A businessman in Iwate Prefecture has designed a calendar to highlight people affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that uses photos to document developments that have taken place at the same spots, to sustain public interest in Tohoku's disaster zone.
"I want this calendar to be an opportunity to keep in mind the memory of the disaster and to make people think about what they need to prepare for," said Hitoshi Oita, a food wholesaler from Morioka who created the calendar.
Tomomi Sasaki, 30, who appears in the January section, belongs to a local brass band. In one of the photos, Sasaki is shown holding her euphonium in a park that has become a dumping site for rubble. The band would have held a concert there had it not been for the disasters.
Oita, 44, said he will donate some of the profits from the before-and-after calendar to children living in the disaster areas.
The calendar, which spreads out to A3 size, is priced at ¥1,050 including tax and is being sold via Rakuten and other online vendors. For more information, call Oita at 080-4376-5776.