2020

1

2020

1995
21
10
2002

4

6
HAT

20

DRA
2005

2

2004

1

2004
2005

DRA
HFA
2006

International Network of Telling Live Lessons from Disasters
2010 3
1
2

25

2020

Tell-Net

1

2
10

2011
30
2018

2
250

2018

1

2020

11

5
GDP

25

10

100

GDP

2020

12

This report is the record of the 2020 International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from
Disasters (2020 TeLL-Net Forum), held in January 2020. I would like to firstly mention its history,
then its significance of today, and my personal view of how this initiative should develop in the future.
In 1995, we experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. While it caused unprecedented
human and socioeconomic damage, with warm support from inside and outside of Japan, the affectedareas were able to recover and revive. Thankful for such kind support, we have committed ourselvesto continue to inform to world and into the 21st century the lessons of the Earthquake. First, westarted theyear following the Earthquake. Though changing

the name of the Conference every 10 years, we have continued until today our efforts
and making effective use of the lessons of the Earthquake to prepare for the future , with thecooperation of a variety of people who were engaged in activities related to this earthquake in various
ways as well as the younger generation who have yet to experience disasters. In April 2002, throughthe cooperation of Hyogo Prefecture and the Japanese Government, The Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI) was founded.
It has been operating as a museum with 6 different functions, which is the first of this kind in theworld. Furthermore, the Disaster Reduction Alliance (DRA) was set up as a partnership of over 20
organizations which are located in HAT Kobe where DRI is also located, and it has engaged in
activities related to international disaster risk reduction, environment management and publichealth.
In January 2004, the DRA Forum 2004 was convened and it discussed theof Live-event of the Second UN World Conference on Disaster
Reduction

2004 Forum proposed that the same issue

be further discussed in the 2005 UN conference as well in partnership with DRA. The outcome of
the 2005 UN Conference was launched worldwide as the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), in
which the importance of theof Live Lessons of Catastrophic
andmentioned. Subsequently, in March 2006, International Network of Telling Live Lessons from
Disasters (TeLL-Net was founded and the preparation for an International Forum on Telling Live
Lessons from Disasters commenced. In March 2010, the first forum was convened, and the second
forum in January 2020 was held in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Great HanshinAwaji Earthquake. Through those two international forums, it was recognized that while the forums
were greatly successful, if it is only once in 10 years, it cannot be more than a mere event, not enoughto make the stories that are told assimilated in countries and areas as the culture of disaster. It wasalso made clear that, while the museums of disasters in countries are expected to play a pivotal rolein such activities, the contents of such museums are mostly only exhibitions, but not necessarily forpassing on and making effective use of lessons of disasters and to prepare for the future.
Against such a background, while thequick anda great many people who do not follow the instructions/recommendations for evacuation. A typical case of such dilemma was observed after the Great East
Japan Earthquake and the following tsunami in 2011. Thirty percent of the residents of the affectedareas did not evacuate despite the warning of the coming tsunami of a massive scale. This was themain cause of the loss of more than 20,000 lives at that time. Similarly, as exceptionally heavy rains
tend to occur recently almost every year because of the progress of global warming, damages havealso been growing, particularly among the elderly. For example, a toll of 250 deaths was counted in
the West Japan heavy rain in 2008, and 100 deaths in the East Japan typhoon in the same year. The
greatest reason for such damages is the fact that in the areas where evacuation instructions/recommendations are issued, usually even less than one percent of the residents evacuate. This
indicates that, while various scientific sophistication is advancing day by day, such as emergency
earthquake alerts, hazard maps and many other tools and information i.e.
such advancements are not accompanied by actual actions by ordinary people, and that the actual
conduct of evacuation has not become a daily habit
have not been developed well enough among ordinary people.
In 2020 in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has broken out, affecting more than 50 million

people as of 10 November 2020. The pandemic is becoming even more severe, and there is still nosign of the end in sight. On the other hand, research aiming at preventing the spread of thisinfectious disease have been newly revealing various facts. In the chart below, the horizontal axis
indicates GDP per capita of Italy and other countries with greater value than Japan; and the verticalaxis indicates the ratios of infections and deaths per million population. The chart indicates that theinfection ratio of the countries with greater GDP per capita than Japan is also worse than that ofJapan and that the tendency is that the greater the GDP per capita is, the greater the infection ratio
is. The same applies to the death ratio. This analysis indicates that economically prosperous
countries are not necessarily happy countries. In other words, it is being revealed that theadvancement of the modern civilization does not necessarily simply contribute to happiness.

USA

Japan

GDP per capita (10,000 USD, nominal, 2018)
Based on thisenough but
and strengthened
be referred to as sophisticated daily habits. I believe that disaster risk reduction education is thebase for one to be equipped with such habits. As a result of my 45-year research work on disasterrisk
disaster risk reduction education. Consequently, it is in this context that I believe that we need togive actual motion to the worldwide disaster story-telling activities that we have been initiating, andmake it constant and continue. More precisely, I believe that it is greatly important to transcribe thecontents of disaster storytelling into picture books; and help everyone in the world from babies tothe elderly
December 2020
Yoshiaki Kawata
Executive Director
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial
Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI)Foreword2020 International Forum on Telling Live
Lessons from Disasters .......................................................................................................... 1(1)/ Objectives .................................................................................................................. 1(2)/ Participants ........................................................................................................... 1(3)/ Theme .................................................................................................................... 1
Public Symposium ................................................................................ 3(1)/ Opening Remarks .................................................................................... 3

(2)

I

(3)

II

/ Part I Telling Live Lessons and Culture ................... 7:/ Part II Panel Discussion: Heading Towards Future 10

Breakout Sessions ................................................................................................ 21/ Role of Museums in Telling Live Lessons ................... 21/ Disaster Tourism: A Tool for Telling Live Lessons ................... 27/ Telling Live Lessons and Local Community ............ 33/ Geopark and Telling Live Lessons ............................................ 40/ Disaster Remains and Passing-on of Memories ........................ 45/ International Cooperation: Keeping Memories Alive .......................... 52
Poster Session ................................................................................. 57(1)/ Flash Talks......................................................................................... 58(2)/ Exchange ................................................................................................................. 73
Plenary Session ................................................................................................. 77(1)/ Tone-setting Talks ........................................................................................ 77(2)/ Plenary Session ................................................................................................ 83(3)/ Closing Remarks ..................................................................................................... 99
Support Setting ............................................................................................... 104
Afterword
resentations

2006
International Network of Telling Live Lessons from Disasters
22
2015

TeLL-Net

2010

150
3

3

2015-2030
SDGs

ESG

2011
18

2013
8
85

25

2015
2016

2020

1
2020

24
300

25

26
NPO
37

8
20

34

2020

12
2020

Disasters claim many lives instantly and devastate the daily life of communities. Harshexperience in disasters leads us to revalue the importance of daily life and the significance of living
together with nature, which we do not consider much during ordinary times. The emotions ofstorytellers resonate with those of listers strongly. It motivates us to apply the knowledge of disasterrisk reduction into actual actions. It can be our engine to rebuild disaster-hit areas back better withmore resilience. Aside from oral storytelling, photographs, audiovisual materials, remaining items,
music, and pictures, monuments also talk eloquently. We have painfully realized this through theexperiences of the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and many other disasters elsewhere.
Many people in disaster-hit areas of different parts of the world have been making efforts topreserve and pass on the lived experiences and lessons from disasters to other areas and generations
i.e. telling live lessons from disasters. Aiming to network individuals and institutions in suchactivities, we have launched the International Network of Telling Live Lessons from Disaster (TeLLNet) in 2006, to support those in exchanging and cross-learning across boundaries, appealing in one
voice for the importance of such conducts of telling live lessons, and contributing to the creation ofdisaster-resilient societies. In 2010, we successfully organized the 2010 International Forum on
Telling Live Lessons from Disaster with 150 participants from 22 disaster-hit areas of different partsof the world. In 2015, the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction wasconvened and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was adopted. The
Framework includes some important points such as to ensure the use of traditional, indigenous,
and local knowledge and practices, as appropriate, to complement scientific knowledge in disasterrisk assessment". Against the background of the growing demand for achieving SDGs and promoting
ESG investment, enterprises are also increasingly required to act with due consideration of thelessons from past disasters.
Despite our hope, however, the Great East Japan Earthquake hit Japan in 2011, claiming over18 thousand lives. A disaster of this scale has hardly been seen since the modern history of Japan.
In 2013, the super typhoon Yolanda with extraordinarily devastating force hit the Philippines,
claiming approximately 8,000 lives. In 2015, a massive earthquake hit Nepal, causing a death tolllarger than 8,500. The world continues to suffer from floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, andtsunamis with the loss of many lives.
It is not an easy task to make memories of disaster experiences inherited for a long time while
addressing the challenges of fading of such memories. In January 2020, in commemoration of the25th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, we decided to hold the 2020 International
Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters under the overarching theme "Passing on disastermemories" to refresh our determination to continue such activities. On 24 January 2020, 300 persons,
mainly ordinary citizens living in the Hanshin-Awaji area, participated in the public symposium. On
25 and 26 January, individuals, representatives of museums, researchers, government officials,
volunteers, non-profit organizations, and private companies, who are engaged in various activities
of telling live lessons, participated in the breakout sessions and the poster session and conducted
greatly fruitful discussion and deliberation. 37 participants are from all over Japan such as the
Hanshin-Awaji area, Tohoku, Kumamoto, Hiroshima, and Niigata; and 34 participants are from 20
overseas countries / areas, namely Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar,
Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iran, Turkey,

Italy, USA, and the UK, along with many guest speakers and observers.
This book puts together all the valuable reports to the Forum and discussions exhaustively i.e.
a comprehensive compendium of various kinds of activities of preserving and passing down disastermemories being conducted in different parts of the world today. I believe that this is an importantmilestone for further promoting such activities and wish that it be of useful reference in various
directions.

December 2020
Ikuo Kobayashi
Chairman, Implementing Committee of 2020 TeLL-Net Forum
Representative, International Network of Telling Live Lessons (TeLL-Net)
Senior Researcher, Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI)

25

2020

1

TeLL-NetIn January 2020, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake, individuals and institutions who are engaged in telling live lessons fromdisasters in various parts of the world congregated in Kobe, deepen exchange andpartnership, cross-learn new initiatives and trends, appeal in one voice for the importanceof telling live lessons, and refresh determination to continue activities while addressing thechallenge of the fading of disaster memories, with a view to contributing to the creation ofdisaster-resilient societies. Through this process, we also aim at re-strengthening TeLL-Net,
i.e. a standing mechanism to support such actions. Moreover, the outcome of the discussion
in this forum will be published in both Japanese and English as a reference for activities oftelling live lessons all over the world.

NPO
300

21

71

Individuals, museums, researchers, government officials, and volunteers who are engaged
in telling live lessons, and professionals and private companies who support such activities
were expected to participate. The public symposium was attended by approximately 300
participants, mainly ordinary citizens; and the breakout sessions and the poster session by
71 participants from 21 countries / areas. (NB: "Telling Live Lessons" in this Forum refers
not only to oral storytelling but also to other indirect ways such as photographs, audiovisualmaterials, writings, artifacts such as broken watches, artistic works such as music, andpaintings, monuments, memorial parks, etc.)

/

1

25

Passing on disaster memories: While the number of those who personally experienced theGreat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake is decreasing 25 years after the disaster, the area is facing
a critical point as to whether the activities of telling live lessons can continue in the same
way as they have been. On the other hand, there are some areas where memories of disaster
experiences have been inherited well over centuries. Disaster-hit areas may deepen
exchange and jointly address the challenge of fading of disaster memories.
/

The strong power of telling live lessons: The words that a person puts forward based on what
actually happened to him/her carry very strong power for outreach. So do items remaining
and materials related to disaster victims. Recipients of such messages understand withstrong empathy the fear, anxiety, sorrow, and regret that victims had to undergo, or gratitude
for communal warmth that was felt more profoundly than at ordinary times amid very
severe situations. How can we make better use of such emotional power and help victims
restore hearts and minds, and eventually turn it into the power of revitalization ofcommunities and reconstruction of devastated areas?

Conditions of telling live lessons: Conducting the telling of live lessons does not necessarily
emerge spontaneously. Many disaster survivors naturally do not wish to recall painful
experiences. Even though live lessons from disasters are greatly valuable to society, disastersurvivors cannot be forced to do it. How can we foster the sprouting of spontaneous
conducting of telling live lessons? How can international cooperation among disaster-hit
areas contribute to the promotion and continuation of telling live lessons?

artifacts

2

ICT
Methodologies of telling live lessons: Methodologies of telling live lessons are greatly
diversified. Direct oral storytelling, photographs, audiovisual materials, left-behind items,
music and pictures, and monuments are all effective media for telling live lessons. Even
those with no personal experience can sometimes communicate very effectively on behalf ofactual victims. Some disaster-hit areas succeed in passing on disaster experiences andlessons over generations through seasonal events in local communities. The way of telling
live lessons may have to change as time passes. How can the ICT that drastically transforms
ways of communication impact the way of telling live lessons?

Role of museums: While the impact of telling live lessons is very strong, each way these
activities are conducted is fundamentally subjective and fragmented. Certain entities suchas public authorities tend not to disclose unpleasant lessons. While valuing the impact ofeach specific experience, various kinds of information need to be organized carefully toensure that the complex process of the disaster from response through reconstruction isunderstood comprehensively. This is where museums with good curating capacity may play
an important role. They may also be able to exercise institutional capacity to lessen the riskof the fading of disaster memories. How can museums contribute to telling live lessons intheir unique ways?

2020

1

24

13

17
300

The public symposium was held from 13:00 to 17:00, 24 January 2020 in the Hyogo
Prefecture Hyogo House with 300 attendees, moderated by Chisako Omuta, News Division
Deputy Manager, Mainichi Broadcasting System Inc., as the master of ceremonies.
/
2020

/

1995
25

3

2005

10

2010
10
1

24
KAZZ

25
26

Earthquakes, volcano eruptions, floods and fires continue to be occurring in many parts of
the world, coupled with effects of global warming. In Japan, after the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake in 1995, activate earthquakes have struck other parts of Japan such as Chuetsu,
Tohoku and Kumamoto. Damages caused by typhoons and floods have also become more
severe. On the other hand, in Kobe where the 25th anniversary of the 1995 earthquake iscommemorated, the generation who did not experience the earthquake amounts over 50 %and the experience of the past disaster and subsequent reconstruction period is being faded.
And, we may end up again regretting bitterly the lack of preparedness for the next disaster
which may come soon as something beyond imagination.
The purpose of this Forum is for individuals and institutions who are engaged in telling live
lessons from disasters in various parts of the world to congregate in Kobe, deepen exchange
and partnership, cross-learn new initiatives and trends, and appeal in one voice for theimportance of telling live lessons. TeLL-Net, the establishment of which was prompted
during the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction which was held in
Kobe in 2005 in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake, has evolved loosely but as a global network of telling live lesson. We held the2010 International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters, similar to this Forum.
Today, on 24 January, a public symposium is held. In the first half, Mr. Masami Horiuchi
4gives a keynote talk and hold a dialogue with Ms. Keiko Takeshita; Bloom Works, a singersong duo of Mr. Hiroyuki Ishida and KAZZ performs; and Mr. Hiroshige Kagawa fromTohoku presents his paintings and has a dialogue with Mr. Makoto Shimada. In the second
half, Mr. Yoshiaki Kawata, Executive Director, Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation
Institution (DRI) chairs a panel discussion with panelists from different parts of the world.
Separately after this Forum, "Evening of Recitation and Music" is held in which Ms. Keiko
Takeshita performs recitation along with the music.
Memories of experiences in disasters fade. I wish to refresh my determination to pass downdisaster memories by continuing and deepening them while addressing the fading and makeeffort towards creating a disaster-resilient society. I hope to proceed together with support
from and cooperation with various people. As "Bring happiness to the world" sings, "with astrong spirit, stronger than earthquakes, I will live each precious day, even days of those
who perished."
2020

/

17
25

25
1/4

2009
2016
2002
50

25

5

25
17 January, a week ago, was the 25th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
Keeping in mind that it is indeed our very role as the victim of the disaster to continue toinform in and out of Japan of the numerous initiatives based on the experiences and lessonsof disaster-affected areas, we have been contributing to the progress of disaster protection
and reduction measures of the world over a quarter-century. On the other hand, as 25 years
have passed since the earthquake, even in Hyogo which was hit the hardest, the younger
generation who were born after the earthquake is more than 1/4 of the population; half ofthe officials of the Hyogo Prefectural Government are the ones who joined the office after
the earthquake; thus those who did not experience the earthquake are now bearing the core
responsibility of the society. Therefore, in pursuing the creation of a safe and secure society,
it is indispensable to pass down the experiences and lessons to such a younger generation;and the same to the people in the rest of the world who have not experienced large-scaledisasters.
In Hyogo Prefecture, we have so far been preserving a large volume of records of theearthquake such as the record of the first month after the onset of the earthquake, the sameof the first year, and the evaluation of the achievements of various plans such as "HanshinAwaji Earthquake Reconstruction Plan". In 2009, we published a booklet called "To tell" in
which an enormous amount of records, documents, information, and knowledge of the past
are condensed; and in 2016 an updated one was also published. In 2002, Disaster Reductionand Human Renovation Institution (DRI) was inaugurated as the hub of information
dissemination of the experiences and lessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. This
is not a mere museum but it also carries a research function which can also work as anadvisory function in case of an emergency. It receives 500,000 visitors every year. It
continues to be evolving as a "Disaster Museum and Institute" where people can learn not
only about the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake but also future possible mega national
crises such as Nankai Trough Giant Earthquake, Tokyo Metropolitan Earthquake, andSuper Typhoon. While the facility exhibits various items including audio-visual materials,
georama, and experiencing items, the live oral storytelling by the storytellers who
experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake is the one to which we place the most6

importance in particular. However, 25 years after the disaster, challenges are surfacing as
to how the aging of the storytellers should be addressed and the current service can beretained.
In May 2019, I was invited to the Sixth Global Platform Disaster Risk Reduction organized
by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland, and the
Fourth World Reconstruction Conference organized by the World Bank, and delivered astatement on the experiences that we gained through the process of the creative
reconstruction and the initiatives to protect those from fading. I also took such opportunities
to visit the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva, where the victimsof disasters and conflicts appear virtually and speak about their experiences in multiple
languages. Though different from the stories of living persons, I found that the virtual
storytellers are quite realistic; and that such tools are greatly advantageous in terms of
multilingual communication and semi-permanent sustainability. DRI also offers an
audiovisual presentation of storytelling, but with subtitling in English only. Inspired by theabove-mentioned Museum, I have decided to upgrade the current DRI facility to multilingual.
I believe this is one of the ways to address the challenge of the aging of storytellers.
Today, with "Passing-on disaster memories" as the overarching theme, the participants areinvited to discuss "Strong power of telling live lessons", "Conditions of telling live lessons","Methodologies of telling live lessons" and "Role of museums" and deepen deliberation on
how to prevent the fading of memories of past disasters and link those to the future. It is notan easy task. I conclude my statement as the representative of Hyogo i.e. the disaster victim
area by requesting that all the participants share wisdom and knowledge and that the bondsof the participants to be developed over the next 3 days further evolve into a large network,
and wishing that such network will contribute to the realization of a safe and secure society.
Finally, here is a Haiku that I have just created: "Storytelling, 25 years since the greatearthquake, in preparation for the future, one step ahead now".
I

13

15

15

15

/

/
25

365
1.17

1

Mr. Masami Horiuchi (actor, resident in Kobe, supporting various activities of telling live
lessons for 25 years) reflected upon his activities in the past, spoke about various exchanges
7and collaborations with those whom he encountered and who were present in the symposium
venue, spoke of the importance of telling live lessons and the challenges in continuing suchactivities, discussed the perspective to the future and raised points on addressing thechallenge of fading of memories of disaster experiences. Mr. Horiuchi was then joined by Ms.
Keiko Takeshita (actress), who referred to her activities i.e. annually performing public
recitation of essays and notes of disaster victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,passing on the memories of the earthquake and supporting reconstruction through such
recitation. They deepened their discussion and Mr. Horiuchi concluded this session bystating that while it is difficult to think about disasters on each of 365 days, it would be goodto activate a "switch of memories" even just once a year on some occasions such as 17
January i.e. the day of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

/

Bloom Works

8

KAZZ

Art can be very powerful in outreaching the message of disaster-victims directly to the heartof the receivers with strong empathy. With this in mind, in order "Bloom Works" (a singersongwriter duo of Mr. Hiroyuki Ishida and KAZZ from Kobe, engaged in various activities ofawareness-raising on disaster risk reduction, gives many lectures on disaster risk reduction
coupled with a music performance in schools and communities) played some songs andstated that they would like to convey their message with memories via music. Mr. Hiroshige
Kagawa (a painter who expresses and passes on the memories of the Great East Japan
Earthquake via gigantic paintings) and Mr. Makoto Shimada (who established the Kobe
Cultural Reconstruction Fund with stressing that the art is needed particularly at criticaltimes) discussed the power of paintings while projecting Mr. Kagawa's works and stated thatthe gigantic paintings on the Great East Japan Earthquake can exercise very strong power
to attract people and that Mr. Kagawa would like to continue his activities by holding
exhibitions in various places.

9

II

15

30

17

/

JICA
The panel, chaired by Prof. Yoshiaki Kawata, Executive Director of Disaster Reduction and
Human Renovation Institution (DRI), received reports on various cases of telling live lessons
in the world and discussed ways of continuing the passing-on of disaster experiences acrossareas and generations.
Panelists:
Yoshiaki Kawata (Chair): Executive Director, Disaster Reduction and Human
Renovation Institution (DRI)
Yoshinobu Fukasawa, Secretary, International Network of Telling Live Lessons from
Disasters (TeLL-Net)
Shiti Maghfira: Kougetsu School Association, Aceh, Indonesia
Nao Sakaguchi: Tohoku University Graduate School Faculty of Arts and Letters
Ibrahim Komoo: Vice President, Global Geoparks Network
Yasuko Nishino: Director, General JICA Kansai Center, Japan International
Cooperation Agency

10

/
25
25

Yoshiaki Kawata: Twenty-five years have passed since the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake; and it will become more difficult to conduct Telling Live Lessons i.e. to preserve
the memories of live experiences of the earthquake and to pass such memories on to otherpeople and areas. How can we continue it? The storytelling volunteers in DRI have also aged
by 25 years. Some have even passed away. I would like to request that the panelists kindly
share their respective efforts of telling live lessons and give advice as to how we can continue
such activities.
2002

05
16

800

2

2005

Yoshinobu Fukasawa: I had a lucky opportunity to serve as Deputy Executive Director of
DRI from 2002 to 2005. In DRI, over 160,000 firsthand materials regarding the 1995
earthquake are preserved, which were collected from a wide variety of sources including
many ordinary citizens from immediately after the earthquake through the long process ofreconstruction. Such firsthand materials often tell about the feelings and sentiments of thevictims and helpers very eloquently. For example, one of the exhibited items is a pair of two
empty plastic bottles, which is accompanied by a short memo, which explains that "On the
day of the earthquake, a friend of mine came to know that there was a serious shortage ofwater, and he took the trouble of bringing 2 cases of water bottles by a motorbike all the way
from his place. How can I forget about my big thankfulness to him?" Thanks to the empty
plastic bottles which are actually a piece of garbage, we can well recognize the profoundgratefulness that someone felt even amid the very harsh situation. I left DRI for anotherassignment in 2005, but I decided to set up a group of people called TeLL-Net to appeal forthe importance of telling live lessons to in and out of my country. In fact, today, one of the
fellow founding members of TeLL-Net was supposed to be here; however, unexpectedly, he
had to cancel his attendance at the last minute and I am replacing him. He sent a message
that "Passing of the live lessons is the best way to empower communities. It needs to beconsolidated, strengthened, and scaled up to all over the world. Raise voice to the level that
it is heard at global levels."
11

2004

12

20
7

1907
1

2

Shiti Maghfira: Tsunami hit Aceh region on December 26, 2004. More than 200,000 people
died. But, on Simeulue island which is located near offshore of Aceh, only 7 people passed
away. In 1907, this island was washed away by another tsunami. Since that time, people
have been sharing the tsunami story through "tsunami song" ("nandong smong" in Simeulue
language). The children who were born after the tsunami or were 1 year or 2 years old atthat time do not know the tsunami. We need to share our experiences with children. Children
have a kind heart. We can reach their heart through art such as song, picture book, movie,
storytelling, etc. The tsunami song is played in various events. Children in Simeulue island
learn about tsunami by the song. Picture-story show (storytelling with pictures) with colorful
paintings and interesting story can be another good media. Movies can also be effective.
When children watch a movie, they would say "oh this is my area; this is what my
grandmother was saying." Theater play can be another way. Children can play a drama andexperience by themselves how the tsunami happened. Telling live lessons from disaster insuch ways is better for children to learn about the disaster than just sitting in the class andlistening to their teacher's explanation. Do not let them experience what we have been
through.

12

2019
7

100
8
1

2

9

13

3

Nao Sakaguchi: When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, I was working as ajournalist in one of the local TV stations. At some point, I questioned to myself if it is enoughto gather and report information only; and decided to shift my career towards researcher.
Based in Otsuch
Messages of over 100 citizens werecollected and recorded. The students of the Otsuchi Highschool were mobilized to giveinterviews to the adults who were struggling as the core workforce of reconstruction.
Participants were 13 students who were in the first and the second grade at the time of theinterview, who were 8 to 9 years old at the time of the earthquake. I observed then that there
was a significant difference been the students whom I worked with and elder ones in termsof interest in the earthquake and motivation for being engaged in subsequent reconstruction.
The younger students were much less interested and less motivated as opposed to the elder
ones who had been for example voluntarily engaged in fixed-point observation on the
progress of the reconstruction of the town. I thought that such a steep drop of interest should
be prevented; and the local high school students, in particular, should be engaged inpreservation and passing-on of experiences of disaster. I was helped by the students of13

Tohoku University as well. This also meant much in terms of storytelling to those who are
the third party i.e., the university students who did not experience the earthquake. Theinterview continued for 3 days; and. I noticed that the high school students became proactive
more and more over the 3 days. The interviews were also a good opportunity for the adults
to reflect upon their times up to then and reaffirm their commitment to where they belong.
proof of the lives that the Otsuchi
people have lived and the proof of what they will live. Since it was published in July 2019,not only the Otsuchi citizen have been buying multiple copies, but also many have been
contacted for information from out of town. It is my conviction that memories do not remain
the same over time, but are fostered by experiences and connections with people. Moreover,considering that those who were in the 60s at the time of the earthquake, who underwent a
drastic socio-economic change during their younger days of 1960s and 70s, were the core key
persons in rebuilding the area, the generations of teenagers and in 20s at the time of theearthquake may become the key persons in passing on the memories of the earthquake. Suchpeople may go out for higher education, but the tendency is emerging that many of themwant to come back to their hometown and make a contribution. I suggest that measures forcontinuation of storytelling be considered with due attention to what kind of experience
people had and which generation they belong to.
1995
2000

147

2004

9

35
site and landscape

Ibrahim Komoo: I am a professor of engineering geology. In 1995, I was asked to lead theInstitute for Environment and Development of Malaysia, and I had to rethink about mywork and started thinking about using geological resources without destruction. This is the
beginning of my involvement in geological heritage, later geopark. Geopark started inEurope in 2000; and globally, in 2004 whereby some geoparks from Europe and some from
China were creating a network. Geopark is actually a natural place for storytelling. But it
has not been used much in that direction. Currently, we have 147 UNESCO global geoparks
all over the world. In Japan, there are 9 UNESCO global geoparks and over 35 national
geoparks. Geopark is about a site or landscape of international geological significance.
Geopark is about the protection and conservation of the site. Many geo-sites have a story to14

tell. The most interesting story to tell is about a disaster, a geological event, and geologicalprocesses. Maybe before human-beings, it was just a geological event, but now it has becomea geological disaster. Within the geopark set-up, an emphasis is given to public education,
particularly to school children. Geopark is also about knowledge-based tourism. This iswhere communities are involved. Communities create tourism products and this product isused for geo-tourism. Many geo-sites are related to disasters. In Japan, I would say twothirds of UNESCO global geoparks are about volcanism. Usually, geopark has a museum
and information center. And, there are many information panels. These panels tell stories.
If the panels are only for scientists, those are not valued much. Information panels are notjust about figures but also about the connectivity of the hazard, geological event to thecommunity. And, many geoparks have art and cultural activities. We have a lot of art, culture,culinary and craft to tell stories about the place, particularly about a disaster. Finally,
geopark provides many publications not only for scientific purposes but also for children andtourists and for the people to learn geoparks.

NGO
121

3,000

1999
NGO
NPO

Yasuko Nishino: JICA Kansai Center conducts human resources development programs
particularly for government officials of developing countries in partnership with Japan's
local governments, research institutions, NGOs, etc. Up until now, the Center has provided
training to more than 3,000 trainees from 121 countries. The trainees learn about the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and listen to the storytelling volunteers in DRI; meet with15

ordinary citizens who underwent the earthquake and learn about the importance ofpreserving memories at the time of the disaster, and visit the affected area of the Great East
Japan Earthquake as well. They visit the Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake
Kesennuma City Memorial Museum where junior high school students are engaged instorytelling. Many participants of such training programs are convinced that, while one canlearn about disaster experiences through documents and audio-visual materials, it is also
greatly significant to listen to live voices. In the affected area of the 1999 Marmara
Earthquake in Turkey, a facility similar to DRI as a model has been set up and DRR
education has been strengthened. JICA Partnership Program also supports storytelling
activities. In Nepal, an NGO based in Kobe is assisting with DRR education in schools. In
the Philippines, the Hyogo Prefecture Board of Education helps DRR education in
partnership with local communities. In Indonesia, an NPO in Kobe cooperates on
strengthening the DRR capacity of local communities through community radio as the coretool. JICA's Volunteer Program also offers similar services. In Tonga, for example, a JICA
volunteer is assisting the local communities in passing on the stories of the past disasters
by transforming the episode of "Fire of Rice Sheaves" in Japan per the local context. JICA
also provides support to the High School Students Summit on World Tsunami AwarenessDay. JICA Kansai Center is committed to continuing cooperation in strengthening the DRR
capacity of developing countries through Japan's experience of disasters. I believe that thiseventually contributes to preventing the fading of the memories of the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake.

/
40
1995

2010
1
2010

3
5

2016

5
16

1

in

Yoshiaki Kawata: Various kinds of storytelling initiatives have been shared. How can we
make sure that those continue? When I was 40 years old, I became convinced that Japan
would suffer from large scale urban disasters, and I decided to focus my research on theurban disaster. In 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred. In 2010, I publisheda book "Tsunami Disaster", in which I wrote that 10,000 lives would be lost if a tsunami
attacked the coast of Sanriku. Three months later, the Great East Japan Earthquake
attached there. I am also engaged in the education of elementary school children on disasterrisk reduction. I wrote about the historical story that Goryo Hamaguchi, the leader of one ofthe villages of the Wakayama area in the 1980s, devoted his personal assets, and led thereconstruction of the village after the tsunami that hit the village in 1854. This story has
then been one of the contents of a textbook for the fifth-grade pupils (10-11 years old). I 2016,
the Hamaguchi Award was founded. I believe that it would be further effective to expand
the target of DRR education to even younger children to ensure the continuation of theefforts of storytelling on disasters. How about calling for storytelling texts from the public,
selecting some good works, and creating a picture book based on the selected works? I believethat by doing this, the children who read such picture books would not forget that they learn.
Every 5 years, the International Forum on Telling Live Lessons can be held to share wisdom,knowledge, and lessons. DRI can be the core of managing the initiative. Universities and the
media can be requested to join this. With a view to the evaluation of submitted works andutilization of the products, some national associations of kinder-gardens and nursery-schools
can also be asked to participate. We will consider whether the pictures of the books shouldbe created by professionals or the pictures should be collected from the public. The productmay be translated into multiple languages and it can be distributed and utilized globally
through the internet. I have a good prospect that funds can be mobilized from different
sources, following the successful results of the Memorial Conference in Kobe. With thisrespect, I would like to seek feedback and advice from the panelists.

17

JICA

JICA

100

Yasuko Nishino: The idea of picture books is interesting. JICA is also engaged in many
programs that target children. This is not only about the education of young children, but it
is also about reaching out to neighboring communities as well through children. If this kindof initiative is materialized, picture books can be made use of well by JICA volunteers whoare engaged in international cooperation on DRR education in various countries, which
contributes to more effective cooperation. The books can also be disseminated globally
through JICA offices which are located in approximately 100 locations around the world.

41

147

Ibrahim Komoo: I have visited many places in the world. I consider Japan is the best interms of the visibility of disaster risk reduction. Japan has many sites that keep memories
of disasters. The visitors are very keen to learn. The idea of a picture book is a very goodsuggestion. This can collaborate with UNESCO's global geo-park. UNESCO global geo-park
has a committee on disaster risk reduction, which is headed by Dr. Mahito Watanabe fromJapan. UNESCO global geo-park has 149 global geo-parks in 41 countries. We can easily
have many countries supporting this picture book initiative globally. I hope that thecollaboration is discussed and realized.

Nao Sakaguchi: I propose that the selection of successful works be done by the students ofjunior high schools and high schools. Through such engagement, the students can besomehow sensitized on the issues of disaster risk reduction; and thus, they may begin tothink about their future more clearly. I learned that whatever is experienced during theperiod of youth influences one's future significantly. The reviewers do not necessarily haveto be adults. The youth are very sensitive and they may well be able to perceive things more
sharply. Such engagement may lead the youth to realize something further. It may be an
idea to make the set-up of reviewers somewhat aggressive.

18

Shiti Maghfira: There remain many stories about disasters such as the Tohoku earthquake,
Kobe earthquake, and also Aceh tsunami. Those stories are not only pictures or writings,
but also oral stories like small talks or narration of the people who experienced the tsunami.
A picture book can tell many stories of valuable experiences of disasters. We can also put
some photos which are connected with the stories. Telling a story by pictures can makechildren understand it well. Children can get a good understanding of colorful pictures.
Picture books are suited for archiving disaster stories, similar to movies and photos. We canshare natural disaster stories with many kinds of archive media. And for children, thepicture books are the best way.

Yoshinobu Fukasawa: I understand that the picture book initiative begins in Japan; but I
suggest that in the future, applications can be collected from other countries as well. The
same initiative may begin also in other countries. The initiative should begin as somethingwhich will easily evolve as an international one. As for the future of TeLL-Net, I hope that
forums similar to today's forum will be held in many other countries. I believe that thedirection in which TeLL-Net evolves in such a way is much in the same line with thedirection in which the picture book initiative develops globally.
/
1
17

2023

2025

19

Yoshiaki Kawata: We have continued TeLL-Net up to now, and this must continue. To
promote the momentum, I plan to present a progress report hopefully on 17 January 2021;
commence the implementation of the initiative in 2023, and hold the next round of TeLLNet Forum in 2025 whereby the first picture book will be launched. I trust that thediscussion of this forum will flow with consideration in mind as to how one can link thestorytelling to the future. The picture book is not a goal but an opportunity for progress.
Without culture, we cannot pass on the memories of disasters. Dissemination of information
only is not enough; it must become the culture. With this respect, various media likeliterature, music, and paintings help. We must continue storytelling by exploring thepossibility of such media. I request for strong support of today's audience in this hall.
Without such support, the movement cannot expand. Fading of disaster memories cannot
be avoided. One cannot resist the fading, but should still make an effort to learn new lessons
and make those as your memories. TeLL-Net is hoping to help such efforts. Given the timeshortage, my proposal of today was intentionally concrete. I am convinced that we will
succeed. Not only as Executive Director of DRI but also as an individual, I am committed.

/

20

2020

1

25

9

45

18

3
40

On 25 January 2020, from 09:45 to 18:00, in Kobe Machizukuri Center, under the overall
coordination by Mr. Shingo Nagamatsu, General Managing Chair, Professor, Faculty ofSocial Safety Science, Kansai University, the Breakout Sessions listed below were held. In
each session, the Session Chair and Co-Chair facilitated professional discussion on thefollowing subjects respectively along with some 3 panelists invited from different countries/ areas. The sessions were also joined by some 40 experts / professionals (panelists of othersessions, participants of the Poster Session (see below), other guest participants andobservers, who were invited to actively contribute to the discussions from the floor.
9

45

12

2

/

NPO
Angle of discussion: Museums related to disasters exist all over the world. There are various
kinds of museums, such as those specializing in disasters, those that are part of the museum
in the form of permanent exhibitions or temporary planned exhibitions, or those that can becalled field museums. This session invites representatives of museums that are developing"narration" activities both in Japan and abroad, clarifies the roles, similarities, differences,21

and challenges that "narration" has played in these museums and neighboring communities,
shares solutions to overcome these challenges, and considers the relationship between better"narration" and sustainable operation of the museums.
Panelists:
Yuichi Ono (Session Chair): Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster
Science, Tohoku University
Marlene Murray (Session Co-chair): Director, Pacific Tsunami Museum
Makoto Sakamoto: Deputy Executive Disaster, Disaster Reduction and Human
Renovation Institution (DRI)
Hiroshi Sato: Director, Museum of the Mount Bandai Eruption
Porntham Thamwimol: Senior Professional Landscape Architect, Fine Arts Department,
Ministry of Culture
Ratchaneekorn Thongthip: Director, International Tsunami Museum, Institute for
Education and Culture, NPO

Yuichi Ono: The panelists i.e. the representatives of disaster-related museums from aroundthe world are requested to share the current situations and issues regarding storytelling
and the role of museums, discuss sustainablestorytelling and the role of museums, explore
solutions to these issues, and consider the relationship between the two.

22

Marlene Murray: How the Pacific Tsunami Museum Keeps Tsunami Memories Alive

Masato Sakamoto: On Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution
Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI) consists of two buildings, theeast building, and the west building, and the west building itself is a memorial monument.
The mission is to convey the lessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and prepare
23for future disasters. In the 1.17 theater, there is a reproduction of the earthquake, a dioramaof the devastated city, a drama of the reconstruction, an exhibition of materials about theearthquake (stopped clocks, burnt shopping street signs, notes of the victims, etc.), a place
where storytellers talk about their experiences, and a corner where they can learn theimportance of earthquake resistance while watching a model. In the east building, you cansee images of the reconstruction process of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami,
a comparison of Hanshin and East Japan, and exhibits of wind, flood, and tsunami. There isa corner where you can experience the importance of escaping from a tsunami. 80% ofvisitors come from outside the prefecture, and there are also many from overseas. Volunteers,
including guides, storytellers, and interpreters, play a major role in the management of the
facility. The storytellers are getting older little by little. Many of the documents collected
were from citizens. It is also engaged in training young researchers, disaster response
training for employees of local governments throughout the country, and support for on-site
disaster response surveys.

Hiroshi Sato: Bandai volcano eruption and passing down
The beautiful Lake Hibara and Lake Inawashiro near Mt. Bandai were both formed by aneruption of "rock avalanche". The last avalanche in Japan occurred on Mt. Bandai 132 years
ago, so those who experienced it firsthand no longer exist, and eruptions occurred suddenly,
so it was difficult to pass down the lessons of disasters. The 477 people who lived there at
the time of the eruption are still buried 100 meters underground at the site of the avalanche,
and a memorial service is held every year to pass on their stories. I was recommended as
director of the museum after my uncle built it in 1988 to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the eruption of the volcano. We are engaged in outreach activities, looking forvarious disaster materials, and disaster geo-tours. In particular, disaster prevention classes
have been held for 20 years at local junior high schools, and teaching materials are updated
every year. In 2002, I was asked to teach field classes by a science teacher, which was wellreceived and developed into the Geopark concept. People in the community were also
watching the outreach activities regularly, and they began to cooperate with me because
they felt that the local people had to take the lead in communicating with the public.
Museums also serve as a bridge between experts and citizens.
24

Porntham Thamwimol: Ban Namkem Memorial and Museum at Ban Nam Khem Village,
Takua Pa District, Phang Nga Province, Thailand
Ban Namkem Memorial and Museum will be established by the government at the end of
this year. I was a victim myself, and I listened to the opinions of the locals and used them as
feedback to design a design suitable for the village. The fishing village was hit by the Indian
Ocean Tsunami on December 26, 2004, and ships and artifacts were washed up about akilometer inland. The two fishing boats will be moved to the planned construction site to bepreserved and used as the main outdoor museum. The observatory tower with a view of thesea is designed as a symbol of the village, with the names of 2,000 dead people inscribed on
the tiles, a memorial monument, and ceremonies. There is also a circular terrace. Indoor
meetings will be held in the conference room, where explanations will be given to visitorsand meetings will be held. It also plans to build a commercial center nearby to help thevillage's people find jobs and rebuild. The museum will place importance on the relationshipwith the community, provide a place to hear about the disaster experience, and support thereconstruction. I want to educate the next generation to protect their communities andcommunicate what they should do.

25

Ratchaneekorn Thongthip: International Tsunami Museum, Khaolak, Thailand
Thai International Tsunami Museum is operated as an NPO. When the Indian Ocean
Tsunami struck, many people were killed because of a lack of knowledge, even though it took
about an hour before the tsunami came. Reflecting on this, the purpose of the museum is tohelp local children by raising their knowledge and awareness, and it is operated withdonations from citizens and visitors. The museum has been open every day for 14 years.
They do not charge admission, but if it is good for the kids, it is our reward. There also arelectures by university students, animations, videos, tsunami stories, survivors, and an
exhibition of warning systems. They want visitors to come first to know where to evacuate.
The museum also supports children with cooking classes, art classes, Thai music, dancing,
and tsunami education classes. In 2019, I also organized a Geopark tour and performed
storytelling. Moreover, I place importance on the network between Japan and othercountries, and the support from Japan and other countries is particularly necessary.

Summary: It was confirmed that the presence of the museum plays an important role incontinuing the activities of storytelling. In passing on the memory of a disaster, there may
be no other effective way than to listen to the people who have directly experienced thedisaster. However, the number of people who have directly experienced disasters decreases
year by year. This is the problem that needs to be addressed. While various efforts are being
made, it was shared that not only the electronic archiving of images and audio-visualmaterials, but also the creation of picture books, music, dances, movies, and ceremonies, inother words, the sublimation of the disaster experience into a form of culture and thepreservation of it will lead to permanent succession. In particular, it was learned that
outreach activities in Fukushima, in which children who will lead the next generation andthe local people talk together about past disasters that even the local people do not remember,
may lead to passing down memories of disasters from generation to generation.

26

9

45

12

3

/

3

Angle of discussion: Tourism helps the community sustain the memories of disaster and passon live lessons. Vice versa, the memories, and experiences of disaster and reconstruction
thereafter constitute an important part of local resources for tourism that contribute to thedevelopment of local economies. In Taiwan and Indonesia, such tourism is even associatedwith ecological conservation and arts. In a particular type of tourism characteristic withlocally organized programs which leverage indigenous resources and contacts with residents,
telling live lessons plays a pivotal role in linking pre- and post-devastation, residents andvisitors, and areas with disaster experiences and those without. This session aims at
examining the significance of tourism as a forum for learning from and connecting with areas
hit by disasters.
Panelists:
Naoto Tanaka (Session Chair): Associate Professor, Kumamoto Innovative Development
27

Organization, Kumamoto University
Ikaputra (Session Co-chair): Professor, University of Gadjah Mada
Satoru Kusano: Adviser, Sanriku Railway
Mariko Yamazaki: 3.11 Densho Road Promotion Organization
Kazuo Matsumoto: Governor's Office, Kumamoto Prefecture

3
1
2
3

25

Naoto Tanaka: This session will discuss not only the disasters and the rebuilding of thestricken area from natural disasters but also community development and tourism in thepost devastation, or between ordinary life and unordinary life. After the disaster, we are apt
to think about recovery from disaster and our life in the future. We need to remember theordinary life before the disaster. (2) Linking between residents and visitors. In tourism, wetend to focus on the advantage of visitors. Both residents and visitors must benefit fromtourism. (3) Linking between areas with disaster experiences and those without. 25 years
have passed since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Today, the children who did notexperience the earthquake tell live lessons from it. While we have always been facing thechallenge of fading, it is important to link from the areas with disaster experiences such as
the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Chuetsu earthquake to those without such
experiences. As a case study, Indonesia, the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Chuetsu
earthquake, the Kumamoto earthquakes will be discussed.
2010

3

A

1

A

Attraction28

2

Access3

Amenity
Attraction

Accessibility

AmenityIkaputra: T

The Case of

Mount. Merapi Eruption 2010
I report on the initiative of telling live lessons in the area devastated by the eruption of Mt.
Merapi in Indo-in dark tourism. The first A is Attraction; the second A is Access; the third A is Amenity.
Amenity is related to a question of what should be there. In the mountainous area which was
attacked by the eruption of Mt. Merapi, there is no public transportation system(Accessibility). Although there are a lot of attractive resources (Attraction), accessibility islacking. A few years after the disaster, a museum about the disaster was built (Amenity).
Just after the disaster, the residents would talk only about what had happened. Later, as thesocial, cultural, and economic conditions improved, the residents could begin talking about
their stories, such as the experiences and lessons from the disaster to visitors in the place
where their former village was located but swept away because of the eruption. It became
possible to display various information about the disaster as well. We are now discussing how
a similar initiative can be applied in other communities.

36
2011

6
163

265

60

2019

JR

100
108

2020

3

JR

163
2019
2016

35
19

5,000

10

2019

2015

20

13
29

Satoru Kusano: Economic Ripple Effect on the Area by Sanriku Railway
The slogan of Sanriku
years ago, the number of passengers was 2.65 million annually. But, after the disaster, it
decreased to 60,000 in 2011, and today 600,000 per year. In 2019, the former JR Yamada line
was transferred to our company, and the separated lines prior to the transfer got connected
all the way through. We now target 1 million passengers per year. We also suffered much dueto the earthquake and tsunami. Our operating railway kilometer is 163 kilometers, which is
the longest in Japan as a joint public-private company. In 2019, we commemorated our 32nd
anniversary with the total of 50 million passengers altogether. However, we again suffered a
lot from Typhoon No.10 in 2016 and Typhoon No.19 in 2019. Even if the company does not
suffer from disasters, if the municipalities i.e. our stakeholders get damaged, the company
suffers anyway. Sanriku Railway and the area in which the company operates are part of acommon destiny. In 2015, according to an economic analysis, our company brings
immeasurable profit to the area in such a way that a passenger pays 20 times as the price ofthe ticket. This is appreciated by the local economic community. Our management policy isand lessons of the Grea
strengthening the liveliness of the local sociourage our employees to guide visitors to disaster sites andshare his / her experiences and lessons. Even our train drivers are mobilized. We call suchwhereby our employees and the local people along the railway are mobilized and they explain
to train passengers about the disasters and reconstruction in the train cars. As a part of ourpublicity strategy, we publish booklets to highlight local restaurants, launch attractive
initiatives one after another to make the local communities happier and livelier, etc. In
promoting the reconstruction, it is greatly effective to bring in many people from outside. We
need to inform the negative points as well. There are 13 municipalities along the railway line.
e municipalities collaborate.

4

3
2015
3.11

3
(1)

(2)

(3)

3.11

192
2019

200

8
30

3

Mariko Yamazaki:s

Until 2 years ago, I had worked in the Chuetsu Memorial Corridor which serves as a facilityof storytelling on the Chuetsu Earthquake. The Corridor consists of 4 facilities and 3 parks,
the concept of which is to provide an overview of the Chuetsu area and the earthquake
through having visitors visit all those 7 sites. When the Kumamoto Earthquake occurred in2015, the Chuetsu area and the Kumamoto area had the Corridor initiative in common andwe could cross-learn from each other then. Presently, I work in 3.11 Densho (i.e. storytelling)
Road Promotion Organization in Sendai City. In the areas affected by the Great East Japan
Earthquake (2011), there are not only many disaster-remains, but also stone monuments of
the Meiji Sanriku Great Earthquake and Tsunami (1896) and the Showa Sanriku Great
Earthquake and Tsunami (1933). Many facilities for storytelling about the 2011 earthquake
have also been developed. Many civil society groups also undertake the activities of passing
on their experiences and lessons. However, horizontal collaboration has been lacking across
such initiatives. In order to ensure the promotion of storytelling activities in a united way,
the Earthquake Storytelling Network Promotion Committee has been set up with the
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as the secretariat along with all theprefectures and the Sendai City as the members, and the following policy has been identified:(1) admini

storytellinga network; (2) creation and development of

the base of disaster risk reduction programs; and (3) revitalization of the local economy
towards reconstruction. It is in this context that 3.11 Densho (i.e. storytelling) Road
Promotion Organization has been founded. We aim at supporting primarily various
storytelling facilities and promoting the local economy through conducting various non-profit
and profitable initiatives as well as receiving support from various stake-holders andsupporters. Currently, as many as 192 disaster remains, facilities, stone monuments, etc. areenrolled in the network; and over 200 facilities are being targeted soon. The organization has
just been founded since August 2019. Presently, it is engaged in creating and distributing thestorytelling facility map, supporting site visits, assisting various disaster risk reduction

28
2016

4

2022
135
31

370

Kazuo Matsumoto: Conveying the memories of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake to future
generations
The Kumamoto earthquake generated shaking of the seismic intensity of 7 on the Japanesescale twice in 28 hours in April 2016. Following the earthquake, Kumamoto Prefecture isengaged in various initiatives of passing down the memories of the Kumamoto Earthquake
to the next generations and simultaneously contributing to the revitalization of the local
communities.

orridor-of the earthquake and visit centers where you can learn about the earthquakes. The core of
the reminders is the school buildings of the Aso campus of Tokai University which weredamaged in Minami-Aso Village. There is a fault line underneath the school building. We
plan to preserve those buildings and the fault line in an integrated way. A facility forexperiencing and exhibition is planned to be developed in the university compound. It isplanned to begin operation in the spring of 2020. We place importance on storytelling
activities with the cooperation of 135 storytellers such as children, officials of prefecture andmunicipalities, doctors. Their storytelling is recorded audio-visually; and can be seen on video
monitors. Such audio-visual records will also be archived in another important initiative i.e.
Digital Archive. Moreover, a study tour by bus i.e. monitor tour is being organized to visit
various sites which were damaged by the earthquake. The tour is designed to help visitors
visit not only the earthquake reminders but also some touristic sites; and thus, it enjoys agood reputation by providing an overview of the earthquake-affected area positively. The tour
has so far served 370 visitors. The number of school excursions visiting the Aso area has also
dropped drastically. To have the visitors back, the Prefecture has been developing an
educational program in collaboration with the municipalities within the Prefecture, whereby
Aso Volcano Museum and fault lines are visited and storytellers are listened to.
Reconstruction of some core facilities such as the damaged Kumamoto castle is greatly
important. The Prefecture plans to develop some commercial tourism products incollaboration with public companies that guide disaster remains and related facilities as thecorridor-type museum.

32Summary: Visitors are sometimes moved by something that the locals think is nothing special.
When the locals see this, then they revalue that their hometown is indeed a nice place to live.
While the locals often say that there is nothing attractive in this area, they may be reminded
of a wide diversity in terms of a sense of value. By linking the local stakeholders, social capital,and networks, the meaning of visiting a place may change and different attractiveness may
emerge. Local residents are important; and those who link the residents and those who arelinked are also important. By archiving the linkages of local resources and residents, it isimportant to pass down the memories of the experience of disasters to the next generations
and link them to the attractive tourism through the process of revitalization from disasterhit areas to ordinary daily community life.

13

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5

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15

95

Angle of discussion: Local community is the main resource for producing, supporting, andconnecting the activities of preserving, and passing on the live lessons from disaster
experience over generations. Such activities generate a new network, and it expands its
activities to community revitalization, city planning, community disaster management, andeducation. This session discusses how the community creates the activities of telling live
lessons, how the community supports such activities, and what was the effect brought to thecommunity, through sharing and comparing some cases with different lengths of time
elapsed: 5 years, 15 years, and 95 years. (Session Chair: Ms. Mayumi Sakamoto, Associate
Professor, Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance, University of Hyogo)
Panelist:
Mayumi Sakamoto (Session Chair): Associate Professor, Graduate School of Disaster
Resilience and Governance, University of Hyogo
Gülüm Tanircan (Session Co-chair): Associate Professor, Bogazici University
Faustito A. Aure: Professor, Eastern Visayas State University
Takayo Matsui: Director, Toyooka Association for Historical Townscape Conservation
Ken Matsui: Director, Reconstruction and Interaction House Mondragon
Katsutoshi Yamazumi: Chief, Earthquake Disaster Experience Learning Lab., Futaba
GakushaChong Khai Lin: Research Fellow, Disaster Management Institute, School of Technology
Management & Logistics, UUM College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia

95
25
2013

21
2014

5
2014

Mayumi Sakamoto: A local community plays important roles in creating, supporting, andconnecting disaster storytelling. The activities of preserving and transferring disaster34

memories create new networks and bring opportunities to develop disaster-resilient
communities. In this session, we discuss disaster storytelling and community from thefollowing points. First, we focus on how the transition of time affects disaster storytelling.
We compare the characteristics of disaster storytelling in different times since disasters
occurred: 95 years (1925 Great Hokutan Earthquake, Japan), 25 years (1995 Great HanshinAwaji Earthquake, Japan), 21 years (1999 Marmara Earthquake, Turkey), and 5 years (2013Super Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda), Philippines; 2014 Hiroshima landslide, Japan;
2014 Malaysia Flood, Malaysia). Second, the interaction between the storytelling and the
local community, and the effect of storytelling on the community. Third, how storytelling
contributes to regional reconstruction and disaster prevention.

1999

Gulum Tanircan: Towards Earthquake Resilient Communities: Dissemination Activities in
Turkey in Cooperation with JapanI report on disaster storytelling activities and disaster education programs developed in
Turkey. Disaster education program was not formally integrated into school education until
the 1999 Marmara Earthquakes. The experience of the disaster became a turning point.
After the earthquake, the Earthquake Education Park was opened in Kandilli Observatory
and Earthquake Research Institute,, Turkey, as the first disastereducation facility for the community. Now in Turkey, new disaster education programs onearthquakes and tsunamis have been started in collaboration with the Japanese government.
Dissemination of booklets in local communities, application of audio-visual training
materials for children such as anime and comics, media seminars discussing the role ofmedia, press meeting for Tsunami Awareness Day, etc. are being initiated.

2013
6

35

Faustito Aure: Echoes from the Beaten Pathways of Haiyan (Yolanda)
I will be highlighting the stories of 6 survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda which heavily
destructed Tacloban City, Province of Leyte, the Philippines in 2013. They represent
different places and sectors of the community, but each one has its own powerful messages.
They talk about stories of survivors, recovery, and hope, which should bring fresh insights,
learning, and education. The excerpts of the stories are: do not lose your humanity despite
being a typhoon victim; let hope prevail and share your story so others may know and learn;
listen to the wisdom and advice from old people; we need to evacuate immediately if there isan incoming typhoon; resourcefulness during calamities for survival; if one door closes, one
window of opportunity opens; to be a survivor is to have a moral responsibility to tell theworld. With regard to disaster risk reduction for city plans, grass-roots participation should
be encouraged. If we do not talk about the calamity, it is as if it did not happen, we will neverlearn. As long as people are willing to listen, we will go and share our stories.

1925

Takayo Matsui: Toyooka and Kinosaki; towns that have recovered from Hokutan earthquake
I trace the 95-year storytelling history of Kinosaki Town and Toyooka Town (now Toyooka
City), Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Both cities were heavily damaged by the tremor and fireoccurred after the 1925 Great Hokutan Earthquake. It is interesting to see the two towns
adopted different disaster recovery policies. Toyooka Town adopted a policy to reconstructbuildings with reinforced concrete to make buildings fire-resilient following the national andprefectural government guidance. In Kinosaki Town, a town well-known for its spa-resort,the residents adopted a policy to rebuild traditional wooden construction buildings topreserve their historical townscape, at the same time, making the entire city disasterresilient by widening the river or building reinforced concrete buildings as a fire-wall.
Kinosaki Town still maintains its recovery and historical townscape until now which attracts
tourists. Every year on the day of the earthquake (May 23rd), in Kinosaki Town several
events to commemorate and remember the earthquake take place. Schools offer special
disaster education programs about the 1925 earthquake. The local fire station and thecommunity fire brigades conduct a joint fire drill, and at the time of the earthquake
occurrence, they offer up prayers for the victims with the sound of a siren at the memorial
tower. In
Tai communit36

prayers for not starting fires.
2014

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14,4882022
Ken Matsui: August 20, 2014 The Mountain Where Dragons LiveI would like to report on the activities in Bairin School District, Asa Minami Ward,
Hiroshima City, which suffered from the 2014 Hiroshima Landslide Disaster. 69 people died
there. Five years have passed since the disaster. Hiroshima Prefectural and Municipal
government organized a commemoration ceremony three years after the disaster, but on the
fourth-year commemoration day, the ceremony was handed over to the local community.

esidents in
April 2016. One-third of residents left the area because they had to provide their lands for
public works such as road construction or erosion control dam construction in the recovery
process. Children may have opportunities to restore human relations through school
activities, however, it is difficult for elderly persons to adopt new circumstances. Hoping to
make the facility a venue where elderly persons pop in and meet friends and become happier,
we decided to provide some light meal at a cheap price that even a pensioner can afford
psychological recovery of community residents by sharing information and moment.
However, little by little it became known as a facility for tourists who want to learn about
the landslide disaster. Up to now, 14,488 people have visited Mondragon. This provided an
idea to establish a disaster museum as a part of recovery town planning. Now, community
people are planning to open a new landslide disaster museum in 2022.

2008

2010
NPO
37

1,000Katsutoshi Yamazumi: Reviving the Memories of the Local Community through Earthquake
Disaster Experiential Learning
The Futaba Gakusha is a community facility established in 2010, in one of the severest hit
areas of the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It was created by renovating the Futaba
Elementary School (closed in 2008) through the efforts of the residents. The building wasused as an evacuation shelter where more than 1,000 disaster victims evacuated after theearthquake. The building is managed and operated by Futaba, an incorporated nonprofit
organization that was established by local community organizations. The Futaba Gakusha
is initiating the earthquake disaster experiential learning programs. The programs havebeen developed based on the memories of the local community related to the earthquake.
The program consists of evacuation shelter experiential activities using cardboard and(Japanese storytelling) activities of disaster experiences. For the evacuation shelter
experiential activity, participants engage in activities to create evacuation spaces using
cardboard, imaging how difficult life must have been at that time through physicalexperience, and the instructor-practitioner shares stories about actual events that haveoccurred. Through these activities, Futaba Gakusha connects the memories of theexperiential learning programs function to conjure up a diverse array of local community
memories through oral storytelling and physical experience.
BENCANA2014

BENCANA
BENCANA

Chong Khai Lin:38

Tool in Primary Schools
The floods that hit the states on the eastern coast of Malaysia in December 2014 was one of
the worefforts should be focused on building the resilience of the communities living in flood-prone
areas. After the flood, I visited schools in the affected area for my research and met teachers.
I found that teachers themselves were overwhelmed and could not think about children. Thiswas serious. Children are our future and asset. Children should also be trained in school on
disaster preparedness. If children learn in school, they can transfer their new knowledge totheir parents. We decided to develop a new disaster education programs in collaboration
with researchers, the local community, and schools. This study aims to know how the use ofdisaster education tools in primary schools may benefit the overall community preparedness.
A board game named BENCANA was newly developed. Two focus groups conducted classes
in two primary schools for comparison: one school located in a disaster-prone area anotherlocated in a relatively safe area. Through the data gathered in these sessions, we will
improve the game to make it adaptable in primary schools throughout Malaysia. We are also
working with Kansai University of International Studies and considering developing a DRR
expert system in Malaysia as the next step. Malaysia has been a relatively low-risk country
in terms of natural disasters. However, while climate change is being worried about, we now
need to be careful.

Summary: Followings are findings through the discussion. First, the importance of thestorytelling formulation process in each community. The storytelling first starts within thecommunity to reduce the psychological harm from disaster by sharing common experiences.
Then, the disaster stories are told to outsiders who want to learn about disasters. Several
storytelling activities changed their organizers or purposes as time passes by. For example,
there is an event that started as a commemoration ceremony for disaster victims, changed
to a public event to raise disaster awareness. There are different processes and stories ineach community, and it is important to learn from each recovery experience. Second, therelationship between the disaster-stricken community and the outside community which has-affected
community to the outside, but in most cases, the communicating process with other disasteraffected community which tries to transfer their experience encouraged the disaster-affected
community to start storytelling. This means the disaster storytelling starts through mutual39

communication between disaster-affected communities.

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Angle of discussion: Mt. Rokko, located near the epicenter of the Great Hanshin Awaji
Earthquake, grew higher through the earthquakes which occurred repeatedly. The
numerous historically accumulated traces of earthquakes such as the Great Hanshin Awaji
Earthquake that had been left behind there were already familiar to scientists, but remained
unknown to local residents. The faults of Mt. Rokko provided abundant spring water, but
this fortune was not shared with the local community. Geoparks promoted by UNESCO
through one of its science programs are activities for local communities to understand the
dynamism of geological transformation of the earth, conserve its traces and utilize them todevelop sustainable societies through education and tourism. These activities include
education for disaster risk reduction. This session intends to discuss from broader points of40

view how to interpret the geological significance of sites and landscapes, and how tocommunicate it to local communities.
Panelist:
Kazuyuki Nakagawa (Session Chair): Commentator, Jiji Press Ltd.; Inspection andoperations subcommittee, Japan Geopark Committee
Ibrahim Komoo (Session Co-chair): Vice President, Global Geoparks Network
Nancy Aguda: National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines
Kana Nishitani: Izu Oshima Geopark Promotion Committee, Global Nature Club
Takahiro Shibata: Cultural Properties Second Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs;
Inspection and Operations Subcommittee, Japan Geopark Committee

Kazuyuki Nakagawa: Geoparks, one of UNESCO's science programs, aim to contribute tosustainable local development through a better understanding of the dynamics of the Earth.
Geoparks utilize geological heritage for education and tourism to create a sustainable
society. Disaster prevention education is also one of their important missions. A bottom-up
approach is a key element, without which it is not possible to be designated as a Geopark. I
suggest discussing the following points from broad points of view: How Geoparks can telllive lessons; how to tell about the blessings and hazards of the Earth; how and who can tellstories on behalf of the Earth; how to share the experience of Geoparks with and apply it toour society; and the role of geoparks in society.

41

Ibrahim Komoo: Kundasang Landslides Complex From Knowledge to Society
I would like to share an example from a Malaysian National Geopark, in which the spreadof Geopark activities helped advance the understanding of local residents in the areas
affected by landslide disasters at the foot of Mount Kinabalu (World Heritage Site). In thisarea, the ground has long been unstable, and uplifting, sinking, and shifting of the earth
were ordinary occurrences. However, without an understanding of the reason for thisSpecialists investigated and discovered that all the places were unstable, found thelocations of the cracks in the earth, and finally created a map of those locations. Incidents
like the destruction of school facilities and a luxurious hotel in a landslide increased therresidents alike are now more equipped to respond with preventive measures and action toprotect lives and property. It can be said that through Geopark activities, scientificinformation provided from the field helped steer the region in a good direction.
2013

M7.2

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Nancy Aguda:
Disaster
The example from Bohol Island Geopark shows how well new Geopark activities can beutilized in recovery from a disaster. In the morning of October 15, 2013, a magnitude 7.2
earthquake struck Bohol Island. 200 people lost their lives, and many suffered damages totheir homes. On top of this, the area isolated by the earthquake was then hit by a typhoon,
resulting in even bigger damages. The provincial government and town authorities createda restoration plan; the areas that were not damaged sent aid to the damaged areas; and42

they quickly recovered over about five years. Due to the earthquake, research and projects
toward Geopark designation were halted for a while and the application was delayed. One
year after the disaster, efforts were continued in cooperation with the government of Bohol.
ommunity were explained, and as aresult, most of the local governments participated. A landslide occurred in what is known
as the Chocolate Hills (due to the brown color when plants wither in summer), exposing a
fault and revealing a white color for the first time; this has become a symbol of the Geopark.
Tourism also became a means of living for the local people. To victims of the disaster, thisserved as an opportunity to recognize that nature tells the history and story of the island.

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Kana Nishitani: Things to think about as a guide for a geopark
I have been a professional nature guide since before Geopark activities began in Japan, andI would like to report on a specific example from the volcanic island Izu Oshima from thestandpoint of a nature guide. A lot of disasters occur in Izu Oshima, including in the last
100 years volcanic eruptions, earthquake-induced tsunamis, deadly landslides caused bytyphoons, and large fires from strong sea winds. I moved to the island one year after theprevious volcanic eruption. Because drainage was good and there was an erosion control
dam, the stories of past landslides were not passed down, and I was surprised when struck
by a landslide disaster six years ago. Over eleven years of guiding, I had been saying,would be worn away by the waves andeventuall
experiencing the landslide, I came to understand that behind those words is a lot of pain
and sadness as well, and for a while it became difficult to say such. As a result of the disastermy work also decreased, so while examining the condition of the mountain, I shared
information on my personal blog and participated in half-day volunteer work shoveling mud.
On the 17th day after the disaster, I guided my first visitor, who told me
43

I was moved by these words. One month later, the Geopark held a seminar for local residents.
The town was unable to hold an explanatory meeting, so residents were uneasy. Some
doubted that roads were the cause of the collapse, but the truth is that the cause of thecollapse was the very geological formations that were supposed to collapse. I came to realizethat providing a scientific explanation is very important. A Geopark can be enjoyed byanyone. If asked what lesson we are telling, the answer is: The Earth (the volcano) is alive!
The lifestyles of the people and even the disasters are all connected to the Earth. Even moreso than passing down lessons, we are sharing the experiences and the scenery right in frontof our eyes.

2016

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Tadahiro Shibata: Conservation use of natural monuments and earthquake faults
I work for
ral Affairs. Prior to that, I worked for Muroto UNESCO
Global Geopark. I would like to speak about the state of the Futagawa faults which is thecause of the Kumamoto earthquake. Based on my experience in Muroto, I believe that thebottom-up approach of Geoparks is essential because locals are playing a key role in theleading edge. The understanding of geological faults is essential when thinking about
Japanese culture and history; and the Agency for Cultural Affairs is in charge of thepreservation and application of that geological heritage. In the Futagawa fault zone, during
the Kumamoto earthquakes of April 2016, a fault appeared above ground over the length of
31 kilometers. In Mashiki town in Kumamoto prefecture, near Aso UNESCO Global
Geopark, three typical locations were designated as natural monuments. One of these is a
two-meter slip in a fault line that appeared in a wheat field, which I showed in the video.
The young farmer in the video who manages that land had learned about the Futagawa
faults from his science teacher in elementary school. Therefore, he knew of the possibilityof an earthquake and was not afraid. This is also a place where water springs up along thefault. In order to have children appreciate the correct meaning of such springs, a summer
school for children was held with the cooperation of the academic societies of seismology,
44

volcanology, and geology. Participants learned about earthquakes, faults, water springs,
agriculture, and more through experiments and observation; and understood theseconnections. I hope that children see these faults not as something to fear but as something

Summary: Overall, the session affirmed that Geopark is a wonderful program that not only
tells us about nature but also about people and nature, as well as the stories of disasters.
These stories are not limited to tourism but can also be shared with the local people andauthorities. The network of Geoparks that understand the value of these stories continues
tofields as

must collaborate with different

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Angle of discussion: Some groups of people in areas hit by gigantic disasters move to suggestthat remains of disasters be preserved and made open to the public. They begin to suggestthat those remains be used for telling live lessons of disaster experiences and public
education on disaster risks. Some others on the other hand oppose this or keep a distancefrom such initiatives and insist that such activities only revive the pain and sadness of
disasters. Moreover, as buildings deteriorate and storytellers become older, challenges offunding and handing-over of storytelling activities shall be faced over time. This session
discusses ways of making effective use of disaster remains and addressing challenges.
Panelists:
Ryoga Ishihara (Session Chair): Associate Professor, Faculty of Policy Science, Ryukoku
University
Paul Millar (Session Co-chair): University of Canterbury
Shinichi Sugimoto: Sanriku Geopark Promotion Council
Toshiaki Seki: Gunma Archaeological Research Foundation
Chiang Cheng-Shing: Curator, 921 Earthquake Museum
Nao Sakaguchi: Tohoku University Graduate School Faculty of Arts and Letters

Ryoga Ishihara: Due to the damage caused by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan
Earthquake, remains and relics remain, and in the areas affected by the great disaster, there
is a movement to preserve and release the remains and relics. Then, activities to make useof them in the storytelling of disaster experiences and disaster prevention education will
begin. On the other hand, some people oppose or distance from these activities as they arouse
the suffering and sorrow of the disaster. In addition, as buildings are aging and storytellers
are aging, securing financial resources and developing human resources are issues that will46

always be faced. In this session, we would like panelists to introduce examples of preservation
and utilization of disaster remains in Japan and overseas, and discuss effective utilization ofdisaster remains and efforts to address related issues.

1990
1995

Shinichi Sugimoto: Preservation and utilization of disaster remains: A case study of the Mt.
Unzen Fugendake eruption disaster and the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami
I would like to present a case study of the preservation of the remains of the Great East
Japan Earthquake and Mt. Unzen eruption disaster. In the case of Mr. Unzen eruption from1990 to 1995, things like an elementary school building which was burnt due to the
pyroclastic flow and houses which are stranded in debris flow are preserved, and those arebeing made use of for revitalization of the local economy and passing-on of disaster stories.
It is noticeable that such preservation has been implemented as the initiative of the local
residents themselves, following their own proposal. In the case of the Great East Japan
Earthquake, preservation of the remains of the disaster is being initiated by prefectural andmunicipal government offices; however, in some cases, little progress has been made due to
conflicts among the local residents. To preserve and utilize the disaster remains in the longterm, it is important not only to leave them as objects but also to make use of them by theresidents themselves. The support of experts is needed who can act as a bridge between thetwo elements: preservation of remains and reconstruction. It is also necessary to find a way
to utilize the remains throughout the region.
(1783)
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Toshiaki Seki: The Disaster Ruins of the Mt. Asama disaster in Tenmei 3

1783AD) andmemory transmission
The remains of the Asama eruption disaster, which occurred about 240 years ago, have been
dug up, and the practice of handing down stories is still being carried out today. However, themeaning of storytelling has been evolving over time, particularly every 30 years (which ismore or less the lifetime of one generation). The Buddhist memorial service of the 33rd
anniversary of the death of the victims coincided with the timing of handing over from thegeneration who actually experienced the disaster to the 2nd generation. At times from the
2nd to 3rd generation, many drawings of damages were produced and memories werereorganized. At times from the 5th to 6th generation, many remains were rediscovered
incidentally one after another, by which memories were recollected and renewed. At times
from the 6th to 7th generation, rediscovery of remains prompted again the recollection ofmemories, and the local residents became curious in tracing back their ancestors. At times
from 7th to 8th generation, the official archaeological research from 1979 attracted greaterinterest from the public, and the local residents began storytelling through which they
establish their unique identity. In the 8th generation, storytelling activities are continuing
by taking advantage of the power of education in the context of various local events. Bearing
this in mind, I stress the importance of evoking new memories as they fade away to pass on
the stories to the next generation. I believe that various conducts such as to mark theanniversary of the disaster, to pay tribute to the victims, to ensure that the same disasterwill not be repeated, and to convey the urgency of the disaster accurately are the driving force
behind the activities to pass on the stories.
921
20

Chiang Cheng-Shing: Taiwan's 921 Earthquake - Difficulties and Challenges Faced by the
National Museum of Natural Science
I would like to report on the remains of a junior high school campus that was badly damaged
during the Chi-Chi Earthquake in Taiwan 20 years ago. In the case of Taiwanese monuments,
there are similar issues to those in Japan, such as funding for maintenance and repair,weathering of the monuments themselves, and opposition of local residents who do not want48

memories of tragic events to remain in their communities. In this case, the government andresidents held a series of dialogues, and residents were invited to visit disaster museums inJapan such as the Nojima Fault Preservation Museum. This led to an understanding among
the residents of the importance of the preservation of this monument and the developmentof a disaster museum at this site. Discussion among various actors is required in the
successful preservation of monuments not only in Japan but also around the world.

Nao Sakaguchi: Why didnt the residents preserve the disaster remains? A case of Great

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
I would like to share two examples of demolished remains in the Otsuchi town that was
severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake: the large fishing ship that wasstranded inland, and the former town hall of Otsuchi. Initially, the discussion was in favor ofpreserving both things. However, through various circumstances and processes, it was
eventually decided that both be demolished. The thinking behind the decision is different inthose two cases. In the case of the removal of the large ship, the decision strongly reflectedvarious emotions about the history that the town once flourished with deep-sea fishery but
eventually declined, and the traditional ideas of ships such that "a ship,
be in the sea". On the other hand, the town hall was dismantled because it was the place
where the people who were supposed to protect the residents died, the media picked up toomuch on the mismanagement of the procedures of the demolition of the town hall, which led
to the thinking that the existence of the Otsuchi town hall was a "disgrace".

49

Paul Millar: Following each panelist's report, it is clear that we need to think about thepreservation of disaster remains from various angles and perspectives. There are numerous
issues to be taken into account, such as consideration for the victims of the disaster andpassing their stories respectfully onto the next generation, the way we should, as
administrative and educational institutions, act as a disaster clearinghouse, and the steps
we must take to ensure that we preserve and understand the situation of the disaster andthe uniqueness of the place, and the history of the town. Further discussion is needed on how
to pass on the remains of the disaster to the next generation by involving them in suchprojects. For the generation that did not actually experience a disaster to learn about it, it isimportant to combine real sites where the remains of the disaster exist with the telling ofstories, and virtual accounts and representations of the disaster. Still, photographs andimages from digital archives are meaningful for passing on to the next generation, but
recordings of interviews with disaster victims can convey the emotions and thoughts of thetime in ways that may strongly appeal to the next generation. In the future, the integrationof digital technology with the physical remains and locations of disasters will continue withtechnology, and further study is needed on how to use technology to preserve such legacies.
CEISMICCEISMIC

2011
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CEISMIC
2012
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2019

Paul Millar: The UC CEISMIC Canterbury Earthquakes Digital Archive: Supporting PostDisaster Research, Teaching and Commemoration
CEISMIC is a digital archive established to preserve the knowledge, memories, andexperiences of the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes for commemoration, teaching, and research.
It brings together images, videos, audio, and documents from a wide range of content
partners. Currently, the number of items archived is around 200,000 with an additional
150,000 being added as resources permit. It is a highly federated archive, supported by aconsortium of various organizations like libraries, museums, governmental offices, anduniversities. The ethos behind its creation is to support the use of open-source tools, open
50

access, usage, institutional collaboration, and very broad inclusion of people and groups. The
majority of digital objects in CEISMIC are time-aligned and geo-located and linked to otherrelevant materials. As one of the methods of story-collection, CEISMIC outfitted a shipping
container as a mobile studio in 2012, shifting it around different areas of the earthquakedamaged city and collecting over seven hundred stories from a wide variety of people. We
then began re-interviewing the same people seven years later, beginning in 2019, asking
them to update their stories. This is a unique longitudinal study of post-disaster narratives
which is helping us understand and illustrate how changes to stories relate to post-disasterfactors. Individual stories can tell us a lot about a sort of things that we do not hear from themainstream media or political discourse, and provide direct insights into what ordinary
people are thinking and expecting.

Summary: Finally, the panelists discussed (1) the significance of preserving the disasterremains, and (2) how they should be used to preserve the memory of disasters. In terms of
the significance of preserving disaster sites, they were said to be a resource that conveys
emotion and stimulates the imagination, and that they are a sign of hope that they were not
defeated by the disaster, and that they can be a medium for spinning the connections between
the affected areas. As to how disaster remains should be utilized, opinions were raised on theimportance of waiting or leaving them unattended rather than deciding to preserve them
immediately, the need to convey not only the objects but also the memories of the time of thedisaster, and the importance of the role of storytellers and guides to connect people with
objects.

51

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CODE
J.
Angle of discussion: What makes it difficult for the next generations to inherit live lessons
from disaster is a lapse of time. Any severe experience of disaster cannot avoid, as time
passes, fading away. The difficulty of inheriting live lessons becomes even stronger throughthe change of generations, particularly when the generation holding personal experiences ofdisaster has gone away. To sustain the memories of disaster over generations needs some
impulse which from time to time refreshes them. This impulse may also be found in theactivities for a region of a former disaster to share their experiences and live lessons with a
newly affected region or one without disaster experience. This session consists ofpractitioners of domestic and international disaster support or disaster risk reduction
activities and aims to examine possible effects of those activities on the sustainability ofdisaster memories and to discuss effective forms of cooperation that enhance inheriting live
lessons over generations.
Panelists:
Masaru Sakato (Session Chair): Former Executive Vice President, The JapanFoundation
Eko Agus Prawoto (Session Co-chair): Professor, Duta Wacana Christian University
Masamichi Yoshitsubaki: Secretary-General, Citizens towards Overseas Disaster
Emergency
Zhang Guo Yuan: President & Associate Professor, New Century Institute of Educationand Safety Science and Technology
J. David Waggonner III: Founding Principal, Waggonner & Ball Architecture /Environment

52

Masaru Sakato: Memories of a disaster cannot avoid, as time passes, fading away. While we
see a development of activities for a region of former disaster to share their experiences witha newly affected region or one without disaster experience, it is worth examining possible
effects of those activities on inheriting live lessons over generations and sustainability ofdisaster memories.
NGO
CODE
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2008

2010

2018

Masamichi Yoshitsubaki: NGO`s Relief Activities & Exchange
I would like to present on sharing memories beyond borders. Citizens for Overseas Disaster
Emergency (CODE) is engaged in the activities of extending support to overseas disaster-hit
Japan received from over 70
countries of the world after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Over the last 25 years,
CODE has implemented 62 projects in 35 countries and regions abroad, among which I
present such representative cases as Sichuan Earthquake (2008), Chile Earthquake (2010),
and the disasters in Indonesia (2018). Disaster cooperation activities, as they last for a longs toother disaster-hit areas in Japan or the areas which have been so far spared from disasters.
Through the activities connecting disaster-hit areas and disaster victims, I noticed the factthat they could share their thoughts and emotions even if they did not understand eachsongs help people share disaster memories.
53

500

Eko Agus Prawoto: Extending the memory of the community toward disaster preparedness
from myth, scientific explanation and popular culture
I would like to share my view on passing memories down over generations. Memories help
people hold hope and lives keep vital. They connect people living not only in the same region
but also in different regions beyond borders. Local myths and legends play an important roleof passing down disaster memories over generations. Indonesia is a country consisting of
more than 500 ethnic groups. Due to its geographic location it is prone to natural disasters
such as tsunami, landslides, droughts and volcano eruptions. People are inclined to forgetpainful experiences, which is quite natural. However, if people want to learn lessons fromtheir experiences, it is necessary to put memories in order, share and pass them down overgenerations. Scientific explanations might work well for disaster reduction, but they will not
remain long in memories or hearts of people. In order to keep memories alive for a long time,they need to be incorporated in such media as myths. Myths and legends are born in peo
wish for keeping disaster stories over generations. Analysis of myths and legends hasrevealed many cases in which memories of disasters or scientific backgrounds were found inthem. Myths do not suggest all of the facts, but leave rooms for flexible interpretation
applicable to various situations. That is why they live long and convey lessons. Puppet
theater was also useful for conveying messages in a form of attracting entertainment.
Disaster memories supported by scientific knowledge need to be passed down by using
various new media such as comics and films. Memories can be kept for a long time if they
become shared by many people and sustained as common heritage of human being. In thissense, exchange of disaster experiences is very significant.

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2008
10

Zhang Guo Yuan: Research on the Current Situation and Countermeasures of Disaster
Education in Schools
I would like to introduce my activities in promoting storytelling through education. China
experienced the Sichuan Earthquake in 2008 and another one 10 years thereafter. Therefore,
the Chinese government puts emphasis on disaster education (education for disaster
reduction). Students and teachers are studying if they have enough learned lessons fromdisasters. Through these activities, it has become clear that there are challenges to overcome
in disaster education at the secondary education level. Students on that level have a keeninterest in disaster reduction and disaster education, while they remain comparatively low
in their knowledge and skill. Teachers who are engaged in disaster education also do notpossess high education skills. However, we feel confident that disaster education is
attracting high attention among students and teachers, and that this should be further
promoted to inherit proper knowledge.
J.

J. David Waggonner III: Memory and Motivation
I would like to present my view that messages for disaster reduction can be found in thenatural environment. As we recollect and reflect upon Katrina, we recall the levees werebreached, the City of New Orleans was isolated, and new districts were inundated whileolder ones were spared flooding. It is quite natural to think that those old districts were
carefully and wisely chosen to live in. People knew biodiversity, took damp ground into
account, and worked out a system to live with water. When we rebuild a city by design, we
need to find what the land remem
environmental structure, and design the city with a foresight of its future structure. In this55

sense, disasters give us a chance to reflect and plan better. Careful observation provides us
with a chance of taking action to plan a better disaster-resilient city. We need to pay respect
to nature, not try to control it. Not only we, human beings, but also lands pass on memories.
We need to be humble about this fact and need to establish a closer relationship with thelocal environments.

3

Summary: Exchange brings new understanding to both sides of extending and receiving
support. Exchange provides us with a stimulus that enables us to recall past experiences
and sustain them over generations. However, we should keep the following points in mind:(1) to pay respect for local lifestyle and sense of value by better understanding throughdialogue; (2) to pay respect for decision making by local people and refrain from outside
interference; and (3) to support local initiatives to rebuild through sustainable materials andmethods. It is also one of the benefits of exchange that people through contact with outside
knowledge and experience find latent wisdom for disaster reduction or scientific backgroundin what their communities have not paid particular attention to. An indigenous way of laying
bricks for building traditional houses has been proved by an outside engineer to betechnologically rational.

56

2020

1

26

9

30

11

45

On 26 January 2020, from 9:30 to 11:45, in the East Building of Disaster Reduction and
Human Renovation Institution (DRI), the Poster Session was convened under the overall
coordination of Mr. Masahiro Sawada, Chair of the Session, Associate Professor, Graduate
School of Disaster Resilience and Governance, University of Hyogo, and Mr. Alessandro
Pasuto, Co-chair: Alessandro Pasuto: Research Director, CNR - National Research Councilof Italy, IRPI - Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection. The participants learned
various achievements and knowledge from each other such as various activities of preserving
and passing on the memories of disasters in many different ways and a variety ofachievements of academic research on storytelling.

33
2 1
2

1
1

1
1

1
1

1

1

1
1

1

1

17

The participants were collected on a public subscription basis, totaling up to 33
presentations from 1 from Cambodia, 1 from China, 1 from India, 2 from Indonesia (1 asremote participation), 1 from Iran, 1 from Laos, 1 from Malaysia, 1 from Myanmar, 2 from
Nepal (1 as remote participation), 1 from Pakistan, 1 from Sri Lanka, 1 from Thailand, 1
from the United States of America, 1 from Vietnam and 17 from Japan.
33

Brief presentations were made on 33 posters in a flash-talk manner, followed by the poster
session in the foyer. Many rich exchanges were made, thanks to the flash talks whichenabled a clearer understanding of the presented posters. The followings are the summariesof the flash talks.
57

9

30

10

15

/

Leap Dam (United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Cambodia): RESILIENT
HOUSING FOR ALL
Incorporating community lessons in building disaster-resilient
housing of the Mekong river communities

The community establishment process is vital in exchanging experiences and lessons
learned and in revealing their adaptive capacity to deal with disasters through natural
resources management, reuse of materials, and strong social networks.

Jiang Yi (Save the Children P.R. China):

How to remember disasters in DRR education for children? This presentation puts forward
the use of situational drama teaching methodology. In participating in the situational drama
play, children are guided to experience the feelings of disaster survivors and witnesses, togenerate empathy through the experience and performance of children in the scene ofdisaster occurrence.

/
Abdhesh Kumar Gangwar (Coordinator and Focal Point, Regional Centre of Expertise on
Education for Sustainable Development (RCE), Srinagar, India): Telling Tales of Some
Indian Disasters

58

We help schools and villages undertake DRR awareness-raising and training, and develop
disaster management plans, towards disaster-resilient, climate-smart, and sustainablecommunities. We do not have expensive museums; but we have Multi-Media Mobile
Exhibitions, which come in handy in taking them around for creating awareness andimparting training. We change content depending on the type of disaster. It is quite effective
both cost-wise and content-wise.

Shiti Maghfira (Kougetsu School Association, Aceh, Indonesia): Survivor
2004
59

9

This grandmother survived the 2004 tsunami because of this boat. When the tide was coming,
the other59 people got into the boat and spent 9 hours there. The boat has now become a disastertourism site in Banda Aceh. She every day tells about her story and the tsunami survivors.

Andi Ferdana (Gema Merapi Community Radio, Indonesia): Living in harmony with thedisaster at Merapi

livelihood changed from farming and livestock
to tourism. For those residents, although the eruption destroyed all, they realize that it isall part of the natural process; and they accept it. Even today, the residents still live inharmony with Merapi.

59

Mohammad Alizamani (Head of Reconstruction Planning, Housing Foundation of Islamic
Republic of Iran): Establishment the Technical Services & building Materials Exhibition
Complex in the Bam Earthquake (2003)
2003

After the 2003 Bam earthquake, to achieve 3 goals: participatory reconstruction, theresilience of the city, and identity revival, Technical Services and Materials Exhibit Complex
was set up for integration and mobilization of all relevant services and stakeholders
including beneficiaries, contractors, designers, etc., which contributed to successfulreconstruction.

Manivanh Suyavong (Director, Gender Development Association, Lao PDR): Voices ofResilience: Lao Women in Community-Based Humanitarian Response10

As the 10th anniversary of Typhoon Ketsana approaches, I remember the countlessinteractions that I had with people, who despite their suffering, were determined to survive
and never hesitated to show their gratitude for our support. I also reflect on the lessons
learned and acknowledge the achievements that came from devastation. These experiences
ignited my passion for grassroots development and led me to my current position as Directorof the Gender Development Association.

60

Post Disaster Reconstruction of Ranipokhari in Kathmandu

In response to the efforts of activists, the government changed the idea of turning thearchaeological site into a commercial facility, to the preservation of the archaeological site.
Citizens' opposition can protect the ruins from the government's misguided reconstruction
efforts.

Rupesh Shrestha (Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust): Living heritage of Patanrebuilding heritage inside Kathmandu valley
2015

The 2015 Nepal Earthquake caused massive damage to many historic monuments.
Architects and craftsmen were mobilized to initiate the preservation of damaged monuments.
Younger generations learned from older generations. The earthquake was certainly acalamity, but also a
only fencing and protecting ruins, but rather also letting people continue to touch themonuments and worship inside.

Sarwar Bari (Pattan Development Organization): Building Community Resilience Through
Democratization
3

62

Three pillars: Inclusive society; leadership should rotate instead of with one man; andconsensus. Through dialogue, a consensus is built. This ultimately helps them to articulate
their demands. This makes communities more democratic. Culture of disaster will help tofight future disasters successfully.

2004

2019

Saja Majeed (South Eastern University of Sri Lanka): Disaster survivor to disaster
researcher The story of Saja from 2004 Tsunami response worker to 2019 Ph.D. in disaster
resilience15

My life has changed completely since the day of the tsunami. I became a disastermanagement volunteer and have been working to disseminate and promote disasterknowledge in the community for 15 years. Most recently, I have compiled a dissertation on
disaster resilience. I would like to continue researching the experience of the tsunami andcontinue activities to raise awareness of local communities around the world for those atrisk of disaster.
NPO
15
Ratchaneekorn Thongthip (Director, International Tsunami Museum, Institute for
Education and Culture, NPO, Thailand): Tsunami storytelling from a museum - The 15th
memorial and friendship between Japan and Thailand

14
1,000
63

2017

1
The International Tsunami Museum and Tsunami Memorial Museum are operated by a nonprofit organization, the Institute for Education and Culture. We have been operating for 14
years with a very small budget. The revenue from the entrance fee is very small, but we canstill support over 1,000 local children annually. In 2017, I was invited to attend the first
World Tsunami Museum Conference. It was a very good learning opportunity.

Marlene Murray (Executive Director, Pacific Tsunami Museum): Sharing Stories - How the
Pacific Tsunami Museum Keeps Tsunami Memories Alive25

The museum

also displays artifacts from tsunami events, with accompanying narratives

that

25-minute video is shown in our theater which

includes history, tsunami footage, and scientific facts. However, the most impactful aspectof the film is the survivor stories, with vivid descriptions of their experiences. It is throughriveting stories and images that we learn lessons and keep memories alive.
GoViet/Nguyen Vuong (GoViet, Vietnam): Virtual Reality for Disaster Preparedness and Response
Digital 4.0

VR

VR

People of the current generation are stepping into an era of Digital 4.0. They should be
encouraged to share empathy with those who suffered through a powerful platform as an
online VR museum. Applying VR technology, one can simulate the flood, typhoon, etc. that64

actually happened to the people in Central Vietnam. They can experience the disaster on
their own terms with a guide that helps them go through it safely.

Yuko Marubayashi (Ph.D. candidate, Leiden University, Center for the Arts in Society,
Netherlands): Recipes for the Dead - An Attempt at Integrating Japanese Death Cultureand Acts of Testimony

For the bereaved from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the passage of time in a social
sense differs from that in their heart. The relationship between the dead and the bereaved
is not something in the past but something at present and open to the future. The bereaved
retains the relationship through cooking and dining with the dead by imagination. How can
the relationship with the dead in the heart of the bereaved be a story in a social sense?
/

NPO

/

Shun Ito / Nagomi Nakamaru (Renaissance of Japanese Education / Osaka University (Ito),
Kyoto University (Nakamaru)): Project-Based Learning for Training Youth to Tell History ofDisasters

While the number of people who actually experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
and intend to pass down their experiences as their own decreases, the younger generation
is expected to take over such storytelling activities as their mission. With a view to this, weare engaged in developing an educational program of a problem-solving type for students.

65

Kazuo Asahiro (Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Design, Faculty of
Design, Kyushu University): Support for Farmland Restoration through Mutual Assistanceafter Disasters
20

2012
2016

7

2017

JA
JA
I have been engaged in a volunteer activity of environmental protection in rural agriculturalareas of Kyushu island for over 20 years. In the heavy rain in North Kyushu in July 2012, I
worked as a volunteer for restoring agriculture there. I worked also in the 2016 Kumamoto
earthquake and the 2017 North Kyushu heavy rain. We begin the training of agriculture
volunteer coordinator in collaboration with Fukuoka Prefecture Agricultural Cooperative.
In future disasters, we will set up an agriculture volunteer center with Agricultural
Cooperative as the core.

Andrew Mitchell

Kumamoto University

Kumamoto Earthquake Experience Project(KEEP)

KEEP

2016

5

Many foreign residents found life especially tough. Some could not speak Japanese andstruggled to get help. Most had no earthquake awareness or disaster training. The
Kumamoto Earthquake Experience Project (KEEP) was formed in May 2016 to record andshare the stories of those who experienced the earthquakes. By conveying their and our own
experiences, we hope that people can learn how to better prepare for disasters.

66

/

2014

Rie Kawasaki / Atsushi Hikita (Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Science, Hiroshima
University):

3
2

5

1

Experiences and memories are usually weathered and fade with time. However, if
interpreted with personal context, they are remembered for a long time. We interviewed
survivors twice under the same conditions: 3 years and 5 years after the disaster. In thesecond round, the number of words that survivors commonly used was less than half of thefirst round. Personalized experiences and memories are difficult to share. We continue tostudy expression methods of sharing personalized experiences and memories.
1995

Yasushige Mori (Volunteer Storyteller, Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park in Awaji): A
Personal Story of Catastrophe of the 1995 Earthquake in Awaji Island in Japan
30

1995

I am a storyteller from the Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park in Awaji Island. The Island
is located 30km south of Kobe. There, in 1995 a massive fault appeared on the coast. Houses
were destroyed and many people were killed. My house was totally destroyed. That is theand listen to my story.

67

3.11

Mariko Asari (3.11 Memorial Network): Introduction to the Approach of a Non-governmental
Network of Community Organizations Devoted to Preserving & Disseminating Information
Relating to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami
3.11
NPO

460

66

3.11 Memorial Network has been set up, driven by the consciousness of challenges in thepractices of storytelling, guiding to disaster-hit sites, etc. While 3.11 Densho Road is a
network of facilities, this network is a network of individuals. The network consists ofstorytellers, NPOs, schools, government offices, and researchers mainly from Iwate, Miyagi,
and Fukushima, totaling up to 460 persons or 66 groups. We have also begun financial
support for promoting the engagement of the next generation. All of you are welcome to joinus.
3.11
Masaharu Nakagawa (3.11 Future Support Association): Visualization of evacuation
behavior patterns in the 2011Tohoku Tsunami

Based on the interviews with the disaster victims, we have visualized the evaluation
behaviors of each individual in the tsunami-hit area until the time of arrival of the tsunami.
We play it in a local museum. We hope that this is referred to as a lesson in evacuation drills.
We hope that people seriously think about what they must do in the few minutes before thearrival of a tsunami. Do they discuss the risk with their children seriously? According to aperson who survived the tsunami by jumping from the second floor to another house68/
Masato Tanaka / Misa Egawa (Otemon Gakuin University): Making Evacuation Behavior a
Daily Routine
2014

We participated in an on-site research and volunteer activities in Hiroshima hit by the 2014
West Japan heavy rain, through which we felt the importance of making the evacuation adaily exercise. We must translate our knowledge into actual practice. We notice many hints
in the words of the victims of disasters. No matter how highly sophisticated the informationfor evacuation, people do not necessarily move. We believe that the key to that is how weincorporate such practices into our daily life.
:

25

Yosuke Nakamura (Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance, University of
Hyogo): Dissemination of various kinds of Experience at Educational Site The Case Studyof the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake

The school teachers who were engaged in managing evacuation centers that were set up in
school buildings have already retired. Their memories which have been fading should berecollected and recorded systematically. We plan to collect such memories throughinterviews with retired teachers; verify the memories against the maps of damage, anddevelop education materials for junior teachers that allow them to vividly imagine difficult
situations at the time of the disaster. Manuals need to be revisited, with which we hope tolink to the creation of a new way of disaster management system in schools.
69

NPO

Miyasada Akira (Researcher, Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance,
University of Hyogo): Telling disaster prevention like cherry blossoms (SAKURA)
Prepare first, Safety and Lively life later, for disaster

While the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake was indeed a greatly tragic experience, it wasalso an opportunity to realize something very important such as the preciousness of ordinary
daily life and coexistence with nature, which we do not normally appreciate much. The
survivors of the earthquake had to be scattered due to the different places they went forevacuation, but they strived to come back to where they used to live and cooperated inrebuilding the community. We have been able to develop a network with more opportunities
to exchange with people around the world. We have also been promoting exchanges between
disaster-hit areas. We have realized and learned a lot.
/
1938

1995

Yuki Orihashi / Yutaro Kida (Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance,
University of Hyogo): The Construction and its Process of Digitally Archiving Records of The
Great Hanshin Flood in 1938 and the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
1938

1995

70

We have developed a digital archive of the Great Hanshin Flood (1938) and the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (1995). Making use of GIS, the photos and the texts in the past
are linked to geographical coordinates. This allows for the illustration of the situation at thetime of disasters comprehensively. We were helped by local young students to develop thesystem. Opportunities will increase in which someone who has not experienced disasters
tells stories of the disasters to someone else. We expect that this kind of practice will help
one become confident.

/

/

/

/

/

Hinako Suzuki (Multi-hazard Risk Assessment Division, Disaster Information Laboratory,
National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience): Sharing
communities' disaster experiences disclosing digital archive map of disaster monuments
1600

In Japan, although disasters have been recorded in the form of written letters since 1,600
years ago, the information is forgotten. One of the ways to recollect is stone monuments,
many of which still remain throughout the country. To have in common the information on
disaster monuments (tsunamis, floods, and landslides) in the form of map, we havedeveloped theto re-recognize the disasters which we did not experience. Technically, such information canwell be connected to different types of media as well.
NPO
Isao Arai (NPO Sunflower's Dream): Handmade support for survivor

25

71

I

active as a storyteller all the way through.

I have also been engaged in various activities in support of those affected by the 2004
Chuetsu Earthquake, 2011 The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 2015
Kumamoto Earthquake, etc. for 25 years. I will give you sunflower seeds in front of my poster.

Fumihiro Inagaki (Chuetsu Organization for Safe and Secure Society): Initiatives taken for
the CHU-ETSU Earthquake Memorial Corridor

4
3
6
The CHU-ETSU Earthquake Memorial Corridor aims at preventing the fading of theexperiences of the earthquake by preserving the damaged sites as they aas the hubs of collection and utilization of the earthquake archive information, which convey
the memories of the earthquake. While the resources to run this initiative are secured forthe next 6 years, we have begun deliberation on ways to continue the initiative with thefunds from the private sector thereafter.

Yoji Higashiyama (Mt. Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall): Passing Down the History of theDamages Caused by Mt.Unzen Volcano and the Issues at Hand

Due to the aging of the storytelling volunteers as well as the transformation of the damaged
areas including restoration, the level of recognition of storytellers has gradually been
lowered. While the fading of the memories of the disaster progresses, some sort of innovative
ways of passing down the stories of disasters. With this in mind, for example, Mt. Unzen
72

Disaster Memorial Hall
teenagers.

or Me

Intending to foster the youth who can take responsibility for disaster risk

reduction in the local communities in the future, we are implementing various otherprograms as well.

Tomoki Takada (Kobe City College of Technology): A Study on Education Framework for, unusual, and strange phenomenon, stories of which have been
passed down over generations in communities. The stories include various lessons regarding
natural disasters such as signs of coming disasters, code of conduct at the time of disasters,
etc. With this in mind, I initiate workshops in which children identify dangerous sites where
they live; they recognize risks around them by imagining a Yokai who may appear in suchlocations; and they discuss possible countermeasures.
10

15

11

45

/

After the flash talks, all the participants moved to the foyer where all the posters are
exhibited, and they enjoyed the free discussion, exchange of information, and deepen
networks over some light meal.
73

74

75

76

2020

1

26

9

13

30
100

On 26 January 2020, from 900 to 1330, under the overall coordination by Mr. Ikuo Kobayashi,
Representative of International Network of Telling Live Lessons as the Master of Ceremony,
Plenary Session was held in the East Building of Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation
Institution (DRI) with around 100 participants.
9

9

30

/
/
rememberD.C.

remember

1983
Self-identity of Japanese Americans during the Internment Period
1

2

3

2
JAP

1
1
UCLA

archival study
JARP

JARP

artifacts
1962

1988

20

94

50
77

8

6

NHK
10
20

95
95
96

30

99

JARP

facts
facts

2035

I
in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., Oklahoma City
National Memorial Museum on the federal government bombing in 1995 and the Japanese
attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The English wo
seems to carry connotation of some kind of imperative i.e. pushing someone not to forget. On
the other hand, the-person statement.
What triggered me to become interested i

Ph.D. thesis which I wrote

in 1983 during my stay in the U
Americans during the Internment Period

Self-identity of Japaneseof theself-identities of the first generation of Japanese immigrants to the US and the second
generation in concentration camps during World War II. I was in the third year then to stayin the US; and I was feeling that my self-identity was becoming unclear. I was interested inresearching about what people would do when they realized that there was a sheer gap
between the way they identify themselves and the way other people identify them.
Considering that it would be useful to study extreme cases, I selected the concentration campas the theme of my Ph.D. thesis. In the beginning, the second generation identified
themselves as American . However, they realized tagenerations opted for theJapan. This is the essence of my thesis. In the course of the research, I conducted what iscalled archival study extensively with the various materials that were availab
at UCLA. There were many oral histories and artifacts there. However, as JARP
78

began in 1962 which was some 20 years after the concentration camps, I felt strongly that
there hardly remained the stories of those who had undergone the severest period. What isthe value of oral history? I thought that oral history cannot help any further.
I moved to Hiroshima University thereafter, and stayed there from 1988 to 1994. The time
coincided with the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. I was participating in an
NHK project whereby the city of Hiroshima before 6 August (the day of the atomic bombing)would be reproduced. This is also where oral histories would be important elements.
However, as those from whom we could hear their stories were the ones who had been
teenagers or in the 20s at the most, I was facing the same challenge as to how much wewould be able to extract from such people. However, I could not continue the project inHiroshima, as I moved to Kyoto University before 1995. In 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake occurred. I took it as my responsibility as one of the contemporaries then tosystematically collect oral histories of those who were at work in the center of the society.
The project of oral history began in 1996. We decided to keep those stories confidential for
30 years, which are kept in DRI. When the shape of the project was streamlined in 1999, we
commenced a panel study so as to trace the process quantitatively. Recording stories is very
important, but also very difficult. I believe it is extremely important for the contemporaries
to be able to take and fulfill their responsibility.
As Confucius said, v

is the key. While I felt that my self-identity

was swaying and I somehow wanted to know the conclusion of this quest, I looked into thehistory in JARP Archive. What should be recorded? What should be passed on? It may besomething that can be useful in the future. It can be something called lessons . Relatively
easier to record is facts such as hazards, damages, and activities. Stone monuments record
the facts of the past centuries ago. However, I wonder what really needs to be recorded may
be stories. We ought to learn the process of how people adapted themselves in the context ofan extensive change in the environment. I gather that that is what we should record andpass on to the next generation. That is what helps us prepared for the future. I believe that
it is the responsibility of the contemporaries. As for me, the purpose of recording and passing
on things is for the moment for us to acquire wisdom to overcome the extraordinarily largescale and severe disaster i.e. the national crisis which is anticipated in around 2035. This iswhat drives me for storytelling.
(ICHARM)/ICHARM

35

3
8

8
79

2013
2018
2019

2019

12
2

2014
19

48

3

2016

2014
2014
2018

2014

1925

80

This is the first time that I participate in a forum where the issue of storytelling is discussed.
I attended the breakout sessions of yesterday as well. M
I have just realized for the first time that this kind of subject area exists. I lead ICHARM
which deals with water-related disasters as one of the research centers of UNESCO. I am
also engaged in the Science Council of Japan, and theflood control policy) of the Panel on Infrastructure Development of the Japanese
Government. My intervention of today will be from the points of view of such positions.
The number of disaster events in the world has tripled over the last 35 years. Around halfof the events occur in Low-Income Countries and Lower Middle-Income Countries. 80% of
casualties are in LICs and LMICs while 80% of economic losses are in Upper Middle-Income
Countries and High- Income Countries. In Japan, following a series of disasters in almost
every year such as heavy rains and landslides in Izu Oshima island in 2013, landslides in
Hiroshima in 2014, various law amendments have been taken into effect and many policy
recommendations. When we thought that such counter-disaster arrangements had been
done quite extensively, Japan suffered again from West Japan heavy rains in 2018 andTyphoon 19 in 2019. In 2019, 12-hour precipitation and 48-hour precipitation hit the highest
records in numerous places throughout Japan. While levee breaches, landslides, 3-digit
casualties in 2 consecutive years, inundations, etc. continue, countermeasures even with nobreak cannot keep up with the pace of the occurrence of disasters.
In 2016, the Science Council of Japan made a recommend
To reduce disasters, while infrastructure, policies, and laws are important for
sure, the practice of each individual also matters very much. There is a great gap between
knowing and doing. When people put knowledge into action, the process is such that theylearn knowledge; they become interested, they are motivated to be engaged; intention
emerges for acting when there is an opportunity; eventually leading to actions. This process
is linked with various factors such sense of crisis and responsibility, recognition of theeffectiveness of such actions, cost-benefit effect, social norms, etc. This is what I have been
researching on. Disasters are not a usual event but an unusual one. Many people suffer fromdisasters; however, it is still a limited number of people who experience disasters. Moreover,people tend to forget. When we brought junior high school students (young teenagers) of
Chiba and Aichi Prefectures to Minamata and have them listen to storytellers, it was
realized that, while the levels of knowledge and intention of actions go up, the levels ofinterest and motivation go down. Although the students cry when listening to thestorytellers, interest and motivation shrink thereafter. I have been thinking it is importantthat we build a society where people continue to think and behave; and therefore, I was
impressed in the breakout sessions of yesterday as well.
When a disaster occurs and the center of storytelling is founded thereafter, various data,
exhibitions, education, training, and research gather. In addition, like the case of Mondragon
which was founded after the landslide disaster in Hiroshima in 2014, the function as a venue
81for the restoration of hearts and minds emerges as well. I was moved to hear that not only
the people who suffered in 2014 come to Mondragon and felt relieved, but those who sufferedin 2018 also come to the disaster-sites of 2014 and felt relieved. Besides, many similar
initiatives are emerging such as various contacts of different museums, exchanges of people
from different disaster-hit areas, and networks of disaster-hit cities. I found it amazing. I
took it that this leads to a society where memories will not be lost, passed on, and shared,
and that this vitalizes the society and constructs sustainability. I found it fascinating to hear
that, in the case of reconstruction of Kinosaki hot-spring resort town damaged by the 1925
earthquake, houses were rebuilt with wood so as to retain the culture of the hot-spring resort
town is retained; that public facilities were reconstructed in reinforced concrete structure so
as not to let the fire spread; that river bed and levees were improved so as to ensure better
flood control; and that the sustainability of the town was thus strengthened.
I felt strongly that the conduct of storytelling itself has the power to attract various people
i.e. convening power, which creates a resilient society. I believe that this kind of thing canevolve as a sustainable culture. When ways of thinking, attitude, and behavior are
integrated and made rooted in a regional society sustainably, that becomes culture. The
culture rooted in a disaster is fostered. Moreover, if laws and administrative management,
infrastructure, and social discipline are created, that becomes civilization. While it is often
said that mega-disasters like the Great Lisbon Earthquake destroyed the culture and society,storytelling can be one of the triggers to create a disaster-resilient civilization.
/

10

2

5
2019

10

19

H
who experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake will carry it for the rest of their life.
82That said, it is true that the number of such people decreases relatively; and therefore, theprobability that stories of experiences are shared decreases further. While I appreciate thatthe children are strongly touched by the storytellers, the stories are still about someone else.
It cannot be avoided that they forget things about someone else. On the other hand,memories of striking experience do remain for a considerably long time. However, what I
came to realize when we were collecting oral histories of the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake was that even such memories of experiences are meaningful up to 10 years orexperience other events of greater impact. For example, it seemed that for the former Prime
Minister Murayama at the time of 1995 earthquake, his memory of the earthquake was not
greatly strong; but he remembered the issues of military comfort women much more vividly.
Else, what remains in the mind of the former Mayor of Akashi city is the incident of thecrowd after the fireworks which happened after the 1995 earthquake. We closed the oral
history project with the former Mayor of Itami city as the last interviewee. He was the Mayorat the time of the earthquake and retired recently. He was the last person with the continuityof his experience as the Mayor.

citizens of Mabi of Okayama Prefecture discussed what should be done to the areas whichwere inundated with 5-meter deep water 2 years ago; however, they ended up living in thesame place. The citizens of the site in Miyagi Prefecture where the levee of the Yoshida Riverwas breached due to Typhoon 19 in October 2019 also discussed the relocation of the site asa whole in response to the appeal from the Mayor immediately after the flooding, but haverecently decided not to relocate. Due to various factors other than memories coming into
consideration, the vivid memories at the time of the disaster may fade out. This is what I
would have liked to say.

NB

9held as described above thereafter (0930 - 1145)
11

45

13

15

/

83

30

11

45

/ Poster Session wasMr. Shingo Nagamatsu, Chair of the Plenary Session (Professor, Faculty of Social Safety
Science, Kansai University), explained that each Breakout Session was co-chaired by aparticipant from overseas, and introduced all the Co-chairs, who were also the panelists of
the Plenary Session. It was followed by the reports from the Co-chairs of the respective
Sessions on the summaries of the discussion.

A
B
C
D
E
F

Panelists:
Shingo Nagamatsu (Chair): Professor, Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences, Kansai
University
Marlene Murray: Director, Pacific Tsunami Museum (Session A Co-chair)Ikaputra: Professor, University of Gadjah Mada (Session B Co-chair)Gülüm Tanircan: Associate Professor, Bogazici University (Session C Co-chair)
Ibrahim Komoo: Vice President, Global Geoparks Network (Session D Co-chair)
Paul Millar: University of Canterbury (Session E Co-chair)
Eko Agus Prawoto: Professor, Duta Wacana Christian University (Session F Co-chair)
Alessandro Pasuto: Research Director, CNR - National Research Council of Italy, IRPI 84

Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (Poster Session Co-chair)
Yoshinobu Fukasawa, Secretary, International Network of Telling Live Lessons from
Disaster (TeLL-Net)// Shingo Nagamatsu, Chair of Plenary Session, General Managing
Chair of Breakout Sessions:
2

I have been taking part in preparation of this Forum since the beginning in particular inorganizing and managing the breakout sessions. I note with pleasure that the discussion in
all the sessions was greatly enthusiastic and fruitful. All the co-chairs of the breakout
sessions are the participants from overseas. I invite each to report briefly on the discussionof the respective sessions, to be followed by a free discussion in which the panelists will be
requested to touch upon challenges that the activities of telling live lessons face.
A/ Marlene Murray,

Co-chair of Session A - Role of Museums in Telling Live Lessons:
5
3

2

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The session discussed several key issues and features pertaining to the museum. The fivemuseums target different hazards such as tsunami, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
Three museums are operated privately and the other two are supported by the local or
national government. The duration between the development of the museum and the timeof the disaster occurrence varies from two years to one hundred years. One museum isscheduled to open in late 2020. All the museums conduct storytelling activities and many ofthem outreach in the community, in particular with school children. While direct storytelling85

by survivors from disasters might be the most impressive, there are many other ways ofpassing down the memories to the next generations. The question is how we can sustain thestorytelling activities beyond our generation. One strategy and outcome were noted by Mr.
Sato. His regular efforts to outreach with children actually inspired voluntary storytelling
activities in the local community, even though nobody was directly impacted by the disaster.
This is in fact about the eruption of Mt Bandai which happened 132 years ago. Some of theadvantages of conducting activities at museums are that museums provide a physical venue
for storytelling, i.e. a venue where various people such as scientists, local community, andothers can interact and generate new ideas and initiatives which could stimulate sustainable
storytelling activities. And museums can provide a sustainable environment for storytelling
activities for generations. A broader meaning of storytelling includes objects which havesurvived disasters; books and other publications; photos and videos; and the arts including
dance, paintings, music, etc. Disaster risk reduction activities need to be continued until
they are integrated into the local culture. Museums can play a major role in this regard.

B/ Ikaputra, Co-chair of Session B- A Tool for Telling Live Lessons:

3.11

192

The focus of this session was disaster tourism or dark tourism, which is related to the placesof death and disaster. The session also discussed the basics of tourism development i.e. three86

principles which we call AAA: attractions, accessibility, and amenities. Even with an
attraction, if there is no accessibility then tourism cannot be paid for. Amenities should be
improved to attract tourists so that the local community can gain economic benefits. With
this kind of-A we tried to see how the cases that were shared in this session can becompared --- as a process, as products, and even what actually are the driving causes of thedevelopment of tourism. We started with seeing how to connect between before and after thedisaster. We classified the cases of 4 disasters into two types. The first type is the one
whereby the number of tourists is even decreasing. One case is the Sanriku Railway and theareas and cities around to which people are not going. Another case is the road corridors of
the 3.11 Storytelling Road, which involve 192 spots of telling lessons connecting Aomori,
Miyagi, and Fukushima. The other two cases in the second type are the ones whereby there
are already good destinations. In Kumamoto, Kumamon has already become the mascot.
And also, Yogyakarta as well which is near the eruption of Mt. Merapi, because it is thesecond tourist city in Indonesia, which has world heritage like Borobudur, Prambanan, etc.
But with disaster tourism, it is a challenge to develop new destinations and new attractions.
The problem is that the dark side is not always agreed upon by the people who live there
and by those who are survivors, those who suffer from the disaster. According to Mr. Kusano,often 50% agree and 50% do not. Another problem is as to who are the stakeholders who willdevelop such dark destinations. The government can be a leader; a company may supply
financial support; communities can play a very important role in developing dark tourism.
Such things happened in destinations like that of the Sanriku Railway, which has goodaccessibility for disaster tourism via the railway system. They even provide attractions
inside the train. Other good examples are the corridor of almost 200 monuments of lessons
in Sanriku; the two earthquake museums and disaster corridor in Kumamoto; and thecommunity museums near Mt. Merapi. Finally, the future challenge is how to share thelesson learned from dark tourism destinations with other people who do not live there, or
who may be living in areas prone to future disasters.
C/ Gülüm

Tanircan, Co-chair of Session C - Telling Live Lessons and Local Community:

1925
2
3

Memories should be preserved and shared with the next generation in various ways. Telling
live lessons to communities is one of those ways. And, through these ways, disaster culture
can be constructed in communities. The major point that we extracted from this session isthat the activity for transferring experiences starts with the people in the community, but
87changes its role during the recovery phase. Some nice examples were presented such as thedevelopment of the Mondragon project in the Hiroshima area after the heavy rain and thefollowing landslides, and also the reconstruction of the Kinosaki region after the 1925
earthquake and the following fire. Those are very good examples to see how local
communities react to tell live lessons and strengthen their knowledge and their capacity
against disasters. The next major point is that learning from experienced people is important.
Each community has wisdom, local wisdom. Such community wisdom should be respected.
And academia has an important role in interpreting this local wisdom and changing it into
knowledge. Academicians should take into consideration local wisdom more seriously andthen use it in their scientific research. The third point is that adults might be ignorant about
disaster preparedness issues. Therefore, the training of children about disaster is important.
There are several ways to reach and to train children, like gamification, board games, andseveral tablet applications. Those are efficient ways to teach them. One way to tell thelessons or to tell the experiences to children is to use such games and applications.

Dof Session D - Geopark and Telling Live Lessons
92013/ Ibrahim Komoo , Co-chair

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Mr. Nakagawa introduced the concept of geoparks, and the guidelines to create a geopark,
talking about nine UNESCO global geoparks and more than 35 national geoparks in Japan.
He also discussed geoparks as a holistic approach to managing an area where the geological
heritage of international value is conserved, in combination with public education andtourism attraction. He also said that many geoparks pay attention to geo-hazards andclimate change, and that geoparks are like living museums and very conducive tostorytelling about heritage and natural disasters. Mr. Komoo talked about his research andcommunity engagement in a place called Kundasan. Kundasan experienced a large landslide
at the foothills of Mt. Kinabalu, which is a national geopark. In the beginning, thecommunity there didn't realize that they are living in an area with large scale landslides but
by doing research plus by engaging the community, finally, they realized that they are living
in a dangerous area. And they can move, and they can take part actively in pursuing activity
toward DRR. Ms. Aguda shared her experience of developing the Bohol Island geopark. She
spoke about the earthquake on October 15th, 2013 with a magnitude of 7.2 which killed 200
people and damaged more than 50,000 houses. And this was the story during thedevelopment of the geopark. In fact, during the launching of the geopark, it was incollaboration with a commemoration of the Bohol earthquake. The commemoration was
performed by ringing the bell and using earthquake stories. They made the local community
actively involved in geopark development. Ms. Nishitani, a geopark guide, spoke about her
experience in volcanic eruption and tourism. And during her presentation, many stories
excited the session participants. One of the things she said that really triggered our interest
also talked about the experience of one local person who experienced 4 disasters that
destroyed her home at the ages of 9, 32, 60, and 63. And this is also a very powerful story.
She also said:
usually say:

Finally, Mr. Shibata

made a presentation on his experience in the conservation of natural monuments. He gave
an example of some active faults: people would say what faults are and why faults canbecome a monument. By telling stories, i.e. about the relationship between earthquake anddisaster and faults, people began to realize the importance of faults and they became a social
asset. In conclusion, the main issue of the discussion of this session was related to how tocreate a geopark. The session discussed networking at all levels; what kind of stories are
suitable for geoparks
stories about a disaster, particularly the stories that can touch thehearts of the local community; and collaboration between geoparks and the DRR Group.
After listening to all the presenters and participants, I am convinced that geoparks are anatural tool for storytelling. It is not just telling stories about geological heritage and theenvironment. It's about the connection between people and nature. In geoparks, we used tosay rocks connect us. But more importantly, it is about telling live lessons from disasters.

89

E/ Paul Millar, Co-chair of Session

E - Disaster Remains and Passing-on of Memories:
4

237

Session E had four excellent speakers. What impressed me was that all the presentations invarious ways talked to each other and informed each other. Where one paper would raise anissue, or perhaps address a problem, another paper would respond to that. Mr. Sugimoto in
his paper, where he was talking about disaster recovery, observed the way that the physicalremains, the houses, the boats, the places are often left behind in some damaged form aftera disaster. He noted that these sorts of artifacts can have very strong emotional connections
for the communities. Their existence and condition can often bring about quite a degree oftension and sometimes opposite reactions to a particular place or a particular artifact. So,
while some local people might wish to preserve a place, others might see it imbued with pain
or with shame, and be less desirous of retaining it and would rather move on and replace it.
We must take into account the way disaster remains have the memories of the survivors
attached to them. Ms. Sakaguchi also talked about a similar situation and she explained tous about the Japanese concept of shame and the way that shame can be attached to certain
places where loss or damage has occurred. Such places can come to reflect the beliefs or theexperiences and feelings of certain demographics of society. Alongside the focus on thecontemporary response to disaster remains was a very interesting paper from Mr. Sekitalking about the Mt. Asama disaster 237 years or eight generations ago, noting that, withthe passing of time, the immediate effect on the survivors wasn't an issue. It was possible
over time to take a more objective view of disaster remains, and to learn other sorts of lessons
from them. A lot of these lessons are learned through empathy, and one of the reasons topreserve disaster remains may be so that future generations can understand and empathizewith the sufferings of the people who have been through a severe disaster, and in that way,90

learning can take place. So, wrapped around all of these talks about disaster remains was
the idea of education, the idea of informing the future, the idea of developing understanding.
It became very clear that disaster remains are only relevant when we can erect stories
around them, when narratives are related to the remains. Otherwise, they may just bebuildings or places with no history. So, it is important that when we are talking about
preserving disaster remains, we are also talking about preserving the stories that go withthose remains. Mr. Seki talked about the various commemorations of the Mt. Asama
eruption, and the way that the community evolved its understanding of the disaster overtime. I believe one important lesson from that situation is that when we preserve disasterremains, and we construct our stories around them, the one thing we cannot do is to dictate
to the future how they respond to and learn from our experiences. The only thing we can dois to make those learning opportunities available, to make our experiences available, and toallow the future to develop its own understanding and develop its own response. What wasvery clear coming opreservation of disaster remains in Taiwan, was that there is always a time when theimmediacy and present pain and suffering of the disaster recedes into the past, and this isnatural. This makes it very difficult for the present to keep funding and maintaining theremains that tell the story of that disaster. We have all experienced that whether we createarchives, manage museums, or try to keep artifacts alive and restore them, there is a life
cycle for these sorts of activities. Often funding becomes less, interest becomes less, and it
becomes more and more of a challenge for us to keep our records and our memories and ourmonuments going. However, I think what emerged from this discussion was that even if
these efforts are hard, they are worth doing and continuing with. It is important that we
persist, with the belief that at some point in the future some other person or group is goingto pick up the project and take it forward, potentially in a different way. In summary, disasterremains mean little if they are not also related to stories and memories. That is why aconference and organization like TeLL-Net is so important, because live lessons fromdisasters are so important. Disaster remains, close in time to an event, are imbued with thereality of that experiencea reality that can vary according to personal experience, andwhich can represent intolerable pain as much as there may be a need to preserve memory.
Later, as we move past an experience, we are able to relate to the disaster through a processof empathy, through commemoration and remembering. Disaster remains are very helpfulwhen it comes to education about disaster impact, response, and recovery because, as wehave discussed, we cannot all live our lives virtually all the time. We are never going tounderstand the physical experience if we simply experience it on the internet, throughYouTube, or via an online image. Place matters, location matters, and context matters. Whena place of disaster is located within its community, and within its physical environment, it
has a particular resonance and profundity that tells a story far more effectively than simply
streaming it online. The virtual might complement the disaster experience, but in a waythat goes hand-in-hand with the actual. Because places matter and people matter, so too do
disaster-remains matter.

91

F/ Eko Agus Prawoto, Co-

chair of Session F - Interregional Disaster Cooperation: Keeping Memories Alive

Building relationships or cooperation can be done on various kinds of levels: it can be inside
the community, between communities, or between communities and other communities indifferent countries. It is important also that we know about the level of disaster literacy. It
could create a clear base for what we should do in building or in making the cooperation
work effectively. Exchange, networking, and sharing need a platform which is to understandthe other. It could be cultural, social values, or even the collective memory of the people.
Myths are also important because it is like the storage of the collective memory of people.
We, of course, cannot directly understand the myths but we have to give new meanings tothem. Understanding others also builds a strong base for relationship or cooperation. It will
help develop deep empathy and understanding for others. Locality must be appreciated. This
would create a relationship that will sustain the local identity and also dignity of thecommunity including the local narratives or myths as the resource of storytelling. We could
also make, find, or discover the possible solution based on that local knowledge. We are notjust bringing an outside solution directly but appreciate and generate solutions based on thelocal models. That kind of inter-regional cooperation is not only giving or sharing, because
knowing others also means knowing ourselves, and sharing with others is also receiving.
Knowing other cultures means also remembering our own culture or heritage. So, this is likea reciprocal relationship. The local-based exchange should encourage or reactivate the92capacity of the community instead of creating dependency. This is a very important piece.
And this also means to sustain the cultural identity and collective memory of the community.
The cooperation is not only about community, the community of people to people, but it isalso about human beings with nature. The land has memory. So, nature should be more
respected, because it is the land that generates the knowledge and the myths of thecommunity. All the myths are rooted in this land. Sometimes we forgot about the land. And
in relationships with the land or with danger, we should try to adapt instead of to control.
We have to work with nature to collaborate with nature. Because engineering systems might
fail but nature will stay longer.
/ Alessandro Pasuto, Co-chair of the
Poster Session
33

6
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2
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11

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1963

The session had 33 posters that illustrate different experiences, best practices and successful
stories. Six posters dealt with floods; two with volcanic eruptions; eleven with earthquakes;
and six with tsunamis. All the posters dealt with phenomena affecting a wide area and lotsof people. Going into the details of those posters, several points arose. The first point is theimportance of the collection of material and documents, and the preservation of these. There
are tangible and intangible materials that could be useful in order to tell a story. To this end,
digital techniques can help us in creating good archives that could be available through theinternet for a wide range of people. This is an important application of new technology inorder to preserve memories and transfer those to the next generation. Another point is some
aspects related to the cultural heritage at risk. Some posters from Nepal dealt with theearthquake in 2015 which caused great damages to the cultural heritage of Kathmandu.
And, this reminded me of the severe flood affecting Florence in November 1966 in Italy, inwhich a very large number of the art masterpieces held there were destroyed. We have totake care of the cultural heritage because it is a benchmark of the achievement of our culture.
Thirdly, it was interesting to see different approaches related to reconstruction. Someremains, ruins and broken buildings can be a witness of what happened in the past, which93I believe should be preserved, as one poster discussed with the stone monuments. However,there is a conflict of attitude between those who want to rebuild everything as it was andwhere it was, and the others who want to preserve something just to testify the effects of thedisaster. It is important to have equilibrium. The fourth point is about the importance ofcombining two issues: not only telling stories, but also involving universities and research
institutions in improving the preparedness of the people with correct data and phenomena
explanation. Similarly, the training of storytellers is another important matter. For example,
in Vajoint where in 1963 one of the most disastrous landslides in the Alps occurred claiming
almost 2,000 lives in Italy and where I often bring study groups, I hear from time to time
the storytellers not telling the correct story from scientific point of view. There are twodifferent ways in which I can tell a story: speaking to the head of the people, i.e. providing
with data a clear view of what happened, and speaking to the heart of the people, i.e.
providing a story emotionally with shocking photos, etc. With this respect, I quote a Greekzeeverything with one single key word: inclusiveness. All scientists, be it human sciences,
health sciences, engineers, social scientists, psychologists, economists along with the generalpublic should all be brought together in order to reach our ultimate goal: safe life for the
future generations.
/ Shingo Nagamatsu, Chair of the Plenary Session, General
Managing Chair of the Breakout Sessions:
A
B

10
A
C
D
10
E

237
F

Session A mentioned the importance of not only informing facts and phenomena but also therole of art and culture, which was very interesting. The theme of session B, i.e. tourism, is
new which was not discussed in the 2010 TeLL-Net Forum. We decided to bring it in as a
new way of storytelling. The session discussed very interesting keywords, i.e. AAA:
attraction, accessibility, and amenity. Session C, under the theme: local community, touched
upon innovative measures like gamification and the importance of the role of researchers
including ourselves. The theme of session D, i.e., geoparks, is also new. It is interesting tonote that, over the last ten years, such new ways of storytelling have been emerging. It isalso noteworthy that geoparks talk not only about geological phenomena but also about
people and society as well. Session E touched upon, among others, the issue of sustainability
by discussing Mt. Asam94

theme of session F, i.e., exchange, was unclear to me in the beginning. However, having
learned that geoparks talk about the interaction between people and nature; communities
talk about the people in communities; remains talk about places; and observing that a wide
variety of participants in this hall talk about various types of storytelling, I have just cometo appreciate that exchange is also a very important subject.
// Sarwar Bari, Pattan Development Organization, Pakistan:

It should be noted that in some countries most of the vocal people are rich, often men, welleducated - people who may not be affected very badly. Women cannot be reached out, because
men are the gatekeepers as well. If we are telling stories of disaster, it is very important tomake sure that the stories are also coming from women.
/ Saja Majeed, South Eastern University, Sri Lanka:

There should be ethical considerations in telling stories and posting pictures. Sometimes
disaster victims are shown as hopeless people; but ethical considerations should be given tosuch cases, similar to ethical clearance in the case of research. If the forum could develop akind of ethical guideline, that could be helpful.
/ Isao Arai, NPO Sunflower's Dream, Japan:

Based on my many-year engagement as a storyteller in Kobe, I propose theas the spirit of storytelling, i.e. to offer kindness to the listeners of storytelling in return for
the kindness that we received when we were a victim.

/
95

/ Marlene Murray3

I have just been amazed at what the people in this room are working on in so many different
countries. I am proud to be a part of this group. We are all doing such great work and suchimportant work. If we continue doing what we are doing, we can make a tremendous
difference. All of us should be congratulated.
/ Ikaputra

The 2020 TeLL-Net Forum is about education on how we save our life based on our live
experiences. Sources of learning can be disaster remains, experiences themselves, geoparks,
disaster events, etc. Methods used can be museums, disaster tourism, or others. Sources andmethods can be obtained from within communities. Another question is as to how
educational materials can be developed and who can be teachers.
/ Gülüm Tanircan

Turkey learned a lot from past earthquakes and improved earthquake codes and building
codes significantly. However, storytelling has not been working at all. The media should play
an important role in disseminating knowledge and information, touching people's hearts,
and alerting people to disaster. But, media sometimes gives priority to increasing ratingsand not to disseminating knowledge. There should be some kind of guidelines.
/ Ibrahim Komoo

Geoparks are one of the programs that are accepted by communities because they are abottom-up process. They focus on the conservation of geological heritage, which
unfortunately is not being preserved in developing countries. Geoparks also focus on tourism
that can bring income to the community. In Japan, we must also tell stories, particularly inan area that is struck by disaster. The story about disasters should be the main activity.
96

/ Paul Millar

In the context of disasters, global warming and climate change is something that no one who
follows the science and understands what is going on can ignore. I wonder whether we needto send some stronger messages about the things that we can do, like telling live lessons
about disasters and encourage major behavioral changes that we could collectively make?
As our obligation to future generations, and considering that many of the people mostaffected will be the poorest people in the world, I would encourage all of us to deal with thisvery difficult topic. I believe a collection of concerned people from around the world, likethose here in the Tell-Net forum, have the ability to make a change.
/ Eko Agus Prawoto:

The land is the generator of the whole knowledge about the life of the culture of humanbeings. We have to go back to listen to the earth. To understand our position and think forthe future, we have to try to find balance again as to what we can do, what we should do andhow far we should go, which part should be from outside and which part from inside.
/ Alessandro Pasuto

Nature is our mother. But it is only the phenomena that cause the disaster, not the disaster
itself. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and other phenomena have existed since thebeginning, and will continue to exist until the end. It should be noted that when humans go
against nature this is the cause of disasters.

97

/ Yoshinobu Fukasawa,
Secretary, International Network on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters (TeLL-Net)
2020

2005
2013

TeLL-Net (International Network of Telling Live Lessons from Disasters) and the 2020
Forum (2020 International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters): those are bothwheels on the same cart. The 2020 Forum is a one-time event that can convey messages
rather strongly but the impact of which can fade down quickly. TeLL-Net is expected to be asort of platform through which the same issues are addressed but perhaps with less impact.
We were hoping that the 2020 Forum would serve as a good opportunity to give a boost to
TeLL-Net towards more dynamic activities and impact. We as initiators, myself, in particular,
have not been able to make it as active as we hoped because of other engagements andpriorities. The 2020 Forum has been greatly successful, giving TeLL-Net enough fuel to go
further. It will function as a good venue where we can get together, stimulate each othercontinuously, and where dialogues and communications happen regularly. To this end, theTeLL-Net Facebook account has already been set up. This will help strengthen interaction
among TeLL-Net members significantly. For example, if Pakistan considers organizing an
event this year in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the earthquake that hit thecountry in 2005, such information can be communicated to TeLL-Net members and some
input from other countries may be welcomed. The same can be considered in 2023 for thePhilippines as well for Typhoon Yolanda which hit Tacloban and other areas in 2013. Several
TeLL-Net members may join such events and help the organizers deepen discussion andstrengthen messages. We hope this kind of interactive communication and mutual help willcontinue and gain momentum worldwide. In some years, there may be a greaterinternational occasion such as a UN conference in which TeLL-Net may be given an
98

opportunity to raise the collective voice on the importance of preserving and passing down
the memories of live experiences in disasters. The secretariat of the 2020 TeLL-Net Forumextends profound appreciation to all the attendees for their active participation, and thanks
them also in advance for their continued support to TeLL-Net.
// Shingo Nagamatsu

I did not personally experience the 1995 Hanshin Awaji Great Earthquake. This has been
making me feel a gap in knowledge and emotion between myself and survivors, and I havebeen working hard as a disaster researcher to fill this gap. In the tone-setting talk thismorning, Mr. Hayashi gave us an idea that storytelling was all about the identity of tellers,
which made great sense to me. I was feeling somewhat uncomfortable that the term TeLLNet is comprised of, among others, theuse I believe that the meaning of

the storytelling is much more than mere telling practical lessons. I further believe that thestorytelling by the survivors from the 1995 Kobe Earthquake will still be greatly relevant
even in a different context such as the next disaster in Tokyo, not necessarily because thelessons in Kobe will be technically useful, but because telling their disaster story is vivid
proof that they are still alive, which makes up a major part of their identity as a survivor oras a Kobe na strong empathy with the young people who sang
about the disaster in their songs, and with the painter who paints the experiences. If all arethis sense,
I have come to think that TeLL-Net is all about acknowledgment, embracement, andencouragement of others worldwide through sharing harsh but meaningful experiences indisasters.
13

15

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/

2020

/

99

ICT

We would have liked to deal with other themes such as mass media, education, and ICT;
however, we had to eliminate those themes due to various restrictions. We will discuss suchthemes in the next round of TeLL-Net Forum. At the beginning of this Form, I spoke about
what the storytelling is. I meant let us value every single day, and live on
message to myself, and to all the participants as well.
21

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17

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100

This was my

It is inevitable that the experiences and memories of disasters when one moves far from theplace and time passes. Important thing is that disasters occur repeatedly. Japan has entered
the period that earthquakes occur actively and meteorological disasters are augmenting
powers. We must not forget such experiences as something in the past. We must remember
those as the base for our preparedness for future.
Disaster experiences are very personal. Everybody has his/her own story. In my case, onJanuary the 17th, in my house in Kobe, I woke up suddenly at an extraordinarily great shock
which I could not realize what that was. Immediately I felt an extremely violent shake andI realized that it was an earthquake. But it was not the earthquake that I knew. I felt as if
the earthquake had a clear intention not to end the shaking until it destroyed my house andkilled me. We lost 37 students at Kobe University where I used to work then. It was amonstrous shock to see full of dead bodies in a small space. I lost my words, but I did not cry
as a grown-up person.
A friend of mine in Hiroshima invited us to evacuate there, and we decided that my wife andthree children would
month later, I was finally able to visit there and noticed that my family looked quite happy.
The next morning, the girls in the neighborhood came to pick up my little youngest 6-year
old daughter to go to school together. She took on a red-color school bag on her back which
was given by my friend and she hopped down the stairs joyfully with a full of smile. That
made me emotionally realize that Kobe was not alone, Kobe was being helped this much by
the people throughout the country, and my daughter was being taken care of this much
kindly. Then, I shed tears for the first time.

101Sixteen years later, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. While I was the Presidentof the National Defense Academy, upon the request from the Prime Minister, I decided totake the chairmanship of The Reconstruction Design Council in response to the Great East
Japan Earthquake. I set up the primary policy of the Council based on my experience of how
we were helped in Hiroshima. Disasters occur one after another anywhere. There is no otherway but to address the calamity as the whole nation. No matter where it happens, otherareas extend support to the damaged area, and the government and the nation do as muchas possible. That was my policy. When we launched a proposal on the taxation forreconstruction, we were criticized against the background that Japan had been in the longand endless eco. However, I was convinced that rather

than abandoning the disaster-hit areas due to lack of financial resources, the country should
support the affected area even with a tax increase. Eventually, the reconstruction tax was
introduced with the support of 60% of the whole nation.
After I retired as the President of the National Defense Academy, I was in the position of the
President of one of the universities in Kumamoto. In the fourth year, the Kumao Earthquake
occurred. Upon request of the Prefecture Governor, I assumed the chairmanship of theReconstruction Committee of Kumamoto Prefecture along with Prof. Kawata. One day, I
happened to hear a local broadcasting station in Kumamoto broadcastinghappiness(NB). The first verse of the song w
let us bring Kobe back to the original shape
shape

Kumamoto back to the original
This is the moment that I shed tears for the second

time. In Kumamoto which was hit so harshly, I refreshed my determination with my tears, and live on even on behalf of those who had toalong with mybeloved hometown Kobe. (NB: A famous song that was composed by Mr. Usui in Koberight after the 1995 earthquake, which is now sung in many disaster-hit areas in and out ofJapan.)
As for the Forum, on the first day, I really enjoyed the active talk and moderation of Mr.
Horiuchi who walked around freely right and left in the hall and brought in manygigantic paintings were drawn on rectangular canvases. Rectangular is composed ofhorizontal and vertical. But, in Kobe after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, everything
including buildings was slanted and bent with all random angles, which made me mentally
distressed. Vertical and horizontal compose the order. Earthquakes devastate the order. Mr.
e in terms of each micro element; however, all the elements
are placed within the ordered framework of vertical and horizontal. I felt his sense of orderin that, no matter how miserable circumstances he is under, Mr. Kagawa is determined torestart from there.
I noticed various types of storytelling such as museums whereby storytelling is conductedwith the help of science and technology, and messages whereby heart-touching art ismobilized. In these ways, storytelling is given life. The issue of fading cannot be ignored
when we consider the importance of disaster management in the future. We must place
importance on the motivation which drives storytelling. In this sense, I believe that some102

kind of community is needed whereby people discuss storytelling. And, I have happily
realized that there is already such a community in place at the international level. I should
therefore like to express my heartfelt appreciation to those who took the trouble of travelingfrom all over the world, Kobe citizens, and everyone.

/

103

2020
Support and advice: Supporting Committee of 2020 International Forum on Telling Live
Lessons from Disasters

Title

Name

Affiliation

ChairmanToshizo IDO

Governor, Hyogo PrefectureMemberTerutsugu YAMAHIRA

Chief Crisis Management Officer, Kobe City

MemberHaruo HAYASHI

President, National Research Institute for Earth Scienceand Disaster Resilience

MemberHiroshi KATO

Board Member, Japan International Cooperation Agency
21

MemberMakoto IOKIBE

President, Hyogo Earthquake Memorial, 21 Century
Research InstituteMemberYoshiaki KAWATA

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Executive Director, Disaster Reduction and Human
Renovation Institution (DRI)
2020

MemberIkuo KOBAYASHI
Representative, International Network of Telling Live
Lessons

from

Disasters(TeLL-Net);

Chairman,

Implementing Committee

2020
Organization and implementation: Implementing Committee of International Forum on
Telling Live Lesson from Disasters

Title

Name

Affiliation

ChairmanIkuo KOBAYASHI

Representative, International Network of Telling Live
Lessons from Disasters

MemberIsao HAYASHI
Professor, Department of Cross-Field Research, National
Museum of Ethnology

104Member

Norio MAKI

Professor, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto
University

MemberYuichi ONO

Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster
Science, Tohoku University

MemberShingo NAGAMATSU

Professor, Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences, Kansai
University

MemberNaoto TANAKA

Associate Professor, Kumamoto Innovative Development
Organization (KIDO), Kumamoto University

MemberKunihiko HIRAIAdvisor, Chuetsu Organization for Safe and Secure
SocietyMemberHiroyoshi NISHI

Honorable President, Inamura-no-Hi no Yakata

MemberMasaru SAKATO

Former Board Member, The Japan Foundation
JICA

MemberYasuko NISHINO

Director, JICA Kansai Center, Japan International
Cooperation Agency

MemberKoji SUZUKI

Executive Director, Asia Disaster Reduction Center
21

MemberYoshinari FUJIWARA

Vice President, Hyogo Earthquake Memorial - 21
Century Research Institute
CODE

Member

Masamichi YOSHITSUBAKI

Secretary-General, Citizens towards Overseas Disaster
Emergency (CODE)

Member

Etsuko NISHIUMI

Editorial Director, Kobe Shimbun
NHK

MemberTsunataro ITO

Directorof

Kobe

Station,Japan

Broadcasting

Corporation (NHK)MemberKatsuhiko MORITA

Director-General Disaster Management & Planning
Bureau, Hyogo Prefectural Government

Member

Eiji BABA

MemberYoshinobu FUKASAWA

Director, Crisis Management Office, Kobe City

Research Fellow in charge of TeLL-Net, DRI(Nish-Nippon Railroad Co. Ltd.)105

Cooperating

Atsuko ITOMemberCooperating

Studies, Kobe Gakuin University
Nobue FUNAKIMemberCooperating

Yuka MIZUMOTO

Mayumi SAKAMOTO

Elizabeth MALY

Shosuke SATO

Graduate

SchoolofDisaster

Associate Professor, International Research Institute of

Associate Professor, International Research Institute ofDisaster Science, Tohoku University

Masahiro SAWADA

MemberCooperating

Professor,

Disaster Science, Tohoku University

MemberCooperating

Associate

Resilience and Governance, University of Hyogo

MemberCooperating

Associate Professor, Faculty of Contemporary Social
Studies, Kobe Gakuin University

MemberCooperating

Associate Professor, Faculty of Contemporary Social
Studies, Kobe Gakuin University

MemberCooperating

Associate Professor, Faculty of Contemporary Social

Associate

Professor,

Graduate

SchoolofDisaster

Resilience and Governance, University of Hyogo
Yoshihiro WATANABE

MemberTeam

Leaderfor

PolicyPromotion,

Retrofitting

Promotion Division, Building Guidance Department,
Housing and City Bureau, Kobe City

Cooperating

Tomomi MIYAZAKI

MemberLiving Environment Revitalization Support Division,
Kobe Housing & Urban Development Corporation,
General Incorporated Association

Cooperating

Chisako OMUTA

MemberCooperatingNews Division Deputy Manager,
Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc.

Andrew MitchellSpecial Researcher, Kumamoto University

Toru IKEDA

Deputy Executive Disaster, Disaster Reduction andMemberSecretariat
Head
Secretariat

Human Renovation Institution (DRI)
Makoto SAKAMOTO

Deputy Executive Disaster, Disaster Reduction and
Human Renovation Institution (DRI)

Secretariat

Hiroshi TAJIHI

Director, Department of Research, Disaster Reductionand Human Renovation Institution (DRI)106

Secretariat

Ryusuke IMAI

Director, Project Department, Disaster Reduction and
Human Renovation Institution (DRI)

Secretariat

Anna MATSUKAWA

Researcher, Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation
Institution (DRI)

Secretariat

Zi YANG

Researcher, Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation
Institution (DRI)

Secretariat

Atsuko AOTANI

Research assistant, Disaster Reduction and Human
Renovation Institution (DRI)

Secretariat

Yoshimi AMAKAWA

President,Community/Communication/Co-operative
Space

Secretariat

Masahiko MURATA

Professor, Faculty of Management, Kansai University ofInternational Studies

Secretariat

Yoshinobu FUKASAWA
Research Fellow in charge of TeLL-Net, DRI(Nish-Nippon Railroad Co. Ltd.)

2020
Secretariat: Secretariat: Secretariat of 2020 International Forum on Telling Live Lessons
from Disasters
21A
18H03595
Co-organizers: Hyogo Earthquake Memorial, 21 Century Research Institute, Disaster
Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI), Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City, Kobe
Housing & Urban Development Corporation, Kobe Machizukuri Hall, JSPS Grants-in-Aid
for Scientific Research(A) Materializing and Narrating Collective Memories of Calamities
and Education for Disaster Reduction (Grant No. 18H03595)
21
/
IRP
OCHA

107

UNISDR21
Cooperation: Disaster Reduction Alliance (Chairman: Makoto IOKIBE, President, Hyogo
Earthquake Memorial 21th Century Research Institute / members: Asian Disaster
Reduction Center, Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research, Disaster Reductionand Human Renovation Institution, Education and Research Center for Disaster Reduction(ERCDR), University of Hyogo, Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance,
University of Hyogo, Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center, Hyogo Earthquake
Memorial 21th Century Research Institute, Hyogo Emergency Medical Center, Hyogo
Institute for Traumatic Stress, International EMECS Center, Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies, International Recovery Platform (IRP), Japan International
Cooperation Agency Kansai international Center, Japanese Red Cross Hyogo Chapter,
Japanese Red Cross Kobe Hospital, Kobe Local Meteorological Office, United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Office in Japan, United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Kobe Office, World HealthOrganization Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre))

Grant

The Japan Foundation Asia Center, Grant Program for Promotion of Cultural

Collaboration
AIG

Funding from private companies: Japan Tobacco Inc., NHK Promotions Inc., Daiwa Lease
Co., Ltd., AIG Institute, Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd., Hankyu Corporation, West Japan
Railway Company, Matsuoka Realty Co., Ltd., Morimoto Warehouse Co. Ltd., SHINMEI Co.,
LTD.
NHK

H
Other cooperation from private companies: NHK Promotions Inc., Japan Geopark
Committee, Freundleave

Supported: Japan International Cooperation Agency Kansai Center, National Museum of
Ethnology, Ministries, United Nations Human Settlement Program (UN-Habitat) Regional
Office for Asia and the Pacific, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Office (Director Generalfor Disaster Management)

108

2002

2005

800

2

2020
2020

2020

12

I
Director of Disaster Reduction and Human Institution (DRI) in Kobe from 2002 to 2005. In DRI, thestorytellers tell their stories which strike our hearts very strongly. Photos of collapsed houses anddevastated streets are exhibited with some brief memos which explain the background of the photos,
which actually conveys the deep feelings and emotions of the person who took such photos. There
are over 800 exhibition items. In the beginning, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information. I
was completely lost as to how I should understand it. Later, when I had some time to study several
items closely and carefully, I painfully empathized with the minds and hearts of the people who went
through the disaster process from the onset of the disaster through the reconstruction phase, and I
was shocked with the greatly strong impact that storytelling produces.
Then I began to think that I would like to deliberate more on how the strong power of storytellinginfluences individuals and society, inform the significance of storytelling widely to in and out of thecountry, and continue this quest even after the completion of my assignment in DRI. How significant
is the storytelling to storytellers themselves? How significant is it to ordinary citizens in disasterhit areas? Can it be of any help in regaining motivation and energy towards reconstruction? Can it
be a driving force to put the knowledge of disaster risk reduction into practice for the next
generations or even for the people who have not experienced a disaster in other areas? How can the
exhibition be made more effective in conveying messages? How should we deal with individual
storytelling activities which carry very strong power but are subjective and fragmented by nature as
opposed to the complex and multifaceted disaster process which must be understoodcomprehensively?
In this time-around Forum, thanks to the valuable cooperation by many researchers of disasterrisk reduction area, 6 breakout sessions, namely, Role of Museums in Telling Live Lessons, DisasterTourism: a Tool for Telling Live Lessons, Telling Live Lessons and Community, Geopark and Telling
Live Lessons, Disaster Remains and Passing-on of Memories, and Inter-regional DisasterCooperation: Keeping Memories Alive, were organized and the discussions were very fruitful. The
proposal by Prof. Kawata, Executive Director of DRI to publish picture books for telling stories ofdisasters is another achievement that can grow as a larger movement in the future.

This Forum has also triggered an important move towards publication of a special edition of an
academic journal in English and its Japanese version in parallel which discuss various key aspectsof storytelling such as its significance, methodologies, etc. In this Forum, storytelling is perceived as
something whereby one dares to value the painful experiences and/or emotions during disasters,
intentionally remembers such things, recollects those once in a while, and often proactively shares
stories with others. It is not only about informing lessons and knowledge as mere information, but
it is about something whereby the receivers of storytelling profoundly empathize with those who tellstories. It is not only by oral communication but also often by monuments, artifacts, artworks, etc.
Thus, it is not easy to explain the concept of storytelling concisely in Japanese. It may be even more
so in other languages. The above-mentioned special edition of the journal intends to systematicallyconceptualize the conducts of storytelling and to ambitiously launch the result of the study globally.
This Forum was also a good opportunity to further vitalize and strengthen the International
Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters (TeLL-Net). TeLL-Net is a venue where thoseindividuals and organizations who are engaged in preserving and passing on live experiences andmemories of disasters i.e. telling live lessons or storytelling, exchange and learn from each otherbeyond borders. I hope to continue my effort to further augment the momentum that was given
during the Forum. I will also be happy to see that this network begins to even support various
storytelling activities in different countries. With this respect, continued support by many partners
would be much appreciated.
Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the participants of 2020
International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters who delivered many valuable
presentations and inputs, all the session chairs who kindly spared valuable time to plan, prepareand coordinate the sessions, mobilize participants and manage the sessions as well as to cooperateon the compilation of the report, all the members of the Supporting Committee and the
Implementing Committee, The Japan Foundation Asia Center and many other private companies
that generously extended powerful support / cooperation to this initiative, Hyogo Prefecture andKobe City as well as several other organizations as co-organizers, Cabinet Office (Director Generalfor Disaster Management) and several other supporting organizations, the friends and colleagues ofthe secretariat who took trouble of processing enormous amount of logistical works, and my employer
Nishi-Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. which supported me in working on this initiative throughout thewhole process.

December 2020
Yoshinobu Fukasawa
Committee Member, Implementing Committee of 2020 TeLL-Net Forum
Secretary, International Network of Telling Live Lessons (TeLL-Net)
Research Fellow in charge of TeLL-Net, DRI
Overseas Business Department Director, Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd.

Editing:/ Ikuo Kobayashi
1944
1969

1967

( )

NPO

TeLL-Net

HAT

Senior Researcher, Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution; Professor, Graduate
School of Disaster Resilience and Governance, University of Hyogo. City planner in a wide range offields from urban development planning to community-based movement. Born in 1944 in Nagoya;
B.E. from Kobe University, M.E. from Osaka City University. Worked as CEO of CO-PLAN Inc.
(urban planning company). Engaged in various civil activities such as Leader, Recovery from Kobe
Earthquake Disaster / Supporter's Network for community development "Machizukuri";
Representative, TeLL-Net. Participated in various committees of Kobe City and Hyogo Prefecture
for earthquake restoration. Engaged in important plans and surveys such as Kobe Port Island
project, Kobe Harbor-land project, HAT Kobe project, Kobe earthquake recovery emergency plansurvey (Kobe city), Kobe earthquake reconstruction 10-year summary verification andrecommendation (Hyogo Prefecture).
/ Yoshinobu Fukasawa

1957

1980

1982

1982
2013

2017
TeLL-Net

2010

2020

2020

Director, Overseas Business Department, Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd.; Research
Fellow for TeLL-Net, DRI; Trustee, Asia Disaster Reduction Center. Born in 1957, B.E.
from Tokyo University, M.E. from Tokyo Institute of Technology. Joined National Land
Agency, Japanese Government in 1982; engaged in national territorial development
plan, disaster risk reduction, international cooperation. Worked as Relief Coordination
Officer, UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs; Senior Member, Secretariat ofHanshin-Awaji Area Reconstruction Headquarters; Deputy Executive Director,
Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI); Counselor, Fire andDisaster Management Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, prior
to UN-Habitat Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific from 2013 to 2017. Secretary,
TeLL-Net; engaged in organizing 2010 TeLL-Net Forum and 2020 TeLL-Net Forum.