The Great East Japan Earthquake Field Study

Aims and objectives

Thirteen years after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, the first day of this field study, we will visit the affected areas along the coast of Iwate Prefecture to get an overall picture of the field study and what happened on March 11, 2011.

Rikuzentakata City, located in an open plain along the coast, was the most severely damaged municipality in Iwate Prefecture. The first stop will be the Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Museum, where visitors will learn about the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami disaster and the process of recovery.

Afterwards, participants will learn from a former counselor of Rikuzentakata City, who has supported the reconstruction of Rikuzentakata City, about the concept of reconstruction town planning in Rikuzentakata City and its relationship to human security in times of disaster.

Points to learn and think about together

• What are the characteristics of tsunami damage as a natural disaster?
• What kind of process has been used for recovery and reconstruction?
• What is human security in times of disaster?

Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum

The museum opened on September 22, 2019. Many lives were lost due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. In order not to repeat this sorrow, this facility aims to provide an opportunity to learn from the wisdom of our predecessors, share the facts and lessons of the tsunami with people around the world, and together realize a society that is resilient to natural disasters.

The permanent exhibits include actual objects that were damaged by the disaster, photographs that capture the scene of the disaster, and the voices and records of the victims, which helps to allow visitors to learn the facts and lessons learned. The museum also expresses its gratitude for the many domestic and international contributions, and its message of how the affected areas have overcome the Great East Japan Earthquake and are moving forward.

Rikuzentakata Agency, Mr. Kiyoshi Murakami

President of Rikuzentakata Agency. After working as a human resources manager at a foreign-affiliated company, he worked at UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in Geneva as a refugee assistance and human resources training manager, where he was engaged in UN reform and organizational management in a difficult environment.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, he has been leading the reconstruction of his hometown, Rikuzentakata, with Mr. Toba from the beginning of the disaster, in both the public and private sectors. In 2021, 10 years after the disaster, he established Rikuzentakata Agency.

Aims and objectives

In the morning, participants will hear stories from residents who actually escaped the tsunami and miraculously survived, and experience what it means to be unexpected in a tsunami disaster from the top of a 15-meter chimney. Following this, the mayor of the city at that time will talk about “tsunami disaster preparedness before 3.11 and the actual disaster on that day (the past),” “current status of reconstruction city planning (the present),” and “designing a disaster-resistant city (the future),” organized chronologically.

In the afternoon, we will consider the formulation of reconstruction plans, focusing on the theme of seawalls built to make towns more resilient to disasters. We will learn from a city council member, a former newspaper reporter, how the city government and residents reached a consensus on the location, height, shape, etc. of the seawalls.

Points to learn and think about together

• How do people make decisions and what do they do when they encounter unexpected tsunami?
• What tsunami countermeasures were prepared by the government and residents before 3.11?
• How did the city recover after the tsunami (process)?
• How was the seawall planned, and how did the government and residents reach consensus on its construction?

Yonezawa Building, Mr. Yuichi Yonezawa

Yonezawa Store sells packing materials. At the time of the disaster, his parents and younger brother were in charge of the store, and he returned to the store to check on them and began to clean up the store. After checking the nearby materials warehouse, he returned to the store again, but his parents and younger brother were not in the store because they had evacuated to the civic cultural center, a designated evacuation site by the city. Just as he began to inspect the store, the tsunami struck.

He miraculously escaped with his life by climbing the stairs to the rooftop and climbing up a chimney that protruded about 1 meter from the building to escape the onrushing waves. The civic center where his parents were taking shelter was completely submerged under water, and he himself was only 10 cm above the water level. The building miraculously survived the direct hit of the tsunami and was diagnosed as having no durability problems. While buildings in the flooded area were being destroyed, the building was certified in 2016 in order to turn his own owned building preserved as a relic of the disaster.

Former Mayor of Rikuzentakata City, Mr. Futoshi Toba

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, he worked in the private sector before moving to Rikuzentakata City, his father's hometown. After serving as a city council member, he was first elected mayor one month before the earthquake. One month later, he lost his wife in the Great East Japan Earthquake. After that, as mayor to the city, he took a leadership role in the reconstruction of the city, which was the hardest hit city in the prefecture.

He served a total of three terms as mayor of Rikuzentakata City, during which time he utilized his ideas and personal connections from his experience in the private sector to create many connections between Rikuzentakata City and the outside world, with an aim to "increase the exchange population" and "create a city where the word normalization is no longer needed".

Aims and objectives

Otsuchi Town in Iwate Prefecture is the only municipality affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake that lost its mayor at the time of the disaster. The town also lost many other senior officials and had to make difficult decisions to rebuild.

In addition to learning about what happened that day while walking around the town, the workshop will include a case study on the ultimate choice at the scene of a disaster. Participants will experience the difficulty of making decisions that cannot be guided by logic alone, and the significance of conveying the lessons learned to others.

The current mayor of Hirano was also an employee of the town office at the time of the disaster. Looking back over the past 13 years of his efforts to revitalize the town while experiencing the devastating situation, the participants will learn about the achievements and challenges of the reconstruction and town planning efforts to date.

Points to learn and think about together

• Does a pre-disaster response manual work when disaster strikes?
• How can consensus in decision making be achieved in the absence of leaders?
• Who is the community planning design aimed for?
• What is the significance of passing on the lessons learned tofuture generations?
• How can we act as a member of society with a job and as an individual with a family in the event of a disaster?

Oraga Otsuchi Yumehiroba Representative Director, Ms. Mio Kamitani

Born in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. After graduating from high school, she studied abroad at a university in the U.S., became a registered nurse and worked at a university hospital in America, as well as experienced overseas medical missions. Later, she joined the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) and was involved in medical care in developing countries. Immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake, she worked as a staff member of an international NGO in Otsuchi Town, providing emergency assistance such as distribution of supplies and community rebuilding.

She then left Otsuchi to pursue a graduate degree in international public health at the University of London. Later she returned to Otsuchi and joined her current organization. She is married to a local man and has one son. She is involved in community building in Otsuchi from a broad global perspective and from the perspective of a "woman" and "outsider.

Mayor of Otsuchi Town , Mr. Kozo Hirano

When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11, 2011, the then Mayor was killed by the tsunami. The term of office of the deputy mayor also expired on June 20 of the same year, and he was promoted to the position of Chief of the General Affairs Division and became the deputy for the mayor's duties. He then served as Director of the General Affairs Department and Director of the General Affairs Section, among other positions, before retiring.

He defeated the incumbent in the August 2015 mayoral election and was elected mayor of the town of Otsuchi. Since then, he has served three terms as mayor of Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture.

Aims and objectives

Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, a town of iron, fish, and rugby. Although the Unosumai district in the northern part of the city was devastated, the town focused on "disaster prevention education," and children took the initiative in practicing evacuation behavior, which resulted in them being able to save the lives of many adults around them. The town has now become a place that disseminates knowledge on tsunami disaster prevention to the world through exchanges with the Indonesian province of Aceh.

Through workshops and hearing about the experiences of junior high school students at the time, we will learn about the town's practice of disaster prevention and mitigation through education. We will also learn about the energy of the proprietress of the inn who cheerfully led the community's recovery, and learn tips for creating a self-help and mutual aid system that does not rely on public assistance.

Points to learn and think about together

• What is the actual "recovery" or "legacy" that community leaders are striving for?
• What kind of disaster education has been provided in this region?
• Does disaster education permeate across generations?
• Does disaster prevention education work perfectly in times of disaster?
• What kind of conflicts arise when actual evacuation actions are taken?

Proprietress of Horaikan Inn, Ms. Akiko Iwasaki

She took over the guest house "Horaikan" opened by her parents 50 years ago when she was in her mid- 20s, and has been striving to run it as an inn that protects the lives of the community and its guests. During the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the building was inundated up to the second floor. The proprietress herself was swallowed by the tsunami while guiding residents who could not escape, but miraculously survived.

After that, the building served as an evacuation shelter for the community. With much support, she reopened the ryokan the following year, which was later renovated and reborn in its current form. Not only as a proprietress, but also as an incorporated association she is taking on the challenge of revitalizing the community and to promote the culture and charm of the area.

Kamaishi DMC Co., Ms. Aki Kawasaki

Born in Kamaishi City. Experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami when she was in her second year of junior high school. After graduating from high school, she went on to Tsuru Bunka University in Yamanashi Prefecture. After graduation, she made a U-turn to Kamaishi and became a guide and storyteller at the Unosumai Tsunami Memorial Hall.

Aims and objectives

For the latter two days, the field will be shifted to Miyagi Prefecture to consider sustainable community development for the future.

Aging, depopulation, and population outflow, which had been regional issues even before the earthquake, were accelerated by the disaster. What kind of vision for town development has been developed in response to the difficult challenges that every region in Japan faces? We will hear from the current mayor and town council members, visit a recycling-oriented town planning site, and learn about the town's specific efforts.

Minami Sanriku BIO is a recycling plant that produces biogas and liquid fertilizer by fermenting and processing organic waste such as garbage and human waste sludge generated from houses and stores in Minami Sanriku.

Points to learn and think about together

• What kind of culture has been formed in areas where tsunami disasters are endemic?
• What kind of vision have they developed to create a city that is sustainable into the future?
• How can we maintain a balance between the economic activities of human society and the conservation and protection of the natural environment (does human technology transcend nature?)

Mayor of Minami Sanriku Town, Mr. Jin Sato

After serving as a councilor and mayor of the former Shizugawa Town, he became the first mayor of Minami Sanriku Town, which merged in 2005, and is currently serving his fourth term. The town's population was 17,666 at the end of February 2011, but by the end of February 2012 it had declined by nearly 6,000 to 11,736.

The roof of the town's disaster prevention office building, which is approximately 12 meters high, was used as an evacuation site, and at the time of the earthquake, Mayor Sato, 53 employees, and others were evacuated. The tsunami surged over the rooftop, and only 10 people survived, clinging to antenna poles and staircase railings. The former Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Building with its exposed steel frame and the surrounding area were developed into a disaster recovery memorial park, and the former building was owned and managed by Miyagi Prefecture.

Under the concept of “a town where life revolves around life,” the town is working to create a recycling-oriented reconstruction town.

Town Council Member of Minami Sanriku, Mr. Shintaro Goto

After working as a member of a theater company in Tokyo, he returned to Minami Sanriku Town in 2010.

After the earthquake, he took the lead in organizing neighborhood associations at evacuation centers and temporary housing. In October 2013, he became the youngest person ever elected to the council.