{"id":3794,"date":"2013-03-13T09:59:16","date_gmt":"2013-03-13T09:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=3794"},"modified":"2016-04-29T19:45:23","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T18:45:23","slug":"tohoku-then-now-ester-de-roij","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/13\/tohoku-then-now-ester-de-roij\/","title":{"rendered":"Tohoku: Then &#038; Now &#8211; Ester De Roij"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>Two years on from the great <a title=\"Tsunami news footage\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-20638696\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tohoku earthquake and tsunami<\/a>, tourism to Japan is back to pre-tsunami levels and InsideJapan Tours are assisting more people than ever in discovering the beautiful culture, countryside and people of Japan. In this anniversary week, the InsideJapan blog will focus on the region looking at how it has recovered, the charities that have made a difference and why tourists are returning to this area of Japan and indeed other areas of the country. The blog pieces are taken from personal experiences of the InsideJapan Tours team in the UK, US and Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Ester works on the admin and images here at the UK InsideJapan Tours HQ assisting with the design of our Info Packs, helping with the image library and a whole host of other tasks. In fact she is a young woman with all sorts of surprises up her sleeve. As well as being an <a title=\"Ester Picasa\" href=\"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/photos\/111562448879812725610\/albums\/5334172137921220001?banner=pwa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">excellent photographer<\/a> and a keen filmmaker, Ester has spent a lot of time travelling the length and breadth of Japan which included some time volunteering in the tsunami affected Tohoku region. Ester shares some of her experiences and photos from tsunami affected Ishinomaki town after volunteering in 2011 not long after the disaster struck and later in 2012.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The day we arrived in Ishinomaki it was really warm. Putting up our tents on the University sports field was sweaty business and just 3 days later we had to evacuate our tents because of too much snow! These were the tough conditions in post-tsunami Tohoku. During our volunteer work, the thing I found most poignant were the stories from ordinary local people in extraordinary situations \u2013 and they were happy to share.<\/p>\n<p>One lady spent two nights in a car park, wondering if her son was still alive. Others spent their days worrying if the bubbling black water was going to drown them alive as it reached the second floor of their houses. One man\u2019s family cried out of gratitude when they saw foreigners helping them and told us that living off tight rations after the tsunami was more difficult than rations during the war.<\/p>\n<p>My favourite though, was Mr. Atsushi Kondo, owner of a fugu shop, who stayed with a different friend each night, borrowing clothes as he went along. We spent two days cleaning his shop, despite his statements of: \u201cI\u2019m 69 already, I don\u2019t know if I can open a new shop!\u201d So grateful for all our help, he rushed upstairs and gave everything he had left \u2013 business cards, Chinese lanterns, the lot.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3808\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3808\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3808\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Working on Kondo san's shop\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/14-kondosans-shop_toriko-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3808\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Working on Kondo san&#8217;s shop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the end of the week, we had a belated <a title=\"hanami party tokyo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HB-Nb9FnsW8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hanami party<\/a> (cherry blossom viewing) for the people in Ishinomaki, and he came and greeted us with bottles of coke and orange lemonade he had found from before the tsunami. <em>\u201cWhy are you not drinking alcohol?\u201d<\/em>, he asked us.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3809\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3809\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3809\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Hanami drink with Kondo san\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/15-hanami-with-kondosan-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3809\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hanami drink with Kondo san<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To which we replied, <em>\u201cWe haven\u2019t been drinking all week, out of respect for everyone we are helping out.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cOh really? I\u2019ll be back in 5 minutes.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/em>A little later, he returned with a bag and told us to hide it. It contained a bottle of Japanese Sake that he still had from before the tsunami, and he wanted us to have it. So kind!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3795\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3795\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3795\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Ishinomaki 2011\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-300x100.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-1024x341.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-1200x400.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-720x240.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-1440x480.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-390x130.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-780x260.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1-1month-900x300.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3795\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ishinomaki 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3796\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3796\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3796\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Ishinomaki 2012\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-300x100.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-1024x341.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-1200x400.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-720x240.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-1440x480.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-390x130.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-780x260.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/2-14-months-900x300.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3796\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ishinomaki 2012<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fast forward 14 months, and I had the opportunity to visit Ishinomaki again. <strong>The place looked nothing like it had looked before \u2013 clean street tiles, bustling traffic, and shops open everywhere.<\/strong> I asked about Mr. Kondo, or Mr. Fugu as everyone called him. Much to my surprise, the locals pointed me in the direction of a shop. A seafood shop. As it turns out, Mr. Fugu had enough motivation to open a shop again. Sadly I wasn\u2019t able to meet him that day, but some fellow volunteers did a few months later. I couldn\u2019t have received better news.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3797\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3797\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3797\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"A tsunami wrecked house 2011\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-1200x1600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-720x960.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-1440x1920.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-390x520.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-780x1040.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month-900x1200.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/3-1-month.jpg 1944w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3797\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tsunami wrecked house 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3798\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3798\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3798\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"The house in 2012\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-1200x803.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-720x482.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-1440x964.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-390x261.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-780x522.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/4-14-months-900x602.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3798\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The house in 2012<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3799\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3799\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3799\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-300x142.jpg\" alt=\"Ishinomaki streets 2011\" width=\"300\" height=\"142\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-1200x568.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-720x341.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-1440x682.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-390x185.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-780x369.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/5-1-month-900x426.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3799\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ishinomaki streets 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3800\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3800\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-300x142.jpg\" alt=\"Ishinomaki streets 2012\" width=\"300\" height=\"141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-1024x484.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-1200x568.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-720x341.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-1440x681.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-390x185.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-780x369.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/6-14-months-900x426.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3800\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ishinomaki streets 2012<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cIshinomaki is doing well\u201d<\/em>, some locals told me<\/strong>. <strong>\u201cSome people have left, and some people have come back.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">A great personal account of the region from Ester. Two years is a long time and the region has come on a long way. There is still work that needs to be done in the most devastated areas, but generally life is pretty much back to normal in the region with <a title=\"Then and now images\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/2300-202_162-10011534.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rebuilding programmes<\/a> moving at lightening pace. The chances are that you will probably not head to Ishinomaki unless you join one of the volunteering groups such as our favourite <a title=\"INJM\" href=\"http:\/\/itsnotjustmud.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Its Not Just Mud<\/a> or <a title=\"Peaceboat\" href=\"http:\/\/www.peaceboat.org\/index_j.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peaceboat<\/a> but there is plenty to see in this beautiful rural Tohoku area. We will continue to look at the region over the week marking the landmark 2nd anniversary.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3794\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Two years on from the great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, tourism to Japan is back to pre-tsunami levels and InsideJapan Tours are assisting more people than ever in discovering the beautiful culture, countryside and people of Japan. In this anniversary week, the InsideJapan blog will focus on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2356],"tags":[1208,1593,1653,1678,1702,1720,2191,2258,2289],"class_list":["post-3794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-miscellaneous-blog-posts","tag-japan-travel","tag-hanami","tag-insidejapan-tours","tag-japan","tag-japan-trip","tag-japanese-culture","tag-tohoku","tag-tsunami","tag-volunteering"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3794"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9518,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3794\/revisions\/9518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}