Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle
在シアトル日本国総領事館

Who: SeattleJapanRelief.org coalition and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle

When: Sunday, March 11, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony, Exhibits, Presentations, Films (@ Fisher Pavilion)

2:00 p.m. Memorial Ceremony with Kobe Bell Ringing and Moment of Silence at 2:46 p.m. (@ Kobe Bell)

Where: Seattle Center: Kobe Bell (north of the International Fountain) and Fisher Pavilion

SeattleJapanRelief.org and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle will hold a special community event on Sunday, March 11, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Fisher Pavilion and Kobe Bell. The event, held on the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, focuses on three themes: remembrance, preparedness and rebuilding.

At the Fisher Pavilion, there will be exhibits and presentations by local and national emergency management authorities and non-profit preparedness groups about their work in Japan following last year’s disaster, and how to prepare for natural disasters in the Pacific Northwest. Attendees can also learn about ways to continue to support Japan as it recovers. The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle will hold a special screening of the documentary Gambappe Hula Girls! from 12:00 noon, as well as an exhibition of photography focusing on the disaster and recovery, and a presentation of children’s messages of hope from the Tohoku area.

From 2:00 p.m., the victims of The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami will be remembered with a memorial ceremony at the Kobe Bell. Following remarks by dignitaries, and a short Buddhist ceremony honoring the victims, the public will have an opportunity to ring the Kobe Bell. A moment of silence will be observed at 2:46 p.m., which corresponds to the time of the disaster in Japan on March 11, 2011.

The Kobe Bell is a gift from Seattle's oldest sister city, Kobe, Japan. Given in 1962 in honor of the World's Fair, the Kobe Bell has also been a gathering place for Seattleites to remember the Kobe (Great Hanshin-Awaji) Earthquake of 1995 for the past seventeen years.

SeattleJapanRelief.org began as a collaboration of Japanese American and Japan-related groups, and has grown into a diverse range of businesses, organizations and community groups standing together to promote relief and recovery following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, Japan. Coalition groups have collectively raised over $250,000 dollars, donating these funds through SeattleJapanRelief.org charity partners.

Confirmed exhibitors at this March 11th event include: The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle, Peace Winds America, The American Red Cross, the YMCA of Greater Seattle, and the City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management.

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