On January 17, 2001, the sixth anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that claimed more than 6,400 lives, 50 runners set out on a cross-country journey carrying messages of thanks from citizens of the hardest-hit port city of Kobe to volunteers who came to their aid from all over the country.

The messages of thanks include an aerial photograph showing "Thank You from Kobe" in human letters, formed by some 1,100 schoolchildren of Kobe's Suma Ward, one of the most devastated areas.

Wearing white gym clothes, children and teachers from Higashimachi and Kodera Elementary Schools gathered in a nearby sports stadium on a fine day in December 2000, and formed nine letters on the green grass, each about 13 meters long and wide.

The Kobe municipal government flew a helicopter overhead to take the picture of the human letters, and decided to deliver the photo to volunteer groups across Japan as part of a project to mark the restoration of the quake-damaged city.

The photo and other messages of thanks will be carried over a total distance of some 6,500 kilometers across Japan by the citizen runners, including Ryoichi Nishigaki, a 20-year-old college student who was in eighth grade when the killer quake struck. "I don't think about the quake so much now, but I will never forget the warmth of the people who helped us in our time of need. I wanna run just to show my gratitude," he said.

One message said: "I felt from head to toe the kindness of the people who came to help us, which to me was more precious than water and electricity."

The messages being sent out also include thank you cards from the city's three middle schools. At one of them, Nagisa Middle School, 59 out of the total of 68 students contributed a few lines, remembering the killer quake that hit Kobe when they were in first grade or so and expressing thanks for the support given by volunteers.

Nagisa High students, most of whom had the experience of staying in shelters and living in temporary housing for months, raised donations and sent a letter of encouragement when a volcano on Miyake Island erupted to force an evacuation of all residents there last year. "This time around, we wanted to do what we can to help other people," one student said.

They also participated in a 'memorial walk' to trace the evacuation and relief supply routes used in the devastated city six years ago.

Photos: (top)Kobe elementary school kids form human letters to spell out "Thank You from Kobe." (Kobe 21st Century Restoration Commemorative Project); (above) The smiling students of Nagisa Middle School. (Asahi Chugakusei Weekly)