Playback ’95] Picking Up the Bones from the Burnt Ruins…People in Kobe Begin to Rise from the Grief of the Great Hanshin Earthquake

What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, and 30 years ago? Playback Friday” takes a look back at the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we will introduce “Aftershocks Still Hanshin Earthquake” from the February 10, 1995 issue, and “Gambare Survivors! 　 Kobe Children Will Not Lose” from the February 10, 1995 issue.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred in the early morning of Tuesday, January 17, 1995. FRIDAY, which had a deadline on that day, hurriedly changed its pages and reported the first news in the February 3 issue (released on January 20), and the articles that could not be reported in the magazine at that time were reported in the February 7 extra issue. The following is an overview of the situation in Kobe since then (descriptions in parentheses are quotes from past articles; all ages are those of the time). All ages are those of the time).

People digging for remains in the ruins

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 7.3 magnitude struck in 1995, killing 6,434 people and completely destroying some 250,000 buildings. The sight of tilted and collapsed buildings and roads that caved in or rose up in the air seemed unreal, and the reporters who covered the area thought that Kobe would never be able to recover. However, as they walked through the rubble city, their impression gradually changed as time passed after the earthquake. The following are scenes from various parts of Kobe at that time.

Takatori Shopping Street, Nagata Ward

This is my mother and this is Yuka-chan. This is Miki.

A, 19, who lost her mother and two younger sisters in the earthquake in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture, points to the ruins of the fire with tears streaming down her face. In this area, people were digging for the remains of family members here and there among the charred ruins.

When the shaking stopped, I went outside right away, but someone said, ‘There’s a fire! A neighbor’s man told the father to leave immediately, but he didn’t. “I heard a voice and said, ‘Wait for me. I heard voices and said, ‘Wait for me. My sister was asking for help, but there was nothing I could do. ……

The rest of the story was lost in words. The remains were being collected by relatives and friends, but it was sad that the pieces were so small.

The cry of a volunteer man I met at a shelter

Nankinmachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

While some people were in grief over the loss of their families, others were able to walk forward. Although people were sparsely populated, some stores had their shutters open.

They said, “We just opened it now. A clerk was grilling meat at a desk in front of the restaurant with a sign on it that read “Tonteki 300 yen. If we leave it alone, it will just rot. We got the meat in the day before the earthquake, but there was no water, so there was nothing we could do. Then our supplier in Nagoya sent us 60 liters of water. We also had electricity, so I thought we could cook it on a hot plate. Even as he speaks, the meat is cooking with a sizzling sound and a delicious smell wafts through the air. A line had already formed in front of the desk. I want two plates,” he said. Wait a minute, we have a reservation. The meat is selling briskly.

The office district of Sannomiya in Chuo-ku.

While many of the buildings had been destroyed, Sakura Bank (now Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) and Mitsubishi Bank (now Mitsubishi UFJ Bank) were still in business. A Mitsubishi employee, who was wearing a suit, said he had ritually traveled two hours by bicycle from Koshien to come to the bank. The reporter was moved by the man’s words.

He said, “Since the evening of the 16th, we have been running the lights and computers on our own power generation, but we can’t turn on the heaters, so it’s cold.

His words, “After all, it is a public service.

Seitoku Elementary School, Nada Ward, Tokyo

I hardly slept at all, ” said one of the volunteers. On the day of the disaster, there was almost nothing, but relief supplies began arriving from all over the country, and he said he was very busy. One young volunteer had just arrived with a large backpack. Just as the reporter was leaving the elementary school, he was stopped and told, “Wait a minute.

He said, “I want you to tell everyone right away. We are doing the best we can, but there are bodies of people who have no relatives left behind. If he had any relatives, they would make a death certificate and cremate him. But if they don’t know anyone, there’s nothing they can do. In a trembling voice, he wiped his tears with a blackened hand towel.

There are people who work incredibly hard, in dirty clothes, exhausted, and with little rest. At one junior high school, a student carried a bucket of pool water to flush the toilet. There was a girl who said with a cheerful face, “You know, the electricity doesn’t work.

It is true that there are still many hardships and inconveniences at the disaster site, but the hope for recovery can be seen in the bright faces of the children who will carry the future.

Little by little, people’s faces seemed to have been restored.

All “reconstruction projects” have been completed…

At this point in time, up to about 10 days after the earthquake, supplies were just beginning to arrive in the affected areas. After that, a large number of personnel and equipment from all over the country entered the affected areas in rapid succession, and reconstruction progressed. However, it was not until a month after the disaster that the restoration of buildings and the moving into temporary housing began in earnest.

On January 17, 2013, the 30th anniversary of the earthquake, prayers for the repose of the souls of the dead were offered early in the morning in the affected areas. At 17:46, 12 hours after the earthquake, a moment of silence was observed in front of lanterns in Higashi Yuenchi in Kobe’s Chuo Ward, followed by the lighting of the Kobe Luminarie arch as a prayer for the victims and a wish for reconstruction.

Last November, the redevelopment project south of JR Shin-Nagata Station in Nagata Ward was completed. All the land readjustment and urban development projects aimed at reconstruction were completed. However, many of the original residents could not return to where they once lived.

In a NHK survey of approximately 2,000 residents of 12 cities, including Kobe and Nishinomiya, that were hard hit by the disaster, 37.1% answered “neither” and 39.5% answered “disagree/not really agree” to the question “I still feel sadness from my experience of the earthquake,” indicating that the sadness of the time has faded over time. It was apparent that the sadness of the time has faded with time.

On the other hand, however, 66.6% of the respondents answered “Increased/Slightly increased” or “Remained the same” when asked if the amount of time they spend thinking about their lost family members and loved ones has changed.

Even after the “recovery” is over, the grief over the loss of loved ones has not disappeared.