What no tsunami can take away

Miyato is a small village in Japan famous for its nori, a thin paper-like food ingredient made of seaweeds that is a staple in japanese cuisine.  A year ago today, Miyato was literally washed away from the face of the earth by gigantic tsunami waves that came hours after Japan's strongest earthquake struck.

Most of Miyato's infrastructures -- homes, buildings, facilities, and nori-making equipment -- were washed away.  With no means of livelihood and their homes and some family members gone, the people of Miyato have almost given up hope of ever recovering from the disaster.

Help in the form of food and other basic necessities from other japanese slowly poured to Miyato, and along with it the encouragement to resurrect the Miyato nori which is valued all over Japan.  The government subsequently orders the residents of Miyato to pull together and raise from the rubbles the nori industry, its product the entire nation has grown to love for generations.

With no one to turn to but themselves, the people of Miyato, who before the disaster were fierce business rivals, pooled their resources and decided that they would rebuild their industry, together.

This project gave the residents of Miyato a sense of purpose.  And with the little that they have left started restoring their destroyed industry, one seaweed stalk at a time.  By the time they produced their first bundle of nori, the people of Miyato have rediscovered their pride, recovered their dignity, and rekindled their belief in the human spirit -- no tsunami can take that away.



This story is inspired by a similar documentary which came out in the Discovery Channel.


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