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Oi gente! Tudo bem?
I visited the "Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum" to participate in an event called "Dialogue Fukushima" in December 2024. Although I’m originally from Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, my parents are from Fukushima Prefecture, and I also studied abroad at a university in Fukushima. Therefore this makes Fukushima hold a special place in my heart!
At the event, I also had the opportunity to listen to a dialogue between Dr. Hiroshi Kainuma from the University of Tokyo and film director Rikiya Imaizumi.
The theme of the event was "Recording."
Director Imaizumi is "recording" stories through the medium of film, but I realized there are so many different ways to "record" even within the realm of filmmaking. This gave me a fresh perspective.
Director Imaizumi shared that he doesn’t create stories where the protagonist undergoes significant growth, which might leave viewers struggling with the gap between themselves and the protagonist. Instead, he portrays films where people wrestle with their worries and hardships in everyday life, making it feel as though their struggles overlap with our own daily experiences, allowing the audience to relate to them on a personal level.
"Interesting!" I thought the theme of "Recording" perfectly fit this event. However, I'll leave the explanation of why I felt this way for my next blog post. For now, I’d like to "record" my thoughts on the current state of Futaba Town and Ōkuma Town, which neighbor the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and the exhibits at the Memorial Museum, which Dr. Kainuma was kind enough to personally guide me through.
👇You can check out the details of "Dialogue Fukushima" by clicking the link below. (Only in Japanese) 👇
The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011—13 years ago. At the time, I was working in Tokyo. I still remember how I rushed out of the office after experiencing the powerful quake, worrying about my children who were at elementary school and daycare, and headed straight to the daycare center. Coming from Brazil, a country with no earthquakes, I was utterly shocked when I experienced my first earthquake after moving to Japan.
During this disaster, I endured a great deal of anxiety as buildings shook, aftershocks continued, and earthquake alarms went off one after another. However, visiting Futaba Town made me realize that the situation there was beyond anything I could have imagined.
At the time, I’m sure the situation in Futaba Town was being reported on the news, so I must have been aware of it. However, as time passed, my memories became vague, and I stopped thinking about it as something personal. The information "recorded" in my mind gradually became buried under the routines of everyday life.
The situation surrounding the nuclear disaster at that time was as follows (excerpt from the Futaba Town website)
March 11, 2011
2:46 PM
The Great East Japan Earthquake, with its epicenter off the Sanriku coast, occurred.
The seismic intensity in Futaba Town was a strong 6. A total of 103 buildings were completely destroyed, 14 buildings were partially destroyed, and 1 building sustained partial damage.
(Due to the establishment of evacuation advisory zones, a detailed survey could not be conducted. *As of the end of March 2018)
Around 3:30 PM
A massive tsunami hit Futaba Town, flooding approximately 3 km² (about 5.8% of the entire town).
There were 20 fatalities due to the tsunami. (*As of the end of March 2018)
4:27 PM The first disaster response headquarters meeting after the earthquake was held.
7:03 PM Prime Minister Naoto Kan declared a nuclear emergency.。
8:50 PM Fukushima Prefecture issued an evacuation order for areas within a 2 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.。
9: 23 PM Prime Minister Kan instructed the evacuation of areas within a 3 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and indoor sheltering for areas within a 3 to 10 km radius.
March 12, 2011
5:44 AM Prime Minister Kan instructed the evacuation of residents within a 10 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
7:30 AM The town's disaster response headquarters decided on the full evacuation of the town and other measures. An evacuation announcement was made at 7:40 AM.
8:00 AM An evacuation announcement to Kawamata Town was made via the town's disaster prevention radio, and approximately 2,200 residents of Futaba Town evacuated to Kawamata Town.
Around 2:00 PM The Futaba Town Hall was closed. Subsequently, the disaster response headquarters was established at a training facility in Kawamata Town.
3:36 PM The reactor building of Unit 1 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant exploded.
6:25 PM Prime Minister Kan instructed the evacuation of residents within a 20 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
March 13, 2011
Iodine tablets were administered to some of the evacuees in Kawamata Town’s shelters (from March 13 to March 14).。
March 14, 2011
11:01 AM The reactor building of Unit 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant exploded.
March 15, 2011
Around 6:14 AM The reactor building of Unit 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant exploded.。
March 19, 2011
Approximately 1,200 residents of Futaba Town evacuated from Kawamata Town to the Saitama Super Arena.
Just looking at this sequence of events, I can picture the chaos on the ground. Seeing the current state of Futaba Town, it’s clear that residents at the time had no choice but to leave their homes without sufficient preparation.
Driving through Futaba Town and Ōkuma Town, I saw many places where the state from the time of the disaster remains unchanged. The scenes were so different from what I had imagined that I was left speechless. Houses with shattered windows, roofs missing tiles, and shops with tilted signs. Inside the homes, children's toys and clothes were left as they were. It was clear that people had to leave their homes in a hurry.
At the local fire brigade building, the shutters of the garage for fire trucks couldn’t open due to the power outage. From the dented shutters, I could imagine how they had to forcibly push them open with a vehicle to rush to rescue disaster victims. Seeing how these remnants of the time remain untouched even now left me deeply shocked.
Living in the same country, experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake in a different location, and presumably paying attention to the nuclear disaster at the time, I was shocked to realize how little I actually knew about what happened then or what the situation is like now.
At the Memorial Museum, the situation before the disaster, the earthquake itself, the evacuation, and the journey toward recovery were all "recorded." Photos and maps were displayed, and interviews with residents were shown on monitors. Additionally, a large monitor in the entrance hall of the exhibition area played a video narrated by the late Toshiyuki Nishida, a native of Fukushima Prefecture. His storytelling, interwoven with the Fukushima dialect, deeply resonated with me. I would like to once again extend my heartfelt prayers for his peace.
Human memory is inherently fragile, and as people's focus shifts to the present and daily life, past events and lessons gradually fade into obscurity. This is why facilities like the Memorial Museum, which carefully "record" history, and events like this one, where the act of "recording" itself is discussed, are profoundly important. They serve as a reminder of the significance of preserving history and the lessons it holds.
The desire to preserve history and pass it on to future generations remains strong among Japanese immigrants to Brazil and their descendants as well. Similarly, in Japan, efforts are being made to "record" this history and these facts, ensuring that the memories and lessons are not lost with time.
The history of Japanese immigration to Brazil can be learned at the JICA Yokohama Overseas Migration Museum. I also assist in "recording" the history of Japanese immigrants by providing Portuguese narration (recorded audio) at the museum. Just as I was not well-informed about the situation in Futaba Town, I feel that not many Japanese people are aware of the fact that many Japanese people migrated overseas due to national policies before and after the World War II. Although my role may be small, I hope to continue "recording" and passing on the history of immigration to future generations, and to serve as a bridge between Japan and Brazil.
The Japanese-Brazilian community in Brazil has overcome the difficulties of the early stages of immigration and today thrives in many fields. Behind this success lies the support and solidarity of families and local communities. Similarly, in Futaba Town and Okuma Town, I was able to feel the strength of recovery in the new developments, such as the connections and support within the community, the attraction of industrial parks, the entry of startup companies, and various activities by universities. Although it may be one step at a time, I sincerely hope for the steady progress of reconstruction.
Through this visit, I was able to touch upon the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the realities of reconstruction, gaining new insights. I would like to share this experience through my blog, hoping that more people will learn about it. Let's also support the future stories being woven by the people of Fukushima together.
If you're interested in learning Portuguese, please check out the H&A Portuguese Language School video below👇. You can learn Brazilian Culture as well!!
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