Kamaishi

During my holiday in Japan, I visited Kamaishi in Iwate prefecture.

This little town was badly damaged due to the massive earthquake and Tsunami on 3.11 in 2011.

This town itself lost 1250 people (killed or missing).

I've been visiting this town every year since the Japan quake, mainly to document the recovery of the town but now I have so many friends who I love and care.

This time I visited Kamaishi with my university friends.

The mountain we drove through on our way to Kamaishi. Trees were just starting to change the color.


The ocean, which took so many lives that day, now remain calm and beautiful.

A fisherman who survived the Tsunami by getting on his fishing boat and went out to the ocean, before the tsunami reached the city.

 Luckily we were there to witness the most important festival of Kamaishi town.

On the day1 of festival weekend, the celebration took place on the boat.

They decorate their own fishing boat and celebrate the success of their catch.

They invited us to be on the boat and fed us! Lots of sake too.

 Beautiful flags were donated my fisherman's friends all across the world since 2011. All the old ones were sadly swept away by Tsunami.

After the boat trip, they then invited us to their house and fed us again!....with fresh Sashimi.

Tiger dances, kids dancers and dragon dancers visited almost every houses to entertain the residents.

Next day we went to see a massive parade. I don't know how many people were there but It was a joint one with other towns in Iwate Prefecture.

The festival had full of positive energy......It seemed so unbelievable to think the horrible thing happened to them only 3 years ago.

I could see the recovery of the town, but most of them live in a tiny temporary houses.

It's so hard to see when their life can get back to what it used to be, and we don't now how safe it is to be living in the area so close to Fukushima (nuclear power plant).....but it is true that media attention is drifting away from this issue.

I'm so moved by seeing so many smiles during my stay in Kamaishi this time. We were welcomed by lovely people, and they told us to come back again soon.

They are my extended family.

Arohanui