Beach reopens 10 years after tsunami

Jul 18, 2021 | News On Japan

Jul 18, 2021 (NHK) - A popular beach in Iwate prefecture that was badly damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami has reopened for the first time since the disaster.

Takata-matsubara beach was one of the most popular beaches in northeastern Japan. But the disaster destroyed 90 percent of the sandy beach and all 70,000 pine trees in the area, except one, which miraculously survived the tsunami.

Authorities reopened the beach following the completion of restoration with the planting of 40,000 pine trees with the help of a local non-profit organization and others.

In a ceremony on Saturday, the mayor of Rikuzentakata city, Toba Futoshi, wished for a safe environment for everyone who visits the beach.

A man from a nearby city said he often visited the beach in his childhood and he hoped his children will have similar happy memories of playing at the beach.

The mayor said the opening of the beach will help revitalize his city and that he hopes it will attract many visitors.

The reborn-beach has an electric evacuation board to warn people in the event of a tsunami, in addition to lifeguards and a wireless, disaster alert speaker system.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.