[apologies for the messy lay-out, not sure what is going on with Blogger]
Kesennuma, Kamaishi, Rikuzentakata, Miyako - it feels strange travelling in a region in Japan where I know the names of places only because of one thing: the tsunami that happened on 11 March 2011.
I'm only travelling part of this coast though, starting from Miyako in Iwate prefecture and heading north along a coast that is the northern half of the Rikuchu Kaigan National Park: 180 kilometers of stunning and spectacular cliffs, rocks and other natural scenery. I have a feeling this part may be one of the more accessible regions though I don't know for sure. One reason is that here trains are mostly back up - with a short exception - while I have heard that further south there is much more work still to be done. I guess it's more remote and some towns there suffered incredible damage.
Miyako is a town which feels good. Yes, there was a lot of damage but in the city centre this is mostly visible when you start noticing how much buildings look very new, or at least the ground floor does. Dinner last night was in a very friendly izakaya where the owners renovated for two months before re-opening as the building had been flooded with water 2 meters high. They had been inside during the earthquake and only barely managed to keep themselves standing - and then got the hell out of there to get away as quickly as possible for the expected tsunami.
Most of the 'visible' damage in Miyako - the rubble, the collapsed buildings, etc - are gone, with a collapsed Shell gas station as the clear exception. Instead, the city is rebuilding. And you can tell it is: there's lots of traffic, a lot of people about town, hotels are fully booked, and buildings are being rebuilt where ever you look. The town's people are positive that when summer is here, so will the tourists.
There's good reason for the tourists to come to see the dramatic cliffs of the coastal national park. These rocks and cliffs are also again a reminder of the force of nature. They have been here for centuries and still look the same as always: strong, imposing, powerful. Just like the tsunami was.
I'm continuing my journey north by train and for the moment also by bus for a short stretch of railroad which hasn't been restored yet (the other parts were put back to use only earlier this spring). But like a taxi driver told me "We won't be beat", which is even all the more admirable considering that people living here are confronted with what happened every day again - but that only seems to make their conviction to build up their towns and villages even stronger.
A very very impressive start of my 10 days across Tohoku.
I'm only travelling part of this coast though, starting from Miyako in Iwate prefecture and heading north along a coast that is the northern half of the Rikuchu Kaigan National Park: 180 kilometers of stunning and spectacular cliffs, rocks and other natural scenery. I have a feeling this part may be one of the more accessible regions though I don't know for sure. One reason is that here trains are mostly back up - with a short exception - while I have heard that further south there is much more work still to be done. I guess it's more remote and some towns there suffered incredible damage.
Miyako is a town which feels good. Yes, there was a lot of damage but in the city centre this is mostly visible when you start noticing how much buildings look very new, or at least the ground floor does. Dinner last night was in a very friendly izakaya where the owners renovated for two months before re-opening as the building had been flooded with water 2 meters high. They had been inside during the earthquake and only barely managed to keep themselves standing - and then got the hell out of there to get away as quickly as possible for the expected tsunami.
Most of the 'visible' damage in Miyako - the rubble, the collapsed buildings, etc - are gone, with a collapsed Shell gas station as the clear exception. Instead, the city is rebuilding. And you can tell it is: there's lots of traffic, a lot of people about town, hotels are fully booked, and buildings are being rebuilt where ever you look. The town's people are positive that when summer is here, so will the tourists.
There's good reason for the tourists to come to see the dramatic cliffs of the coastal national park. These rocks and cliffs are also again a reminder of the force of nature. They have been here for centuries and still look the same as always: strong, imposing, powerful. Just like the tsunami was.
I'm continuing my journey north by train and for the moment also by bus for a short stretch of railroad which hasn't been restored yet (the other parts were put back to use only earlier this spring). But like a taxi driver told me "We won't be beat", which is even all the more admirable considering that people living here are confronted with what happened every day again - but that only seems to make their conviction to build up their towns and villages even stronger.
A very very impressive start of my 10 days across Tohoku.
3 comments:
I deleted this by mistake....
Just to repeat myself...
This is a tremendously encouraging post. Full marks to JR East too for their positive promotion.
I'd been thinking of getting my parents in law a ticket to Miyako for FIL's birthday, it seems like it's a very doable proposition now. Great to read!
Interesting read machi, sounds like you had a good trip!
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