Japan's disaster reconstruction minister Masahiro Imamura handed in his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Wednesday morning, a day removed from remarking that it was a "good thing" that the 2011 earthquake and tsunami struck the Tohoku region instead of Tokyo.

Imamura made the comments at a function for the Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, when in regards to damage to the infrastructure caused by the March 2011 disaster that killed over more than 18,000 people, he remarked "It's a good thing that it hit in the Tohoku (northeast) region. If it had been close to the Tokyo region, there would have been massive, enormous damage."

The minister apologized, but damage from the remarks have caused him to submit his resignation. Imamura also has a history of controversial remarks. Earlier this month, when pressed by a journalist on how the government would assistant Fukushima evacuees, Imamura suggested that “voluntary evacuees” take responsibility in their own decisions.

Slighted Japanese Twitter users from the Tohoku region have now started a hashtag movement that turns Imamura's own words against him, and celebrates the culture, cuisine, and community of the Tohoku region. Imamura used the words "東北でよかった" (Tohoku de yokatta, It's a good thing it was in Tohoku) to refer to the 2011 disaster. Now Twitter users are using the same #東北でよかった, only the "it" in question here is not the earthquake and tsunami, but the birth and upbringing over their users. You could translate it as "I'm glad I'm from Tohoku!"

It's an appropriate response from a region of Japan that has, to say the least, formed a bond of solidarity through incredibly trying adversity. It's also not the first Twitter riff on Imamura, whose has been joked about for often wearing neckties of the popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The reason for this is that the anime studio that produced the popular anime opened up a hybrid studio and museum in Fukushima to support the region. So while Imamura's intentions may have been in support, not many in Tohoku buy his sincerity after his recent string of comments, and the tie has become an eyesore.

Here are some of the beautiful pictures of scenery and local treats in Tohoku that many are sharing in response. You can check out more for yourself searching the hashtag "#東北でよかった".