Picture
Caption: Japan Tale of a Tsunami
Caption: As a ski photographer, a trip to Japan is one of the major 'Bucket List' items. Last year, I was fortunate enough to travel there for a personal ski vacation.
While the snow was deep and plentiful early in my trip, temperatures spiked during my second week and the snow conditions deteriorated quickly.
Caption: I lamented at my situation, having travelled so far and paid my own way, only to have what I deemed most important to me, powder skiing, not be as high a quality as I had foreseen.
As it turned out, during a visit to the tsunami ravaged areas of Honshu Island, I realized quickly how insignificant my needs and wants were compared to the tragic events of March 11. To say I was humbled would be a grave understatement.
Picture
Caption: A friend of my travel companion showed us images from the days following the magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
Picture
Picture
Caption: While walking across the flattened rumble, finding lost personal items was deeply saddening.
Picture
Caption: Rikuzentakata, Japan
Picture
Caption: Rikuzentakata, Japan
Picture
Caption: Tree of Hope This tree was the lone survivor of a large forest along the coast line of Rikuzentakata. It has been fitted with supports near its base, so it can stand as a symbol of strength and hope for a community that was all but wiped off the map by the devastating wave.
Picture
Caption: Rikuzentakata, Japan
Picture
Caption: As we drove through the city, the GPS navigation system would warn us of railway crossings that no longer existed and tell us to turn onto streets that we could not find.
Picture
Caption: A man waits for the bus in front of a massive freighter that came to rest many miles inland.
Picture
Caption: Ishinomaki City, Japan
Picture
Caption: Ishinomaki City, Japan
Picture
Caption: Sacrifice We were told the story of an emergency worker who shouted evacuation warnings to the city residents from the top of this building, right up until the moment the tsunami stuck and destroyed everything in it's path.
Caption: Our final destination was an elementary school where most of the students and teachers underestimated the reach and scale of the tsunami tidal wave. It was by far the most emotionally charged place I've ever been.
Picture
Caption: Ishinomaki City, Japan
Picture
Picture
Caption: Once filled with water and happy students, this outdoor pool is now filled with dirt and debris.
Picture
Caption: While not allowed inside the school walls, it was easy enough to see into the classrooms since very few of these walls remained.
Picture
Caption: My travel companions and I paid our respects and prayed for those that had been lost.
Caption: The most emotional part of our visit was when my friend Tomo discovered a booklet of photographs that were stuck together and damaged by the salt water. Each time he peeled one apart, we were struck by the intimacy of the images we saw. I felt as though I was somehow invading each persons privacy and wondered about what had happened to each face I saw. It is a moment I will never forget.
Picture
Caption: The water damage yielded some unexpected results.
Picture
Caption: Lost faces
Caption: _______ Bruno Long Twitter : @eyeblong
Instagram: @brunolongphotography
Website: www.brunolong.com