Many of those who work in disaster management in Kobe may have chosen their careers because of their experience in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Some of them, however, choose their path without any clear cause. I do not know if it is chance or necessity, but I do know for a fact that Kobe widely opened their doors to anybody.


The disaster gave him an opportunity to learn about his father’s job



Mr. Yusuke Murosaki of the nonprofit organization Plus Arts was in his second year of junior high school, living in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City when the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck. Although he felt the large earthquake, with a seismic intensity of five in Kyoto City, he went to school as usual and later learned that the quake had wreaked tremendous damage in Kobe.

We called my sister, who was living in Kobe and made sure that she was all right. I was shocked to watch the news reports on TV, but felt as if the disaster had happened somewhere a long way off.

However, the event brought about a small change in his life in another aspect. His father, Professor Emeritus Yoshiteru Murosaki of Kobe University, known as a researcher in the field of disaster management, was almost unable to come home after the earthquake disaster.
★ Link to Dr. Yoshiteru Murosaki: https://bekobe.smartkobe-portal.com/interview/2015/02/2324/(in Japanese)

I was watching my father on TV, who had been unable to come home for a long time, vaguely feeling that society needed him and that his job was valuable. Still, I had no interest in jobs related to disaster management, or rather I did not want to engage in the same work as he did, because he was very well known.

He went into the field of disaster management through the natural course of events

Photo: Design and Creative Center Kobe in Chuo Ward, Kobe City where the Kobe Office of Plus Arts is located. The facility has a café, a hall, open space for galleries, and offices for organizations that engage in creative activities, and various projects are being developed.

Mr. Murosaki was at a turning point when he completed his course at graduate school. He felt it would be difficult to make a living through his knowledge of psychology.

どWhen I discussed it with my father, he said that knowledge of psychology would be useful in many aspects of disaster management, and suggested that I should meet Mr. Nagata, whom my father described as an interesting person, the Chair of Plus Arts where my father worked as a director, and that I should participate just as a trial in a volunteer activity which they conducted. As such, I joined a disaster management workshop, “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!”

* For more information about Chair Hirokazu Nagata of Nonprofit Organization Plus Arts, please refer to the following website:https://bekobe.smartkobe-portal.com/interview/2015/03/2597/ (in Japanese.)



Considering plans for his future life, Mr. Murosaki participated in volunteer activities for one year and then decided to work at Plus Arts when he was asked by Mr. Nagata to help the organization compensate for the lack of staff.

I decided to work there thinking that I would just give some help, hardly imagining that I would stay this long. Many people who work in disaster management do so with passion, whereas I just started to work casually, as I had experienced the disaster in Kyoto City where the damage was limited, and my father’s job is related to disaster management.
Having said that, I was sure that my views could be helpful when educating the general public, because such people usually have little interest in disaster management, the ideas and approach of Plus Arts were very exciting, and the job suited me well.

After all, Mr. Murosaki embarked on a career in disaster management, the same field as his father.


A disaster management workshop “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” linking Mr. Murosaki to Plus Arts

The nonprofit organization Plus Arts aims to solve social issues creatively by using art and design. The organization was established to carry out disaster management events. Plus Arts works mainly on disaster management activities but is also involved in various fields such as city development, education, and the environment. Its unique approach has gained much attention from a wide range of fields.

Photo: Target shooting game with water extinguisher. Later, a child who joined the program extinguished a small fire.

The major activities Mr. Murosaki is working on are a disaster management drill for children: “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” through which Plus Arts was established, and a workshop to gain knowledge and skills useful at times of disaster: “Red Bear Survival Camp.” He is also involved in developing disaster management games and educational materials.

Started as a commemorative project of the 10th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Plus Arts interviewed victims of the disaster about the knowledge and skills that were helpful and reflects them in fun programs for children to learn.

Photo: Blanket stretcher time-trial

Children can participate in a target shooting game with a water fire extinguisher, a drill to carry a human-sized stuffed frog using a blanket, and watch a puppet play to learn about items needed in emergency evacuation. But people who have little interest in disaster management usually will not bother to join such a program. To get as many people as possible involved, Vice-chair Hiroshi Fuji of Plus Arts created a system, “Kaeeko Bazaar”.

In the system, children can exchange their unwanted toys into points at an event site and use the points to buy another toy. Popular toys are put up for auction and will be won by those who have highest number of points.

Children flock to the Kaeru Caravan, participate in the program to collect points, and learn about disaster management through the process.

Children, who first join the program to get toys, will repeatedly try particular games once they like them, and listen to instructions occasionally in a serious manner. This creative approach will help children learn about disaster management in a fun way.

At present, the Kaeru Caravan workshop is held in many parts of Japan. Plus Arts has a supporting system to provide seminars with local communities so that the workshop can be operated by the local people and that staff of Plus Arts do not need to attend every event.


Reflecting in projects things learned at a disaster site of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Photo: Learning how to make a fire!

The concept of the Iza! Kaeru Caravan was developed into another project, “Red Bear Survival Camp.” Through this two-day, one-night camp, children can acquire various skills, such as making a fire, creating a filter from a plastic bottle, rope work, and cooking rice in a furnace. These activities are all useful for emergency situations. Mr. Murosaki came up with all these ideas from his own experience.

I went to an evacuation center in Ofunato to help victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake for about ten days. People there heated the bath by burning firewood they collected from the wreckage. At first, I tried to chop firewood but was unable to do it properly. So, an old man there who could not bear to watch my attempts taught me how to do it.

Through the volunteer activities, I realized that being prepared and gaining knowledge were important but surviving by making a fire and using tools was also essential.

Photo: Rope work instruction


Creating communities where people can help each other and act flexibly at times of disaster

This is the sixth year Mr. Murosaki has worked at Plus Arts. He carries out the Kaeru Caravan as well as helps people in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City to plan evacuation drills and operational drills for a disaster center. He feels, however, that these activities have only a limited effect.

People in many cases participate in emergency drills from a sense of obligation, and the programs are sometimes not practical. I wonder whether what they have learned the lessons properly when a large disaster occurs. As such, I would like to change such programs to something that functions effectively at times of emergency.

The Kaeru Caravan can be valuable as a starter, but I would like to work on creating communities where people can help each other and act flexibly at times of emergency.

Photo: Bucket relays carried out by adults and children together

Mr. Murosaki has been involved in raising communities’ awareness of disaster management, and started to wonder what good emergency drills do for communities at times of emergency. I am looking forward to future developments in his work.


In a way, it is a necessity. In a way, it is a coincidence

Photo: Mr. Murosaki worked on creating the disaster management card game “Shuffle.” The rules of the game are similar to those of Uno. People can enjoy learning about disaster management through the game.

Mr. Murosaki said that he did not have strong feelings for his work when he started. How has he changed his mind since then?

I gained some confidence. In the past, I thought I was quite helpless to do anything, and so I hated that someone said to me that your father helped them a lot. But now I no longer care about it at all because I have something that I accomplished. Or rather, I am even grateful for my father because people can remember my name right away.

Furthermore, I was born on September 1. This is Disaster Prevention Day in Japan. The day was established to mark the Great Kanto Earthquake that took place on this day in 1923. I hated that when I was a child too, but now I appreciate it because I have more opportunities to give presentations and can talk about my birthday, or Disaster Prevention Day.

My father works in disaster management and has a connection with Plus Arts that were understaffed, so I joined them. In addition, my birthday is on Disaster Prevention Day. In a way, it was meant to be. Now I feel that my work is well worth doing and want to continue as much as possible.

Photo: Plus Arts cooperated with the Crisis Management Office, Kobe City Government and Design and Creative Center Kobe to develop information boards for tsunami refugees.

In a way, it is a necessity, and in a way, it is a coincidence.
I believe that Mr. Murosaki has become involved in disaster management as a result of a mixture of necessity and coincidence. His passion is fueled by his present actions, his pride in those actions, and his thoughts about the future.


(Interviewed and written by Yuki Hirakawa)
This article was created with the cooperation of greenz.jp.