This is a wall of photos recovered from tsunami wreckage turned in by villagers. Each photo was cleaned and put up in the Tanohata Village main center. If someone finds a photo on the wall that belongs to them, they are free to take it.

This was the only part that nearly brought me to tears. Photos of the most important moments in these people's lives, now homeless. There were weddings, graduations, class photos, fathers holding their children for the first time, baby photos, and many more.

According to my host sister, only 20% of the photos lost in the tsunami have found their way home. The remaining 80% will never be claimed or recovered.

Tanohatamura, Iwate-ken, Japan