Mieko Konno, left, principal of Takata Elementary School in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 20, 2020, introduces a woman who lost her son in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (Provided by Mieko Konno)
RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate Prefecture In this coastal city, almost everyone has a story of tragedy related to the 2011 disaster.
But teachers at the city-run Takata Elementary School here had shielded the pupils from anything related to the tsunami that tore through the city on March 11, 2011.
School staff were concerned that the children were not old enough to hear about the Great East Japan Earthquake and the towering tsunami that killed 1,761 Rikuzentakata residents, including seven pupils at Takata Elementary School.