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Published: February 18th 2016
We got up early on 13 October to catch the 8:40 ferry from Ura no Hama harbour. Upon arrival at Aceport Kesennuma harbour, we got in a taxi and headed for Kesennuma station. A number of taxis came to Aceport Harbour; it was very convenient. I’ve heard that all the taxi companies have been relocated to higher ground, a couple of miles away from the harbour, since 11
th March 2011. All the taxi drivers we met experienced the huge tsunami on that day, and talked about their experiences and views of the ongoing restoration project.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) It took 10 minutes by taxi from harbour to Kesennuma station. After the disasters, JR (Japan Railway) Ōfunato Line managed to get the line restored between Ichinoseki and Kesennuma, but not further towards Ōfunato: Kesennuma has become the terminal for Ōfunato Line. Lots of stations, railway tracks, tunnels and bridges were washed away along the coastal section of the line between Kesennuma and Sakari via Rikuzentakata and it was officially scrapped in 2012, and the right-of-way used as a bus rapid line. The same things have happened to Kesennuma Line; partially the
inland section between Maeyachi and Yanaizu was restored and the rest of the coastal section of the line between Rikuzen-Yokoyama and Kesennuma has been replaced with the BRT line. At Kesennuma station, the Ōfunato line’s railway tracks for Sakari and Kesennuma line’s railway tracks have been replaced with a concrete road – bus lanes, but the station structure – the staircases, the footbridge, the platforms and boards have remained.
We were going to Rikuzentakata by BRT Ōfunato line, which was the replacement bus line with JR Ōfunato line; our Japan Rail Pass was valid for the bus. Up to Shishiori-Karakuwa, the bus went through the bus lane, converted from the railway line – we could see the tunnel and the railway signal along the way. After leaving Shishiori-Karakuwa, the bus went on to the motorway, and headed for Rikuzentakata. There weren’t traffic jams; the bus brought us to Rikuzentakata at 10:16 as scheduled.
Mr Miyoshi was waiting for us at BRT Rikuzentakata. He is a deputy chairman of the tourist board of Rikuzentakata, and regularly travels to Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima to promote the local goods of Rikuzentakata and do
railway tunel
The replacement bus is running through the railway tunnel.lectures about Rikuzentakata’s tsunami at those places. My mother met him in Tokyo when he was selling the local specialities and doing the lecture.
Rikuzentakata was severely damaged by the huge tsunami on 11
th March 2011 – and nearly 80%!o(MISSING)f residential houses were washed away – and after the disaster it was said that the city of Rikuzentakata had disappeared. We could see a large area of empty space as soon as the bus arrived into Rikuzentakata.
He took us to his office at the temporary office building, and introduced us his colleagues there. We then got in the big van (the hired taxi on 13 October). My mother let him arrange the tour for us to see Rikuzentakata.
Takekoma district First he took us to Takekoma district, which was facing to Kesengawa River and 2–3 km away from the coast. We got off the car at the place next to the river. We could see three concrete structures across the river – they were the bases of the railway bridge connecting JR Takekoma station. Including this railway bridge, there were three concrete
bridges but they were all washed away. As of 2015, there was only one temporary bridge opened on the Kesengawa River.
What we saw in the Takekoma district was bases of the farmer residential houses and signs of the building work. We could see mountains behind the former residential areas, and felt that residents could have survived if they had evacuated to one of those mountains. Mr Miyoshi pointed at the remains of the public hall next to the river and explained as follows:
‘Although Takekoma district is surrounded by mountains, very sadly many residents evacuated to this public hall after the earthquake: it resulted in having a greater number of victims. The layout of the city of Rikuzentakata was designed on the basis of the disasters caused by the Chile Earthquake in 1960. As well as Takekoma district, there were quite a few public buildings, which were builtby the river, on the lowland and at the foot of the mountains, set as designated shelters. While residents undertook the fire-drills, they were directed to evacuate to one of these buildings and believed that these buildings would protect them from any
Takekoma district
Takekoma district is 2-3 km away from the coast, but being by the river, all the residential houses were washed away and it has been decided to become uninhabited zone. kinds of disasters including the tsunami. However, the huge earthquake on the 11
th March 2011 was bigger than the Chile Earthquake, and more importantly, its epicentre was 70km away from Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku, much nearer than the Chile Earthquake. As a result, with the increased power, the giant tsunami overtook the seawall, relentlessly engulfed and swept away the city. The tsunami went through the Kesengawa River, and the Takekoma district was flooded with blackened water containing debris. There were quite a few shelters devastated in Rikuzentakata – all the residents should have evacuated to the mountains or the roof of the high buildings.’
Kesen Junior High School Next, he took us to Kesen Junior High School standing near Hirota Bay. A-three-storey of the school building was badly damaged; all the windows were smashed and have not been repaired. As of 2015, piles of the building material were placed on the school ground. It seemed that there hadn’t been the plan of repairing the school to let students come back; instead the former school building would be demolished or used for other purposes.
He told us that
bases
These are the bases of the railway bridge. the school building was devastated as it was, but all the students and teachers survived, and explained to us what had happened:
‘After experiencing a huge, violent and long-lasting earthquake in the afternoon on 11th March 2011, all the students went out to the ground. The school manual says that, in the event of the disaster, the class tutor is responsible for taking the attendance of his/her students, contacting their guardians and ensuring that they would pick up their children and take them home. However, having experienced the long-lasting and violent earthquake and incessant afterquakes, the headmaster decided not to follow the manual. He first let all the students and teachers evacuate to the top floor of the three-storey building next to the school. But, the deputy headmaster, who was originally from the coastal town, felt that it wouldn’t be safe to stay the building near the coast and immediately urged them to climb up the mountain. With the headmaster and the deputy headmaster’s appropriate judgements, all the students aged 12–15 and their teachers’ lives were saved.
In the Sanriku district, people learn the word “tsunami tendenko”: this
is the authentic training method that the ancestors who had experienced huge tsunamis taught the descendants;
one is to save one’s life by oneself; one should run for higher ground after a huge earthquake. Japanese retain close friendship with the family and work colleagues and always stay together to survive during the crisis/disaster period, but in the event of unprecedented disaster on 11th March 2011, this morale would not always be quite appropriate; it can cause a greater number of victims.’
Mr Miyoshi talked about the tragic episode of Ōkawa Primary school in Ishinomaki city, where 84 pupils aged 6–12 died by not being given appropriate and sufficient methods by teachers. After the earthquake, the teachers took the attendance at the school ground. However, they’d heard that the maintenance work on the evacuation route behind the school hadn’t been done, so they decided not to take this short-cut route to higher ground and took the detour route along the river instead. Sadly, the tsunami went through the river and the communities along the river were inundated. It was thought that those children were engulfed by the tsunami at that time. He
emphasized the importance of reforming the evacuation manuals at schools.
I’ve heard from survivors’ episodes that they didn’t feel safe at the place where they had first evacuated, and after seeing engulfing tsunami, they even ran for even higher places on that day.
Many people acknowledge that the tsunami on 11
th March 2011 was unprecedented; he mentioned about the following episode:
‘Volleyball and rowing clubs at Kesen Junior High School had a good reputation and had won a number of games. Students wrote the name of the school on the volleyballs and boats both in Japanese and English. All these items were washed away, and some of them apparently reached the west coast of America. Later on, with identified names spelt in English, they were delivered back to the school.’
Conveyor Belt and Ipponmatsu: a Miracle Pine Tree From the place where the taxi driver had parked, in addition to Kesen Junior High School, we could see the ipponmatsu: a miracle pine tree and conveyor belt systems, both of which have become iconic symbols of Rikuzentakata’s restoration
conbeyor belt
A series of big building works have been carried out along the coastal side of Rikuzentakata. project.
After surviving from the devastating tsunami, the ipponmatsu, a lone surviving pine tree, has become very famous – lots of Japanese and non-Japanese reporters have described how the pine tree had survived and said that the existence of the pine tree had given hope to residents in Rikuzentakata – and it was decided that it would be added to BRT (replacing with Ōfunato line)’s bus terminal.
Mr Miyoshi, the deputy chairman of the tourist board of Rikuzentakata, acknowledges that the miracle pine tree is the symbol of Rikuzentakata and many tourists flock to the area. However, he grieves that the area has become a touristic place and lots of tourists take photos with smiling face there. The lone pine tree reminds Rikuzentakata’s residents of the devastating tsunami on 11
th March 2011. He emphasizes that the tree is the disaster memorial and signifies the loss of the Takata Matsubara’s pine grove and the white sand beach surrounded by pine trees – listed as one of the hundred beauties in Japan – and that many people have remembered. As one of residents in Rikuzentakata and one who used to work around Takada Matsubara, he wishes
michi no eki
Former Michi no Eki building has added to the memorial for the disaster. that tourists would visit his hometown in a more thoughtful and respectful manner.
He explained about the Takata Matsubara’s pine grove and the miracle pine tree as follows:
‘It was approximately 350 years ago that pine trees were planted on 2km of the white sandy beach facing to Hirota Bay. The pine grove withstood a number of typhoons and Meiji’s period’s huge tsunami in the year of 1896 –it had never been knocked down. Before the 11th March 2011, this lone pine tree stood a few metres away from the pine grove which contained approximately 70,000 pine trees.
The epicentre of the earthquake on the 11th March 2011 was off the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku, southeast of Hirota Bay. Huge tsunami caused by the massive earthquake knocked down all the pine trees which stood further south of the lone pine tree.’
Showing us the aerial photo of the pine tree, he said:
‘I’ve perfectly agreed that this pine tree is now named the miracle pine tree. This pine tree stood between the youth
destruction
Inside of this building shows how destructive the tsunami was. hostel and the sea. On 11th March 2011, the youth hostel building, which it was decided to add to the memorial building for the tsunami disasters, weakened the effect of the tsunami protecting the pine tree from the direct attack by 20m of the tsunami. And Takata Bypass standing on the inland side from the pine tree weakened the effect of the receding tidal waves and protected the lone pine tree.
Afterwards, various charity groups were set up. The people who were involved in those organisations endeavoured to protect the life of the line pine tree. As a result of the massive earthquake and the tsunami, the ground sank by 80cm, and it made the seawater easily absorbed into the soil, and it rotted the roots: all the charitable groups had to stop their activities.
Nevertheless, Rikuzentakata’s local authority decided to keep the lone pine tree as a memorial for the Tohoku Earthquake and for the symbol for the restoration project, and set up a new project “Miracle Pine Tree Preservation Project” and established the account for people in Japan and the world to donate for this project, aside from the accounts for the
restoration project, re-building the infrastructure and communities.
It was decided that Nomura Co., Ltd, the main office of which is based in Tokyo and whole staff are designing the exhibitions in museums, was to take responsibility for design and its work progress on the project of the Miracle Pine Tree. Nomura Co., Ltd employed carpenters, woodcutters, craft people and engineers at institutes and factories of 11 prefectures of Japan and delegated the work – cutting down the lone surviving pine tree, removal of the core of the pine, removal of the root system, making replicas of the old surviving tree’s branches and reinstallation.
Many of Rikuzentakata’s residents are aware that the upkeep of “The Miracle Pine Tree Preservation Project” was expensive; some of them are bound to feel doubtful and grieve about what local and state authorities do while the city’s overall re-building projects have been delayed.’
I’d heard from my mother in 2014 that a massive conveyor belt system had been set up in Rikuzentakata to carry a large volume of rocks and soil from the hill to the coastal districts and use the material for
kesen junior high
Students and teachers survived by the head master's appropriate judgement, but so sad to see the abandoned school. building up the embankment. We saw its long suspension span behind the pine tree. Both conveyor belt and the pine tree are lit up at night, and they are regarded as the symbol of the restoration.
Tapic 45: Former Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara Next, the driver went through the temporary bridge and headed for Tapic 45: Former Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara.
We popped in the little information centre/museum, and found the root of one of the pine trees, which was knocked down by the huge tsunami.
Former Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara was built for tourists who would visit Takata Matsubara, the pine grove and the white sand beach. There were a wide variety of local specialities, food, craft and souvenirs in there and it was Mr Miyoshi’s former workplace. He admitted that if the meeting had been scheduled at 15:30 on that day he wouldn’t have been able to meet us. There were a couple of his colleagues working there at that time. By listening to the wireless broadcast system, they climbed up to the landing which was set 14.5m
denshokan
Kesen carpenters' house & museum high – the highest position of that building for the staff and tourists to be able to climb up in the event of the tsunami. After the second wave had arrived, the water level rapidly increased, around the Former Michi no Eki station was submerged with the sea: it recorded 14.5m of tsunami on that building. His colleagues saw engulfing tsunami reaching where they had evacuated; apparently they clung to the rails very hard while their bodies were soaked.
It was decided that his former office, Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara Tapic 45, would be added to the memorial for the disaster. This building showed how destructive and horrible the tsunami was: all the windows and the porch were washed away and inside the building there were clutters of trunks and concrete pieces which were brought up by the tsunami and the receding waves.
The 2km of the pine grove on the white sandy beach was not only the tourist destination but acted as a windbreak and seawall. The huge tsunami knocked down the pine grove and relentlessly swept through the residential areas behind the pine grove. On the 11
th March 2011, the tsunami
engulfed the residential areas a number of times, and it was found that only a very few concrete buildings remained in Rikuzentakata next day; in fact, as with the Former Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara, they were severely damaged by waves containing sharp and hard stone items.
Citizen’s Forest and Kesen Carpenters’ House & Museum As it was approaching the lunch time, Mr Miyoshi took us to Citizen’s Forest in the northeast of Rikuzentakata. The taxi driver went through the winding roads along the woodland, and then started going up on the mountain road flanked by cedar trees.
It was showering while we were around the Former Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara along the coast, but it luckily stopped raining when we reached the observatory; we could see a blue sky. The observatory was located in the heart of Hakoneyama mountain forest close to the border of the neighbouring city, Ōfunato city. We could see harbours built around the bay, inlets of estuaries, backdrops of coastlines in Rikuzentakata and Ōfunato city. Both cities’ residential houses and factories on the harbours were washed away; we could see a large empty
space in both cities. We could also see Kesennuma Ōshima Island from the observatory – it wasn’t too far.
Next, he took us to Denshokan, Kesen Carpenters’ House & Museum. We were invited to the drawing room with display of the treasure ship and the portable shrine in the recess, and had lunch arranged by Mr Miyoshi.
After the lunch, he invited us to sit around Irori, a square fireplace, in the kitchen. He then explained as follows:
‘With the design of the farmhouse in the late 19
th century, Kesen Carpenters’ House & Museum was built in the 1970s to pass on building techniques – with the use of healthy, sturdy cedars grown on the mountains on the Kesen districts – to the people in the future generations.’
He pointed at mijiya – old-fashioned Japanese word for the scullery, where the wife would prepare meals, wash up dishes and wash clothes, and explained various items displayed in the kitchen – mokko, bamboo rucksack, which farmers used to carry cultivated food; farmers’ raincoat and snow boots, both of which were made
oyako jizo
This is the tribute to young children who had lost their parents and siblings or other members of the family in the disaster. of straw; izumiko – old-fashioned Japanese word for the baby’s cradle and it was made of straw.
Mark was very pleased to be able to see this authentic Japanese farmhouse, and it seemed to attract western people. We could hear English and German conversation from visitors while we were in the Carpenters’ House & Museum.
Fumonji Temple Next, the taxi driver went down through the mountain road and took us to Fumonji temple on the Yonesaki district. Surrounded by cedar wood, there were a number of old and beautiful buildings – Japanese garden, Buddha statue, a three-storey pagoda and temple. These buildings withstood the violent and long-lasting earthquake, and because they were built on higher ground, they weren’t affected by the tsunami.
Mr Miyoshi had been to Tokyo several times to do a talk about the tsunami, and learned about Tokyo Skytree. He said that the three-storey pagoda had Shinbashira seishin – the central pillar to support the tower structure, which is equivalent to the seismic violent control system employed on the reinforced concrete pillar of Tokyo Skytree, thus this three-storey pagoda withstood
the earthquake.
The violent and long-lasting earthquake hit at 14:46 on 11
th March 2011 and lasted approximately five minutes. Together with incessant afterquakes, it caused severe damage to old and modern buildings and infrastructures in wide areas of the east of Japan. However, some of the historic houses and sacred buildings like Nikko Toshogu and Hiraizumi’s temples, which Buddha and deities are housed, withstood the violent earthquake and subsequent afterquakes: the work of these buildings were probably executed by very skilled carpenters and builders at that time and they were built with a good and firm structure, using healthy and sturdy cedars and oak trees for the supports and bases of the houses.
Mr Miyoshi opened up a wooden box laid at low position and showed us Oyako (parents and children) Jizo, which were made of pine trees that were knocked down by the tsunami. He told us that these wooden statues were a tribute to children who had lost their parents in the disaster and that they would show gentle and serene face if visitors looked at them from the low position.
There were a number of stone portrait statues
stone statues
Stone statues showed various features of the deceased people. laid on the lawn ground on the foot of cedar trees. They represented the people who died in the disasters, and showed various features of the deceased people – a mother who had permed hair, a person wearing spectacles and a boy with a baseball hat.
Progress on the re-building project in Rikuzentakata and concerns While going down the slope from Fumonji temple, he showed us the nursery where the gardeners had started growing new plants for pine trees which will be planted once the soil along the coastline gets improved and new residential areas on higher ground in Yonesaki district – we saw high-rise flats, the style of which can be seen in the urban areas.
Wide areas of Rikuzentakata city were devastated; it was decided that lowland areas – Kesen and Takekoma districts, which were severely affected by the tsunami – would be added to the uninhabited zone; no residential houses would be built there. It resulted in the residential areas shruning considerably. For these reasons, there have been a number of high-rise flats for a larger number of households to live on the limited space. A block of
high-rise flat can accommodate between 50–100 families or even more, and the people who had been living in the temporary accommodation have been offered to move in one of those high-rise flats for their permanent living. The drawback is people or person has to re-start their life with their new neighbours again. The national media describe the news of high-rise flats as the symbol of re-building new communities. However, Mr Miyoshi has heard some rather concerning episodes and told us as follows:
‘For a long time, all the citizens have lived with a large number of family members – two or three generations – in a big house in Rikuzentakata. The people who have lost their houses have been given free accommodation in the prefabricated temporary houses. They are not given big space at these houses, with a little bit defective boilers or electric systems and fewer amenities, but while living these for 3–4 years, they have befriended their neighbours and supported each other’s lives. The authority started offering these people to move in to these new high-rise flats at the beginning of January, but some of them have quite a few vacancies.’
irori
Mr Miyoshi sitting on the Irori, fireplace in the old farmhouse. He then talked about this tragic news:
‘In June, the gentleman in his seventies had been found dead in one of the high-rise flats. Apparently, he had recently moved in one of these flats and it is thought that he had died for feeling isolated.
The prefabricated temporary house is divided by thin veneer board; this would allow people to know the extraordinary incident of their neighbours, and they could call emergency service straightaway if necessary.
However, they couldn’t do such things while living in a room surrounded by thick concrete walls.
Living in an unaccustomed and unfavourable environment often causes people to become ill, especially elderly people and young children, and it leads to serious incidents.’
He felt sad about the elderly man’s death, and appealed that the authorities should take more care of these vulnerable people.
Owing to the building work along the coastline, the roads along Hirota Bay and Kesen district were restricted, in particular, around Ipponmatsu – a lone pine tree, the traffic flow was severely restricted and it was apparently very
14.5m
Around former Michi no Eki building it was submerged with the sea on 11th March 2011. difficult to park the car: Mr Miyoshi told us that we wouldn’t be able to go to the Ipponmatsu area.
Before returning to Kesen district, the former residential area, he stopped at the car park where we could see Daiichi Junior High School building on the higher ground and explained the situation that school children have to put up with:
‘Standing on higher ground, Daiichi Junior High School’s buildings were not affected by the tsunami. Immediately after the disaster, part of the school buildings and gymnasium became the shelter. Then, temporary houses were built on the school ground, and they still have remained even after four and a half years have passed. The plan of building temporary houses made the school term delayed and subsequently reduced the students’ holiday period. One of the most inconvenient things is students who need to use the ground for physical education classes and sports clubs spend a lot of time on travelling to the ground of their neighbourhood. Junior high school students go to the designated school for 3 years – it means that the students who started going to Daiichi Junior High School had never
hirota bay
From the observatory we could see the large empty space and the construction site on the Kesen district along Hirota Bay. used the school ground of their school.’
Like Daiichi Junior High School, there have been a lot of school grounds which have been used for temporary houses. Mr Miyoshi feels that the authorities have not thought about the situations that the students have to put up with, and hopes that it will be sorted soon.
Kenka Tanabata Festival What concerned him most was the decreased population in his hometown. After the disaster, many people lost their houses and their beloved people and jobs. With fewer opportunities available, many young people aged 25–45 have decided to migrate to big cities – Sendai, Morioka and Tokyo, and they have hardly returned to their home even during the festive periods.
At Rikuzentakata, the local festival, Kenka (quarrel) Tanabata festival, is held on 7
th August, one month after 7
th July, original tanabata festival in Japan. The biggest shrine of 7 or 8 districts of Rikuzentakata owned the float and big drums and let the local communities decorate the float and compete doing performance with other communities to entertain the downtown (Kesen district) on 7
th August. This tanabata festival had
cradle
Mothers used to put their babies in the straw-made cradle while picking up the food in the farmland. been run by the local communities in Rikuzentakata for a long time. Having understood this, various volunteer groups who helped to clear out debris between 2011 and 2014 ran the tanabata festival with very few remaining items to encourage people who had remained in Rikuzentakata. The media say that this was a symbol of re-building communities, but Mr Miyoshi clarified that the tanabata festival had essentially been run and participated in by volunteers who came from outside of Rikuzentakata city or outside of Iwate prefecture and very few local residents have participated in these festivals
He said that the disaster and the decreased population have weakened the friendship of the families and attachment to their hometown – they have become more reluctant to retain the tradition and culture which had been passed down the generations for a long time.
In addition, he told us that there were lots of schools which were seriously affected by the tsunami, and like Kesen Junior High School, it was decided that they will not be used as schools again. Owing to the decreased students and those abandoned schools, two or three existed schools have been merged into one
school. He worried that there may be the time that the tanabata festival might be lost for a lack of successors in the future.
BRT After leaving the car park behind the Daiichi Junior High School, he took us to BRT Rikuzentakata. My mother paid for the taxi fee which included the fees of Mr Miyoshi’s commentary.
He seemed to know some English and greeted Mark saying ‘See you again.’ When I said to Mark about the pine grove near Kesen Junior High School, he heard the conversation and asked me who had told me or how I had learned that the pine grove contained 70,000 pine trees. We don’t know the number of pine trees in the pine grove before the disaster, but the media and Internet information have provided the approximate number of trees.
We took the 15:27 bus and returned to Kesennuma. On the way back, I picked up the information leaflet containing the result of a questionnaire by BRT users. I felt that the replacement bus services have offered convenience both for local people and for tourists. However, we thought there weren’t very many passengers – we were the only passengers between Kesennuma and Rikuzentakata in the morning – and there was only one other passenger on the return journey on 13
th October. Having seen very few users and the progress on re-building project along the coastal regions, we felt it would take a long time for BRT Ōfunato and Kesennuma to get the railway lines restored – or it might not happen: the coastal section of these lines might permanently become the bus line.
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