MORIOKA -- Dazzling city lights were seen Wednesday evening in the newly developed area of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, where the heart of the city had been devastated by an over 10-meter-tall tsunami that followed the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
The developed land was raised about 10 meters after the quake. Although quite a few empty plots of land remain, Abasse Takata, a commercial facility that was opened in the city's central area back in 2017, stands as a symbol of the hustle and bustle returning to the city.
On the other hand, an area of flat land near the seaside where a number of houses and shops once stood, was shrouded in darkness. Only the Yonezawa Shokai company building stands in the now otherwise empty area. The building's owner was able to survive the tsunami that came as high as the three-story building's roof by climbing its chimney.
While other houses and buildings in the area were subsequently torn down, the Yonezawa Shokai building has been preserved to act as a relic of the earthquake.
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