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Another March 11 is coming.  It was 2:46 PM. I was at the office in Osaka, which is far from the disaster-hit area, but I felt tremor even here. A lot of people including my brother has transferred to the disaster-hit Tohoku areas to work to help their rehabilitation. Since then, two years have passed, but still many are struggling how they live.

There was another big earthquake in Kobe, 5:46 AM on January 17, 1995, leaving more than 6,000 dead. I was in Kobe back then. My place was partial destruction, and I spend a few days at evacuation site. At the site, an old woman next to me gave me one small onigiri (rice ball) and a cup of tea, which were the first meal after the earthquake. I remember that the onigiri was rough-made, but it was really delicious. The tea was not hot enough, but I felt warm enough and relieved.

There is still long long way to go. Hope the day when people in Tohoku area can really enjoy tea and chat will come before long.




image frm web