The night sky over Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, which was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami, was lit up Saturday with a spectacular fireworks display that was also a show of determination to overcome a current crisis.
The Sanriku Fireworks Festival, with about 10,000 fireworks, was planned by local volunteers as a sign of hope for ending the novel coronavirus pandemic. About 11,000 residents and tourists watched as the fireworks were set off near the "miracle lone pine tree," a tree that had survived the tsunami.
According to the city, it is the first fireworks display in 10 years in the Takata Matsubara district, pre-dating the 2011 disaster.
A 76-year-old woman, whose home was swept away by the tsunami, watched the display from the balcony of public housing for victims of the disaster.
"I am happy that I can see such wonderful fireworks and the town is lively again," she said.
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