Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial is a facility in Shizugawa, Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, dedicated to preserving and sharing the memory of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. Opened on October 1, 2022, it presents the events that took place in Minamisanriku, testimonies from local residents, and the town’s journey toward recovery.
The facility is not simply a place to learn about the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami. Through exhibitions, videos, and interactive learning programs, visitors are encouraged to think about disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction from a personal perspective. Questions such as “What would I do in this situation?” and “What can I do to protect my life?” encourage visitors to consider how they might respond to a future disaster.
Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial was designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who has been involved in supporting the reconstruction of Minamisanriku. The building’s large roof was inspired by a ship connecting the sea and mountains, as well as the past and future. Its expansive, ship-like form is particularly striking, while locally produced Minamisanriku cedar is extensively used on the exterior.
The memorial forms part of a larger town development project together with Minamisanriku Sun Sun Shopping Village, Minamisanriku Earthquake Memorial Park, and Nakabashi Bridge. Rather than separating the sea from the land, the area has been designed to connect the community’s past with its future. Walking through the surrounding area provides an opportunity to experience both the memories of the disaster and the town’s present-day recovery.
The Exhibition Gallery introduces basic information about the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as events that occurred in different parts of Minamisanriku and the experiences of local residents. Photographs, exhibition panels, and video materials show the situation immediately after the disaster and the subsequent process of recovery and reconstruction.
Among the important materials are video testimonies from people who narrowly survived inside the former Disaster Prevention Countermeasures Government Building during the tsunami. Their firsthand accounts convey aspects of the disaster that statistics and photographs alone cannot fully communicate. Listening to individual experiences can encourage visitors to consider natural disasters not as distant events, but as something that could affect their own communities and daily lives.
Minamisanriku Town has recorded numerous events and personal experiences from the Great East Japan Earthquake through the reconstruction process and made them available as digital archives. The memorial also introduces these records, allowing visitors to learn about the extent of the disaster, the reconstruction process, and the experiences of local residents.
The archives explore the disaster and recovery from a variety of perspectives, including “Survival from Zero,” “In an Isolated Place,” “The Self-Defense Forces and Minamisanriku,” “Support and Receiving Support,” “Supporting Each Person’s ‘Living,’” “Understanding Tsunamis,” “Preparing for Disasters,” and “Toward a New Town.”
The Art Zone is a quiet space where visitors can reflect on lives lost in a major natural disaster. Centered on questions such as “What is nature? What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to live?”, the space features “MEMORIAL” by internationally renowned French contemporary artist Christian Boltanski.
The installation consists of countless rusted boxes stacked together in a dark and quiet environment, creating a powerful visual impression. As visitors wonder what the boxes contain and why so many have been placed together, the work encourages reflection on lives that were lost and on the preciousness of human life.
Rather than presenting the earthquake solely as a historical event, the memorial uses contemporary art to create a space for thinking about life, loss, and what it means to live. This approach is one of the distinctive characteristics of the facility.
The Learning Theater presents educational programs based on video testimonies from people who experienced the disaster in Minamisanriku. While listening to accounts of what happened on the day of the earthquake and tsunami, visitors are encouraged to consider, “If I had been there, how would I have acted?”
The programs demonstrate through firsthand experiences that natural disasters do not always unfold according to expectations and that decisions about evacuation can sometimes determine whether people survive. Visitors are not simply asked to watch videos; opportunities are also provided for participants to discuss their thoughts with one another.
An important principle of the memorial is that disaster preparedness does not have a single, simple “correct answer.” During an emergency, decisions may depend on the circumstances, the people nearby, the amount of time available, and the information at hand.
By listening to personal testimonies, considering questions, and discussing ideas with others, visitors can examine their own attitudes toward disaster preparedness. Hearing perspectives that differ from their own can also help them think more deeply about how they might respond in an emergency.
The memorial also features photographs taken by photographer Masashi Asada, who documented residents of Minamisanriku. Images of people working together toward reconstruction and scenes of everyday community life provide a glimpse into the years the town has experienced since the disaster.
Other projects have included photographs documenting Minamisanriku before the earthquake and tsunami, as well as scale models reconstructing parts of the former townscape. These initiatives involve local residents and help preserve memories of landscapes and ways of life that were lost in the disaster for future generations.
Near Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial are the Minamisanriku Earthquake Memorial Park and the former Disaster Prevention Countermeasures Government Building, which has been preserved as a disaster heritage site. Walking through these places after visiting the memorial allows visitors to consider the earthquake and reconstruction not only through videos and documents, but also through the actual landscape of the town.
The former Disaster Prevention Countermeasures Government Building suffered severe damage from the tsunami and has since become one of the places where the memory of the disaster is preserved and passed on. Visiting it together with Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial provides a broader understanding of both the devastation caused by the disaster and the town’s subsequent reconstruction.
The second-floor observation deck offers views over the Earthquake Memorial Park, Nakabashi Bridge, Shizugawa Bay, and the surrounding area. Looking across Minamisanriku’s landscape of mountains and sea, visitors can reflect on the town before the disaster, the reconstruction that followed, and its future.
The observation deck also provides an opportunity to connect what visitors have learned inside the memorial with the actual landscape outside. While taking in the beautiful natural scenery of Minamisanriku, visitors can consider what it means for people to live alongside and coexist with nature.
Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial is more than a facility for recording the damage and sorrow caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Through testimonies from residents, photographs, videos, digital archives, contemporary art, and participatory educational programs, it encourages visitors to think about what can be done to protect lives from future natural disasters.
The questions and emotions that arise while exploring the exhibitions do not necessarily have predetermined answers. Instead, thinking independently and discussing these issues with family, friends, and fellow visitors can become an important step toward connecting the experiences of the disaster with the future.
Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial is located in the area of Michi-no-Eki Sun Sun Minamisanriku, a roadside station, with Minamisanriku Sun Sun Shopping Village and the Minamisanriku Portal Center nearby. The area offers opportunities to experience not only disaster remembrance but also the town’s present-day food, daily life, and tourism.
For this reason, the memorial can easily be incorporated into a walking itinerary around Minamisanriku. Exploring the surrounding streets after visiting the exhibitions provides a chance to see how the town has rebuilt itself while experiencing its current community and landscape.
The facility is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays and during the year-end and New Year holiday period from December 29 through January 3.
By public transportation, the memorial is approximately one minute on foot from Shizugawa Station on the Kesennuma Line BRT, or just a short walk from the Miyako Bus stop at Michi-no-Eki Sun Sun Minamisanriku. By car, it is approximately three minutes from Shizugawa Interchange on the Sanriku Expressway.
When visiting Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial, consider exploring the surrounding disaster heritage sites, Earthquake Memorial Park, and Shizugawa Bay as well as the museum itself. Seeing the actual townscape after learning about the experiences of local residents can provide a deeper understanding of the earthquake, tsunami, and reconstruction.
By preserving memories, sharing personal experiences, and encouraging visitors to think about their own actions during a disaster, the memorial creates a meaningful connection between the past, the present, and the future. It is an important place in Minamisanriku for learning about the Great East Japan Earthquake while considering how we can prepare for disasters and protect lives in the years ahead.
9:00-17:00
Every Tuesday
Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 through January 3 of the following year)
Admission fee
Fee-paying area
Adults and college students 200 yen
Elementary, junior high, and high school students: 100 yen