Two years ago, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami swept across the country’s coast wreaking untold amounts of damage. One of the quake’s victims was an old forest in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, which was obliterated by severe ground tremors and the crashing sea waves that followed. Of the 70,000 timbers that were felled, a sole tree survived. The ”miracle pine,” as it’s called by locals, withstood one of the greatest natural disasters recorded, only to perish in September 2012 after it succumbed to toxic levels of saline that had been deposited by flooding.

Now, a sculpture commemorating the miraculous 88-foot-tall tree is set to open in an event that will mark the second anniversary of the disaster. Continue.

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The earthquake that devastated Japan one year ago began a new chapter in the island nation’s history, ripping through its coastal cities and villages and momentarily stripping the entire country of its long-cultivated hard shell of contented self-sufficiency. Since then, Japan’s gift for design has spiked with full force, as its resident architects and designers did not hesitate to take action and pair up with relief organizations to unearth a new stage of Japanese modernity from the vast wreckage. From Shigeru Ban’s refined shipping container housing complexes to Koji Kakiuchi’s minimalist gabled frames set atop of the exposed foundations of razed homes, the architecture of the aftermath has been a steady source of inspiration for all. Now, Kengo Kuma joins the list of innovators with plans for a new meeting center in Rikuzentakata. Continue.

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