An American Family's LIfe in Kobe, Japan Following the Great Hanshin Earthquake
"Deep-throated foghorns blast through fog from the Inland Sea, in contrast to the faint tinkle of a brass bell from a nearby temple. From our house, or more precisely, from the house of Okamura-sensei, which is high up on the steep and verdant hillside in Sumiyoshidai, we view the bridges to Rokko and Port Islands. It’s spring in Kobe, just a couple of months after the Great Hanshin earthquake. Foliage dotted with fluttering blue, yellow, and white encompasses the house,, . At night lights twinkle on the water of the Inland Sea."
"Deep-throated foghorns blast through fog from the Inland Sea, in contrast to the faint tinkle of a brass bell from a nearby temple. From our house, or more precisely, from the house of Okamura-sensei, which is high up on the steep and verdant hillside in Sumiyoshidai, we view the bridges to Rokko and Port Islands. It’s spring in Kobe, just a couple of months after the Great Hanshin earthquake. Foliage dotted with fluttering blue, yellow, and white encompasses the house,, . At night lights twinkle on the water of the Inland Sea."
If you and your family had the chance to change your lifestyle completely, quit your job and school lives, and go to live in a land where you were not fluent in the language, and which had just suffered a natural tragedy, would you do it? In 1995, the Knox family went to live in Kobe, Japan, shortly after the devastating Great Hanshin earthquake. Though the challenges were significant, the experience was full of humor and learning. Kathryn worked as a faculty member at an all-women’s university; Mandy attended a Japanese junior high school, and Steve and Becca managed as best as they could in the midst of rebuilding and language challenges, to deal with the diverse needs of family life. If you’re interested in family stories about life in other places, give this book a read, and enjoy being immersed in Japanese school and city culture in 1995-96.
Illuminating, touching, and funny. Kathyrn Knox knows how to tell a good story. Mary
