10 Years After the Kumamoto Earthquake: A Gathering for Memorial and Dialogue in Mashiki Town
LOVE FOR NIPPON will host 'KUMAMOTO 10th SONG OF THE EARTH' on April 14, 2026, in Mashiki, Kumamoto. The event features a memorial candle night and a symposium to discuss future disaster prevention and community building.
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LOVE FOR NIPPON (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative: CANDLE JUNE) will hold 'KUMAMOTO 10th SONG OF THE EARTH' in Mashiki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, marking exactly 10 years since the Kumamoto earthquake.
For 10 years since the disaster, we have gathered on the anniversary of the earthquake to light memorial candle nights.
This year, we want to discuss with as many people as possible what the ideal state should be '10 years and beyond'. Therefore, we will hold the SOTE Symposium '10 Years Since the Kumamoto Earthquake: Talking About the Future' simultaneously.
We will exchange opinions on support for disaster-stricken areas, the nature of recovery, disaster prevention, and community building.
*SOTE is an abbreviation for SONG OF THE EARTH
### Organizer's Comment
Ten years have passed since the Kumamoto earthquake.
We have concluded our 'disaster area support' and are now conducting 'recovery support' activities in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Kumamoto earthquake.
And once again, we are thinking about what 'recovery' truly means through our 15 years of activities in Fukushima.
Various disasters occur in different places every year, and words like 'bonds' and 'recovery' are often used. But what are the things we should truly value from the moment a disaster strikes? And what should we hold dear as time passes and memories fade...
We have always cherished the encounters at the Kiyama temporary housing complex in Mashiki Town every year. We have gathered on the anniversary to eat together and hold memorial candle nights.
This April 14th. At the 10-year milestone, we want to reach out to various connections once again and talk about what the ideal future '10 years and beyond' should look like.
CANDLE JUNE
### Event Overview
Name: KUMAMOTO 10th SONG OF THE EARTH
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 14:00 - 20:00
Venue: Mashiki Regional Coexistence Center 'Kataru' (592 Kiyama, Mashiki-machi, Kumamoto)
Admission: Free
Organizer: LOVE FOR NIPPON (General Incorporated Association)
Co-organizers: Kumamoto Earthquake Kiyama Temporary Housing Complex Boys and Girls Choir 'smile No1', Wagokoro
Contents:
- 14:00 Candle Message Workshop
- 14:00-14:30 'Talk on Disaster Prevention' by Kumamoto Prefectural Police
- 15:00-17:00 SOTE Symposium '10 Years Since the Kumamoto Earthquake, Talking About the Future'
Keynote Speech: CANDLE JUNE
- 18:00- KUMA TEN Candle Night & LIVE (smile No.1)
- 19:30- Moment of Silence
### SOTE Symposium
The SOTE (Song of the Earth) Symposium is a forum for dialogue held throughout the year in various parts of Japan. Each time, participants from various backgrounds, such as companies, government administrations, and students, gather to share lessons learned from disasters and think about how to utilize them in future disaster prevention and community building.
At the 10-year milestone of the Great East Japan Earthquake, we started a symposium in Fukushima with the Ministry of the Environment under the theme 'Fukushima, to the environment beyond'. Based on the idea of connecting these efforts not as 'dots' but as a 'line', the SOTE Symposium continues to be held in various places.
It was also held in Kumamoto in 2021. This year, which marks 10 years since the Kumamoto earthquake, we will once again provide a place where people from various standpoints can discuss at the same table, and think about how to utilize the 10 years of experience for future urban development.
For 10 years since the disaster, we have gathered on the anniversary of the earthquake to light memorial candle nights.
This year, we want to discuss with as many people as possible what the ideal state should be '10 years and beyond'. Therefore, we will hold the SOTE Symposium '10 Years Since the Kumamoto Earthquake: Talking About the Future' simultaneously.
We will exchange opinions on support for disaster-stricken areas, the nature of recovery, disaster prevention, and community building.
*SOTE is an abbreviation for SONG OF THE EARTH
### Organizer's Comment
Ten years have passed since the Kumamoto earthquake.
We have concluded our 'disaster area support' and are now conducting 'recovery support' activities in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Kumamoto earthquake.
And once again, we are thinking about what 'recovery' truly means through our 15 years of activities in Fukushima.
Various disasters occur in different places every year, and words like 'bonds' and 'recovery' are often used. But what are the things we should truly value from the moment a disaster strikes? And what should we hold dear as time passes and memories fade...
We have always cherished the encounters at the Kiyama temporary housing complex in Mashiki Town every year. We have gathered on the anniversary to eat together and hold memorial candle nights.
This April 14th. At the 10-year milestone, we want to reach out to various connections once again and talk about what the ideal future '10 years and beyond' should look like.
CANDLE JUNE
### Event Overview
Name: KUMAMOTO 10th SONG OF THE EARTH
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 14:00 - 20:00
Venue: Mashiki Regional Coexistence Center 'Kataru' (592 Kiyama, Mashiki-machi, Kumamoto)
Admission: Free
Organizer: LOVE FOR NIPPON (General Incorporated Association)
Co-organizers: Kumamoto Earthquake Kiyama Temporary Housing Complex Boys and Girls Choir 'smile No1', Wagokoro
Contents:
- 14:00 Candle Message Workshop
- 14:00-14:30 'Talk on Disaster Prevention' by Kumamoto Prefectural Police
- 15:00-17:00 SOTE Symposium '10 Years Since the Kumamoto Earthquake, Talking About the Future'
Keynote Speech: CANDLE JUNE
- 18:00- KUMA TEN Candle Night & LIVE (smile No.1)
- 19:30- Moment of Silence
### SOTE Symposium
The SOTE (Song of the Earth) Symposium is a forum for dialogue held throughout the year in various parts of Japan. Each time, participants from various backgrounds, such as companies, government administrations, and students, gather to share lessons learned from disasters and think about how to utilize them in future disaster prevention and community building.
At the 10-year milestone of the Great East Japan Earthquake, we started a symposium in Fukushima with the Ministry of the Environment under the theme 'Fukushima, to the environment beyond'. Based on the idea of connecting these efforts not as 'dots' but as a 'line', the SOTE Symposium continues to be held in various places.
It was also held in Kumamoto in 2021. This year, which marks 10 years since the Kumamoto earthquake, we will once again provide a place where people from various standpoints can discuss at the same table, and think about how to utilize the 10 years of experience for future urban development.