Life After Three Eleven

On March 11th 2011, Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggering a devastating tsunami along the Sanriku coastline. Nearly 10 years on, I decided to travel to a small fishing town called Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture. After researching the history of the Sanriku coastline, I wanted to meet with the local community to hear their experiences and document all the progress they had made as a town with their regeneration progress.

Throughout my six week stay, I was introduced to so many wonderful people, from local fishermen, sake brewers and traditional indigo dye artists, to local izakaya owners, Zen Buddhist monks and the amazing volunteers at Hamawarasu children’s charity. All who inspired me with their perseverance and collective dedication to rebuild a stronger town together. Below is a collection of images I have curated that will hopefully give you a small glimpse into the amazing community I feel so fortunate to have met. This was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences I have ever had as a photographer and I cannot wait to return to Northern Japan one day and visit Kesennuma once again.