On Thursday, January 19th and Thursday, January 26th, 2023, people from the Shinjuku area of East Japan Railway Company visited the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial.
It was used as follow-up training for first-year employees in charge of station operations within Tokyo.
The training included a talk by an employee who was affected by the earthquake in Sendai at the time, and a ride on the BRT, which began operating after the disaster . As part of this, the participants also toured the museum's exhibitions and took part in a learning program .
Here are some of the comments we received from the participants.
"Through this program, I learned that there is no single answer for where to evacuate, and that instantaneous decisions are necessary. Also, listening to the stories of people who have actually evacuated and seeing so many lives lost right in front of my eyes was beyond my imagination, and I felt that this was a facility where I could learn the importance of disaster prevention measures and the value of life."
"It was a facility where I could learn in detail about the events that occurred on the day the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and it made me think about it as something that applies to me. I was very impressed by the content that, based on actual experience, 'The Great East Japan Earthquake was far beyond our expectations,' there is no such thing as 100% safety or 100% evacuation plan for natural disasters."
"I was able to learn about the actions and lessons learned at the time of the disaster through discussions, and I was reminded of how Japan and the world are united in their efforts to protect and pass on precious lives. Looking back at the townscape after visiting the Minamisanriku 3/11 Memorial, I was surprised at how beautiful the redeveloped streets were, and couldn't help but think that this meant that the streets filled with the memories and memories of the people who lived in Minamisanriku had disappeared without a trace."
"The program's phrase, 'What would you do if ___ happened right now?' made a strong impression on me. The Great East Japan Earthquake caused a tsunami of an unimaginable scale, and even buildings designated as evacuation shelters were not safe, so I felt it was important not to assume, 'It's okay here,' but to keep thinking, 'What if an even bigger earthquake or tsunami comes…' Also, watching the video of people tearfully talking about what happened at the time, I felt a pain that is difficult to put into words, and I felt that as Japanese people, we must not forget this."
Many of the participants were visiting Tohoku and the affected coastal areas for the first time, and were often surprised by the stories they heard and saw about the disaster areas. I believe there are many things that need to be done to ensure your own safety and the safety of your guests. I hope that you will use the experiences and lessons learned in the disaster-stricken areas, including those at our facility, to think about and put these into practice.
Thank you very much for visiting us.