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"Look at the rainbow!"

On March 11, 2020, a memorial service for the Great East Japan Earthquake was held in Yuriage, Miyagi Prefecture. A big rainbow appeared in the blue sky a little after 2:46PM when the service attendees offered silent prayers. The attendees released dove balloons and it looked as if the balloons were flying toward the rainbow.

This annual memorial service is held by an NGO called Stage on Earth. Stage on Earth manages a memorial museum, Memoire de Yuriage. Yuriage used to be home to 5,000 people, but the tsunami waves in 2011 swept through the town leaving nothing behind. The town's middle school lost 14 students. One year after the disaster, the museum was built next to the school entrance to take care of the cenotaph. The museum is visited by the local residents and they share their experiences of the disaster to the next generations.

The memorial service is attended by hundreds of people each year. Due to the coronavirus concern, only family members of the victims were invited to this year's service. However, despite the windy weather, people gathered from afar including the mayor. The participants wrote a message on the dove balloons to commemorate the deceased.

"I was determined to join the service this year," said a female attendee in her 20's. She began to attend the memorial service every year after she heard a victim talking about the disaster. Out-of-town attendees, embracing reuniting with the local residents, said, "Ever since I first visited the memorial, I visit Yuriage every year on March 11," and "I just cannot forget the stories I heard here."

A couple from Iwate said "We came to Yuriage for the first time to understand the situation in the affected areas. We were shocked to see nothing left here. We hope our well-wishes on the dove balloons will reach the deceased."

The Great East Japan Earthquake left a deep scar on everyone affected by the disaster. By talking about their experiences and sharing lessons learned, the storytellers at the museum commemorate their loved ones and help people still struggling from the painful memories. Their touching stories shared at the museum bring visitors back again and again.

Around Yuriage, there are no structural remains left to show. That is why the museum exhibits the belongings of the deceased donated by their family members. The museum is hoping that those items will tell stories of the disaster.

Civic Force is supporting the storytelling activities by Stage on Earth.

https://www.civic-force.org/activities/higashinihon/index.html