OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture – On the 15th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, residents of Japan’s northeastern coastal prefectures paused to honor those who perished. Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima saw ceremonies along the Pacific coast from early morning, as families and neighbors remembered the 22,230 people lost, including indirect victims.
At Koganji Temple in Otsuchi, Takafumi Sasaki, 75, knelt at the grave of his 58-year-old younger brother, a town official who died during a disaster meeting.
“I wish he had evacuated instead,” Sasaki murmured. “I hope you’re at peace.”
In Kesennuma’s Hajikami Suginoshita district, 72-year-old Kazuo Sato raised koinobori, carp-shaped windsocks traditionally flown for boys’ growth, for the first time since the disaster. He had last placed them in April 2011, when the area was still covered in rubble.
“I struggled to survive after losing my home and job,” Sato said. “Today, I feel ready to raise them again.” Watching the windsocks dance in the wind, he wiped tears from his eyes.
In Tomioka, Fukushima, a 55-year-old local surfer stood on the beach, where frozen puddles still lingered, paying tribute to a surfing companion lost to the tsunami.
“Fifteen years has gone by quickly, yet it also feels like yesterday,” he reflected. “Recovery here is far from complete.”
Sourced online/elamigo/xf
