Otsuchi Town hosts event to return photos lost in tsunami

Otsuchi Town in Iwate Prefecture is hosting a special event to return cherished photographs lost during the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami. The “Memories of Photos” return event, held at the Otsuchi Town Cultural Exchange Center, showcases approximately 50,000 photographs preserved by the town.

The collection is organized into categories such as “weddings” and “babies” to help residents and visiting families locate lost items. Since the initiative began by an NPO in 2013 and was later taken over by the town, approximately 3,000 photographs have been successfully returned to their owners or families.