After our first major disagreement of the trip (over, let's just call it a miscommunication over directions) we set off in our little hire car for Matsushima Bay. Reported to be one of Japan's Three Great Sights, it's a bay studded with around 260 pine covered islands. Residents credit the islands, which served as natural breakwaters, with sparing Matsushima from the devastation caused by the 2011 tsunami seen elsewhere along the coast.
On arriving, we decided against the tourist boat, instead settling for a wander round Oshima Island, a super cute spot full of tucked away stone shrines, wind beaten pines and awesome views of neighbouring isles. Driving further north round the bay, we wound our way down unmarked roads amidst mountains of piled earth and lines of construction vehicles to Oku Matsushima on Miyato Island. The devastation in this area was clearly visible. Had it not been for the occasional sign of a previous life - the deserted train station platforms - it would have been hard to even imagine it was once a thriving port town. There is a beautiful 20 minute hike on a trail through the woods in the middle of the island that takes you up to not only stunning views of the bay, but also wider scenes of the devastation. Certainly needed a hire car as public transport has all but disintegrated. The scenic route up to Minami Sanriku through the pine forests was a nice if not longer than expected drive. Of the town's eighty evacuation sites, thirty-one were inundated and 95% of the town was destroyed, there is pretty much no sign of a town ever having existed here. They are now re-building the town and raising it by 10 metres to protect the new town from any futures tsunamis. We were wandering around a viewing point when a chap came over to ask if we were looking for something, his English was perfect and after explaining we were just here to look and pay our respects, he thanked us for visiting before bowing and quickly turning away as the emotion seemed too much. We realised he was there to collect his young kids from school and figured the memories must still be very raw. There are many touching memorials in this area and many 'before' photos posted showing the areas before the disaster struck. The journey back to Sendai was a long one, construction workers everywhere and we were constantly stuck behind tractors and trucks, but when you consider the efforts they are putting into rebuilding their homes, you don't mind so much. Comments are closed.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |