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Unlock the Real Japan: ten years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, how has Japan changed?

Six new articles explore the recovery of the disaster area and Japan’s path to reaching zero emissions

Tabea Greuner
Written by
Tabea Greuner
Writer
Michinoku Coastal Trail
Photo: Koji IwamaMichinoku Coastal Trail
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Produced in collaboration with Nikkei Asia and Time Out Tokyo, Unlock the Real Japan’s website has been updated with six brand new articles prior to the release of the magazine’s third issue on March 29.

The first three articles look into reconstruction efforts in areas that were badly hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, while the other three pieces focus on the country’s reduction of its CO2 emissions and Japan’s path to becoming a carbon-neutral society by 2050.

Manabu Chiba
Photo: Kisa ToyoshimaManabu Chiba

Meet Japanese architect Manabu Chiba, who designed public housing complexes in Kamaishi (Iwate prefecture) for those affected by the 2011 disaster. The project was launched in cooperation with ArchiAid, a network of architects and designers co-founded by Chiba that supported the disaster-stricken area by providing time and knowledge to the rebuilding process. He not only talks about his efforts to help create homes for those who needed them most, but also what he gained from the experience – and how his annual bicycle tour through the region supports locals.

Rias Ark Museum of Art
Photo: Rias Ark Museum of Art

To see how the Tohoku area has made progress in encouraging tourism, don’t miss the area guide that introduces five important spots in northeast Japan, from new museums with exhibitions on the disaster to restaurants using local produce, and long-established sake breweries.

The Potential of R-Hydrogen infographic
The Potential of R-Hydrogen infographic

Meanwhile, three articles explore the process of Japan becoming carbon-neutral within the next three decades. Eiji Ohira, director general of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Group at the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), talks about the future potential of hydrogen energy and how work at the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field could contribute greatly to Japan’s green future. This goal is also supported by green energy companies that are helping the country to reach net zero emissions through cutting-edge sustainable initiatives.       

Be sure to take a look at these six new pieces before the third issue of Unlock the Real Japan is published at the end of March. Each piece was written and edited by Marcus Webb, editorial director of Original Inc (publisher of Time Out Tokyo) as well as the editor of slow journalism magazine Delayed Gratification.

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