[Ganbare Japan がんばれ 日本]

There are 2 things that remind me of Japan.
They are Cherry blossom (桜) and Koyo (紅葉), the autumn colors...

As the year 2011 was passing I was reflecting on the unimaginable tragedy that hit the people and the country of Japan on March/11/2011...9.0 Earthquake and the tsunami that followed.

The kind of composure and the dignity that the people kept under the circumstances of that magnitude really demonstrated how elevated human beings can attain to be...

Today here on the other side of the world I saw this maple tree that looked so beautiful and it once again reminded me of Japan. These leaves are about to die and fall in the winter... but just as with the case in Cherry Blossom that's when they look the most beautiful...what a fitting symbol of the spirit of Bushido(武士道)
It is how you die. To live is to die. One can only start living in a full sense when he accepts death. And these leaves are dying so beautifully.

It saddens me that the tragedy befell Japan but on the other hand I'm glad it happened to Japan. If I had a power to pick a country to which it happens I would have picked Japan due to its disaster preparedness because I know that no other countries would have handled it better and the death toll it took was significantly low given the magnitude of the Earthquake and tsunami that hit the country. Who would have handled the Earthquake, Tsunami, and radiation better than the only country in the human history on which 2 Atomic Bombs have been dropped. They rebuilt the country then, they will do it again...

I don't normally write...but I found this poem on my old blog.
I thought I'd post it here again. I wrote it last spring shortly after the Earthquake of 03/11/2011...

Japan

Dignity

Virtue

Force

Hope

Development

Life

Mountain

River

Sea

Beauty

Humility

Moral

Vitality

Self-sacrifice

Honor

Respect

Effort

Composure

Perfection

Fullness

Obligation

Loyalty

Responsibility

Diligence

Courtesy

Glory

Humanity

Beauty

Order

Coexistence

Coordination

Appreciation

Mother

Father

Love


Watched the news today
The scars of the Earthquake, tsunami, nuclear power plants are projected on TV
Japan is fighting on the big global stage

Then suddenly the scene changed
Projected there was a cherry tree with its full blossom
the cherry blossom has started in Japan

What a beauty...
Sakura, the symbol of Japan
it is blooming with full might in the drenching radioactivity

The strength of life...
Winter is nearing its end
Spring is coming..

It's alright...you can do it...
Ganbare Nippon


今日ニュースを見た
地震、津波、原発の傷跡が映し出される
世界が注目する大舞台で
日本は戦っている

そこで画面が切り替わる
映し出される桜の木・・・
日本では桜が開花したらしい

なんと美しいのだ
日本の象徴でもある桜
降り注ぐ放射能の中で力いっぱい開花している
生命の強さ
寒い冬は終わろうとしている
春はそこまで来ている
大丈夫、まだやれる
がんばれ日本・・・