KOBE, Japan, Jan 17 (AFP) - The earthquake that devastated Kobe 10 years ago remains a source of trauma for many, but some worry that the city's phoenix-like reconstruction is erasing crucial lessons from Japan's worst post-World War II disaster.
As southern Asia prepares to rebuild from last month's tsunamis, the example of Kobe shows that no matter how shocking a tragedy, memories inevitably fade as buildings go back up and life moves on.
Toshiteru Inaya, a 66-year-old retiree, volunteers once a week to narrate how he survived the Kobe earthquake which killed 6,433 others, but he is losing confidence that others, particularly young people, want to hear from him.
"When I tell my experience to young people, I get barely any response from them," he said.
"It is the young generation which should take over the role in handing down the bitter memories, but I'm afraid that apathy among young people has been widening recently."
Inaya shares his story at the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, a 12-billion-yen (118-million-dollar) museum built three years ago that contains survivors' narrations, a studio showing the flattened city and a library of films on the devastation and recovery.
Inaya explains how he crawled out from the clay wall of his house which had fallen on him as he slept in the jolt exactly 10 years ago.
"After my own narrow escape, I joined rescue work with my neighbours and saved the lives of eight people from the debris," Inaya said at the museum where "5:46 am, January 17, 1995," the exact moment of the tremor, is etched on a see-through wall.
He said he found it to be his duty to explain what he learned.
"You should not waste your time waiting for help in such a huge disaster," he said. "You have to act by yourself quickly. Please remember that humans are powerless before nature, which should not be underestimated."
More than one million volunteers rushed to Kobe to help speed up recovery after the earthquake which measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and hundreds of billions of dollars were spent to return Kobe to its original glory.
The reconstruction has worked. Despite lasting psychological wounds, life has returned to near normal.
"Right after the earthquake, my family was well-prepared for another earthquake and we were arranging emergency food, a flashlight, bottles of water," said Fumiko Yoshida, a 23-year-old clothing shop employee.
"But I don't know where those items are right now," Yoshida said. "I didn't even realize this year was the 10th anniversary until some reporters said so on TV."
Kanako Tanaka, 23, an information technology firm employee, said: "Ten years is a quite long period. I don't discuss it with my friends anymore."
Some young people are resisting the apathy to try to relay the memories.
"I came here with my son for the second time and I taught him how his birthplace was damaged in the past," Hiroko Shirai, in her 20s, said after reading out an explanatory note on a museum panel for her six-year-old son.
"He was born after the earthquake, but I would like him to have correct information so that he can take over a role in sending messages from Kobe to the world."
Ryusuke Imai, a spokesman for the museum, said: "For some victims, what they can see in this museum is really heartbreaking. But that's necessary to hand down the lessons from generation to generation."
Some survivors find visiting the museum a way to overcome their grief.
"I had avoided watching any news programmes on the earthquake, which brought sadness back to my heart," said Akino Yamamoto, 70, who lost her mother and her sister-in-law in the earthquake.
"But there's no point in turning our backs from reality," Yamamoto said. "The film is really shocking, but I decided to come here with members of my local community so that we can study once again what the earthquake brought to us."
01/17/2005 03:10 GMT - AFP