Activities

On this field trip, I visited the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum, which raises awareness about the effects and risks of disaster and guarantees that the insights from the massive earthquake will endure in collective memory.

In 1995, Kobe, Osaka, and the surrounding region experienced a massive earthquake. This region suffered extensive devastation directly above the epicenter. Essential services such as electricity, water, gas, and public transportation were all disrupted, while countless homes, primarily constructed with aged wooden materials, succumbed to the seismic impact or subsequent fires. Numerous people were forced to spend a harsh winter in temporary shelters. The toll was staggering: 6,434 lives were lost, 43,792 people were injured, and 249,180 homes either entirely or partially destroyed.

These memories and experiences are conveyed to visitors through large screens and special effects. Additionally, diverse materials are displayed, demonstrating how the region has reconstructed their lives after the disaster. Through this, audiences can learn about natural disasters and gain knowledge about reducing future risks. This realistic experience allowed me to understand the effects of earthquakes and consider how to reflect on my country.

Korea, one of the geographically closest countries to Japan, was relatively free from natural disasters. However, as we learned in the last field trip to Osaka Tsunami/Storm Prevention Station, the collision force between layers has accumulated over a long period, causing instability. Therefore, Korea is no longer a safe zone for earthquakes. In the past few years, earthquakes of magnitude five or higher have occurred. How can we manage this risk situation? My insight from the field trip is as follows: (1) In an earthquake, information should be delivered quickly and accurately. (2) It teaches how to act in case of an earthquake and where to evacuate from the earthquake. (3) An earthquake-resistant design should be done on the building. (4) Lastly, it is necessary to develop human capital and disaster resilience, that is, the ability to recover to the pre-disaster social function.