A year has passed since the day. Last week, I watched the TV programs “Rebuilding Japan“.
- Dreaming of Utopia
- Photos from the Sea
- Super Trains
- Return of the K-Cars
- Brewing Hope
- The Seaweed Makers
They are positive thinking reports by Japanese. I know a lot of miserably situations still in the disaster area. But positive thinking is very useful. It is not to ignore the real disaster. It is not to neglect one’s post traumatic stress. Positive thinking rather makes us face the reality.
My town had no disasters from the quake. But, I cannot help but concern I will have some disaster from some quakes some day as long as I live in Japan.
When such a megaquake occurs, which brings some big afterquakes within a few years. The quake is no exception.
Note(4/29):
Today, I’ve found the site below. This might help your understanding.
Japan beyond 3.11 Stories of Recovery
6 replies on “TV programs that Rebuilding Japan.”
I was reading about it this morning in the paper. That a year has passed and how things are getting better and what changes might come up because of this. In the article, the main source were official (government) figures and a couple of analysts, one of them a japanesse woman from the Institute of Developing Economies.
I had to ask myself how things are really going over there? How much is propaganda? For the news that gets here it sounds like you are bouncing back without too many problems and that you have learned so much (the japanesse woman called it “a great opportunity for Japan’s society and institutions to get better”). Is it really like that?
I guess I’m just amazed at how well you seem to be after such a terrible event.
The interview (in spanish) is here:
http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/mundo/reconstruccion-y-surgimiento-al-estilo-japones.aspx
Hi, Delonix. Long time!
First, I’ve read the article, but for doing it I used the “translate.google.com” because I don’t know Spanish.
Then, I think the interview of Japanese woman is not much propaganda. About quakes, even tsunamis, Japanese have many experiences of them in our history. We always reconstructed our towns after such megaquakes. They are all natural disasters, so amount of complaints can bring nothing. I know in the disaster area a lot of victims still continue to be in quite privations. A lot of people still live in temporary housing. But I believe they can revive in a or two decades.
The nuclear accident at the plant in Fukushima is a separate thing. This was a human disaster. I feel our technology is not mature enough to use nuclear energy. This don’t dominate news headlines. This means “the news about Fukushima”.
People who lived in the contaminated area cannot come back to their house even now. Our government prohibits to live there. Who knows they can live there again?
Thanks for the quick response!
I have to say: Wow! It´s a little shocking to think that a country can be accustomed to tsunamis or megaquakes and keep rebuilding time after time. Over here, in Venezuela, there aren’t many quakes and almost never big ones, so reconstruction it’s not something we are accustomed to do. It amazes me when you say that this areas can revive. Our more usual natural disasters come with (very, very) heavy raining and the places are ussually declared “not fit for construction” (although people ussually go back and build anyway) so that kind of recuperation it’s very rare.
I also think that we are not prepared for nuclear energy (our government hinted about it, but after “the news about Fukushima” those plans were never mentioned again) and personally I’m a little scared about the magnitud of the risks that come with it.
Wish you well, and (if you haven’t noticed by now) I admire you a little bit.
Hi, Delonix.
The nuclear accident at the plant in Fukushima is still very severe. The accident plants are dangerous for a long time like Chernobyl’s. The nuclear reactor requires care again and again, when its shield becomes too old. Because we, I mean human, don’t have the method of nuclear energy control completely. We cannot just stop them, like putting a fire out, still now, do you know?
By the way,
> It amazes me when you say that this areas can revive.
On the previous reply, though I talked big, I’d like to confirm the next thing. 😉
> It´s a little shocking to think that a country can be accustomed
> to tsunamis or megaquakes and keep rebuilding time after time.
As I wrote, my town had no disaster from the quake. So, the experiences from quakes and tsunamis I said are ours not mine, i.e. they are the experiences of Japanese people in the history.
You’re embarrassing me because of your words.
Thanks for your comment. 🙂
You’re welcome.
I understand that is the knowledge acumulated over the years by the whole japanese people. It is still something quite great.
I’m sure everybody will be ok with time.
Thanks for answering my questions about such a delicate topic in a very nice manner.
My pleasure. Thanks so much.
BTW, just now, very small tsunami hits northern Japan. It’s caused by this quake. —>> map Though it brings no disasters, I think this is one of the afterquakes’. So, I cannot help but “concern I will have some disaster from some quakes some day as long as I live in Japan”.