To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, a special outdoor installation is being set up at Tokyo Midtown.

Ten thousand candles will be lit over the course of three days, filmed here on March 11, to remember the victims of the disaster and spread a message of hope unity.

The installation was organised by a group of Tama University students from the Nippon Daisuki Project.

This footage was filmed and produced 11 March 2021.
To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, a group of Tama University students from the Nippon Daisuki Project are putting together a special outdoor installation at Tokyo Midtown this month. 10,000 candles will be lit over the course of three days to remember the victims of the disaster and spread a message of hope unity.

The candles will be lit inside washi paper lanterns, many of which will feature hand-written messages sent from supporters of the Tohoku region over the past ten years. This year’s theme is based on the concept of connectivity and the candles will be arranged to form interlocking circles to symbolise the ways we are all joined together and dependent on one another.

As you walk through the space, reading messages from the past decade, you’ll get a sense of how people’s sentiments towards the disaster have changed and developed over time. Even if you can't read the messages, the drawings alongside them and the quiet display itself are a reminder of the importance of hope in dark times.

Location: Kokubunchō, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan