Marina Arai

Marina Arai, 19, was one of 12 Japanese students from Toyama College of Foreign Languages killed in the earthquake. She was a member of a 21-strong group that arrived in Christchurch three days before the quake. They were studying English at the King’s Education language school on the third floor of the CTV building when the building collapsed. Her family said Marina was a sincere and warm-hearted person with a "cute smile and a good sense of humour. She lived with her father, mother, older sister and a pet rabbit in the northern Japanese city. She had a passion for Japanese tea co-ordination, matching sweets with tea served in fine china. Her family said she was a diligent student who wanted to improve her English on the New Zealand trip. She had hoped to become a cabin attendant or an animator.