Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the connection between memory and storytelling after 3.11 disaster focusing on kataribe tours and other practices related to transmission of the memory of the disaster.

Paper long abstract:

This paper aims to explore the practice of kataribe and its cultural significance; particularly the reasons why this practice is important during the recovery process that is going on after 3.11 disaster. In the past, the word "kataribe" indicated a storytelling reporting traditional stories from the past. The current meaning, while retaining the previous one, includes the nuance of being a first-hand account from a more recent past, especially after a natural disaster or a traumatic experience. The concept of kataribe is connected with the action of katari-tsugi, literally "telling the future generation for the purpose of conveying a lesson from the past."

Kataribe has a distinctive role in shaping the memories around which new communities will rebuild their post-disaster identity. It is situated at the core between shared and individual narratives, at the interaction between official and public discourses managed by politics and tourists associations or NPOs, and narratives by common people. While in the beginning, only survivors were involved in storytelling activities, recently, the importance of being able to convey the memory of the disaster for a longer future, opened a space to non-survivors. While it appears necessary to codify the stories to fit into a homogenous narrative, this unavoidable process flattens the complexity and run the risk of letting some voices unheard.

Drawn on ethnographic fieldwork, I also analyze the connection between the memory of the disaster and the future of the local communities, focusing on how it will enhance resilience to future natural disaster.