It was a month ago today when the Earth's crust ruptured under North West Pacific off the North East Coast of Japan over an area of 450km North-to-South by 240km East-to-West. Topography of the sea floor buckled and deformed in such an extend that at places lifting of 24m has been reported. This extremely violent geological event generated waves of large tsumani, over 30m at places, that hit the North East coast of Japan mainland, destroyed whatever were in their ways. The hardest hit was the scenic coastal area known as the Sanriku Coasts.
When I was ten or eleven, our family had a summer trip to the city of Sendai. We enjoyed several scenic harbour cruise trips near the Port of Sendai-Shiogama and amazed at the beauty of the southern end of Sanriku Coasts around Oshika Peninsula and Matsushima Islands. More recently in 2006 I accompanied my parents on a short trip to the Sanriku Coasts and visited the cities of Miyako and Kamaishi. Those were wonderful trips and I developed a special fondness of those beautiful, quant sceneries of Sanriku Coasts, the little special paradises.
The paradises are no more. No more other than in our memories and photographs.
I would like to share some of my memories of our trip in 2006, as a tribute to the lost beauty of the Sanriku Coasts and the people who lost their lives, families, possessions and hometowns in the tragedy. …
On the first day of our trip, we took the bullet train to Morioka, then the cute little four car train on the scenic ride of Inland Yamada Line to the city of Miyako, where we rented a car. Our first visit was to the renowned scenic spot called Joodo-ga-hama, Beach of the Pure Land. No word can describe its serene beauty. The Pure Land, indeed.
We then drove to our accommodation, a private inn at the small fishing village of Tarou, north of Miyako. The hostess was an extraordinary cook. We all enjoyed her specialty local seafood dishes. Next Morning, we first visited the scenic spot north of Tarou called San-nou Iwa for a quick scenic photo session, then headed for the hill top scenic Gassan lookout in Omoe Peninsula south of Miyako, where great panramic views could be had across the Miyako Harbour and the coastline north.
The Autumn haze did not allow clear photographs but created an atmosphere of rustic quality.
After returning our car at Miyako station, we took train south on the scenic Coastal Yamada Line to the city of Kamaishi, enjoying the wonderful coastal sceneries of fishing villages and coastal cliffs through train windows. We stayed at a hotel and enjoyed the western style adaptation of local seafood by the excellent hands of hotel restaurant's chef. he gave me the best tasting deep fried prawns I have ever had.
Next morning, we walked a few blocks to the port for a scenic harbour cruise. It was a perfect day for it, sunny, warm, only very light wind. The boat took us to the mouth of the port. We were allowed to feed the gulls little crackers and move around from deck to deck. It was just wonderful.
After the cruise, we took taxi to the train station a couple of km inland. After enjoying hearty seafood lunch at the seafood market by the station, we took another cute little four car train ride on Kamaishi Line to the Hanamaki Station, where we hastily transitioned the bullet train back to Tokyo 
Please also see the larger photographs in my photo album, Memories. I have included a few more notes of information and/or recollection to each photographs there.
Dear MM, that is definitely a beautiful memory of a great time in your childhood. It is sad that you had those experiences twice in such a short time and it is certainly very difficult to process them. :awww:
Thank you Angelika. I certainly found dealing with this much harder than handling the stress of Christchurch Earthquake. Took me 4 weeks to decide to write this post. (Took me only 4 days to decide what to write about regarding the Chch tragedy.) I do admit I've been feeing down ever since Chch. Doing things has helped, whether roof painting, translation work, rearranging furniture, taking and sorting photographs or out on walks with camera. I intend to continue doing the same. The recent tragedies that hit so close to my homes have been heavily on my mind ever since. Now having written this post, the weight seems somewhat lighter. Have you seen my recent walk post? I took so many photos it's taking me days to sort, edit and upload them. Will be great if you take a look at them. 🙂
Thank you for your thoughtful words, Aadil. Yes. The mind works in a funny way. I found looking through our 2006 trip photos and making selection quite therapeutic. But then I would recall the video footage of tsunami washing up the top floor of the very building seen behind the scenic cruise boat or remember reading reports that those villages were completely washed away, and feeling very sad. But I do feel better after publishing this. One thing is I did not feel like visiting and commenting at my friends' blogs much since the Chch quake. But now this is done, I do feel like going back to my usual web-socialising patter as I before. 🙂 Hope you have been keeping your blog nice and tidy. 😀
Originally posted by 7Wellis:
:happy:Having finally done roof painting, now I can go out for walk with camera when weather is nice. 😆 The winter is coming close, though. Today was sunny and nice. But it was freezing yesterday! :brrrr:
It's strange to me how memories can make one happy and sad all at the same time. :awww::).
Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
Good morning/ good evening – yes I have seen the photos and they make me sentimental. It was such a beautiful corner of this world. Nice that you could experience it. Reminds me a lot of landscapes in New Zealand.
:coffee: 😉
I find that I sometimes have to 'take a break' from My Opera. There are times when I just feel 'blah' reading blogs and comments. :faint:.
:no:, it's not the content, it's me! :awww:.I just get a little 'over stimulated' from time to time. When that happens, it doesn't matter how good or interestin or funny something is, it just doesn't trigger anything in me. :ko:. I guess you could say I become 'zombiefied'. :rolleyes:.It's, sort of, like when you stare at a bright red wall for a long time, then look at a more natural scene. All the reds become grey or black to your eyes because they've been overstimulated. :up:.I spend about ten to twelve hours a day online, mostly at My Opera, and this is more than most people do. So after a while, even the most exciting post seems monotonous. :faint:. That's when I finally take a break and do something different while my blog-reading batteries recharge! :lol:.
Originally posted by qlue:
I have done that a few times. I took a few months off from forum posting. But that was before I started blogging. Originally posted by qlue:
Not my ones, hopefully :whistle:
Another M7.1 right under Fukushima Prefecture :(My parents' area is OK. But seems it never ends … 😥
Thank you, Michal. :)Originally posted by qlue:
:yes: Go out the smell the roses. 😉 That's what's helping me, I think. Doing a variety of things, DIY, researching for translation, nature walks, photography, blogging and online stuff is only a part of all those things. 🙂
Very nice trip, it looks like the Riviera; and don't worry there are paradises elsewhere, just for the duration that this part of Japan overcomes its wounds. The paradise you have lost belongs to the past, just think about the present.Thanks to your picture, we have discovered a great scenery :up:
Originally posted by arduinna:
My pleasure, Olivier. 🙂
Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
Let's drag Milla out to help you. 😀
Thank you for your support, Deb. It is indeed still ongoing, and that is one of the reasons this is so much more difficult for me to handle mentally. Impossible to start moving on while the ground still keeps moving and the nuclear disaster level keeps moving up!! (It is now deemed level-7. Same as the Chernobyl!! :()Originally posted by debplatt:
It's been sunny since morning. Now I'm in shorts and T-shirt and have windows opened up for breeze. (Don't have air-conditioning. No need for one in Wellington :p)Originally posted by debplatt:
Bloody hell!!!
I didn't want to disappoint.
It's about 11 pm here. I'm off.
😀 You never disappoint when it comes to about Milla. :yes:Well, I've finished draft translation and got another 5 hours to the actual deadline. Another gorgeous clear afternoon outside. I might go visit the old stock loading pen with my camera for more theme photo session. Thanks for the chat and Milla, Deb. Have a good night. TTFN
Very poignant post. Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
This has been an extraordinarily difficult time for Japan, and as you say, it's ongoing. :worried:Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
Yesterday we had the air conditioning on for the first time this year.Originally posted by qlue:
Oooh, oooh, oooh! I have just the smiley for that.
I knew you would do that. :DOriginally posted by debplatt:
Originally posted by ersi:
Thank you, Eric. I did my best here to relate my memories of the paradises. So in short, time is a bitch but our memories provide with us a sneak way to cheat her, eh? 😀 In our memories, in our mind, time can be stopped, rewound, repeated or skipped … Wait! This is what I spent last 30 minutes writing at your blog! Coincidence? :yikes:
When such cataclysms happen, it is a test of memory. Or more accurately, of how we relate to our memories. Fate shows time and again that cities and even entire countries are entities limited by time and circumstances. So are our memories of them. And so are we ourselves and memories of us. That which remains is always something else than what you think.