Candle in the Wind: Celebrating hope and resilience on the first anniversary of the Japan tsunami

March 11th, 2011, an earthquake and tsunami took the lives of thousands of people on the east coast of Japan. March 11th, 2012 marked the first anniversary of this tragic event. In commemoration of all those impacted by this natural disaster- victims, survivors, those who lost their near and dear ones, Light up Nippon is an effort to restore hope and happiness through fireworks into their lives. It is also a tribute to all those who have shown extraordinary grit and resilience to restore and rebuild what was lost. 

This event was made possible by Cine Darbaar in collaboration with Japan Foundation.

Several people assembled at the Japan Foundation on the 11th of March to pray for the hope, safety and recovery of Japan.  People witnessed fireworks, lit candles and participated in the discussion on the Light up Nippon project that was led by the representative director of the project, Yoshitake Takada. Mr. Takada spoke of the idea behind the project of how he wanted to bring smiles to the faces of children and pay tribute to the deceased through fireworks in the Tohoku region of Japan of Japan.

After the tsunami, Mr Takada, like several Japanese residents contributed money to support those who had lost their homes and livelihood in the tsunami. However, when the annual Tokyo fireworks were cancelled that year, an idea struck this ad agency employee. He would get the fireworks to the Tohoku region. The fireworks would act as a commemoration in keeping with Japanese tradition of mourning and reuniting the dead with their families through a bonfire lit once a year in the house. 

 Mr Takada secured 11 locations to carry out these fireworks and got donations from both individuals and corporates. On August 11th fireworks lit up the skies of the Tohoku region of Japan bringing joy and a sense of solidarity between those who were grieving the loss the faced due to the massive natural calamity. Takada's team made a film on the whole process of Light up Nippon from inception to execution which was screened at the event at the Japan Foundation. The film triggered emotional responses of people congratulating Takada's efforts to help in the recovery from the Great East Japan earthquake.