Today was a nice sunny, clear day. We conducted tours from 1-4 and secured groceries and supplies. We met people from France, Germany, New Zealand, and a number of states. I knew that would not be extremely entertaining, so…..how would you like to hear a story?
The Story of Kamone:
On March 11, 2011 an earthquake hit Rikuzentakata, Japan. The same earthquake caused a tsunami which also impacted Crescent City, California, destroying the marina. On April 7, 2013 a lone boat washed up on the shores of Crescent City, California covered in barnacles. Students from the Del Norte High School took the small boat in and cleaned it up. To their suprise on the side of the boat was written, in Japanese characters “TAKATA High School”. An expert examined the boat and determined it was debris from the earthquake in Japan two years prior. The students at Del Norte High School thought it would be nice to return the boat to its original owners. The community came together and transported the boat to San Francisco where it took a freighter to Rikuzentakata, Japan. It arrived on October 21, 2013 - 954 days after it was pulled away from the tsunami.
The students at Takata High School were delighted to have the boat, that they had named “Kamone” which means sea gull, returned to them. The Japanese students invited the students from Crescent City to visit their town. In February, 2014, the students involved made the trip to Rikuzentakata, Japan. The following year the Japanese students visited Crescent City. A bond was formed between the citizens and communities. Kamone has become a symbol of hope because both cities had suffered devastation as a result of the same earthquake and tsunami on opposite sides of the Pacific. They are now sister cities. For more information, read the book The Extraordinary Voyage of Kimone by Lori Dengler and Amya Miller.
Our day ended with another beautiful sunset.
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ReplyDeleteI have tears. Alena, our daughter, was in Japan the year of the big earthquake. It is a small planet we live on.
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