13 Years On: Victims Mourned in Tsunami-Hit Japanese Coastal Areas

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., March 11 (Jiji Press)--Prayers were offered on Monday for victims of a massive tsunami that struck coastal areas across the northeastern Japan prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima 13 years ago. 

In the morning, a man who lost his loved one in the March 11, 2011, tsunami was gazing sadly at a stone monument containing a list of victims. "I still have to sort out my feelings," he said.

In the Miyagi town of Minamisanriku, Aya Takahashi laid flowers in front of the shell of a tsunami-engulfed municipal building where 43 people died, including town officials who were calling on residents to evacuate.

The building, which was once the town's disaster management center, has been preserved within a disaster memorial park as a reminder of the tragic event.

"The colleagues include one of my friends," Takahashi, 37, said. "I'm here to tell them what happened this past year." 

Yoriyuki Kinuyama, 54, visited the Ohirayama cemetery in the Fukushima town of Namie to mourn his parents and a nephew who was 13 years old when they were killed by the tsunami.

"I sometimes wonder if my parents and the nephew are still alive somewhere," Kinuyama said.

At a cemetery in the Iwate city of Rikuzentakata, Kazue Takahashi, 71, prayed and offered flowers at the grave of her son and his wife, whose bodies have not been found. Placed at the grave is a photo of the couple's wedding, which took place not long before the disaster.

"I'm doing my best to pray for your souls," she said. "I hope you are watching over me somewhere."
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