Minamisanriku: A Tohoku town triumphing over tragedy Today 06:00 am JST Today | 06:08 am JST MINAMISANRIKU, Miyagi
At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, the Miyagi Prefecture coastal town of Minamisanriku was rocked by a M9.0 earthquake under the Pacific Ocean approximately 50 kilometers to the southeast. The shaking lasted for nearly five minutes; less than 30 minutes later, the waters of a massive tsunami flooded into the town, reaching 20.5 meters at their highest point and pushing two kilometers inland. Nearly 95% of the town was destroyed and at least 1,200 people lost their lives.
But this area has more than a millennium of tsunami inundation history and the people who make their lives here are made of pretty stern stuff. Part of what makes Minamisanriku such an enchanting place is the resilience and attitude of its people, an attitude so contagious it actually attracts people to relocate here.