Shinji Nagano (TIUA'92) Shares His Experience in Sendai

Mr. Shinji Nagano (TIUA'92), who lives in Sendai and recently experienced the Eastern Japan earthquake and who is from Kobe, watched the baseball game of Rakuten vs Nippon Ham in “Hottomotto Field Kobe” on April 22, 2011.  Shinji's home in Kobe was totally destroyed in the 1995 Kobe earthquake.  During that year, he visited the same baseball field many times to cheer on the Olix baseball team, which won the season with the slogan “Ganbaro (Let’s work hard) Kobe.”  “This time, from recovered Kobe, Rakuten (which is based in Sendai) will send hope to Tohoku (Northeastern) region” said Shinji while watching the game.

He was a staff member of the Kobe Institute of Computing located in Kobe.  After he got married in February of this year, he moved to Sendai where his wife’s parents live.  He was there when the earthquake hit.  There was no damage in his home, but when he watched the burning chemical complex and walked around the street filled with debris from the tsunami, the memories from the Kobe earthquake came back to him.

After the Kobe earthquake, he saw burning houses while he was evacuating his home.  “I was devastated with the burned down city, but my hometown strongly recovered.  I wanted to get courage from my hometown.”  He decided to visit his hometown again.

In the afternoon, he visited the school where he used to work.  He talked to sixty-five students about his experience.  Some of their remarks included, “I was scared with the very long shakes.”  “Cold weather hit the area right after the earthquake, and I was freezing with snow.”  “Many people are still suffering.  Please do whatever you can."  He asked for support.

In the stands of the baseball field, he held a sign board that the students gave to him.  It said, “Ganbaro (Let’s work hard) Tohoku (Northeastern region).  Connect Japan.”

On September 11, 2001, he also witnessed Ground Zero while he was staying in New York for business.  “I know many sad occasions, but I also know the strength of people.  Tohoku will surely recover,” he vowed.

Click here to see the photos sent by Shinji of the Sendai area.