Tome - Tsunami

While we were in Sendai, Sanpei-san thought it was important for us to see the destruction that was caused by the earthquake and tsunami. Tome is in the heart of the hardest hit areas and although we had all seen pictures on TV & online nothing can prepare you for the feelings of sadness and awe of the sheer power of nature that you feel when you see the extent of the damage first hand. Sanpei-san was very clear that this was not a sightseeing trip, because unfortunately many people do want to travel to these areas to see the damage first hand and while they mean no harm in doing so, it is very difficult for the residents who have lost everything to watch "tourists" walk through the remnants of their city taking pictures on the weekends. Due to this we never stepped foot outside of the car, and made no effort to stop for "photo opportunities." The pictures that follow simply show what we saw as we drove through what used to be a small town on the coast of Japan.

We are traveling on a small road behind the Sanpei family farm. The mountain range ahead of us is all that separates their farm from the ocean, both protecting them from the destructive forces of the tsunami and hiding the unimaginable destruction that occurred on the other side.

The view as we first enter the coastal area coming down out of the mountains. There used to be buildings lining the streets

Now all that is left are foundations and the shells of buildings

Boats are seen deposited all over what used to be residential areas, and even can be found resting on the roofs of a few buildings that remain

The debris is slowly being sorted by type, cars in one area, wood in another, concrete and masonry, metal, etc.

The hospital

This car was washed onto the hillside by the tsunami which gives you some idea of how massive it was

You can see the damage on the 3rd floor of this building, which again demonstrates the enormity of the wave that rushed through the city

The damage is unbelievable and as you can see even after a year basically all that has been done is the initial clean up and sorting of debris. It is sad that it is often only through events like this that we learn to appreciate what we have and value how precious our time together is.