The milestone was marked by the Yoshida family, who came from Iwate Prefecture.
On Saturday, September 6th, the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial reached a cumulative total of 300,000 visitors since its opening.
This milestone moment was reached with the support of many people.
The 300,000th visitor was the Yoshida family from Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture.
A memorable moment
On the day, the mayor of Minamisanriku Town presented the family with a commemorative gift and a ceremony was held to celebrate the milestone.
With a mixture of surprise and joy, the Yoshida family smiled and said, "We never imagined we would be the 300,000th visitor."
Yoshida said, "This time I came to eat a seafood bowl and decided to stop by since I was there, but this was my first time at the memorial."
Regarding the exhibits inside the museum, he gave his honest impressions, saying, "When I saw the model of the townscape before the earthquake, I was surprised to see how many houses there were."
Looking back on the time of the earthquake, he said, "I was in elementary school and I was at home when I heard a loud noise and the earth rumbled, and I remember being very scared.
I would like to teach my children not to forget 3.11 and to use it to help them prepare for future disasters," she said.
Yoshida's family talks about disaster prevention awareness
Meanwhile, Yoshida's family also viewed the exhibit and said, "Iwate also suffered great damage, but we were able to learn things that were not covered in the news at the time. We got a real sense of how high the tsunami was and the extent of the damage to the town, and it really brought home to us the fear of earthquakes."
He added, "We just celebrated Disaster Prevention Day, but I want to pass on the memories and lessons of the earthquake to the next generation, rather than leaving them to our generation."
The family, who have visited Minamisanriku many times, say that seeing the town's progress in recovery is also a source of strength for them.
"It's a place that holds sad memories, but seeing the town regain its vitality and become more lively gives us courage," she said with a smile.
"The power of turning points"
For the Memorial Hall, the milestone of 300,000 visitors is not just a number, but a collection of footprints of each individual person facing the disaster and thinking about the future.
For the family, the experience of becoming the 300,000th visitor, which came about through a series of coincidences, has become an unforgettable memory.
After this memorable moment, they said they planned to go to the park and let the kids play, enjoying their day off as usual, and the warm smiles that are typical of a family were overflowing.
Future memorials
Since its opening, the Minamisanriku 3/11 Memorial has welcomed many visitors as a place to convey the memories and lessons of the earthquake disaster.
We will use this milestone as a new starting point to continue to inform many people of the facts about the earthquake and become a base for fostering disaster prevention awareness to protect lives.