"I was tied up on a stretcher-
and couldn't move at all-
It was-
really hard-
at that time."
Almost ten years after the Great East
Japan Earthquake, I visited the coastal area of Aomori to Fukushima prefecture.
I have been to this area many times, but every time I am amazed at the status
of reconstruction, such as brand new reconstruction housing and roads that are
not on the map yet. On the other hand, I was keenly aware that there are many
people who have lived in the last 10 years with their thoughts in mind, like
the man with the opening words who were swept away by the tsunami in Otsuchi, or
the constant offering of flowers to Okawa Elementary School. Furthermore, I
witnessed that reconstruction is still in progress, such as the vicinity of the
nuclear power plant, which is still inaccessible for visitors, and port towns
where there is no place to move. It was a trip that made me realize the
importance of seeing and feeling by myself, instead of seeing and hearing the
news.
The northernmost point of this visit. The damage caused by the earthquake in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima has been widely reported, but information on Aomori Prefecture is rarely heard. I want to see Aomori even in one place, so I have chosen this northernmost city from “Reconstruction Support Map.” I visited Tatehana Park on a hill in the coastal area. Guretto Tower Minato is a 24m-high observatory that was opened in 2008 before the earthquake and offers a 360-degree panoramic view, as the name "Guretto" means "whole."
Even though it has been many years since the earthquake, a group of elementary school students came to visit. Perhaps they are trying to inherit the lesson. With an open view, the quiet river surface spread out in front of us. Topographically, it does not face the epicenter at all, and it is hard to imagine that the tsunami came here. When I visited last time, there was no significant damage in appearance. However, when I stepped into the exhibition, I realized the poorness of my imagination. Through the videos on the floor and walls, the experience of being swallowed by the tsunami was reproduced.
Just after the earthquake, the tsunami warning was just 1m and the first wave was -0.7m. The warning became 3m, 8m, 10m, and two hours later, a big tsunami struck here. I watched a video of a maritime observer who was surprised and panicked by the unexpected tsunami.
I was
prepared to see miserable images in Iwate and Miyagi, but I never expected to
see such a heavy image in this place at the northernmost tip of my tour site.
The height of the tsunami was exhibited on the wall. Many tsunamis have hit in
the past, but the one in 2011 is outstanding. I heard that nearly 10,000 people
rushed to the evacuation center on that day and spent the night in this area.
The elementary school students who were flirting at the observatory were now
breathtaking by the video. I left Hachinohe with a heavier feeling than I had
imagined, hoping that they would open up the future of this region.
https://www.city.hachinohe.aomori.jp/material/files/group/47/hachinohe_20110311.pdf
(Report in
Japanese but you can see many pictures on pp. 2-99)
https://www.city.hachinohe.aomori.jp/shisetsuannai/toshikoen/7789.html
(Select English at
the right top tab)
Kuji
Entered Iwate from
Aomori, and went south along the coast. Port towns are scattered, and the
narrow roads amplify the sense of distance between them. Once the road is
closed, all the cities should be isolated.
After driving about 50km, I arrived at Kuji city. It became popular by a TV drama. After dropping by the aquarium with the earthquake folklore exhibition, I headed to the monument in the harbor.
It is named "Cairn, Requiem Bell and Light." The rubble at the earthquake and the stones carved by the children are piled up to build the monument with the height of the tsunami (14.5 m), and the trajectory of sunlight at the time of the earthquake runs through it. I sincerely pray that the sunlight, which shines at the same time on the same day every year, is full of hope.
Miyako
Further south from
Kuji along the coast. I knew the roads in the inland area are better, but I
wanted to “see” the distance between the port towns. After driving for about an
hour and a half, I entered Miyako City. "Taro Tourist Hotel" that I
visited before was designated as the remains. The 1st and 2nd floors facing the
sea got completely carried away by the tsunami, and the 3rd and higher floors
were broken by the attack of drifting objects. Just after the earthquake,
I saw such buildings here and there. I took pictures so that the power of the
tsunami would not be weathered.
Next I visited the
Tsunami Memorial Park in Nakanohama. The campsite has been preserved in the
tsunami-stricken state, and you can see the height of the tsunami in the
vicinity from the observatory. It is difficult to tell how high you should
evacuate when a tsunami occurs.
Otsuchi
A place where I
got to know some people after the earthquake and gave classes at school. The
landscape has changed completely.
I could not feel the vestiges of the earthquake. The exhibition of the earthquake was in a corner of a brand new building containing a library. The town hall building, which used to be a symbol of the disaster, was demolished, and it was hard to find the location without a map. When I prayed on the small altar, a person who was watering the flowers spoke to me. He was swept away by the tsunami and miraculously rescued. He slowly talked about his experience. When he was swept by the tsunami, he hung on a part of the building and was very luckily rescued. Then he was fixed on a stretcher because it was hard to tell the condition of his injury. He told me that it was really painful that he couldn't move at all. There was no hospital to accept him in Otsuchi, so he was sent to a hospital in Miyako and finally survived. He was hospitalized for more than a month. It was an unimaginable experience, and I could only listen to him. I couldn't really hear why he was watering the flowers here and what happened to his family. I thanked him politely, prayed on the altar again, and left the site of the town hall. I had emailed my friend in this town, but unfortunately did not have time for meeting him. Iwate Prefecture is wide, with a north-south length of 190km, and a rias-style coastline of over 700km. I did not go through all the coastlines, but it took much time to drive narrow and winding roads. Want to see my friend next time.
Kamaishi
I've been to this
place several times. A big shopping center has been built and the city seems to
be restored. Next to the Kamaishi Prayer Park is the Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial
Stadium, where the 2019 Rugby World Cup games were held. Kamaishi was once a
steel town and a rugby town, too. It would have been a pride of the locals that
the Nippon Steel Rugby Club won the Japan Championships for the seventh
consecutive time, in spite of their winter practice environment. I hope that
the reconstruction will continue with their patience.
Rikuzentakata
In the place where
a large amount of sand was once carried by a belt conveyor from the inland
area, a splendid tide embankment and a memorial park was built.
The miracle pine tree was
preserved in the same condition as before. Few people look at the building
nearby, but this time I got to know that this youth hostel protected the pine
tree from tsunami. The contribution was recognized (?) and both were recognized
as remains. The pine forest was being replanted.
When I turned my eyes to the inland, I saw the mountain surface where the sand was collected. For a visitor, the reconstruction by changing the terrain is a little painful. I left this town after purchasing Yagisawa soy sauce, which used to have a temporary store under a conveyor belt, as a souvenir.
Kesennuma to
Minamisanriku
I've been to the
Rias Ark Museum several times so far, so this time I visited another place. The
old building of Kesennuma Koyo High School seems to retain its shape from a
distance, but when we see from the side, we can clearly see the trace of the
freezing factory crashing into the 4th floor. The people inside were evacuated
to the rooftop, so they barely avoided the collision, but I can't imagine the
fear that the factory building would be washed away by the tsunami at their
feet.
In Minamisanriku,
I stopped by the Takano Kaikan and the Earthquake Reconstruction Memorial Park.
The Takano Kaikan was surrounded by a puddle (probably rainwater) and could
only be seen from a distance.
I
looked for the old disaster prevention office building in the prayer park, but couldn't
find it. I have heard that some residents say that it should be preserved for
folklore but that others do not want to see it because it is a painful memory.
It should have been saved for the time being, so I would like to check the
location next time.
http://rias-ark.sakura.ne.jp/2/en/
https://www.kesennuma-memorial.jp/english/
Onagawa
The inland route
is easier between Minamisanriku and Ishinomaki, but I always try to drop by
Onagawa although it is a detour, as long as I have time. I went up to the
Regional Medical Center on a hill, to see the city. It is hard to imagine that
the tsunami hit this hill even when you look at the stone monument. The
cityscape around the station had changed completely. This time, I saw the
beautiful station designed by Shigeru Ban up close. The fact that there were
many cars is a sign that the residents had returned. Since this town does not
have a seawall, awareness of evacuation against the tsunami is more important
than in other areas. I pondered living in that tension.
Ishinomaki
I have been to
Ishinomaki City for classes and events, but the scenery seen from Hiyoriyama
Park changes greatly every time I come. There were many fine reconstruction
houses, and in addition to Hiyori Ohashi, another bridge is likely to be built
on the Kitakami River. Car congestion during a disaster will also be alleviated
to some extent.
Okawa Elementary
School building was left as one of the traditional facilities. Many
flowers are offered here whenever I come. Their memory for the children who
died here would never cease.
Higashimatsushima
At the former
Nobiru Station, the belt conveyor used to carry sand from the inland area, but
now it has completely disappeared. A train is about to come to the platform,
but actually the new station is built inland and this old station is preserved
as a remains. The height of the tsunami was displayed on the wall of the
reconstruction tradition building. It was a quiet place that I couldn't imagine
the disaster.
Sendai
The damage caused by the tsunami in Sendai City has not been widely reported, but Arahama
Elementary School has a glimpse of the devastation at that time. Perhaps because it is in the large city, many people came to visit this day despite the bad weather.
Natori to Iwanuma
In Natori I saw other visitors to Earthquake Memorial Park, but in Iwanuma I did not see any other persons at Millenium Hope Hills. It did not have much direction. When I got into the car in the parking lot, there was an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 4. The fear of the tsunami crossed my head as it was near the sea and there were no people around me, and I hurriedly drove my car.
https://sennen-kibouno-oka.com/english/
Soma
After the earthquake in Iwanuma, I went south along the coast while paying attention to the tsunami information. I entered Fukushima prefecture and arrived at the Traditional Requiem Memorial Hall facing the sea. The waves are high probably because of the weather, and the feeling of an earthquake has not disappeared yet. I parked my car on the inland side of the building and visited the inside. There were many photographs of unknown owners on display (with permission to shoot the exhibits in the museum). My heart hurts when I think about the feelings put into each piece.
Futaba
Further south from Soma, I headed for the nuclear power plant. The off-limits signs told the story of the current situation. There were no letters left on the sign indicating the entrance to the nuclear power plant, and weeds were entwined. But I thought the 2011 disaster should not be weathered.
The coastal areas of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima were a mixture of roads not on the map, remains preserved as they were at the time of the earthquake, brand-new reconstruction housing, and a tsunami video museum. On February 13th, when I wrote this note, there was an aftershock of magnitude 7.1. The locals may be living hard every day with experiences they don't want to remember, a changed living environment, the sadness of losing loved ones, and hope for the future. Tohoku people are said to be quiet and tenacious.
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”- Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "Le Petit Prince", translated by Katherine Woods
I wonder how much I saw them with my heart. I could not help wishing for the recovery of their hearts.
