1. Saturday
Oct 5: Meet at the Hudson Auditorium in the Regnier Center between
12:00
and 12:15. Allow time to park, it’ll be very crowded. You’ll need
your wrist band to enter. Our lecture is from 12:30 – 1:20.
2. After the
lecture, go directly to Yardley Hall. Watch Ki Daiko from the audience or come
directly to back stage. They perform
from 1:45-2:10 noon: Musicians tune in the Green room. Brandon, tune as soon as Ki Daiko
finishes.
3. Everyone meet back stage no later than 2:10 pm. Wear
dark slacks and either a red or black shirt. I’ll provide Happi. Lecture folks keep your happi on.
4.
We take the
stage at 2:25 and do our presentation and song from 2:30 – 2:45.
5. Return your
happi to the Green room (designated place) and enjoy the rest of the festival.
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Tohoku Tribute Script
Intro: 45 sec - Group pic
Eric: In November
of 2011, Dianne Daugherty, teacher of Japanese at Olathe North High School
received the news that Olathe was selected to participate in the Japanese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Kizuna Program.
Twenty three students representing all four Olathe High Schools were
selected for this unique and meaningful opportunity. The students along with 2 teachers spent 2 weeks
learning about the recovery efforts in the Tohoku region of Japan following the
2011 earthquake and tsunami. In this
brief presentation today, we will take you on our journey and share with you
the devastation and sadness along with the recovery and resiliency we saw in
the people of Tohoku Japan.
Kyler: Background/History about
the Kizuna program:
Sponsor slide (23 seconds) The Kizuna
program was initiated by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Japan
Foundation's Center for Global Partnerships provided funding and the Japan
International Cooperation Center coordinated our activities, travel, lodging
and lectures on the ground in Japan. The
Laurasian Institution head-quartered in Seattle, Washington, coordinated all of
our preparations prior to departure.
Objectives
slide (32 seconds):
A disaster of this magnitude that affects infrastructure at such a serious
degree results in miss communications, misunderstandings, panic, frustration
and despair. The objectives of the
Kizuna program were established to help dispel rumors but also provide
awareness about the power of nature and the importance for communities to
establish preventative and recovery protocols.
By sharing our experiences within our own communities, we lift up the
people of Tohoku and they are continually grateful that we remember them.
Map 2: (26 sec) This map
highlights the areas that we visited during our 2-week stay. We started and finished our tour in
Tokyo. We only passed through Fukushima
prefecture on our way to Sendai which served as our base camp. From Sendai, we were able to visit the
sea-side towns of Iwanuma and Yamamoto.
Toward the end of our trip, we were treated to a wonderful 2-day home
stay and exceptional school visit to St. Ursula school in Hachinohe, Aomori.
Slide: Sendai Tanabata decoration: (20
sec ) One of the things that Sendai is most known for is its August Tanabata
Festival. During this festival, colorful
decorations are hung, wishes for a good harvest are made and a huge fireworks
display is held. The people of Sendai
and Tohoku look forward to the return of their energetic Tanabata
festival.
Kyler finishes with(10
sec) We'll begin this journey on March 11, 2011 when the shocking tsunami devastated
the Tohoku region after the 9.0 Earthquake.
Start video
Speech length 1:06 Start talking when cars are being
pushed up against buildings, 5 sec in:
Isaiah: On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake
struck the northeast coast of Japan. Now
known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, the epicenter was approximately 70 km
off shore, and the tsunami that followed took only an hour to reach the major
island of Honshu. Over 10,000
aftershocks followed. The earthquake's intensity was rare, but the people of
Tohoku were familiar with tremors and quakes.
A tsunami of this magnitude however, was unexpected. With
most communication infrastructure downed by the quake, many did not hear the warnings;
others chose not to heed them. An
enormous black wave engulfed the coastal areas shredding everything in its
path. The death toll quickly climbed to
three times that of 9/11. The
devastation stretched 10 km inland and reached a height of 40 meters. Entire communities were washed away. The
chaos that followed was compounded by government gridlock and communication
failure.
(40 sec of Succession
playing in background of rubble shots-- fades out)
Tanka #67: Elise - 3 photos; Tanka #23: Erin - - 3 photos; Tanka #63:
Katie
8 photos follow: (starlight
equilibrium music background)
Erin: Start talking
on slide #3 or #4 (:24) Some rescue efforts had to take place in the snow as
the Japanese Self Defense Force, firefighters, and local volunteers rushed to
aid the victims of this disaster.
Assistance was received from 163 countries and 43 international
organizations. Rescue teams were
dispatched from 29 countries, principle among these teams were the United
States Navy and Marine Corps.
Music fades:
Brandon: Haiku /
Tanka information: Slide 1 (:27):
The poems you saw and heard recited a few moments ago are
called Tanka. Many of you may be
familiar with the Haiku, a Japanese poetry structure of 3 lines containing 5,7
and 5 syllables respectively. The Tanka
is an older form of poetry dating back to 9th Century Japan. The syllabic structure of a Tanka is
comprised of 5 lines with a syllabic structure of 5,7,5,7,7.
Slide: 2 (:14)Yo Kikuchi, a survivor and tanka poet writes, " The great
thing about tanka is its ability with
only thirty-one syllables, to express the feelings of the author at that time
in a way that people can relate to, even if they weren’t there. "
Slide 3 (:20) " A haiku offers a
moment of inspiration. But a tanka is
like a sigh. People in Japan write tanka when they love, mourn and even when
facing death, as if making a deep sigh to express an emotion from within the
heart. CITE: Isao Tsujimoto, Studio for
Cultural Exchange
Throughout this
presentation, we will be sharing some tanka with you. These tanka were written
by witnesses, survivors and victims of the disaster.
Tanka #26 Brandon;
Tanka #27 Kayla; Tanka #36 Mary
Alena: (48 sec)
Slide 1: (:16) Isao
Tsujimoto from the Studio for Cultural Exchange worked with students from the
American School in Japan to interview survivors and witnesses of the tsunami
whose tanka poems were selected for a special exhibit.
Slide 2: (:15) The
students that worked on this project visited the regions in Tohoku affected by
the tsunami and brought back photographs, stories of survival and loss, and new
found appreciation for the power of nature.
Slide 3: (:17) A
collection of these photographs, stories from the poets and their tanka were
displayed in the school for a special exhibit.
We were able to experience this exhibit, write notes to the poets and
meet Mr. Tsujimoto along with teachers and students from the school.
(@ 1:25) 5-6 photos- Elise: Special
experiences – A very important part of our Kizuna journey was all of
our first-hand experiences we had with the people affected by the earthquake
and tsunami- especially ones our own age. On our second day in Sendai we were
taken directly to the area of destruction and listened to not only plans of recovery,
but stories of strength and survival from victims of this terrible disaster. We
were taken to a sample of a new preventive measure the Japanese have come up
with in case of the future tsunamis, called the “Hill of Hope”. These hills
will be built as a high-ground safe place for the Japanese people if another
tsunami were to come. The best part about these hills, though, is that their
foundation is the very rubble from the destruction of 3/11, turning the
negative results into something positive and uplifting. The next day we were
taken to a strawberry greenhouse in the town of Yamamoto, and were then invited
to spend time doing activities with some high school children and disabled
adults. Some of these men and women had lost homes or family members to the
earthquake and tsunami, and it was so touching to have them trust us, practical
strangers, with their stories. The way we all came together, despite our
completely different cultures, and formed these personal connections was one of
the best parts of this trip, and created memories that can never be replaced.
Use Strawberry Line music behind
Elise's photos and the three following
tanka
Include song title and composer: Isaiah Hastings
Tanka #34 Maddy A; Tanka
#49 Alena; Tanka #57 Shawn
(:22) Recovery
Eric: Miyagi
Prefecture has implemented a 10 year plan for recovery and revitalization of
the affected communities. After two
years spent in the recovery phase, the affected communities are just now
beginning to enter a 4-yr phase of regeneration. It will another 7 years before the seaside
area in Miyagi can expect to be
fully revitalized.
Tanka #62 Erin;
Tanka #68 Brandon
Jade: (:37) Group
shot: As we left Sendai one morning to visit the villages along the coast and
meet witnesses and survivors, we were told that we would be performing for
disabled adults, neighborhood school children and older adults living in
temporary housing. We were nervous about
our performance (the Kansas Song and an impromptu ho-down.) We hoped that we
could cheer up the members of this community that had lost so much. On the bus, we were taught a song, the
Yamamoto Song, composed by witnesses and survivors of the tsunami. We were told
that we would sing this with our audience so we practiced it over and over
again.
Slide Stawberry prince: (:16) We came
to Tohoku to listen, learn and somehow perhaps offer hope. We were very happy
singing this song with the small community gathered in that gym. It inspired us and we left feeling like we
were the recipients of a warm and generous gift.
Kizuna slide (:14)
An act of nature can take away loved ones, possessions, means for work and homes
but bonds, or KIZUNA, and the power of human connections sustains us and is the
seed for recovery and hope.
Dianne Daugherty: Group
shot with otousan: (:40) Thank you for experiencing our journey through
these tanka, photos and stories. Over
and over again, when we asked what the people of Tohoku needed, they just said,
"Share our story and remember us."
As we remember our friends in Tohoku, let’s also remember the disasters
that have affected people in Joplin, Missouri, Oklahoma and areas affected by
Hurricane Sandy. We must also remember
those affected by human induced conflicts like Sandy Hook and the violence
taking place in other parts of the world.
Sometimes, just reaching out to someone plants a seed of hope. We'd now like to share this up-lifting and
hopeful Song of Yamamoto with you all and invite you to sing along.
Song
Final video of waves and sunset
"arigatou gozaimasu!"
Participants!!! Eric, Shawn, Elise, Brandon, Katie A, Erin,
Isaiah, Maddy A, Kayla, Jade, Mary, Alena, Kyler, Emily Brzon, Quincy (14 for
sures)
Not sure about:??; Zoe Bunton – South?; Hannah
Parinello-South?;
Not participating: Michael Meador, Cathy Zawicki?-ONW; Maddy
Hoyt- OE
Out of town: Justin Barnes, Sarahanne Yeo, D’Anthoni
