A Photographer's Journal by Mitsu Maeda

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Works continue finding bodies in the snow Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 17, 2011

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Remainings of Tsunami Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 17, 2011

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A Map to tell where to stay and wait for trains to function on the day of the earthquake. Many people where stuck at the stations after all the transportation stopped in Tokyo. Fuchu, Tokyo, March 11, 2011

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Arahama Elementary School which is near the beach. When the tsunami struck, about 50 people around the school gathered for shelter in this building and spent the night. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 17, 2011

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Arahama area is located very close to the sea and was the most affected by the tsunami.

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Araham beach in a calm state. It is hard to believe this sea washed away everything in just a few minutes. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 17, 2011

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People in line to get limited foods and daily necessities. There were reports of many people are without cars who could not come and faced severe hunger. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Helicopter delivering food and relief supplies. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Kinuyo Hayashi and Kazuko Misawa shared an apartment which was destroyed by the earthquake. With no home or belongings to return to, they are forced to live at this temporary shelter in the gymnasium of the local elementary school. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Overview of the shelter at the Wakabayashi elementary school. Approximately 50 people are staying here. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Kinuyo Hayashi whose apartments was destroyed is unable to visit her building. The danger is increased by recurring aftershocks. She told me "I feel like I want a miso soup, but I am just lucky that I have something to eat. In other places people are limited to a ration of one rice ball, so I should not say that I want too much. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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The Shinkansen bullet train remains stopped after the earthquake. Sendai, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Evacuees sharing information about their relatives and friends in front of the information boards of Shichigo Elementary School. akabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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A battery charger for the evacuees. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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This man managed to evacuate with his family after warning his neighbors. He has not yet returned to see his house. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Evacuees preparing for dinner. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Volunteers preparing dinner. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Children at the Hachigo Elementary School. More than 1200 people evacuees are living in the school. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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In this area the see water has receded, exposing destroyed homes. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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Three bodies lie in blue sheets. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 18, 2011

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These commercial buildings have turned their lights off to conserve energy, which is in a shortage due to the powerplants that have gone offline, including the Fukushima Nuclear power plant. Wakabayashi District, Miyagi, March 19, 2011

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[This entry was sent from Japanese photographer Mitsu Maeda, who is continues to cover the tsunami and earthquake damaged regions. Journal entry #2 can be read here. —Ed.]

These photographs are from the Wakabayashi District where 200 to 300 people have been reported missing or dead after the massive tsunami. When I arrived the workers were still continuing to find survivors as well as bodies. It was just a 30 minute drive from the central Sendai city which was more stable, except for the emergency cars running around the clock and the long lines to get limited foods and daily necessities in front of the few shops that could remain open. Once I stepped in the area affected by tsunami, I found myself completely speechless.

This massive force of nature wiped out so many people’s daily lives which had been built day by day. It happened so suddenly, in just a few minutes, before anyone could send out a warning. Walking around, you could see that people used to live under every piece of rubble until just a few days ago.

Currently, it is reported that more than 20 thousand people have been found dead or are still missing. This number is just beyond the imagination, but I still feel that one cannot understand this disaster just with the numbers. Imagine that a way of life that was supposed to continue suddenly ended. Imagine the loss of a family member, a friend, or a lover who had always been next to you. Imagine your home, full of memories, swept away in a second. When I think of these things I just cannot find any words. You have to keep moving on, encourage yourself, or else you may hunch over unable to move forward again, thinking about 20 thousands stories of love and the unimaginable hardship.

I think, how powerless human beings are before nature. Fukushima nuclear power plant accident which occurred because of the earthquake ‘beyond the scope of the assumption’ and the uncontrollable the leaking radiation make us feel—how arrogant we have been, believing that the nature must be under our ‘assumption’ and it won’t hit us that hard.

3.11 may be a turning point for us all. Already, yesterday’s normal is not today’s normal. People lost their loved ones and homes, and our soil and water has polluted. There are so many things beyond repair and steps to overcome, but from the mountains of rubble, we now face the reality.