Please join us on Jan. 16 for the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake 20th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony, a reflective ceremony and ringing of the Kobe Bell in honor of the victims of that terrible disaster that struck Seattle’s sister city of Kobe, Japan on January 17, 1995. The Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association (SKSCA), Kobe Trade Information Office, Hyogo Business & Cultural Center, Japanese Cherry Blossom and Cultural Festival, Japan America Society of the State of Washington, and other Japan-related organizations and friends will gather at 12:00 noon on Friday, January 16, 2015 at the Kobe Bell on the Seattle Center grounds.
Seattle residents gathered at the Kobe Bell 20 years ago when the earthquake struck, and the SKSCA and other Japan-related groups have held bell ringing ceremonies since then to remember victims and show support to our sister city and its surrounding communities. Seattle residents also gathered at the Kobe Bell after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Tohoku, Japan.
The program will include remarks from Japanese Consul General Masahiro Omura and other dignitaries, a moment of silence, bell ringing, and a gathering in the nearby Armory Building to view some photos from the earthquake.
Event Details
Friday, January 16, 2015
12 noon – 1:15 pm Bell Ringing Ceremony
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Gathering in nearby Armory Loft
KOBE BELL
12 noon –gathering at the Kobe Bell
12:15 pm – 12:40 pm – some speeches / comments by dignitaries / blessing by Buddhist priests
12:46 pm – Moment of Silence, Lighting of candles (exact time of the earthquake in Japan: 5:46 am on January 17)
12:47 pm – Participants are invited to ring the Kobe Bell
1:15 pm – Close
ARMORY LOFT ROOM
1 pm – 2:30 pm Gathering in Armory Loft Room to enjoy some beverages, snacks, look at Earthquake materials, and learn about emergency preparedness
Contact:
Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association
Karin Zaugg Black 733-9810
Photo: 20th Anniversary of the Kobe Earthquake – Friday, Jan. 16 at 12:00 noon at the Kobe Bell