Recommended Reservation Available
Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake: Sendai Arahama Elementary School Building and Residential Foundation
During the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, 320 children, school staff, and local residents evacuated to Arahama Elementary School. The school building is open to the public as ruins to serve as a memorial and pass on the lessons learned from the disaster. By preserving the foundations of houses where people once lived, we convey the lives of the people who lived here, the memories of the region, and the destruction of the tsunami from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Operation Period
All year round on Saturdays and Sundays.
Time Required
About 2 hours (including travel time to and from Arai Station, it will take approximately 3 hours.）
Number of Participants
5〜15people
Price
The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, as a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0, making it the fourth-largest earthquake in the world since 1900. This earthquake triggered massive tsunamis along the Sanriku coast of Tohoku. The seismic tremors were observed across a wide area of Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. The tsunamis reached the Pacific side of Japan, with heights exceeding expectations at 8 meters and 9 meters. The highest recorded tsunami reached 14.8 meters in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, and traveled inland, rising up to 40.5 meters on coastal slopes. The tsunamis devastated a wide area of northeastern Japan.
Arahama Elementary School has been preserved and maintained as earthquake remains with the aim of raising awareness about disaster prevention among visitors. The school building shows clear evidence of the disaster and has exhibits to help visitors understand the power and threat of tsunamis.
The distance from here to the coastline is less than 1 km. The school building is four stories tall, and the tsunami reached up to the second floor. On March 11th, the day of the earthquake, 320 students, faculty, and local residents took refuge here. You can learn about their experience here. Also, take a look at the foundations of damaged houses and you can feel the power of the tsunami.
| Experience Program Name | Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake: Sendai Arahama Elementary School Building and Residential Foundation |
|---|---|
| Activity Location | Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake: Sendai Arahama Elementary School |
| Time Required | About 2 hours (including travel time to and from Arai Station, it will take approximately 3 hours.） |
| Operation Period | All year round on Saturdays and Sundays. |
| Start Time | 9:30 at Arai Subway Station or 12:30 at Arai Subway Station. |
| Minimum number of participants | 5people |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of participants | 15people |
| Reservation Deadline | 21 days before by 16:00 |
| Price |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| What is included in the price | Guided tour. | ||
| Method of Payment | Cash payment on the day. | ||
| Cancellation Policy | Cancellation up to 3 days before 0:00, up to the day before = 50% of the participation fee. Same day cancellation, no-contact/no-show is 100% of the participation fee. *Cancellation by phone can be done on business days and business hours, generally on the same day you apply. * If you are able to find a replacement who can participate instead, no cancellation fee is required. Please contact us if that happens. |
| Meeting Spot | Arai Station（Sendai Municipal Subway Tozai Line） Travel by city bus from Arai Station |
|---|---|
| Meeting Time | 9:30 at Arai Subway Station or 12:30 at Arai Subway Station. |
| Access | By Public Transportation: About 15 minutes by train from Sendai Subway Station to Arai Subway Station on the Tozai Line. |
| Parking | No |
| Barrier-free Access | No |
|---|---|
| About multi-lingual support | Japanese／Other |
Take a look at the surroundings from the roof of the school and imagine how things were in the past.