While running a design office, Kenichi Utsumi hosts the website Nadatama, which suggests fulfilling lifestyles in Nada. As a “Naddist” with an abundance of love for Nada, he plans many fun events throughout Nada, including the flea market “Mt. Maya Rucksack Market,” allowing anyone to participate with just one rucksack, and the “Higashi Kobe Marathon,” which rivals the Kobe Marathon.



Mr. Utsumi has not talked much about the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the incident that led him to return to Nada. However, as a matter of fact his various fun activities came about largely due to the earthquake.

Found the names of two former classmates on the initial list of victims reported by NHK radio

In the early morning on January 17, 1995, Mr. Utsumi received a phone call at his home in Tokyo. It was from his wife’s father, telling him that Kobe was in a terrible state. On TV was aerial footage showing the collapse of the Hanshin Expressway near his parents’ home, and buildings bursting into flames.

I called my parents many times, but couldn’t get through to them. Having no other choice, I went to my office, and found the names of two former classmates on the initial list of victims reported by NHK radio, though it was a small list at that time. I was really shocked.

At around 3 p.m., he received a call from his younger brother at an evacuation center, and was relieved to know that all of his family members were all right. On the next day, he left for his parents’ home in Nada Ward.

He went to Kyoto by Tokaido Shinkansen, changed trains and headed for Osaka. From there, he could go as far as Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi by Hankyu Railway. While local people were evacuating to the east, he walked on to the west over the wreckage, dragging a cart packed with bento (lunch) boxes and water.

Before crossing the Ishiyagawa River, I didn’t actually realize what the damage was like. But when I reached Rokkomichi in Nada Ward, I found many buildings collapsed. Flames were continuously coming out of bare gas pipes. I couldn’t find familiar townscapes anywhere, and became aware how serious the situation was.

In the midst of nonstop sirens of ambulances and fire engines, he went on walking through the darkness while making detours due to debris blocking the road. Finally at around 11:30 p.m., he reached what seemed like his home. It was about a four-hour walk from Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station.


Main hall of the temple just after the earthquake

The Utsumi family’s home is a temple. The main hall was destroyed, but the dwelling part called kuri was not collapsed since it was a bungalow. The entrance hall supported by many columns was the only area that had escaped damage, and his parents, younger brother and grandmother had brought their bedding to sleep there, according to Mr. Utsumi’s memory. Based on the idea that a temple master must protect his temple, the family had come back from the evacuation center.

Midoro area in Nada Ward was one of the worst affected areas
People in Kobe have experienced the 1938 Great Hanshin Flood, World War II, the 1967 flood, and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. “Since they have overcome various disasters, my parents’ generation have a philosophical attitude,” says Mr. Utsumi.

What relieved me was that all of my family members were positive. They even worried about me, saying, “Welcome back! It must have been a hard journey.” Having no information, they had thought, “Since Kobe suffered such damage, Tokyo must be in a more serious situation.” They were surprised to see the special edition newspaper I showed them. “It’s only in Hyogo?!”

The Midoro area in Nada Ward, where the Utsumi family’s home was located, was one of the worst affected areas. Roads in the neighborhood were blocked with debris u to waist height.

On the following day (January 19), he found out that the neighbors next door and across the street had lost their lives. They had cared about him since he was a small boy.

Self-defense officials pulled out their bodies trapped in the wreckage. All I could do was to pick some grass, offer it to them and pray for them with my father and mother.

Construction of the temporary main hall, using a tent borrowed from a church

Soon a town development organization called the Midoro Reconstruction Committee was launched in the area. Mr. Utsumi continued working in Tokyo, and visited Kobe once or twice a month. In Tokyo, he used his PC to collect detailed information that didn’t appear in the newspaper.

My wedding ceremony was planned for the spring of 1995. I thought I should postpone it, but my family said that I had to celebrate a happy event precisely because it was a difficult time. In the end, I had a wedding ceremony in Kobe in early September. We went up to the Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens via ropeway, and overlooked the city of Kobe. It was a blue-colored townscape, most parts of which were covered with blue tarpaulin.

I felt I must come home

In Tokyo, Mr. Utsumi worked for a design office handling housing equipment. Before the wedding, he told his boss that he would leave the company the following year.

I returned to Kobe in April 1996. Somehow I felt I must come home. To help the reconstruction of my home temple was also a reason.

Mr. Utsumi at that time

Mr. Utsumi was 29 years old at that time. He volunteered to serve in the secretariat of the Midoro Reconstruction Committee, while he supported the reconstruction of his home temple. He also worked as a designer at the request of the design office he had worked for. One day he attended a high school class reunion in 1997, where one of his classmates who worked for a major educational company informed him of a design competition.

I participated in the competition, and won. I was commissioned to design teaching materials every month. I have no idea what would have become of me if it had not been for the support of the people around me.

Negative feelings about the idea of “town development” gave birth to Naddist, Naddism and Nadatama, media based on a love for Nada

As a member of the Midoro Reconstruction Committee, he represented the residents in the discussions regarding construction of high-rise apartment buildings.

Sometimes people got into a shouting match in front of me. It’s difficult for us to unite all of a sudden under the idea of “the town belongs to everyone.” I am not a leader or a coordinator, and so I decided to make the city a happy place as far as I could.

Establishing a five-year goal of town development is “OK if it’s a job, but I don’t like having a kind of sense of obligation in the place where I live,” says Mr. Utsumi.


Free newspaper Naddism

Feeling like that, Mr. Utsumi established the free newspaper Naddism. It was the beginning of his “guerrilla activities” to make the city an enjoyable place. Later it was developed into the email magazine Naddist (1999), enabling former residents of Kobe to find out about Nada’s situation and the fun things going on there. Naddist boasts over 1,000 subscribers. In addition, he established the website Nadatama, and has launched many fun projects to enjoy Kobe, such as the Mt. Maya Rucksack Market, the Higashi Kobe Marathon, and the Mt. Rokko Cannonball Run.


News gathering for Naddism


Tour for the subscribers of the email magazine Naddist

Reconstruction from the earthquake was a tough and stressful task. The email magazine became a success because people were beginning to think, “Don’t we have anything fun?” The media that talked about the town served as something to rely on, when nothing was left in the town.

What to expect from Kobe

Lastly, I asked what he thought about Kobe looking back on the last 20 years.

Residents worked hard, but administrative bodies also did a great job. I think we can promote this more confidently, but you know, many Kobe residents are naturally humble and shy.

There were times when Kobe residents, including Mr. Utsumi himself, refused to talk about the earthquake even when memories of the earthquake suddenly came back. They were afraid of being criticized, of being told things such as: “How long are you going to talk about the earthquake?”

Kobe’s value is not fully understood by just stopping by for sightseeing; it’s a place to live in. That’s why I want to produce something that makes Kobe residents happy. If it inspires people to live in Kobe, I couldn’t be happier.

At the same time, Kobe is a compact residential city. If it fails to promote its attractions based on its natural resources, it can’t survive; it will become just a common provincial town.

One of the things that Mr. Utsumi told me that left an impression was that disaster survivors sometimes felt better by sharing old stories, saying “Oh, yes, I remember that.” When people lose their towns, they also lose their identity without realizing it. Mr. Utsumi feels that, in Kobe’s case, media such as Naddist and fun events which enable people to enjoy the city worked effectively to help heal the survivors.

To reconstruct Kobe, Mr. Utsumi has been making efforts to generate systems to enjoy towns. Through this process, he produced networks of people in a natural way, and created a base where people could feel better. Mr. Utsumi’s fun “guerrilla activities,” generated when nothing was left in towns, offer some clues for creating local ties.

Interviewed and written by Tetsuya Kano
This article was created with the cooperation of greenz.jp.