Sanriku Coast

Tsunami Memorial Park at the Ruins of the
Minamisanriku Bosai Center

南三陸町震災復興祈念公園 | Minamisanriku Memorial Park of Earthquake Disaster

A testament to the destructive power of the 2011 tsunami, but also to the humanity of its victims and survivors

Photo by Rebecca Gade

Photo by Rebecca Gade

Photo by Rebecca Gade

Photo by Kenji Mimura

  • Rebecca Gade

    Writer

    Last Update
    March 4, 2021

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  • Across from the bustling Sun Sun Shopping Village and over the wooden Nakabashi Bridge, lies the red skeleton of the former Minamisanriku Disaster Prevention Center (Minamisanriku Bosai Center). The ruins are a grim reminder of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, where the center was played a pivotal role in helping residents of Minamisanriku evacuate from the oncoming tsunami. On the second floor, twenty-five-year-old Miki Endo remained at her post to broadcast warnings over the loudspeaker as long as she could. Many lives were saved by those broadcasts, though she herself, along with 830 other Minamisanriku residents, perished in the tsunami that day.

    The former Center is now part of the Minamisanriku Memorial Park of Earthquake Disaster. Above the park, an observation deck offers a view of  the Minamisanriku coast and the ongoing reconstruction, while plaques along the climb mark the progress of the tsunami wave, so visitors reflect on the disaster with every step. Newly-planted sakura trees line the main path, while the southern side is devoted to a “Forest for the Future.” One day, people may flock to the park for flower-viewing, shade-dappled walks, or stargazing. Amid the memories of  loss and the destructive power of the tsunami, there is also the wish for the flowers—and people’s smiles—to return again.

    If you have the chance, find a kataribe guide and ask them to tell you about their experience of the disaster—there are so many more stories behind the current incarnation of this site, not only of loss but also of survival, and of the humanity of heroes like Miki Endo.

    WEBSITEhttps://www.m-kankou.jp/archives/237848/

  • Sanriku Coast

    Tags

    Do & See Earthquake & Tsunami Recovery History Sanriku Coast

Details

ADDRESS

Shioiri-77 Shizugawa, Minamisanriku, Motoyoshi District, Miyagi Prefecture 986-0700

ACCESS BY PUBLIC TRANSIT

11-minute walk from Shizugawa Station (Kesennuma Line BRT)

ADMISSION

Free

LANGUAGES

Limited English

HOURS

Always open

CLOSED DAYS

None

PHONE

022-211-2425

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