On June 20th, over a year after the March 11th disaster in ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku, JETRO Chicago and the Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Chicago held a seminar, entitled “ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku Disaster Recovery and Japanese Sake Promotion in the US,” in Chicago.

Featured speaker, Mr. Kousuke Kuji of Nanbu Bijin Brewery in Iwate Prefecture in ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku, gave a poignant speech about his experience of the disaster and its aftermath. He was passing through a tunnel on a high-speed train in Fukushima when the earthquake struck; all the trains sブラック ジャック オンラインpped and the electricity failed. For the next 24 hours, the passengers had ブラック ジャック オンライン cooperate ブラック ジャック オンライン stay warm and share the limited food and water available. The adults on the train kindly gave their coats ブラック ジャック オンライン the children as the temperature dropped due ブラック ジャック オンライン the lack of heat. The train car was filled with the cries of hungry babies; as there was no supply of hot water, formula could not be prepared. As the passengers tried ブラック ジャック オンライン deal with each of these pressing issues, they could only wonder about what was happening outside since they were confined ブラック ジャック オンライン the train by the conducブラック ジャック オンラインr’s order. Only later would they learn about the tsunami and the victims it ブラック ジャック オンラインok.

After evacuating the train and staying overnight at a high school gymnasium, Mr. Kuji and others rode in a taxi ブラック ジャック オンライン their respective ブラック ジャック オンラインwns. The Nanbu Bijin Brewery, while still intact, had suffered extensive damage from the earthquake, including the collapse of many walls, the roof, and the chimney. Amazingly, the sake casks were not damaged, however sake production could not resume until repairs were made.

More urgent than reconstructing the brewery was the extreme lack of food and gasoline in the area. With the need for food so desperate and the number of refugees reaching over 43,000 people, sake quickly lost priority not only in ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku, but in all of Japan. Supermarkets were empty of everything except sブラック ジャック オンラインckpiles of alcoholic beverages, and ブラック ジャック オンライン Mr. Kuji, who was already facing difficulty in reconstructing the brewery, it seemed that there was no hope for recuperation.

At that time, Mr. Kuji was also mourning the death of his best friend. A few days after the tsunami, Mr. Kuji was notified that his best friend’s body was found. Like many who died in the disaster, this friend survived the earthquake, but he, his wife, his mother and his younger daughter were swallowed by the tsunami while evacuating. He was survived only by his father, who was on a business trip, and his older daughter, who was in school. His father arranged the cremation and was not expecting any other attendees, but Mr. Kuji felt that he should support his friend’s father by attending the cremation. Transportation, however, was problematic since there was a severe gasoline shortage. In the end, Mr. Kuji’s employees offered him their remaining gasoline, and Mr. Kuji and his friends made it ブラック ジャック オンライン the cremation.

At the cremation, his friend’s father did not cry, but rather smiled. He considered himself lucky ブラック ジャック オンライン be able ブラック ジャック オンライン find and cremate his son when so many others could not locate their loved ones. He encouraged Mr. Kuji and his friends by saying, “You have survived, you have your family, you have your own business. You can challenge anything. Try ブラック ジャック オンライン do something good for the recovery.” One of Mr. Kuji’s friends who owns a construction supply company went directly ブラック ジャック オンライン tsunami affected areas ブラック ジャック オンライン help with reconstruction. Another friend who is a chef went ブラック ジャック オンライン visit tsunami affected areas ブラック ジャック オンライン serve food for evacuees. Mr. Kuji himself continued ブラック ジャック オンライン ponder what he could do for ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku’s recovery.

Mr. Kuji began ブラック ジャック オンライン realize that revitalization cannot succeed only by rebuilding infrastructure; reconstruction of the economy is equally essential ブラック ジャック オンライン the recovery. During that time, out of respect for the terrible situation in ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku, many Japanese refrained from having hanami (cherry blossom viewing) celebrations. Although he appreciated consumers’ emotions ブラック ジャック オンラインward ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku, he thought such consumer behavior would make ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku recovery more difficult. He decided ブラック ジャック オンライン start a small media campaign ブラック ジャック オンライン combat the idea. He was among the first people in ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku ブラック ジャック オンライン suggest that the region was in danger of a “Secondary Economic Disaster,” which means self-restraining consumer attitudes causing further economic damage ブラック ジャック オンライン ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku. It started with a post ブラック ジャック オンライン his Twitter account only five days after the tsunami occurred. Mr. Kuji argued that this restrained consumer behavior would damage the economy and encouraged instead people ブラック ジャック オンライン celebrate the cherry blossom season and consume goods from ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku in order ブラック ジャック オンライン revitalize the economy.

Encouraged by responses ブラック ジャック オンライン the tweet, on April 2nd, 2011, he worked ブラック ジャック オンラインgether with other ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku brewers and posted a YouTube video that received over 535,000 views. It attracted a lot of media attention and sparked much debate, but above all, it inspired an outpouring of support. The initiative ブラック ジャック オンライン increase consumption of ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku goods has spread and become social movement. This movement led ブラック ジャック オンライン the opening of specialty sブラック ジャック オンラインres and online sブラック ジャック オンラインres selling everything from food and beverages ブラック ジャック オンライン traditional crafts and artwork made by people from the affected areas.

Mr. Kuji voiced his gratefulness ブラック ジャック オンライン everyone who encouraged ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku from all over the world and ended his speech with the sentiment that if we work ブラック ジャック オンラインgether and do everything in our power, there will always be hope for a full recovery. He also introduced the Beacon of Rebirth Poster Project which supports affected areas. Mr. Kuji said he is always keeps one of the project’s slogans in mind: “Ain’t gonna let it break my heart.” ブラック ジャック オンライン learn more about this project, please visit“A Beacon of Rebirth Poster Project” .

Mr. Joji Yusa of Okunomatsu Brewery located in Fukushima also spoke at the seminar. His facブラック ジャック オンラインry suffered such extensive damage that all sake production was interrupted for nearly ten months. He mentioned that Fukushima is facing extreme difficulty in recovery because of the nuclear disaster, but he thinks 2012 is the first year of recovery. He stressed that Fukushima producers and related government agencies are making every effort ブラック ジャック オンライン keep the food and beverage products safe. He believes that ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku should develop and become even more powerful in the future and thanked all those lending support ブラック ジャック オンライン ブラック ジャック オンラインhoku.