<The website contains a digital archive of photos documenting the activities of Baylor University students in the area devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake since 2012 and interview videos of the people in the affected area. The contents can be used for Japanese language learning or anyone interested in finding out about the Great East Japan Earthquake.>

In 2012,  the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, a group of Baylor University students visited Minamisanriku and Kesennuma to see any help they could offer for the people and town devastated by the catastrophic natural disaster.

The Baylor in Japan (BIJ) Summer Intensive Japanese program began in 2012, merely a year after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. The BIJ program not only focuses on language learning but also emphasizes community service. In the summer of 2012, following the tsunami disaster, during a time where basic shelters were practically non-existent, we had the privilege of visiting the tsunami-stricken area owing to everyone’s support. We initially arrived with trepidation at Minamisanriku in fear that our presence would further cause a burden, but as we met the people and volunteered in the community, the people of Minamisanriku welcomed us with smiles despite the catastrophic devastation. We realized that we needed to go back to Minamisanriku and continue our support.

We have been visiting Minamisanriku ever since. We were amazed by the resilience and determination of the people of Minamisanriku as we witnessed their town improve year after year. Amidst their unwavering strength, their worst fear was to be forgotten by the rest of the world. It was then we began to consider what we could do to create a lasting impact.

(Supported by the Japan Foundation Grant)