Japan - Saturday

So this morning we woke up and got ready to go.  John wanted to show the team a different area effected by the tsunami then where they had been working.  So we drove to Higashi Matsushima -- which was a whole town (or village) and was almost completely wiped out by the tsunami.  We saw all sorts of rubble and debris that the water moved to places it shouldn't have been.  The hardest thing was driving past a nursing home and realizing that most likely none of the nursing home residents made it out alive.  You could see the occasional house but then you realize that there were houses that were completely destroyed that weren't there anymore.  Just makes you realize how devastating water really can be.

About 6 miles away in Matsushima -- which was where we stopped to eat and do a little bit of sight seeing. As we walked through the town, it was barely effected by the tsunami.  People walking around and exploring, restaurants and shops were trying to get you to come into the their shops.  The area of Matsushima is one of Japan's most beautiful places to see and is protected by some islands so we think that Matsushima didn't get affected as much by the tsunami because of the islands.  It was just interesting to see the stark contrast of a booming alive and well tourist town of Matsushima and then empty and trying to pick up the pieces from the tsunami at  Higashi Matsushima.

 We had soba noodles for lunch.  The guy in the green shirt was from Japan but helped volunteer with the Taiwan team, for a couple days.  They all had fun together.