Tsunami - Hit School Opens As 2011 Disaster Memorial Site
A former elementary school preserved as a memorial site of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan has opened to the public.
The tsunami submerged the first floor of Kadonowaki Elementary School in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.
The building facing the sea then caught fire.
Students, teachers and staff safely escaped to the hill behind the school.
The city government decided to demolish part of the school and preserve the rest as a memorial site, taking into consideration the feelings of residents who do not want to remember the disaster that killed many people around the school.
The site was opened to the public from Sunday.
Visitors are not allowed to enter the building that was burned in the disaster, but they can follow a route to view a safe that was knocked down by the tsunami, as well as charred desks and a burnt ceiling that collapsed.
The school building facing the hill suffered less damage, and has been turned into an exhibition facility.
The evacuation route is illustrated on a wall.
A visitor from Sendai City in the same prefecture said he could feel the tsunami's power and the magnitude of the fire, and that it was good to learn lessons from the disaster with which he does not have firsthand experience.
A former teacher from Osaka said it was heartbreaking to see the devastating damage the school suffered, and that teachers should be aware that disasters can happen and should be prepared to save children's lives.
The ruins of Kadonowaki Elementary School will be open from Tuesday through Sunday, and on Mondays that fall on the eleventh day of the month.