First Glimpse of the Aftermath

Soon after I arrived back in Japan, the weather turned toward springtime and requests for family portraits in front of cherry blossoms started flooding in. Unfortunately, my usual photo area by the beach was messed up by the tsunami, so I needed to find a new venue - fast! I grabbed my camera and drove out into the city of Misawa, exploring several local parks and other scenic spots, looking for a nice background or place to pose for pictures.

When I reached my final destination, the beach shrine just off of 338, my jaw dropped. I had been driving around in the same old Misawa City, then all of the sudden the land on both sides of the road showed the destructive power of the wave. Dirt, rocks, broken tree limbs, etc. littered once well-tilled rice fields. I followed the path from the shrine parking lot back 100 yards or more to the coast and just stood in awe of the destructive power of the tsunami. Words can't really describe the eerie feeling I had down there. Below are some photos from my first glimpse of the aftermath.

I don't know if this gap in the sea wall was there before the tsunami,
but the concrete is noticeably cracked and tossed around. Wow!

Look at the way the metal was twisted and mangled!

These were sizable trees, almost as big around as my torso,
completely snapped off by the wave, 100 yards from the beach.

These smaller trees were all completely uprooted.

There were markings on the concrete and trees down there showing the water level. It was over 7 feet higher than normal this far north of the epicenter. Unreal. I am so thankful for how little we were affected by this disaster.