2011 Tohoku Earthquake
Rather than forget the horrors of the disaster, this coastal town has set up daily reminders of the tsunami on the streets.
As we reach almost a decade since the tragic incident which displaced over 100,000 individuals, Mother Nature makes her comeback.
Recovery efforts are ongoing following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, and the Tohoku region still needs your help.
Will this flame of hope light the way for those still recovering from the Tohoku earthquake?
The tear-jerking video encourages viewers to “Search for 3.11” on the anniversary to help support reconstruction in the region.
This retelling of the classic tokusatsu tale looks to be surprisingly fresh and nostalgic all at the same time.
Google Maps gives the world an opportunity to see how far the people of Tohoku have come since a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami turned their lives upside-down.
Yukio Ota is a legendary graphic designer in Japan. As the creator of the green “running man” pictogram that features on the nation’s emergency exit signs which have since spread to Europe, Canada and the Asia-Pacific, Ota is a frontrunner when it comes to developing images that convey a thousand words.
Now the designer of the exit sign is making headlines for his long-term project that aims to have the world using a universal language by 2065. Called the Lovers’ Communication System, or LoCoS, the standardised system based on pictographs has the power to overcome language barriers and revolutionise the world of communication as we know it.
Although we explored public restrooms the world over in a previous article, we left out the fact that many refugees, natural disaster survivors, and other displaced people have no access to the modern plumbing many of us take for granted. For those living in areas where public toilets are unavailable, a trip to the bathroom is at best a chore, and at worst a major sanitary concern.
Luckily technological advances are being made in order to help remedy these problems, and so far 2015 has been a promising year in that regard. UK researchers and volunteers were able to successfully create an urine-powered outhouse, while over in Japan a high school girls’ volunteer club recently came up with a new economic and hygienic portable toilet option.
A little over four years ago, a week before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, 50 melon-headed whales were found beached in Ibaraki Prefecture, only about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the earthquake’s epicenter.
Now the same omen of bad things to come has happened again. On April 9, about 150 melon-headed whales were found beached in Ibaraki Prefecture. As emergency teams race to save the whales, one thought is sitting in the back of their minds: is this foreshadowing another giant earthquake?
What happens after we die? Is it possible to communicate with loved ones after they are gone? And if not, how can we explain the stories of those who claim to have done so? These questions are pertinent to the work of journalist Shuji Okuno, who researches the yūrei banashi, or ghost stories, of relatives bereaved by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
Over 18,000 people were killed in the disaster in March 2011, most by drowning; including 2,601 bodies that were never recovered. Okuno has been researching and recording the stories of Tohoku people bereaved by the disaster who say they were visited by the spirits of their deceased family members, often at the exact moment of their passing.
But reporting on ghost sightings in a disaster zone is controversial work. In an interview with Tohoku-area newspaper Kahoku Shimpo this week, Okuno spoke about the stories he has uncovered and the criticism he continues to face.
Against much public backlash, two reactors at a nuclear power plant in Sendai are scheduled to be restarted. These will be the first to restart operations after all the country’s nuclear plants were shut down indefinitely following the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Japanese star’s makeup transformation goes viral online 【Videos】
Getting divorced in the new Story of Seasons video game means you have to kill your kids
The Titan-Sized Attack on Titan manga is freakishly huge, breaks world record for largest comic
There’s a samurai-era village for you to walk through at this awesome overlooked museum in Japan
Wear Japan’s most iconic landmark on your shoes with this Adidas collaboration【Photos】
Documentary about sushi chef in NYC will make you laugh, cry, suddenly want to eat lots of sushi
Women speak out about sexual violence after Great East Japan Earthquake
Busty cosplay pianist shows face, but not hers, in awesome Detective Conan Criminal video【Video】
Censored cosplay tights: A new concept in keeping your undies hidden at anime conventions
Japan’s Shizuoka bans teachers from personal communication with students on social media
Weekly
- Busty cosplay pianist shows face, but not hers, in awesome Detective Conan Criminal video【Video】
- Japanese star’s makeup transformation goes viral online 【Videos】
Haruki Murakami, Uniqlo team up for T-shirt line saluting Japan’s most celebrated modern author
Heavyweight Japanese convenience store ramen festival! Three bowls of guilty pork pleasure
Japanese luxury hotel’s new month-long stay plan lets you live Yokohama life with amazing twist
Instant Tokyo nostalgia – Beautifully bittersweet brand-new video looks like it was shot 17 years ago
How much money do you need for a studio apartment in downtown Tokyo?
Naomi Watanabe is moving to the U.S., switching base of operations to outside Japan
Japanese restaurant sears sushi with a soldering iron【Video】
Tokyo police stopped us for random questioning, so we asked them to recommend a good restaurant
Monthly
“Miraculous” cloud over Mt Fuji stuns the Internet
Netflix offering full Tokyo anime school scholarships with living expense support, open to foreigners
How to turn your leftover instant ramen broth into delicious chawanmushi Japanese egg custard
Breast material shortage causing delay for explosively popular US$479 busty anime girl mousepad
Nier Automata’s creator is confused by Square Enix’s new fan art guidelines- Busty cosplay pianist shows face, but not hers, in awesome Detective Conan Criminal video【Video】
New Godzilla has super-thick thighs thanks to Studio Ghibli anime veteran
We mixed 43 different kinds of Japanese curry together to make The King of Curries
Brown-haired girl sues Japanese school for telling her to dye hair black, court makes decision
Common ramen ingredient found highly effective at clearing up radioactive contamination
Yearly
Nintendo puts out important notice for casual gamers who’ve bought a Switch during the pandemic
Jason calls off Friday the 13th activities due to coronavirus
Studio Ghibli releases 400 images from eight movies free to download online
A Pokémon glitch no one discovered in 18 years has been found…by a pet fish in Japan?!?【Videos】
Customers race to Uniqlo for new summer face masks, but are they really worth the hype?
Parasite movie releases free official wallpapers to download as backgrounds for video calls
Japanese students hold graduation ceremony in Minecraft amid school cancellation
Man sheds half his body weight, looks like a handsome model in just one year
Akihabara saying goodbye to landmark as giant Sega arcade announces it’s closing for good
Man loses 200 times at crane game, calls police to investigate, staff member loses 300 times too
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Documentary about sushi chef in NYC will make you laugh, cry, suddenly want to eat lots of sushi
Women speak out about sexual violence after Great East Japan Earthquake
Busty cosplay pianist shows face, but not hers, in awesome Detective Conan Criminal video【Video】
Censored cosplay tights: A new concept in keeping your undies hidden at anime conventions
Japan’s Shizuoka bans teachers from personal communication with students on social media
Can Shakey’s Pizza Japan make a mean fried chicken bento? We find out 【Taste Test】
Final Evangelion movie to stream first 12 minutes for free this weekend【Video】
Haruki Murakami, Uniqlo team up for T-shirt line saluting Japan’s most celebrated modern author
Daughter of Osamu Tezuka, God of Manga, discovers his stash of hand-drawn sexy mouse artwork
AI translation company Rozetta bans staff from speaking a foreign language at work
Asia’s most notorious gangs: an ever-present power
We buy oysters from a Japanese vending machine
-
