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"My Ode to Kobe and Hyogo,"Consul General Kiyakazu Ota, September 1, 2010
I had an opportunity to visit Kobe, the sister city of Seattle, and Hyogo, the sister prefecture of Washington State on July 29th during my summer recess in Japan. They welcomed me warmly and provided a well-organized schedule. As the Consul General of Japan in Seattle, I am happy that I have been able to gain a better understanding of Kobe and Hyogo.
The following is a report on my visit and musings about my own history with Kobe and Hyogo.
1. A Kobe Send-Off
It was March 1977. I finished my final days at Tokyo University and I was to enter the Foreign Office in a few weeks time. It crossed my mind that I had seen only a little of my own country, so I borrowed money from my aunt and backpacked in the west for two weeks. The Shikoku and Kyushu Islands were my destinations as I had never been there before. My departure point was Kobe.
On the first day, I descended from the Blue Train at Sannomiya Station, Kobe, and walked down to the pier. I boarded a ferry from which I could see Suma and Akashi which were settings for a tragic romance in the Tale of Genji, written in the 11th century. I also saw Ichinotani, where a battle took place in 1184 and was later narrated in the Tale of Heike. Seeing historical sites so soon after the start of my journey made me realize that Kobe was a gateway leading me into both Japan’s past and my international future.
I drifted westward and was impressed to see beautiful scenery and had conversations with the various people I encountered. Boy and girl graduates bade tearful farewells to their families, friends and teachers on the quay at Fukue Port, Goto Islands, the westmost point in Japan. It was time for many Japanese to transition from schooling to getting jobs throughout the country, including me.
By the time I passed through Kobe again on my way home, I was ready to start my diplomatic career, and felt honored to serve this beautiful country and its wonderful people.
2. Catastrophe
It was January 17th, 1995. I was Political Counselor at the Embassy of Japan, Vienna, Austria.
I woke up to watch the news and got a shock. A high-magnitude earthquake had struck the city that sent me off to start my career. I rushed to the Embassy to see live footage from the air over Kobe. The dark smoke rising into the sky was the only communication we had from the devastated city.
With a heavy heart, I hastened to attend the weekly meeting of the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The general conference was held weekly at Hofburg Palace at the heart of Vienna, which hosted the Vienna Conferences in 1815. Our delegation from Japan was not a full member, but enjoyed the status of an observer with speaking privileges.
The floor was open. The first speaker referred to the earthquake and expressed condolences for Kobe. His statement was followed by the next representative. The third repeated the same, as did the fourth and fifth. The large conference hall echoed with voices of sympathy and support. I asked the chair for permission to respond to them. I thanked them for their compassion and offers of help, and added I would convey this to Japan.
The conference did not dance, but mourned in Vienna on the day.
At that time I didn’t know that a few days later and half a world away Seattleites would strike the bell they received from Kobe at Seattle Center to grieve for each death in their sister city.
3. A Passionate Account
A Parliamentarian Delegation came to Canberra, Australia from Japan in 1999. There was one member from Kobe and she spoke out about her city. She started with the disastrous earthquake of 1995, but stated that Kobe citizens were now more united than ever and were engaged in projects such as “Happy Active Town” and “Port Island.” Her passionate accounts stunned us.
Her remarks concluded with a simple message: “My mission on this parliamentary tour is to express thanks to those who had helped Kobe during difficult times and to tell them that Kobe has regained her energy to work toward the future.”
4. Remarkable Recovery
In August 2004, only 5 years later, I saw for myself that she was right. My wife and I visited our daughter, who was studying medicine in the Kyushu Islands. We drove our car from Yokohama to Kobe.
Arriving in Kobe, we went first to Meriken Park and walked round the pier, which had been preserved in its devastated state after the earthquake. Then we drove, crossing Kobe Ohashi Bridge onto Port Island. We watched the many areas of bustling activity: the Portliner transit system was being extended, new buildings were going up and the airport was under construction.
We loaded our car onto a ferry and crossed under the Akashi Strait Bridge, the longest-spanning suspension bridge in the world. It made us think of the Floating Bridge of Dreams from the Tale of Genji, and showed us without a doubt that Kobe was not only recovering, but poised to surpass its former self.
5. Kobe and Hyogo: True Partners of Seattle and Washington
The media claims that Japanese is looking inward and that Japan is tending towards isolation in the 21st century. Contrary to these reports however, Kobe and Hyogo people remain as internationally-minded as ever and keep their doors open to the world. They have helped one another since the earthquake and are now filled with the spirit of innovation and value international cooperation in particular.
In our conversation during my visit, Governor Ido stressed the importance of people-to-people ties and social networking. These are, he stated, the keys to friendship and afford solid foundations for trade, investment and other important cultural and economic endeavors.
Kobe and Hyogo are determined to keep up their sister city and prefecture exchanges, which they believe will broaden their horizons in the future. Even with their dramatically increasing ties with Asian neighbors, Kobe and Hyogo still see their relations with Seattle and Washington State as invaluable and keep them in the forefront. The two peoples have developed wonderful sister relationships for more than half a century and consequently have seen a great number of achievements flower in the fields of culture and education.
I was amazed, at the number of staff in the offices I visited there who know Seattle much better than I do and who have many friends in Seattle. They studied at Washington State high schools and universities or have served at the Kobe and Hyogo offices in Seattle. These open-minded people are the excellent harvests that the sister relations have been reaping over the last 50 years. They are in turn determined to serve as the new engine to drive Kobe and Hyogo to further their relations with Seattle and Washington State in the upcoming 50 years.
My sentiment was met with hearty agreement by all: “Let’s invest in the future!”