One Year After 3/11/2011

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the triple disaster in Japan. You choose which one was worse and which one on its own you would want to experience. Most of us who experienced it a year ago would agree that the sum of the parts was worse than each of them on their own.

I am not going to rewrite what happened or my memories of the experience a year ago. Much has been written over the past week in media near and far about the disaster and what, or what not, has happened in the past year. I will, however, differ from many comments in recent articles that start off with, "I can't believe it is a year since 3/11". For me, yes, it seems like a year. And it has been a long year to be sure. There was the initial shock and the ensuing months of shortages, uncertainties and people fleeing Japan. There was a summer of power shortages and rationing that seemed never to come to anything significant. News reports and NPO reports of progress and frustrations with the recovery efforts. If it has indeed been 366 days since the quake, I think I have felt every single day.

No one can agree on what the current or future impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident will be. Without any conclusive facts, I choose to stay here and enjoy my life. Danger and risks in life exist everywhere. Make your home the center of your life.

At this one year anniversary occasion, I choose to be thankful for all I have. Sure, I endured two minutes of terrifying shaking on 3/11 in Tokyo, followed by days and weeks of uncertainty and some lifestyle compromises. But from the day of the disasters onward, I still have my loved ones, my home, my job and my health. I can look forward to carrying on with my life without much sacrifice. This is more than many Japanese residents who lost family, homes, their hometowns and jobs can say. For so many in northern Japan, the future must look so bleak.

I hope the next twelve months will be filled with investment, planning and efforts to bring opportunities to the Tohoku region to recover, rebuild and renew their lives so they can say the same about their lives in 2013 and beyond.