DAY 5 (March 15, 2013)
It was such a beautiful morning with clear skies making the rising sun more visible than our previous days in the City.
With the usual routine before meals, we had our body temperature check and our hands were sprayed with sanitizers. The Japanese are very much conscious with hygiene and cleanliness. I think our group had already consumed more than 2 spray bottles of hand sanitizers in the past 4 days.
Around 8AM, separated with the Amber and Fishermen groups, we left the cottage village. We were told that it’d take us more than 2 hours before we reach Tanohata Village so almost everyone took a nap during the ride.
We had a brief stop at Noda Village which also took a direct hit by the tsunami. Noda Village is said to be known for the salt they make. In Noda Station, they had this scale-model on how the locals manually make salt.
On our way, you can already say which places have been devastated by the tsunami. We were crossing the roads that ran along the coast. The sea was calm. Who would’ve thought that that ocean had once been lethal and swept away everything along its coast?
We reached Tanohata Station and from here we will be boarding the Disaster Study Train that would also take us back to Kuji City.
It is to be conducted by the Sanriku Railway Company, a small railway company running along the Sanriku coast of Iwate, run by 71 employees.
We had the first part of the story-telling in front of the station. We were told that the tsunami, with houses and cars it washed away, have also reached the station despite it being located kilometers away from the shore. Tracks dislocated and buried in rubbles, bridges and tunnels damaged or destroyed, it was almost impossible for them to operate. But 2 days after the disaster, with the company president’s orders, they started moving the trains wherever possible to work towards restoration, even managing to open the line between Kita-Riasu and Rikuchi-Noda stations on March 16. There was a memorial stone in front of the station.
There was a closed tunnel coming from the south direction, and there were some kind of barriers attached in the tracks so it would be impossible for the trains to pass. Having heard the story, on the other end of the tunnel was the Shimanokoshi Station, south of Tanohata Station. The tunnel was badly damaged by the tsunami causing the other end to collapse and is expected to reopen by 2014. And as of the moment, not all lines are fully operational with restoration still ongoing. Full operations are expected to resume by April 2016.
Then, we boarded the train. We had a number of stops to get a good view of the places where there have been great damages. And we were also shown with photos showing “before the disaster” and “after the disaster” images. Having seen some of the places in the photos in actual, it was just heartbreaking.
I remembered a story where they’ve mentioned on how once there used to be a lot of passengers boarding their train, but as new railways were built in the other parts of Iwate, passengers have become lesser. They even said that they weren’t even supported by the central government with their operations, but with the determination of giving service to the people along the Sanriku coast, they kept the company running. Also, since their trains weren’t busy and majority of their passengers are elderly people running with all their might to catch up with the train. Disregarding the schedule, they would stop and wait especially for them. Amazing isn’t it?
There was also a salmon hatchery situated in a land in between 2 rivers connected to the ocean that was also affected, but they resumed operations the soonest for them to be able to grow and release the salmons in the sea so that in 3 or 4 years time, there would be fully-grown salmons to return in their rivers where their fishermen could catch them.
This shore was the only one spared from the tsunami, they said. Though still a part of the Pacific Ocean, with the tsunami coming from the south direction and mostly devastated the areas whose shores are facing south, that only mere fact that that place’ shore is facing north saved it from devastation. It was like a miracle.
The tsunami height reached the 3rd floor of its building. No one was hurt.
An area where they separate all the debris collected. Cement, metals, plastics, woods, glass, etc. were separated then recycled or burned accordingly.
Why is it here in the Philippines they couldn’t think of a way as that to clear debris whenever there are flash floods, etc. It would be easier to restore everything back to normal if they did so, right? Or maybe even in just the simplest garbage segregation from each household would help reduce this country’s wastes. But people seem to not give their attention or care to where they dispose their wastes off particularly those living in the slum areas.
We passed by a row of damaged seawalls. Clearly, it was the tsunami’s doing. About 60-70% of it has been reconstructed in that area, and they said that those are stronger than the ones built before to withstand another possible tsunami with the same possible or stronger intensity.
There was also a part of the seawall on the northern side that was not damaged. They said those were built just recently so with the new technology used, it was able to withstand the strength of the tsunami, but became useless when the height of the tsunami surpassed that seawall’s height.
When we got out in one of the tunnels, you would be able see a lot of scratch-like marks left behind by the houses and cars that had been washed over to that area and into the tunnels.
We were slowly approaching Kuji City station. In most of the places we passed by, there were almost no houses rebuilt near the coast as everyone who used to live there left already and decided to live in highlands.
In the building where we had our lunch, we were shown a huge float in the Kuji Yamase Dofukan complex facility that is being used during Kuji Autumn Festival. In the float, there were figures of their Gods and Goddesses. The faces were quite scary though. But everything in the float was so detailed, to the clothes, to the paints, to the other props. It was beautiful and huge.
Then we went to Machinaka Aquarium, the former Moguranpia Aquarium once located on the coast.
BEFORE THE DISASTER:
AFTER THE DISASTER:
Losing everything they had in the aquarium, even some of the rarest species they had, with the letters of support and encouragement they and their local government received from their locals, they reopened and is temporarily using a 3-story vacant building downtown. Despite the damage, luckily, they were able to save some of the species who survived the tsunami, like turtles, fishes, and starfishes, and is now being displayed in the present aquarium.
21 animals in 8 species were able to survive the tsunami.
Reconstruction of the new aquarium is set to be started by 2014.
We were also told a story, wherein the staff doing the story-telling that day was with 2 guests when the earthquake occured. With the intensity of the shaking, they decided to evacuate to higher grounds immediately expecting a tsunami might come. He said that if they had left the aquarium 10 minutes later, they could have been killed.
In every story-telling we’ve had, it’s always been mentioned that no matter how strong or weak the earthquake was, always be alert. No one really knows when an earthquake or tsunami would strike so it is better to be ready at all times. Whenever a strong earthquake occurred, immediately save yourself and evacuate to higher grounds. They kept on reminding us, it is always you whom you should save first. Never come back to your house to check on your family because your own safety must be your priority at the moment. In times like this, family members are very much aware of what should be done so you didn’t have to worry about them. They said worrying about the others should come later when you know you are in a safe place or if it seems safe already.
Prologue
Day 0 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10
With the usual routine before meals, we had our body temperature check and our hands were sprayed with sanitizers. The Japanese are very much conscious with hygiene and cleanliness. I think our group had already consumed more than 2 spray bottles of hand sanitizers in the past 4 days.
Around 8AM, separated with the Amber and Fishermen groups, we left the cottage village. We were told that it’d take us more than 2 hours before we reach Tanohata Village so almost everyone took a nap during the ride.
We had a brief stop at Noda Village which also took a direct hit by the tsunami. Noda Village is said to be known for the salt they make. In Noda Station, they had this scale-model on how the locals manually make salt.
On our way, you can already say which places have been devastated by the tsunami. We were crossing the roads that ran along the coast. The sea was calm. Who would’ve thought that that ocean had once been lethal and swept away everything along its coast?
We reached Tanohata Station and from here we will be boarding the Disaster Study Train that would also take us back to Kuji City.
It is to be conducted by the Sanriku Railway Company, a small railway company running along the Sanriku coast of Iwate, run by 71 employees.
We had the first part of the story-telling in front of the station. We were told that the tsunami, with houses and cars it washed away, have also reached the station despite it being located kilometers away from the shore. Tracks dislocated and buried in rubbles, bridges and tunnels damaged or destroyed, it was almost impossible for them to operate. But 2 days after the disaster, with the company president’s orders, they started moving the trains wherever possible to work towards restoration, even managing to open the line between Kita-Riasu and Rikuchi-Noda stations on March 16. There was a memorial stone in front of the station.
There was a closed tunnel coming from the south direction, and there were some kind of barriers attached in the tracks so it would be impossible for the trains to pass. Having heard the story, on the other end of the tunnel was the Shimanokoshi Station, south of Tanohata Station. The tunnel was badly damaged by the tsunami causing the other end to collapse and is expected to reopen by 2014. And as of the moment, not all lines are fully operational with restoration still ongoing. Full operations are expected to resume by April 2016.
Then, we boarded the train. We had a number of stops to get a good view of the places where there have been great damages. And we were also shown with photos showing “before the disaster” and “after the disaster” images. Having seen some of the places in the photos in actual, it was just heartbreaking.
I remembered a story where they’ve mentioned on how once there used to be a lot of passengers boarding their train, but as new railways were built in the other parts of Iwate, passengers have become lesser. They even said that they weren’t even supported by the central government with their operations, but with the determination of giving service to the people along the Sanriku coast, they kept the company running. Also, since their trains weren’t busy and majority of their passengers are elderly people running with all their might to catch up with the train. Disregarding the schedule, they would stop and wait especially for them. Amazing isn’t it?
There was also a salmon hatchery situated in a land in between 2 rivers connected to the ocean that was also affected, but they resumed operations the soonest for them to be able to grow and release the salmons in the sea so that in 3 or 4 years time, there would be fully-grown salmons to return in their rivers where their fishermen could catch them.
This shore was the only one spared from the tsunami, they said. Though still a part of the Pacific Ocean, with the tsunami coming from the south direction and mostly devastated the areas whose shores are facing south, that only mere fact that that place’ shore is facing north saved it from devastation. It was like a miracle.
The tsunami height reached the 3rd floor of its building. No one was hurt.
An area where they separate all the debris collected. Cement, metals, plastics, woods, glass, etc. were separated then recycled or burned accordingly.
Why is it here in the Philippines they couldn’t think of a way as that to clear debris whenever there are flash floods, etc. It would be easier to restore everything back to normal if they did so, right? Or maybe even in just the simplest garbage segregation from each household would help reduce this country’s wastes. But people seem to not give their attention or care to where they dispose their wastes off particularly those living in the slum areas.
We passed by a row of damaged seawalls. Clearly, it was the tsunami’s doing. About 60-70% of it has been reconstructed in that area, and they said that those are stronger than the ones built before to withstand another possible tsunami with the same possible or stronger intensity.
There was also a part of the seawall on the northern side that was not damaged. They said those were built just recently so with the new technology used, it was able to withstand the strength of the tsunami, but became useless when the height of the tsunami surpassed that seawall’s height.
When we got out in one of the tunnels, you would be able see a lot of scratch-like marks left behind by the houses and cars that had been washed over to that area and into the tunnels.
We were slowly approaching Kuji City station. In most of the places we passed by, there were almost no houses rebuilt near the coast as everyone who used to live there left already and decided to live in highlands.
In the building where we had our lunch, we were shown a huge float in the Kuji Yamase Dofukan complex facility that is being used during Kuji Autumn Festival. In the float, there were figures of their Gods and Goddesses. The faces were quite scary though. But everything in the float was so detailed, to the clothes, to the paints, to the other props. It was beautiful and huge.
Then we went to Machinaka Aquarium, the former Moguranpia Aquarium once located on the coast.
BEFORE THE DISASTER:
AFTER THE DISASTER:
Losing everything they had in the aquarium, even some of the rarest species they had, with the letters of support and encouragement they and their local government received from their locals, they reopened and is temporarily using a 3-story vacant building downtown. Despite the damage, luckily, they were able to save some of the species who survived the tsunami, like turtles, fishes, and starfishes, and is now being displayed in the present aquarium.
21 animals in 8 species were able to survive the tsunami.
Reconstruction of the new aquarium is set to be started by 2014.
We were also told a story, wherein the staff doing the story-telling that day was with 2 guests when the earthquake occured. With the intensity of the shaking, they decided to evacuate to higher grounds immediately expecting a tsunami might come. He said that if they had left the aquarium 10 minutes later, they could have been killed.
In every story-telling we’ve had, it’s always been mentioned that no matter how strong or weak the earthquake was, always be alert. No one really knows when an earthquake or tsunami would strike so it is better to be ready at all times. Whenever a strong earthquake occurred, immediately save yourself and evacuate to higher grounds. They kept on reminding us, it is always you whom you should save first. Never come back to your house to check on your family because your own safety must be your priority at the moment. In times like this, family members are very much aware of what should be done so you didn’t have to worry about them. They said worrying about the others should come later when you know you are in a safe place or if it seems safe already.
Prologue
Day 0 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10