When a violin's melody wafted through the air in a tsunami-devastated area of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, on the first anniversary of the March 2011 disasters, what astonished people was not just its beautiful sound, but also the material it was made of.
The one-of-a-kind violin was crafted from wooden debris, possibly parts of the many houses and trees washed away in the massive tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region on 3/11.
"I was surprised to know driftwood was recycled into an instrument with a tone that makes people smile," said 11-year-old Emi Matsumoto, who attended a memorial ceremony where the violin was played. The event gave her a chance to see friends she had not seen since the disaster.