Kia kaha, Japan: Kiwis send message
A Japanese man living in New Zealand has come up with a facebook event to draw the two countries together as Japan marks the anniversary of its devastating tsunami.
“Kia Kaha Canterbury, Love from Japan,” reads a poster filled with photos of Japanese people holding signs of support for Christchurch in the wake of the first anniversary of the February earthquake.
In return, Teppei Harada created a Facebook event asking Kiwis to write “Kia Kaha to Japan from New Zealand” on a piece of paper in their own unique way and then take a photo of themselves holding it. The photos will be put together to make posters to send to tsunami affected areas in commemoration of the first anniversary of the Japanese tsunami, which struck on May 11.
Teppei Harada, who is from Japan, was studying at Canterbury University when the September Earthquake hit. Just three weeks after the February earthquake the tsunami which killed nearly 16000 people devastated his homeland.
Teppei first came to New Zealand as an exchange student through the Japan New Zealand cultural exchange association. He now lives in Wanganui and is working for Suzuki as an assistant to the CEO. He says the Kia Kaha (stay strong) movement is important to him because of his close ties to both countries.
“It seems a bit stupid to think someone far away from Christchurch saying ‘Kia Kaha Christchurch’ is going to help you but it did. You felt the support and how much they cared.”
The “Kia Kaha, Japan and New Zealand: We walk along together” campaign was started by Tanaka San of the Japan New Zealand Cultural exchange association (which organises not-for-profit student exchanges) after both countries experienced national disasters in the same period. Posters and charity collections were put around different businesses in both countries.
More information can be found at kia-kaha.net.
