Photo/Illutration Plumes of smoke are seen from a port in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on March 2. (The Asahi Shimbun)

The mountains glowed a sinister red against the dark night sky. “It brought back those memories of that day,” said a woman in her 60s, her face etched with sorrow.

She resides in Otsuchi, a town facing the Pacific located about 30 kilometers north of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture, an area currently grappling with an ongoing forest fire.

The day she referred to was March 11, 2011—the day the Great East Japan Earthquake devastated the region.

Soon, it will be 14 years since “that day.” Reports of the wildfire have stirred painful memories for many in the region, reviving images of the devastating disaster caused by the tsunami and fire triggered by the quake. 

“My chest tightens, and I can’t hold back the tears,” were words I heard repeatedly during my recent visits to the Sanriku area.

A woman spoke haltingly. Her grandson had just celebrated his fourth birthday. Her daughter and son-in-law had sent a photo of the occasion.

She found it adorable and thought about sharing it with her friends, but then she hesitated: “I stopped myself. It somehow feels inappropriate to share moments of joy at this time.”

I was astonished by how the words of someone familiar with pain could convey such tenderness.

In Rikuzentakata, the hub of firefighting operations, numerous helicopters were ready in a square, while fire engines bustled in and out. Many individuals had gathered to aid in the efforts to quell the forest fire, silently persisting in the tasks at hand.

From the center of Ofunato, white smoke was seen billowing from the mountains. Inside the community center, disaster victims huddled together, gripped by anxiety. Neighbors contributed meals and other essentials for the evacuees.

“I just don’t know what we can do now,” a white-haired man murmured with a sigh, his words tinged with the local dialect. I felt helpless, unable to find the right words to comfort the people around me.

My deepest hope is for the fire to be extinguished soon.

—The Asahi Shimbun, March 2

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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