Photo/Illutration Mourners offer prayers toward the sea in the Arahama district of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, from early morning on March 11 to remember victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. (Jin Nishioka)

In parts of northeast Japan, mourners bowed their heads and prayed on March 11 to remember the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region exactly 13 years ago.

The magnitude-9.0 earthquake, which struck off the coast of the region at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, left more than 22,000 people missing or dead, including disaster-related fatalities.

In the Arahama district of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, people offered prayers while facing the sea from the early morning.

One of them, a 58-year-old Sendai resident who lost relatives and friends in the disaster, said, “Today marks the day we lost what we used to take for granted.”

“There are still those who haven’t been found, and I hope they will be reunited with their loved ones,” she added.

A 53-year-old self-employed woman who resides in Sendai prayed toward the sea with her gospel group members.

Several years after the disaster, the group began hosting charity events and have continued to do so every year since.

The woman is concerned about the dwindling number of reconstruction events in recent years.

Although she had visited flower stands in the city, this was her first time to come to the coast on March 11.

“I think it’s important not to forget the disaster and pass it on to the next generations,” she said. “I want to live thinking about what we, who are alive, can do.”

In Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, many people visited the preserved ruins of Ukedo Elementary School from the morning.

The Ukedo district was engulfed by tsunami waves more than 15 meters high. The school’s second floor was reportedly inundated by water about 10 centimeters deep.  

The ceilings and walls had peeled off, and reinforcing steel bars were crushed.

About 150 people in the district lost their lives or went missing, but the school's students managed to flee to nearby higher ground and were safe.

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Chisa Horigane, left, visits the preserved ruins of Ukedo Elementary School in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, with her mother on March 11 and asks about the earthquake and tsunami. (Shoko Rikimaru)

Chisa Horigane, 3, who lives in Fukushima city, visited the school with her mother, Tomoko, 30.

Chisa asked, “What happened to those who were here?” and “Why is this building damaged?”

Tomoko, who experienced the earthquake as a high school student, said, “Children already seem to understand that a tsunami might come if an earthquake occurs.”

“I would like to continue to teach my daughter about disaster prevention when she shows an interest,” Tomoko added.

In Fukushima, a memorial service was held in the Palthe Iizaka convention hall, organized by the prefectural government.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was in attendance, expressed condolences to those who lost their loved ones.

"I firmly pledge that we will apply the lessons learned from the great sacrifices in dealing with the natural disasters and will continue to develop a nation resilient to disasters," he said. 

A 20-year-old vocational school student, who now lives in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, spoke as a representative of the bereaved families. He lost his parents and grandparents in the tsunami in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture.

“The terror of the massive, dark tsunami I saw from the back seat of the car is still vivid in my mind,” he said. “It’s important to ‘run away’ from it.”

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