Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake Kesennuma City Memorial Museum, Memorial museum in Kesennuma, Japan
The Kesennuma memorial is housed in a former high school building that sustained damage during the 2011 disaster and has been preserved as is. The structure displays fire damage, twisted steel supports, and water marks on the walls that record what occurred.
The 2011 disaster caused severe destruction across the city with significant loss of life. Eight years later, the damaged school building was converted into a museum to preserve these events for future generations.
The museum demonstrates how the community processes the disaster through survivor testimonies and visual documentation displayed throughout the space. You can see how remembrance remains woven into the town's identity.
The building is located in an accessible spot and can be entered from multiple points. The rooms inside show both the damaged original structure and informative displays, so visitors should allow time to explore thoroughly.
A striking feature is the visible water line marked on the walls showing how high the surge reached. This marking at around 7 meters high silently demonstrates the immense force of the waves.
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