German Survivor of Tsunami Raising Funds for Japanese Orphans

Berlin, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)--Former lawyer Juergen Spielberg of Duesseldorf and his family nearly lost their lives in the monster tsunami unleashed by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on March 11.
Back home, Juergen is now raising funds for Japanese disaster orphans, remembering the support that saved the family from the deadly waves and helped them return to Germany a week later.
"Everybody in Japan willingly extended a helping hand," Spielberg says, voicing his gratitude for the kindness he received in the extreme situation just after the disaster.
Spielberg, 72, his wife Angela, 67, and daughter Johanna, 33, were traveling by train in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi when the temblor struck on the afternoon of March 11.
The three had arrived in Japan on March 6 on a trip to celebrate Johanna completing a master's degree in Japanese studies. On March 10, they went to view islets in Matsushima Bay, a major tourist spot in Miyagi Prefecture.
Soon after the quake, the three got off the train and caught a taxi, which was hit by the tsunami. As the waters swept the taxi along, the three opened windows to escape the vehicle as instructed by the driver.
The Germans were washed toward the balcony of a house. The residents rescued them and they spent the night there.
As the waters that had flooded the area began to recede, the three moved to an evacuation center in the Miyagi Prefecture city of Tagajo on March 12.
At the center, local residents gave the three home-made "onigiri" rice balls. Juergen always received the biggest because he was the oldest.
Another resident lent them a mobile phone, which the former lawyer used to let his son in Germany know that the three were safe.
On March 15, the three Germans moved on to Sendai, where they met Tomonobu Haga, head of the Nagaoka International Affairs Center in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.
Hearing that the three were trying to get to Tokyo, south of Sendai, Haga suggested a detour to avoid the traffic disruption in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. Haga, 61, drove them to Niigata Prefecture, southwest of Sendai.
The Germans spent the night at the home of Kota Matsumoto, a 28-year-old acquaintance of Haga, in the Niigata Prefecture city of Murakami. There, the three were able to take showers and eat hot food for the first time in five days.
On March 16, Haga drove them to Nagaoka, another Niigata Prefecture city. After reaching Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train, the three returned to Duesseldorf on March 18.
Back in his homeland, Juergen continues his activities for March 11 victims in Japan, especially fundraising for children who were left orphans by the disaster.
He also remains in touch with those who helped the German family in Japan. Haga was invited to the wedding of Johanna in July.
The former lawyer is still trying to find the taxi driver and the residents of the house who rescued them from the tsunami waters.
Juergen said many people he met have asked him to visit Japan again and stressed that he will revisit the nation for sure.
As of Aug. 2, in Miyagi Prefecture alone, 711 children under 18 are thought to have lost one of their parents, either dead or missing.
The number of children under 18 who lost both parents totaled 117, according to the prefecture, which predicts both tallies could rise further.
On the basis of National Police Agency data as of Tuesday, the March 11 disaster left 15,700 dead and 4,659 people missing in Japan.