This series was shot in the regions of the northern Pacific coast of Japan from mid to late 2012.  This is the area hit hardest by the Great Tohoku Kanto Earthquake & Tsunami on March 11, 2011.

My focus is on capturing moments in the restoration process by setting the scenes on the horizon under the sky. I capture images such as a field full of sunflowers under rain clouds, a locomotive lying in a mountain of debris, a bird flying over shattered houses in a field, a metal-framed building standing alone on a flooded seawater plain, and a makeshift altar shining brightly among the winter grasses. I also photographed notable monuments in regions such as Kyotokumaru No. 18 in Kesennuma City, a fishing vessel that was swept over half a mile inland from the city's dock by the tsunami, and the Miracle Pine Tree in Rikuzentakata City, the sole surviving tree among 70,000 pine trees on the coast. I visited right before the tree was cut down as part of the project to preserve it.

I felt each of the images directly communicates with the viewer about what the regions have been through since the disaster, such as devastating loss, overwhelming sadness, and emptiness, as well as a glimpse of hope and strength in the areas’ long recovery process.