We remember the 10th anniversary of the 3.11 Tohoku disaster. We remember those who perished and the survivors who barely had a place to return to in the tragic aftermath. Recovery is not complete, but it persists with the unified resilience of the people of Tohoku and beyond.
From 2011 to 2014, the MIT Japan 3.11 Initiative (forerunner of eTOPOS) worked on the frontlines with three communities in Minamisanriku, Miyagi-ken: Utatsu, Baba-Nakayama, and Iriya. Each project became a “Stage for All,” responding to the urgent need for informal places to gather outside their temporary shelters and share a cup of tea. It was not so much about the things that were built but the people who created these labors of strength and unity.
With the bare minimum of a bench, a table, and a canopy in an alley of a temporary shelter site, we worked with the residents of Baabadoru 5-chome 「バーバドール5丁目」to build a stage for all in the midst of dystopia. The local grandmothers (baba) brought their favorite pastries to sweeten the conversations.
A memorial and gathering place assembled from tsunami debris found among villagers’ homes became the Garden Pavilione 「ガーデンパビリオーネ」. Fishermen and other survivors of Baba and Nakayama villages, with volunteers from all over Japan, created a temporary stage for all during this post-disaster state of limbo.
A prominent boulder anchored a stage for all atop a bamboo platform, Rinrin Popolo 「りんりんポポロ」. Marked by the Big Rock overlooking the rice fields and mountain afar, it is a place to enjoy the calm together, to imagine their future in the days ahead.
These vibrant people fuel the power of these places. Our collaborations continue. Collective strength and creative energies are at work, in hopefully planning and building for the next generations –
BEYOND 3.11.
~ eTOPOS, March 2021
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Title image: A renewed ecological vision for Minamisanriku, restoring people to place, home and the sea. / Rendering by Karin Schierhold