Embedded Files
These photos come from a Vanity Fair piece in which photographer Mark Edward Harris returns to Japan five years after the 3.11 earthquake and contemplates how the landscape and society have changed.
3.11- The Day That Shook Japan
3.11- The Day That Shook Japan
On March 11, 2011 at 2:46 p.m., a devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan. The Tohoku Region then suffered a massive tsunami and the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The destruction that was left behind was insurmountable. With over 18,000 people dead, including thousands whose bodies were never found, the earthquake marked the largest in Japan's history. After entire towns were swept away and large areas were shut off due to high levels of radiation, many were forced to move.
Trigger warning: The following videos contain graphic clips of the tsunami and earthquake on 3.11
Trigger warning: The following videos contain graphic clips of the tsunami and earthquake on 3.11
After the earthquake struck Japan news outlets all over the world covered the disaster: footage of the disaster, survivor interviews, and follow-ups from years later were all published to the internet. An elementary school girl hiding under a table as her home shook was one of these clips being viewed by millions. Little did she know, this clip would go on to teach children all over Japan what to do in emergency situations for years to come.
Ari Onodera
Ari Onodera
Ari Onodera and her family are from Sendai, where they were when the catastrophic earthquake hit at 2:46 pm March 11, 2011. Now, she is a second-year student at Akita International University. Her family currently resides in the Iwate Prefecture, having moved for her father’s job.
Ari Onodera was being filmed by a local news station covering children’s art when the clock ticked 2:46. When her home began to shake the cameras kept rolling, capturing 3.11 and the earthquake’s destruction of her family’s apartment. Ari is seen ducking for cover underneath a coffee table in the living room. The video has now been viewed by millions of people. It is still used in classrooms as an example of what to do in the case of emergency.
Note: This video is a contains several different clips from the disaster. The first video alone is Ari Onodera.
Ari's Full Story
Ari's Full Story
"Okay, so right now, my hometown is in Iwate, but before 3.11 and for about two or three years after 3.11, we were in Sendai—in a district in the city of Miyagi Prefecture. We were in Mizumi. How do I explain it? A district? It wasn’t on the coast side; it was inside the city.
We lived there since I was born, until I was about seven years old. We were living on the eighth floor of an apartment, and it shook a lot. We had experienced earthquakes before, and we knew how they felt. We did many evacuation drills, even when I was in kindergarten. I was five or six years old, but I knew what we should do—go under the table, hold on so it doesn’t move. But we had never had an earthquake that big before. It was terrifying, but at the same time, I didn’t understand how big and serious it was.
At the time, we didn’t have any information sources. The radio was the only thing, but the electricity was out. We didn’t know the scale of what had happened.
One of the local TV interview crews came to our house that day, so I actually have a video of it. It became viral from that video—people watching it say, “This is my house. This is my mom.”
The video of our house is on YouTube. I heard it’s being used in educational programs about earthquakes. People in the comments praise my mom and the director.
After the shaking, all electricity stopped and everything collapsed. We had to get out, but it was cold for March, and we needed jackets. There was no access to our room, so I had to take my dad’s jacket—it was huge. We evacuated from the eighth floor to the first floor. There was a police station next door, and they had a bus with heat, so we stayed there for about 30 minutes to an hour.
My sister, who was five years older than me, was on the school bus. The driver dropped them off at the closest bus stop, and she walked home. She didn’t have her phone. A neighbor saw her in front of the police station and brought her to us. Then we all went together to the evacuation center. It took two hours to get there.
Sometimes I feel like I was only five or six and can’t fully remember, but thanks to the video, I can see how it was. I was under the table during the shaking, so I didn’t see anything. When we came back home afterward, I finally saw everything. Everything had collapsed. We had a black cat and I wondered if she was safe. She was, thankfully. But there was nothing I could do. I didn’t have the strength to help fix the house. And after we cleaned everything once, there was another big earthquake about a month later, and everything fell again.
The tsunami hit the coastal side of Sendai, Ishinomaki, and Iwate, but at the time I didn’t know a tsunami had happened, or that the accident in Fukushima had happened. I remember seeing a newspaper photo of the explosion in Fukushima, but there was so little information.
My uncle worked at a BMW repair shop on the coastal side of Sendai. When he realized a tsunami was coming, he grabbed the most expensive car and drove it inland to save it.
Sendai Port is more industrial. Sendai Airport was close to the coast, and it was destroyed. Everything had to be sent through Yamagata or other cities, which took a long time.
When we evacuated, the ground outside was cracked, and trees and light posts had fallen. I remember it snowed while we were evacuating. In March, we rarely get snow, but it started snowing. It was cold, our house collapsed, my dad was in Yamagata for work, and it was just my mom, my sister, her friends, and me. We didn’t have enough jackets or heating packs.
We stayed in the evacuation center for three or four days. My parents went back to get some things, but I didn’t go because it wasn’t safe. When we returned, we still had no electricity, water, or gas. The supermarket was closed, and there was nothing to eat. It’s stressful, especially for older kids. I’m glad I was young—I didn’t feel stressed about not showering. If I had been 12, I would have been miserable.
After the evacuation, we stayed in the junior high school gym. There was a heating system. My sister only had her school uniform. I felt relieved when my dad finally came home that night. Our family was together again. I didn’t sleep well, but at least I could sleep.
I was grateful that everyone in my family was safe, even the cat. None of my relatives died. My mom’s family lived near Sendai Airport—they could have been caught in the tsunami, but they weren’t. After growing up, I realized how serious everything was. Kids from Sendai and Iwate share that understanding of earthquakes.
Even today, when a small earthquake happens, we make eye contact—“That was an earthquake, right?” But when I was in Arkansas, the choir room would shake because it was on the second floor. Whenever it shook, I looked around, but no one reacted. People there don’t know what earthquakes feel like.
If we had lived on the coast or in Fukushima, we probably would have moved out. But we knew our building in Sendai would be okay, and moving wasn’t an option because of my dad’s job.
I think it took about one month for gas and water to come back. Electricity came back first. The water system was damaged underground, so we relied on water trucks. Before gas returned, we ate packed rice, canned bread, and whatever didn’t require cooking. It was hard, but we fixed our house. After two days, supermarkets reopened with limited goods. I remember standing in a long line wearing my dad’s huge jacket.
We still had food from the evacuation center. One thing I remember was the seaweed rice. I liked it, but my mom always said we had enough seaweed rice for a lifetime.
Around one month after the earthquake—mid-April—schools reopened, but the gym was damaged because the lights had fallen. Graduation and entrance ceremonies were canceled.
Every month on the 11th, we prayed and read disaster-prevention books. We had mental-health check-ins so the school could see if kids were struggling. I feel like I was lucky—my family was safe, and I didn’t experience deep trauma compared to others.
Our black cat, Maguro, lived until about 20. Now we have three more cats: Mitarashi, Koma, and Kako. With three cats, evacuating would be harder.
By second or third grade, we understood what had happened—the victims, the tsunami, Fukushima. Some classmates had lost their homes and had to evacuate. We received support from Disney—they sent stationery to elementary schools so kids could still have cute supplies. There were many supportive actions.
Kids from outside Tohoku know about the disaster, but they don’t feel it. For us—kids from Miyagi, Iwate, Fukushima—it’s personal. Students from Yamagata or Akita didn’t experience as much shaking or loss. It’s mostly the three prefectures who share the deeper connection."
Images of Ari's home after the earthquake
This page was created by Abigail Finney and Elias Acevedo for Akita International University's 3.11 First Person Narrative Project. Both Abigail and Elias are short-term International students who are studying at AIU for the fall of 2025.
Abigail Finney
Abigail Finney
Abigail Finney is a third year student at the University of Richmond studying journalism and visual art. She is originally from Pocahontas, Arkansas.
Elias Acevedo
Elias Acevedo
Elias Acevedo is a third year student at Union College studying civil engineering. He is originally from Chicago, Illinois.
Authors' refection: This project is very special to both of us. As exchange students, getting the opportunity to learn more about Japan and hear peoples' story has been a blessing. The Tohoku region will forever hold a place in our hearts. Also, thank you to Ari who was nothing but lovely as we continued to speak with her about her experiences. We plan to take these stories with us and educate our friends and family at home. ---Abigail and Elias
Reference
Reference
CNN. (2011, March 11). 2011 Japan earthquake eyewitness account [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0l6z0HaUAM
Harris, M. E. (2016, March 10). Photos: Five years since Japan’s 3.11 tsunami. Vanity Fair. Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/news/photos/2016/03/five-year-anniversary-japan-tsunami-photos?srsltid=AfmBOoq5DGmyfWnPsal4tnetusx0mi5xXQUyq5vL7jo5TJef9Eigii9H
Nokawa. (2015, March 11). March 11, 2011: The Moment the Great East Japan Earthquake Struck [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McjIOGWmTTk
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