The Lone Miracle Pine Part 2

  In Kesennuma city, Miyagi, a huge tanker ran upon the land was disassembled.

We saw many tourists like us as it was the holiday season.  A photographer came here all the way by rent-a-car and took photos using various lens.  Around the ship, cosmos was blooming on the ground with no houses but their basis.

  I have visited Ishinomaki, Miyagi several times after the disaster, and have seen its reconstruction.  Getting off the highway the street seemed to be completely rennovated, but in the bay area we still saw huge piles of rubbles (wondering if I could say so).

On Hiyoriyama observatory we saw offered flowers and photo display before the disaster.

I could not imagine thousands of people were lost in a moment here.

At the same time I do not want to be getting used to visiting here.

  Headed south from Sendai, Miyagi.  You may see nothing special, but had a very irritating odor of Tsunami here.

Maybe the rice or vegetable fields damaged by seawater.  Forgive me have taken a picture of a private residence.

I saw many houses like this.  An autotruck was overturned by the road, others had attacked a house.

These had been for more than two and a half years in Japan.  I can't believe.

  I got into Fukushima with my old GPS navigation with the old map data.  I just headed south. along the coast.  Saw some police cars in Minami-Souma or somewhere.  I was to ask the way if I was stopped by them, but nobody stopped me.  I think it was in Namie town, I fouund that I see no people nor car round me.

It is just an ordinary roadside, with no restriction, but nothing moved but only traffic signals and my car.  At least when I was there, it was actually a ghost town.  It was a bit long way for me until I saw signs of the check-point.  Passing through many bumps, finally I was stopped at the gate.  I was ready to apologize for losing my way, but the security guards gently told me the way.  Though I could not take any photo (DO NOT FOLLOW ME!).  I got all the way back and on the way back to my home.

  Driving through the coast in Northeast Japan, I was surprised to see it had not apparently been recnstructed, even after two and a half years.  A lot of damaged buildings everywhere.  People there should live their daily lives in such areas.  I can not imagine their feelings and emotions.  I could not made any contribution to recovery of infrastructure nor employment creation.  Yet reading messages from the students at science programs, I wish our believes would overlap on a pine tree someday.

The Lone Miracle Pine Part 1

(Japanese: http://ideasopinions.blog69.fc2.com/blog-entry-33.html)

Last September, two and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, we visited the coast of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.  I wanted to see the situation with my own eyes, and was hoping I could share my pictures with others through the internet.  At that time in Tokyo, we did not hear any news on the Earthquake but on atomic power plants.  Some of my friends in Tokyo told me that they could not imagine how the areas were.
I returned from the trip, and had been wondering for six months if I should really share the pictures I took.  It may not be right if you think you got an idea of how these areas are only from my pics and text.  I took pictures only where the landscape "fitted the picture frame."  As I was driving all the way, the chances were limited further.  Between the pics, were the huge distance, time, daily lives, and the emotions there.  I did go through the areas, but saw very little.  I was raised in Tohoku region, have my families and friends there, some of their houses got serious damage, but, I could not come to the "understanding."
Sorry to have kept you before the pics, but this is my "conclusion."  Getting closer to March 11th, we hear some news that should be much more detailed.  However, my "conclusion" after the trip is somewhat different from bookish or hearsay knowledge such as the third law of thermodynamics (for me).

 In Rikuzen-Takada city, Iwate, only one out of seventy thousand pine trees on the coast survived from Tsunami and the tree is called "The Lone Miracle Pine Tree."

They say it encouraged the people there just after the disaster.  But when I went to see it two and a half years later, I could not find anything but a tourist site.  The tree was dead and renewed with resin and replca parts.  It seemed to be brightly lit in the night.  Many tourists including me come and park their car, taking pictures of the tree, and go away.  I would rather see the damaged building by the tree.

What it was for, whether it was recunstructed anywhere else, and how long it would be left.  I had heard that the rubble had alomost cleared away, but I still saw many damaged buildings here and there.
  My second visit to Otsuchi town, Iwate.  One of my colleague had ever visited and we delivered a science program one and a half years ago.  The clock on the town hall was still indicating the time of Tsiunami.

Offerings would be because of the shrine festival on this day.

On the opposite site of the town hall stood another building- we see the power of Tsunami.

  In Kamaishi city, Iwate, we saw more damaged buildings left for two and a half years.  Gaming arcade, office buildings..

Covered rolls in the bay might be sand for leveling-up.

We had ramen noodles at prefabricated shopping mall.

The Rugby team of Shin-Nittetsu Steel used to be the champion in Japan for seven consecutive years.

Just next to the shopping mall stood a monument of Tsunami tidemark.

  Driving through the coast, we saw monuments of Tsunami everywhere.

Graves in front of the seaside.  Hope watching for the construction.

  In Kesennuma city, Miyagi, a huge tanker ran upon the land was disassembled.


(to be continued)