On Saturday, July 23, we visited the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI) in Kobe City as a one-day trip for GRM program courses Group Work Practice I and Group Work Practice IV.

Seven students including four international students participated in the event. It was led by the program instructors, Professor Hayashida and Professor Ueda, and also supported by the URA, Mr. Gines.

Based on the knowledge of earthquakes and disaster prevention that they learned in the lectures prior to the visit, the trip’s objective was to deepen their knowledge and interest on the topic by viewing exhibits and videos about the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, and to look for hints in possible solutions for the group work in September.

First, Prof. Hayashida explained the purpose of the visit and the points to look out for. Then, the participants witnessed through videos some moments during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the corresponding rehabilitation efforts.
They were also immersed by watching exhibits showing damages from the earthquake and victims’ testimonials. Since one of the participants appeared in the testimonial video, the other students became more familiar with the disaster, even though they had never experienced the earthquake. The students were also able to enforce their earlier understanding from previous lectures on the concept on disaster prevention, natural disasters occurring around the world, and the mechanism of earthquakes.

During the Kumamoto and Fukuoka fieldwork in September, the students will visit Aso Volcanological Laboratory and some physical remnants of the earthquake, listen to the stories of those who experienced the disaster and those who were involved in the recovery, and have the opportunity to engage in group work on the theme of disaster prevention.