Nearly three years ago, Taylor Anderson was teaching in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Then the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami disaster happened, and Taylor, just 24, lost her life.
Nearly three years ago, Taylor Anderson was teaching in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Then the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami disaster happened, and Taylor, just 24, lost her life.
Taylor, an American who was known as a bookworm, was accepted into the Japanese government's JET program as an Assistant Language Teacher and taught at seven schools, from kindergarten and elementary level through middle school.
To commemorate Taylor's life, a library, called "Taylor Bunko," was set up in each of these schools.
I learned that Taylor's family lives near Richmond, Virginia, and visited them at their home.
A two-hour drive from Washington, D.C., the Anderson residence is located near a farm with horses running around in a paddock. I received a very warm welcome from Taylor's parents, Andy and Jean, along with their two dogs.
The earthquake occurred while Taylor was teaching at Mangokuura Elementary School in Ishinomaki. After helping the children evacuate, she was making her way home when she was swept away by the tsunami. Her parents have visited Japan several times since then, meeting with the children Taylor taught and helping to clear debris left by the earthquake and tsunami.
The Taylors marked the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake by visiting Japan again in March 2013, along with their daughter Julia and son Jeff, to attend film screenings in Tokyo, Sendai and Ishinomaki of “
The 90-minute film consists of interviews with Taylor’s family, friends and colleagues and carries a message of hope and recovery.
In Ishinomaki, many students who were taught by Taylor came to the screening. The 400-seat venue was packed to capacity. Some people had to stand to watch it.
The Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund, set up by the Anderson family and others, raised in excess of $400,000 (40 million yen). These funds were donated to the Taylor Bunkos as well as to children orphaned by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake.
"After she died, we saw firsthand the warmth of the Japanese people and the beauty of Japan. We really learned a lot about why she fell in love with Japan," said Jean.
"We always felt like if she had survived, she would have done her best to help with the reconstruction here. We wanted to help carry on what we thought Taylor would have wanted to do," added Andy.
I had the opportunity to visit Mangokuura Elementary School at the end of January. Many of Taylor's students had already graduated, but memories of her remained.
"She wasn't my direct teacher but she played tag with me," said one sixth-grader. "She was a kind teacher," said another.
"She was cheerful and bright but at the same time was a little reserved, much like a Japanese person," said Fuminao Takada, one of Taylor's fellow teachers at Mangokuura.
The bookshelves of the Taylor Bunko are lined with printed works in both English and Japanese.
The collection includes picture books contributed by U.S. ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy. Kennedy visited Mangokuura Elementary School in November shortly after she took on the post. At the school, she read the picture book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak to the pupils.
The shelves are low in height and mounted on wheels, making them easy to use. Shinichi Endo, a wood craftsman, built the bookshelves in accordance with requests from the school.
Endo's three children perished in the tsunami. He learned of the need for bookshelves when he was struggling to find motivation to go on with his life. Two of his children had taken Taylor's classes.
"I was able to move forward when I met Andy and Jean. Doing something that my children would be happy about if they were alive, that's what I can do as a parent," said Endo.
Last month, American students from Taylor's alma mater, Randolph-Macon College, visited Ishinomaki and met with Endo.
When I told Endo that I would be visiting the Andersons in the United States, he gave me a handmade decorative strap and asked me to give it to them.
The strap was a miniature "hyoshigi," or set of Japanese wooden clappers. The two wooden pieces were 6 cm (about 2.5 inches) in length and came in different colors. One piece is made from pine that was found in the rubble in Ishinomaki and the other is from a redwood tree in the United States.
"Hyoshigi requires two pieces to produce a sound. Together with the Andersons, I want to be the bridge between the U.S. and Japan. That is the sentiment behind the hyoshigi," said Endo.
Upon hearing Endo's words, the Andersons nodded, clapping the hyoshigi together.