Hanako Ukon, born in Kobe three days after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, became a symbol of hope that later connected people to the recovery of Tohoku following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Inspired by her name's meaning, she co-founded an initiative to share the region's appeal through food events. The project has run for 12 years, involving about 6,000 participants.
On January 20, 1995, three days after the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck at 5:46 a.m. on January 17, a baby girl weighing 2.97 kilograms was born at Kanebo Memorial Hospital in Hyogo Ward, Kobe. Her mother, Yuko Ukon, then 33 and now 64, was jolted awake by the quake, turning to protect her 2-year-old daughter as a dresser toppled onto her hip. Labor began around 4 a.m. on the 20th; with elevators out of service, Yuko descended 15 flights of stairs over an hour before being driven to the hospital, where the baby arrived 17 minutes later. Without running water, the newborn skipped a bath, but her cries filled the ward as a sign of life.
Named Hanako—'hana' meaning cheerfulness—her parents hoped for the ruined city's swift rebirth. Learning the name's origin in elementary school, Hanako, now 30, felt no distress about her earthquake ties. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake hit when she was 16 and in high school; initially detached amid her hockey pursuits, she grew intrigued by classmate Nami Harada's volunteer visits to the affected areas. 'I began to ask myself why I did nothing, even though I was supposed to be a sign of hope,' she said, feeling burdened and guilty for the first time.
Enrolling in the same university as Harada, Hanako joined a 2013 trip to Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, a tsunami-ravaged town. Conversations with local fishermen and tasting seafood shifted her mindset from 'I want to help them' to 'I want to share the appeal.' In May 2014, with Harada and a friend, she launched Kikkake Syokudo (Opportunity Restaurant) from a rented Kyoto storefront, serving Tohoku-sourced dishes on the 11th of each month—the quake's anniversary date. The initiative expanded to Tokyo, Sendai, and beyond, holding about 250 events over 12 years with roughly 6,000 participants. Nobuhiko Abe, a 60-year-old attendee at a December event in Tokyo's Minato Ward, said, 'By coming here, I was able to form a connection with Tohoku.'
After graduating in 2017 and taking a Tokyo job, Hanako stepped back from the project but continues regular Tohoku visits and fisherman interactions. On January 3, 2026, before the renamed Kobe Century Memorial Hospital, she reflected: 'My mother named me Hanako after seeing Kobe devastated by the earthquake. I think that's what has led me to be who I am today.'
