[Disaster Experience Log] I accidentally ended up in a disaster. Three sleepless nights in Yatsushiro.

Hello.

I am Kanako Kobayashi, a University of Tokyo graduate and former private tutor for VIPs,
who is now a mother of two and a musician,
sharing my daily learnings.

I would like to write down what happened this week
as a memorandum.

I ended up in a disaster while visiting my hometown!

Starting July 27th, our family of four (my husband, myself, and our two daughters)
traveled to my in-laws' home in
Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

I have been there many times myself.

Especially for me, since my own parents' home no longer exists,
it is a place where I can relax and be pampered,
a grateful home away from home.

(No, even if my own parents' home still existed,
I probably would have been pampered at the house in Yatsushiro anyway.)

Especially since the children were born,
we have been visiting once or twice a year.

This summer vacation,
we arrived in Kumamoto on the night flight on July 27th...
The next day, the 28th, we went grocery shopping during the day...

In the evening, just as my father-in-law returned from work,
at that very moment,
a magnitude 7 earthquake suddenly began.

We were caught in a disaster while visiting.

The meaning of "being alive"

I don't remember much clearly
about what happened while the ground was shaking.

However,
the fact that "it shook violently,"
"losing sight of the children (even though they were right nearby),"
and "being unable to make a sound while it was shaking because it was so overwhelming"
left a strong impression on me.

In reality,
my eldest daughter, who was near a desk,
hid under it just as she had learned in "disaster drills" since kindergarten.
(She was unharmed.)

And my husband, who was also nearby,
protected our second daughter
while enduring the shaking...

As for me, I managed to endure it
while sensing all sorts of furniture falling over.

Until the shaking stopped
I couldn't confirm the whereabouts of my two children
and was in a state of panic.

It was fortunate that
the four of us happened to be nearby,

but if my husband
hadn't been in the same room...

If the children had been playing in another room...

they might have been pinned under furniture
and seriously injured,
or they might not have survived.

Timing, luck...

I still feel
an indescribable sense of tension.

Sleepless nights, helping each other, and surviving

My parents-in-law happened to be
outside the house (near the car) at that moment.

They were also miraculously uninjured.

From here on,
while fighting the fear of aftershocks,
we checked as quickly as possible
if we could stay inside the house.

The electricity didn't go out.
However, the water stopped running.

The children and I
were allowed to stay in the cool car...
(ensuring the children's safety)

Meanwhile, my parents-in-law and my husband
rushed to clean up inside the house.

(Many things were broken
and everything, including the dresser, had been overturned)

First of all, the time until nightfall
was truly terrifying.

How would we spend the night?

Could we stay in the house,
go to an evacuation center,
or sleep in the car...

I checked that sunset was after 7:00 PM,
and thought about what we could do before then...

After we had cleaned up a bit,
I dashed to make dinner.

From there on, I did what I could, within the scope of what I was capable of.

While the ground kept shaking day and night,
I was so scared that I stayed in my shoes the whole time
(even when sleeping).

I have returned to Tokyo.

I was originally scheduled to fly back to Tokyo
on August 7th, but

with four children in tow,
amidst a water outage,
I would end up using a lot of precious water,

and in the first place, with the burden of childcare,
even if I stayed in Yatsushiro,
I wouldn't be able to help with
cleaning up or fetching water.

I checked for available flights
and discussed it with my family...
we decided that the four of us would return on July 31st.

Of course, even with that,
there were sections of the highway that were closed,
we struggled to find gasoline,
and I ended up adding all sorts of 'worries' and 'hardships'
to my parents-in-law.

First of all, the four of us
were able to return to Tokyo safely.

My crisis brain is still continuing.

Since I've made it back,
I'm restarting my daily life in Tokyo.

But, as expected,
I had been keeping my guard up,
I couldn't sleep well,
and my crisis brain (emergency mode)
won't recover immediately...

I feel unsettled.
I can't write characters well.

I can't read text.

Even though it's not shaking,
I feel like it is.

(I even jump at the vibrations from construction work.)

I've become sensitive to noises.

My nerves are still on edge.

I think I still haven't fully
escaped from crisis mode.

Since I'm here, I'd like to start
working soon,
but my brain still isn't keeping up.

(So, for now,
I'm trying to output this to draw a line under it.)

Even for me, having returned to Tokyo,
I'm still this shaky.

Even now, the people of Kumamoto
must be staying on high alert.

I have to say, 'Help me'

Japanese people tend to
'Compared to that person, I'm fine'
'There are people suffering more than me, so
I can't say that I'm struggling'

and end up 'trying too hard' together.

But, as always, I felt it this time too.

To protect our children,
we must stay alive ourselves.

First, I must ensure
my own safety,
and make sure I don't get injured.

I must get proper nutrition.

Just as the other person is important,
'I am also important.'

Housewives and mothers who think
'I'll put myself last,'
and those kind-hearted people...
I want to take care of them during a disaster...

And even though we have already left Kumamoto,
and suffered no injuries or human casualties,
I believe that our hearts
also need rehabilitation.

Caring for the children,
and just as importantly, caring for ourselves.

Without forgetting that,
I want to continue building our daily lives.

What can we do?

Although our hearts are still not at ease,
the desire to do something
is shared between my spouse and me,

and while we were in Yatsushiro,
on the NINFA Co., Ltd. Instagramwe
posted some information.

We are neither the government
nor a large corporation.

However, as a company that has connected people through music,
we have the strength to regularly create
places where people can gather and talk.
That is why I believe there is something we can do.

With that in mind,

NINFA Co., Ltd.has decided to(for now) place donation boxes for the Kumamoto earthquake relief
at all sponsored performances and event venues held through the end of this year.

We will take responsibility for delivering the contributions we receive from everyone
to the affected municipalities,
and we plan to properly report back on the results.

It may be a truly small initiative,

but I hope to fulfill that small function of
people gathering, talking, helping each other, and not forgetting...

Daily life is not something to be taken for granted.

There is something I felt anew
through this experience.

I am truly glad I did not die.

A morning that arrives casually.
Being able to sit at the table with family.

Being able to work.
Being able to connect with people.

Being able to play music.
Being able to bring joy to others.

Being able to relax and sleep.

These are never things to be taken for granted,
but are truly happy things.

From now on, I want to live each and every day
with care.