From the Day of Helplessness to a Journey of Peace: Why I Teach Japanese

"Standing between the tides, a timeless gateway to inner peace and healing. Here, my journey of hope, rooted in Japan, begins."

March 11, 2011. That day, the world as I knew it changed forever.

When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, I was in Chiba with my 5-year-old son. Amidst the terrifying rumbles and aftershocks, I held my little boy tight, feeling completely consumed by fear. At that exact moment, my husband was high up in a swaying skyscraper in Shinjuku, working sleeplessly without rest to manage emergency communication lines for rescue operations.

But my heart was elsewhere—it was racing toward my hometown, Sendai.

My aging father, my mother, and my younger sister were all in Sendai when the massive tsunami swallowed the coast. For days, all communication networks were completely dead. I couldn’t reach them. I didn’t even know if they were alive.

The news painted a devastating picture. My father’s beautiful hometown of Sanriku, in Ofunato, was completely decimated. The ocean that once brought us beautiful memories had turned into a wall of destruction, washing away my grandfather’s house entirely.

While my family miraculously survived, thousands of precious lives were lost in the blink of an eye.

For nearly ten years after that day, a heavy, suffocating shadow followed me everywhere. It was the crushing weight of survivor’s guilt. “So many people lost everything, yet I survived. I am so utterly helpless. I couldn't save anyone.” That profound sense of loss and grief refused to fade.

What saved me from this deep darkness was education and human connection.

Seeking a way to heal and raise my son with hope, I immersed myself in studying Waldorf (Steiner) education. Through its holistic approach, I learned how to nurture the human spirit. I began to realize that continuing to learn, continuing to grow, and continuing to open my heart to others was not a luxury—it was a necessity. I found my own hope for living through the power of education.

And then, I found my ultimate calling: becoming a certified Japanese language teacher.

I finally realized that I am not helpless. By leveraging my roots as a Japanese native, and by connecting with beautiful souls around the world through the joy of language, I can actively contribute to world peace.

Every word of Japanese I share with you is filled with the energy of healing, the grace of hospitality, and a prayer for global harmony. When I meet you in my classroom, I do not just see a student—I see a precious human being who will help me build a more peaceful world.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me.

With love and peace,

Erica