Ever since the 9-magnitude earthquake rocked the Tohoku region two years ago, Tokyo doctor Naoko Ishii and her husband, Hajime, have been quasi-residents of the Ogatsu district of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.

Just a day after the havoc began on March 11, 2011, the couple drove north in a vehicle laden with food, water and medicine to help their compatriots in distress.

Days later, they stopped by the nearby fishing port of Ogatsu to dispense medical care because the town was in dire need of doctors. Tsunami had destroyed hospitals and knocked out the bridge spanning the Kitakami River, cutting it off from the rest of Ishinomaki.