In an empty field in Higashi-Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, where many homes stood before a tsunami swept them away, there are hundreds of blue carp streamers floating in the breeze. Kento Itoh, 21 years old, has collected them from all over the country in honor of his brother Ritsu, killed in the March 11 disaster when he was just five years old.
On that day, Kento was in Sendai, his middle brother was at school and his father was in the hospital, so none of them were at home when the tsunami struck their small town. Ritsu, his mother and his grandparents were carried off by the surging waters. Only Ritsu’s body was ever found. The rest are still officially missing.
With his father ill, it fell to Kento as the oldest son to identify his brother’s corpse at the morgue and to search among the ruins for his missing family. He did not find them, but among the mud and muck, he did find something: Ritsu’s beloved blue carp streamer.
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Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
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Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
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Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
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No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
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Human washing machine pods coming to Japanese hotels【Photos】
Take a look inside the Future Train, a unique new restaurant diner and cafe in Kyoto
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Man in Japan arrested for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s apartment to steal her Nintendo Switch
Starbucks adds a new Triple Espresso Latte to the menu in Japan
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Man arrested for violating Japan’s anti-dueling law in downtown Tokyo
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