Students, families in Japan unharmed by earthquake, tsunami disaster

By Alexis Austin

austina@mytjnow.com

Kansai Gaidai, the school where a Winthrop student is currently studying, was unharmed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Photo courtesy of Jennifer SandlerThe March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan left many people displaced and without food or shelter. Thankfully, this has not been the case for the family of Winthrop students and students studying abroad in Japan.

First year graduate student Tomo Koyano, who hasn’t been home in two years, said it is scary to even think about what the people in Japan are experiencing right now. Koyano is from Hamamatsu, Japan, about two-and-a-half hours southwest of Tokyo.

“I got a phone call from my mom and she told me about the earthquake,” he said. “Our city is far from where the disaster happened, so no damage was done. I watched the news and pictures of what happened.”

Freshman exercise science major Yuta Hirokawa said he did not hear about the earthquake until his tennis coach and friends asked him if his family was okay. Hirokawa is from Niigata, Japan. It faces the sea of Japan.

“After they asked me if my family was okay, I went on the internet to see what they were talking about,” he said. “I spoke with mother and she said my family was doing fine.”

Hirokawa knows a little about what the rest of Japan is experiencing right now. In 2008, his city had a level seven earthquake. His grandmother’s home suffered some damage, but not as much as what others are experiencing now.

“This time it was much bigger, but I know what an earthquake is like,” he said.

At the time of the earthquake, Koyano’s sister was attending class at the University of Tokyo. He said she had trouble getting home because the trains were shut down.

“My sister had to find a way to get back home that day because the trains were shut down. There was a lot of traffic because the only forms of transportation were cabs and buses,” Koyano said.

Jennifer Sandler, the International Center’s study abroad coordinator, said she has been in contact with Winthrop students studying in Hirakata City, Japan at Kansai Gaidai. Hirakata City is between Osaka and Kyoto.

Sandler communicated with the students, who are both juniors, through email.

“There was no loss of power. They are far away enough that they didn’t feel the actual earthquake, just the aftershock,” she said.

Sandler said after speaking with her family, the student who sounded concerned decided to return to the United States. She arrived on March 22. The other student has decided that he will finish the semester in Japan.

“We had two students studying in Japan. One student sounded concerned and the other student didn’t seem concerned,” she said. “Classes are still going on as normal.

Since the student returned from her study abroad experience earlier than expected, she has the option to start next semester in Germany. However, Sandler said she thinks the student will just opt to attend summer school.

Although the cities in which the earthquake and tsunami have been isolated due to radiation. Both Koyano and Hirokawa said that they would go help if they could. Koyano will be going home to visit for a month in May.

“If there was something I could do and I had the time, I wouldn’t mind going out there for a few days,” Koyano said.