A long walk in Tohoku
Gianni Giosue
On March 11,2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit Japan. The Tsunami which followed caused a catastrophe.
I arrived in the area on March, 14th. I was facing kilometers and kilometers of destruction caused by the gigantic Tsunami waves. Mud was everywhere, in the air there was the sweet aroma of the resin oozing from the pine trees which had been snapped like pencils.
I was particularly shocked by the fact that the tsunami could rob people of their memories; not only their houses were gone but also their belongings. Photos and mementos of their past lives were out in the fields mixed with debris and water.
In March I spent about 2 weeks in the field and produced a first set of photos. I organized an exhibition in Milan,Italy and raised about 7,000 US Dollars for Ishinomaki. One of the worst hit cities.
In August 2011 I felt the need to go back. I followed Matsuo Basho’s footsteps and walked for 210 km and 11 days to witness the recovery process. I met wonderful people who had lost almost everything and were ready to share what they had left with me. I have written only a couple of chapters of this story. I need to finish my job.
P.S. Matsuo Basho was a Japanese poet regarded as the originator of Haiku. Extremely short form of poetry. He walked from Tokyo to Tohoku and also to other parts of Japan.
