Japan is a land of natural wonders and unfortunate proximity to widespread natural disasters. It sits on a fault line that causes earthquakes, so much so that they are a usual occurrence and are reported as commonly as the weather.
And being a nation of islands, these earthquakes come with tsunamis – a word borrowed by most of the world directly from Japan due to the incredible frequency with which they receive them.
Each tsunami is damaging and devastating, despite being predictable. Some are far, far worse than others.
In 2011, a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck the mainland near the coast and caused a tsunami in the town of Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture.
It was one of the deadliest tsunamis in modern history for the nation and came at a massive toll of life, losses, and spiritual disturbance.
Just as Japan is a land of natural wonders and frights, its history and culture are abundant, with supernatural phenomena and paranormal disturbances.
10 /10 The Vanished Town
March 11, 2011, was the date on which the tidal wave hit the town of Ishinomaki. The water peaked at 131 feet above the average sea level, and all of that washed inland.
The city was devastated with nearly 20,000 casualties, many of whom were confirmed dead, and the remainder were missing and still are ten years later.
Homes, businesses, shrines, and altars – everything was swept away. It was a devastating nightmare for the region: but the town was considered a minor loss.
9 /10 Fukushima Power Plant
The tsunami also reached the nearby nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
This caused a flood in the reactors and a breach of the failsafe, which caused back-to-back failures and caused a radiation leak that was declared the most severe nuclear facility accident since Chernobyl.
The scale was only increased due to the region-wide power outages, blocked roads, and the newly leaking radiation from the evacuated power plant. It turned a simple tragedy into a global one.