Sendai in photos

6 months after the great tohuko earthquake and tsunami.

prepare for some heart-wrenching photos…

used to be homes/an entire town

my dear friend kanae, from kobe

the neighborhoods that actually have houses still standing are like ghost towns.

about 200 miles running north and south along japan’s eastern coast was inundated by the tsunami which destroyed or literally washed away entire towns and communities. 

progress has been made, but they’re not yet done with the recovery (cleanup/disposal) phase, so thousands of survivors are still in evacuation centers and temporary housing waiting to hear if they’ll be able to rebuild or not.

suicides and PTSD are also increasing.
as for radiation — i’ve tried to find out as much as i can. i would not have gone knowing there was a serious threat, because in the somewhat near future (not just yet, mom!) we want bebies. there have been regular tests done on radiation levels in every area we were volunteering, and they have all been normal and were done independently of the japanese government. there is a serious threat in the restricted zone around the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant but we obviously didn’t go near there and sadly the people inside are not allowed out.