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Every year I am amazed at how new lives pop out as if all promised as spring approaches, even the trees that looked just dead from winter gets new lives. Love finding signs of spring everywhere.

Today marks 2 years since the great disaster of March 11, 2011. Two years. It makes me think a lot, remembering the devastation, sorrow, fear, all that surreal moments and emotions. We forget things and take it for granted that we always have "normal" every day, but to be able to live "normally" is such a precious thing. I am reminded of that thinking back those few months after the incident when I could not live my "normal" life.



I looked at these images of Otsuchi town of Iwate prefecture taken at the same spot every year since March 2011 by Jiji Press. It makes my heart aches to know that there still are close to 250,000 evacuees from the disaster, but to see the amazing recovery from these images are definitely encouraging and so I thought I would share these here. I hope it's okay.

March 13, 2011. Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture /  Photo credit: Jiji Press
February 8, 2012 /  Photo credit: Jiji Press
February 3, 2013 /  Photo credit: Jiji Press


3 comments

  1. oh wow, has it been two years already...
    that image just brought tears to my eyes all over again
    but seeing that building transition was so beautiful and encouraging!
    keep fighting Japan! what a recovery! <3

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  2. i am glad you chose this perspective, because today in a finnish newspaper i saw a similar series of photos but they were of desolation. both views are of course true, and neither should be forgotten. i live not far from a nuclear plant where another reactor is being built, and we had fallout from chernobyl in ´86 so that even to this day the mushrooms in the woods have higher radioactivity than normal, so fukushima touched my heart in particular.

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  3. Hello Hiki-san.
    It is really hard to believe that it has been two years since that terrible earthquake and tsunami.
    Honestly, my eyes still swell up with tears, just looking at some of the pictures.
    Yes, indeed we are all so blessed to live our normal lives. I do think many of us take it for granted, myself included, and this should be a reminder to us that our life is very precious.
    Although it might be a long time until many can return to their normal lives, I think Japanese people have shown a tremendous effort to do their best to rebuild lost communities. It is really admirable and inspirational.
    I agree with Aron, seeing that building transition is very beautiful and encouraging.
    日本頑張りましょう!私たちはいつも日本を支えるからね!

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your kind words are always welcome and appreciated! arigato :)

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