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�,X he Hon. Cherie Kidd
Mayor
City of Port Angeles
INA PO Box 1150
Port Angeles, WA 98362
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3 J I Great East Japan- Earthquake Memorial.
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A Day of Remembrance. A Day of Preparedness. A Day of Rebuilding.
Sunday; March 11, 2012; 10:00 .a.m. to 3:00.p.hi at the Seattle Center.
The one--year memorial of thetGTregt Ea t,Japan Earthquake and tsunami
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Screening begins 4 xo�' lid Fisher P lion, Seattle_Licln, reell fir200 guests will be seated.
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The Story: .. .
On March 11, 2011,the city of Iwaki in.liukushima Prefecture was greatly damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The Hula Girls dance troupe lost their performance:venue and homes in.the aftermath of the 3.11 disaster.
Ganbappe Hula Girls!is the story of their efforts to bring hope and vitality to Tohoku and Japan.
This Screening of Ganbappe Hula Girls!was made possible with sponsorship from the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle and the Japan Business Association of Seattle,
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Media Advisory January 19,2012
For Immediate Release
Contacts: Benjamin Erickson, Hyogo Business and Cultural Center
206-617-2594, benjamin@hyogobcc.org
KengoYoshihara, Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle
206-682-9107, info @cgjapansea.org(from March 1, info @se.mofa.go.jp)
SeattleJapanRelief.org coalition to hold a community event:
"A Day of Remembrance, A Day of Preparedness, A Day of Rebuilding"
to remember the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake
Who: SeattleJapanRelief.org coalition and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle
When: Sunday, March 11, 2012, 10:00 a.m.to 3:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony, Exhibits, Presentations, Films (@ Fisher Pavilion)
2:00 p.m. Memorial Ceremony with Kobe Bell Ringing and Moment of Silence at 2:46 p.m. (@ Kobe Bell)
Where: Seattle Center: Kobe Bell(north of the International Fountain) and Fisher Pavilion
SeattleJapanRelief.org and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle will hold a special community event on Sunday,
March 11,2012 from 10:00 a.m.to 3:00 p.m. at the Fisher Pavilion and Kobe Bell.The event, held on the one-year
anniversary of-the Great-East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami,-focuses on three,the.mes: remembrance, preparedness
and rebuilding.
The program will begin with a short opening ceremony at the Fisher Pavilion at 10:00 a.m.,featuring musical
performances by singer Fumi Tagata and koto ensemble Silk Strings.
At the Fisher Pavilion,there will be exhibits and presentations by local and national emergency management authorities
and non-profit preparedness groups about their work in Japan following last year's disaster, and how to prepare for
natural disasters in the Pacific Northwest.Attendees can also learn about ways to continue to support Japan as it
recovers.The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle will hold a special screening of the documentary Gdmbappe Hula
Girls!from 12:00 noon, as well as an exhibition of photography focusing on the disaster and recovery, and a
presentation of children's messages of hope from the Tohoku area.
From 2:00 p.m.,the victims of The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami will be remembered with a memorial
ceremony at the Kobe Bell. Following remarks by dignitaries, and a short Buddhist ceremony honoring the victims,the
public will have an opportunity to ring the Kobe Bell.A moment of silence will be observed at 2:46 p.m.,which
corresponds to the time of the disaster in Japan on March 11, 2011.
The Kobe Bell is a gift from Seattle's oldest sister city, Kobe,Japan. Given in 1962 in honor of the World's Fair,the Kobe
Bell has also been a gathering place for Seattleites to remember the Kobe (Great Hanshin-Awaji) Earthquake of 1995 for
the past seventeen years.
Seattle.lapanRelief.org began as a collaboration of Japanese American and Japan-related groups, and has grown into a
diverse range of businesses, organizations and community groups standing together to promote relief and recovery
following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku,Japan.Coalition groups have collectively raised over
$250,000 dollars, donating these funds through SeattlelapanRelief.org charity partners.
Confirmed exhibitors at this March 11th event include:The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle, Peace Winds America,
The American Red Cross,the YMCA of Greater Seattle, and the City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management.
For more information or to get involved,visit www.seattlejapanrelief.org or contact seattlejapanrelief @hyogobcc.org
For a list of the coalition members of SeattleJapanRelief.org,visit http://seattlejapanrelief.org/coaIit!on
This event is generously sponsored by Seattle Center.
Map of the Seattle Center Grounds: http://www.seattlecenter.com/information/map.asp
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Last Revised:10/12/2011
CONSULATE-GENERAL OF JAPAN
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641 UNION STREET, SUITE 500 MAR Z 9 RECD
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101 its � ��� p�
PHONE (206) 682-9107 eg
FAX(206)624-9097
March 16, 2012
The Hon. Cherie Kidd
Mayor
City of Port Angeles
321 East 5th Street
P.O. Box 1150
Port Angeles,WA 98362
Dear Mayor Kidd,
We are most honored that you joined the gathering at our March 11th."Day of
Remembrance, Day of Preparedness, Day of Rebuilding" at Seattle Center during your
precious personal time on a Sunday. Thank you for traveling such a long way from Port
Angeles!
Enclosed is a copy of my opinion piece which was published in the Seattle Times on March
11th.
The people of Tohoku and Japan are united to continue rebuilding in the coming years, and
we are so glad to know we will have your support.
Sincerely,
yokazu Ota
Consul General of Japan in Seattle
Opinion I A message of thanks for America's outpouring of support I... http://seattletimes,nwsource.com/html/opinion/2017712423—guestlI
Winner of Eight Pulitzer Prizes
Editorials / Opinion
.......................... .................... ...........................
Originally published March 9, 2012 at 5:19 PM J Page modified March 10, 2012 at 12:44 PM
A message of thanks for America's outpouring of
support
An unprecedented amount of work lies ahead for Japan one year after the devastating earthquake-
tsunami-nuclear disaster,Seattle-based Japanese Consul General Kiyokazu Ota writes there is a lot
of determination in Japan for this rebuilding effort,aided by strong international support.
By Kiyokazu.Ota
Special to The Times
ON the morning of March ii, 2o11, a
visitor came to the consulate office.We
were holding an emergency meeting when I
.C.
stepped out to greet her. I opened the door
to the lobby to see a large bouquet of
N beautiful flowers being held by a woman I
had never met before. She told me that she
was very sad about what was happening in
Japan and wished she could help,but all she
could do was bring us some flowers,
... .......
...... ..... My heart was touched by her very American
message: I want to do something." She
tr went on her way without lea ving her name
or address,but the flowers released their
sweet fragrance throughout the office as a
comforting reminder of her goodwill. I
didn't know it at the time,but her visit was
like the fall of the first pebble signaling the
beginning of an avalanche of friendship and
kindness unparalleled by anything I have
ever seen.
The reaction of Washingtonians was swift
0 and heartfelt.Less than a week after the
'.4
earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disaster,Gov.
..........
Chris Gregoire stood with many other
volunteers outside the season opening of the
Seattle Sounders with a Red Cross vest,a
collection tin and a smile,welcoming
generous soccer fans to the game.
Mourners gathered around the Kobe Bell at Seattle Center and tolled out their grief for the
thousands of victims and struggling survivors. Fishermen's Terminal hold a candlelight
memorial for Seattle's friendship port cities.The Space Needle joined iconic towers around the
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]pinion I A message of thanks for America's outpouring of support I... http://seatdetimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2017712423-guestl1...
world to encourage Japan in a special light display.
Groups too numerous to count from all over the state contributed in their own ways.Famous
Washington-based businesses such as Boeing, Costco,Microsoft,Nintendo, Starbucks and
Weyerhaeuser donated millions of dollars. More than xoo small businesses and community
groups united under the charitable coalition SeattleJapanRelief.org.
Organizations such as Peace Winds America and the YMCA,in addition to church groups, sent
volunteers to Tohoku.to assist the afflicted areas and deliver daily necessities.
With every message of sympathy, every dollar donated,every volunteer received, every smile of
encouragement, came the message, "Japan,you are not alone."
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks on behalf of my country.Through your kindness and
generosity,you have shown us the true meaning of friendship, and we are so very grateful.This
is reflected in the results of the poll that the Japanese Cabinet Office released in December,
showing 82 percent of Japanese have friendly feelings toward the United States.This is the
highest recorded since the poll's inception in 1978.
We need to harness this mutual goodwill by investing in the future.Some Americans have
already opened their hearts and homes to tsunami-afflicted children from the Tohoku region,
offering them a vacation with a homestay in Washington state.The Japanese and U.S.
governments,as well as private organizations,are working on a youth-exchange program
between the tsunami-stricken areas and the U.S.
Through caring for and encouraging these children,we will form new ties of friendship with the
younger generations,helping both Tohoku and the relationship between our peoples.
We will show our gratitude through our determination to rebuild.We will be like daruma. In
addition to luck,these traditional,round,Japanese dolls are symbols of achieving goals and
persevering through difficulty.Daruma dolls are constructed so that if they get knocked over,
they flip themselves back upright.
Although Tohoku was struck by not one,but three kinds of disasters,thanks to the support we
have received and continue to receive from our friends,we are finding our strength and getting
back on our feet.
In the wake of the tragedy,the Japanese people behaved in an orderly manner,showing great
resilience and unity.Main road networks and railways were restored within two months.
Supply chains were fully restored in six months to keep world business on schedule.Fifty-two
thousand temporary housing units were manufactured and made available to evacuees.
Fourteen ports were devastated by the tsunami,but all have since been reopened and 270 out
of their 373 piers are now accessible and in use.
Communities in the Tohoku region still face many challenges and tough decisions in the years
ahead. Coastal towns washed away by the tsunami will need to decide whether to relocate to
nearby hilltops,or rebuild where they are and rely on tsunami shelters. Regardless of the
location,the new towns will be efficient,modern.,eco-friendly communities of the future.
However,this will not only be a Japanese effort. Special measures are being taken in the spirit
of"open reconstruction," such as a five-year reduction in or exemption from corporate tax on
companies locating new facilities in certain areas.
Japan welcomes foreign partnership and investment in the rebuilding process, and invites
travelers to witness the progress for themselves.
of 3 3/16/2012 2:40 PM
Opinion I A message of thanks for America's outpouring of support I... http;l/seattletimes.nwsouzce.con/htmllopinion/2017712423-guestl1...
An unprecedented amount of work lies ahead,but there is a lot of determination in Japan and
strong'international support. It is through this spirit of unity that we will succeed.
Japanese Consul General Kiyokazu Ota is based in Seattle.
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