schools, homes, and entire villages washed away by the tsunami, a new school year has begun for the children of Miyagi. Children from grades four through six share a single conference room inside the Naruse Town Hall. Striking photo with short explanation in Japanese. (Kyodo News, 21 April 2011)
March disaster affecting school operations in new fiscal year
Damage from the disasters will hamper the start of school in Tohoku, where about 180 publicly run schools and kindergartens need rebuilding or major repair, and where about 330 students lost their lives. (Jiji Press, 4 April 2011)
Local wisdom a lifesaver for kids
Local teaching tsunami tendenko saved children’s lives in Kamaishi, Iwate. (The Daily Yomiuri, 29 March 2011)
Man’s dying wish saves children’s lives
A city councillor in Ofunato, Iwate, succeeded in getting a bridge built to help elementary students evacuate before a tsunami. He died nine days before the earthquake, but dozens of children climbed to safety on the bridge, including his three grandchildren. (Asahi Shimbun, 29 March 2011; in Japanese)
Survivors strive to start picking up the pieces
Orphaned teenager Matsuya still searches for his younger brother in Rikuzentakata, Iwate. (The Japan Times, 27 March 2011)
An aid worker’s account of how children in Japan’s disaster-struck regions are coping. Includes a look at a kindergarten in Sendai, Miyagi. (OPEN Magazine, 26 March 2011)
“Cinderella baby” cheers evacuees
In Onagawa, Miyagi, one-year-old Tsumiki encourages fellow evacuees in a shelter by sweeping the floors. (Sankei News, 18 March 2011; in Japanese)
