Rikuzentakata was once a vibrant fishing port, a place of people, temples and traditional houses and was listed as one of Japan's most scenic places. Today, Rikuzentakata is a hellish place choked with dirt and debris, empty except for the swarm of bulldozers gnawing at its remains. It's almost certain that many of the one thousand still missing will never be found. "It was a quake like I'd never experienced before" says fisherman Yoshiharu Yoshida. As Japan grapples with its biggest disaster since the Second World War, many are struggling to rebuild their lives and find jobs in what has become the most expensive natural calamity in world history. "There are people who lost houses and lost relatives. I lost relatives as well. If we keep crying and don't do anything nothing will change. Step by step we should go forward".

A Film By ABC Australia
Distributed By Journeyman Pictures
June 2011