Report: The devastation in Minamisanriku town
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2025 8:00 am
We managed to get some gasoline, and entered Minamisanriku Town at around 2 p.m. on the 21st. Firefighters who had rushed from Kyoto Prefecture were searching for missing people in the sea of rubble. In front of the piles of rubble that had piled up in the places where their homes had been just 10 days before, the victims were searching for items they could still use and mementos.
I felt a definite pain at Shizugawa Public Hospital, where water had risen to the third floor and many patients had died. As I stood in what had once been the entrance, a man approached me. He had short, graying hair and was wearing a navy blue jumper stained with mud and dust. He seemed to be in his mid-60s. His face was haggard and marked with numerous wrinkles. His actual age might have been younger. "My mother, who was hospitalized in this hospital, was swept away..." he said, his voice trembling.
"I know they're dead. I've given up, but... I want to at least find their bodies. But no matter how much I search, I can't find them. I have no idea where they are. It's already been 10 days since the tsunami hit, 10 days. Is that okay? Are you really okay with that?"
He broke down in tears. He hugged me tightly on both shoulders remove background image and broke down in tears. I could only cry as I supported him. He continued, straining his voice.
"I know there's no point in taking out my anger on you. But I don't know who I should take my feelings out on... There are so many people here just like me. Please, please, tell as many people as possible across the country about how we feel..."
Even after he left, a feeling of heaviness remained on my shoulders, a weight that was almost like pain.
In the evening, I returned to Sendai City. I went to a Chinese restaurant that had already reopened for business. At the next table, a TV crew that seemed to have come from the Kansai region were drinking and making a lot of noise. There was a lot of harsh language being said. It was unpleasant. I felt a stark gap between the reality of Minamisanriku Town and the situation.
"Some of your family members have been killed. This is a disaster area. Think about the place!" Hijikata shouted. His voice sounded like the lamentations of the people of Tohoku who are currently struggling with the reality of the disaster.
*All information was provided at the time of magazine publication.
I felt a definite pain at Shizugawa Public Hospital, where water had risen to the third floor and many patients had died. As I stood in what had once been the entrance, a man approached me. He had short, graying hair and was wearing a navy blue jumper stained with mud and dust. He seemed to be in his mid-60s. His face was haggard and marked with numerous wrinkles. His actual age might have been younger. "My mother, who was hospitalized in this hospital, was swept away..." he said, his voice trembling.
"I know they're dead. I've given up, but... I want to at least find their bodies. But no matter how much I search, I can't find them. I have no idea where they are. It's already been 10 days since the tsunami hit, 10 days. Is that okay? Are you really okay with that?"
He broke down in tears. He hugged me tightly on both shoulders remove background image and broke down in tears. I could only cry as I supported him. He continued, straining his voice.
"I know there's no point in taking out my anger on you. But I don't know who I should take my feelings out on... There are so many people here just like me. Please, please, tell as many people as possible across the country about how we feel..."
Even after he left, a feeling of heaviness remained on my shoulders, a weight that was almost like pain.
In the evening, I returned to Sendai City. I went to a Chinese restaurant that had already reopened for business. At the next table, a TV crew that seemed to have come from the Kansai region were drinking and making a lot of noise. There was a lot of harsh language being said. It was unpleasant. I felt a stark gap between the reality of Minamisanriku Town and the situation.
"Some of your family members have been killed. This is a disaster area. Think about the place!" Hijikata shouted. His voice sounded like the lamentations of the people of Tohoku who are currently struggling with the reality of the disaster.
*All information was provided at the time of magazine publication.