Recovery | Mysite Kobe Earthquake survivor stories and images

Beautiful lights of Kobe Lumiere, a celebration to honor quake victims. Photo by Gorgonculateur.

The beautiful lights of Kobe Luminarie, a celebration to annually honor the victims of the quake. Photo by Gorgonculateur.

Recovery & Rebuilding

The media can tell you all the terrible statistics - over 6,400 dead, 44,000 injured, 250,000 homes totally or partially destroyed, and 310,000 people homeless. They can take countless pictures and reels of film. But they can never convey the true sense of the human tragedy and loss suffered by the people of Kobe. No pictures or videos can ever compare to the actual horrors and extreme emotions the people of Kobe witnessed that dreadful day. The absolute terror and utter helplessness of feeling the ground violently shake under your feet while buildings and debris fall and crash all around you; the frenzied determination of rescuers racing against time and fire to find buried survivors; the stunned shock and disbelief of homeowners as they lose everything and watch their dreams disappear in flame and smoke; or the heartrending never-ending agony of finding loved ones among the ruins. Such intense tragic emotions and experiences can never be fully understood by anyone watching them on a small screen in the comfort and safety of their living room. They will soon forget what has been shown to them. But those of us who were there will never forget. Nor will we ever stop rebuilding. Because Kobe is more than a city. It is home.

Kobe earthquake 1995. A handwritten sign leaves a message for loved ones. Photo by Foster Thorbjornsen

Kobe earthquake 1995. A family mourns their loss.

Kobe earthquake 1995. A young woman lays flowers at the home of a lost friend.

Kobe earthquake 1995. Workers prepare to rebuild. Photo by Foster Thorbjornsen

Kobe earthquake 1995. Heavy machinery demolishes a damaged building in Sannomiya. Photo by Foster Thorbjornsen

Kobe earthquake. Life returns to Kobe. Photo by Foster Thorbjornsen

A handwritten sign leaves a message for loved ones. A family mourns their loss. A young woman lays flowers at the home of a friend she lost. Workers prepare to rebuild. Heavy machinery demolishes a damaged building. Life returns to Kobe.

Kobe quickly recovered from the physical effects of the quake. In less than six months all trains were running again, and all major roads were cleared and repaired. After only a few years there was little indication left that such a devastating earthquake had occurred. Today, a visitor to Kobe who does not know its history would never suspect that so much was destroyed 25 years ago. But for many who were there, some of whom are still my friends, deep emotional scars and loss remain. A city can be rebuilt. Lost lives cannot.

Since December of 1995, the annual Kobe Luminairie light festival is held for two weeks in December to remember and offer prayers for the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. They will be forever missed. As long as they are remembered and in our hearts, they remain among us.

Foster Thorbjornsen

December 21, 2019, USA

Kobe Resident

1994-2003

Author/Webmaster, 2019

Clean-up begins. Photo credit: Foreign Press Center Japan

NOTE: I hope this website will become a written and photographic record of the experiences of foreign residents and visitors during the 1995 earthquake. If you were in or near Kobe during the quake and wish to share your own story, images, videos or comments, I welcome hearing from you and invite you to contact me. I will select stories and images from others to add to this website. Here are some suggested guidelines for your submissions:

1. Stories should be your own personal experiences and not a retelling of what others experienced.

2. Stories should include a brief beginning or introduction about yourself and a brief ending or epilogue. If possible, please try to conclude your story on a positive or inspirational note, such as how the quake changed you or your observations on Kobe's recovery. Stories need NOT be professionally written and do not have to be grammatically perfect or free of spelling errors.

3. Please include your name, the ward or neighborhood where you lived or visited during the quake, the period of time or years you lived in or visited Kobe or other places hit by the quake, and where you live now. If possible, please also include a picture of yourself, preferably taken just before or after the quake.

4. Pictures and videos speak a thousand words and are encouraged. They should be pictures or videos you took yourself or taken by others you have permission to use on the web. Please also describe or include a short caption for each picture or video you submit.

5. You can also submit shorter comments and emails instead of full stories. These can be from anyone, whether or not you were present in Kobe during the quake or are a foreigner or Japanese. These shorter comments and emails can tell about the experiences of others, concern for loved ones in Kobe during the time, condolences and encouragement for those who experienced the quake or suffered loss, and praise for how Kobe and the surrounding communities recovered from the quake.

6. Submission of stories, photos and comments or emails does not guarantee publication in this website. I reserve the right to select and make minor edits to all submissions.

7. The content of this website will be shared with Kobe City, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum, Kobe University's Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake digital Disaster Materials Collection, and similar entities for non-commercial use. By submitting your stories, comments, photographs and images, you agree to and authorize their being shared and used as noted above.

Thank you in advance for your submissions. Please send your submissions HERE or use Contact Form below for comments, questions, suggestions, etc.

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Residents make calls at Kobe City Hall call center. Photo by Kousaka Maeda

QUICK LINKS to the stories and experiences of the following contributors:

Kobe today. Photo by Pinqui

SONGS OF HOPE & RECOVERY:

Like a great many others, I find peace, comfort, solace and inspiration in music. One man named Makoto Usui recognized this, particularly in his young students as an elementary school teacher in Kobe, and wrote a song entitled (in English) "Bring Happiness to the World". This song has become a song of hope and recovery following disasters, and has been translated into a dozen languages. "Bring Happiness to the World" is now sung at elementary schools in Kobe, as well as the lighting ceremony for the Kobe Luminarie and at coming-of-age ceremonies in Kobe.

"Bring Happiness to the World"

Written & Composed by Makoto Usui

"We are strong in spirit to be

Against the Great Quake in victory

We're thankful that we are here today

And remember the precious lives as we pray

We have rebuilt Kobe to be

As beautiful as in our memory

With hope for tomorrow in our hearts

We reach helping hands to you."

Kobe Tower, Meriken Park and Harborland. Photo by 663highland

Another song that has comforted many people after a loss is "A Thousand Winds", or "Sen No Kaze Ni Natte", originally written in Japanese by Arai Man. English and Japanese performances of this beautiful song are linked below, together with the lyrics.

Please do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there, I do not sleep

I am the sunlight on the ripened grain

I am the gentle autumn rain

I am a thousand winds

I am a thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glint on snow

I am a thousand winds that blow

Please do not stand at my grave and cry

I am not there, I did not die

I am the swift rush of birds in flight

I am the stars that shine at night