201111 March 2011 · Tōhoku Pacific coast

Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster

The lone Miracle Pine stands behind the wrecked youth hostel kept as a memorial at Rikuzentakata — Photo: Morio. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the Tōhoku coast sent a tsunami up to 40 metres high over the shore, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing. At Fukushima Daiichi the wave knocked out cooling and three reactors melted down, forcing over 150,000 people from their homes. Survivors now guide visitors through preserved school ruins and new memorial parks along the coast.

Sites

Site 1: Sendai Arahama Elementary School earthquake ruinsSchool where 320 people sheltered on the roof, kept as a memorial.Map ↗
Site 2: Ōkawa Elementary School ruins, IshinomakiRuined school where 74 pupils and 10 teachers were swept away.Map ↗
Site 3: Takata-Matsubara Tsunami Memorial Park, RikuzentakataNational memorial park and the lone pine that outlasted the wave.Map ↗
Site 4: Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum, FutabaMuseum near the Fukushima Daiichi plant on the accident and evacuation.Map ↗

Guides who take you there

History-only · order never for sale

We haven't found an independent history guide for this yet. Guide here? Tell us about your tours.

More from the Modern History

Read more: reference. Summary written by History-Tours.com.