IWAKI, Fukushima -- The final exhibition encouraging owners to collect items that were swept away by the tsunami following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and later recovered began at a museum in this northeast Japan city on Jan. 10.

Since its opening in May 2020, Iwaki 3.11 Memorial and Revitalisation Museum has been calling for people to come pick up the items during a period of about a week each year. However, as inquiries have been decreasing year by year and the items deteriorating, it has become difficult to continue storing them. This had led to the decision for the practice to be discontinued.

There are approximately 5,000 items being stored at the museum, with many of them scattered across several public facilities in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture. This year, some 1,300 belongings were brought to the museum, and around 300 of them are being displayed.

Among those exhibited are "randoseru" school backpacks, flip phones with "purikura" photo stickers attached, compact digital cameras, and even a commemorative plaque featuring a group photo of youth baseball team members. Along with other objects that were popular before the earthquake and tsunami, the items on display evoke memories of the past.

The event will run until Feb. 28. Any items that cannot be returned will be burned during a memorial service at a local temple on March 11, marking the 14th anniversary of the disaster. Photos and other items will apparently be preserved digitally as much as possible.

To claim an item, individuals must bring an identification card, such as a driver's license or a My Number card. For inquiries, contact Iwaki 3.11 Memorial and Revitalisation Museum at 0246-38-4894 (in Japanese).

(Japanese original by Hideyuki Kakinuma, Iwaki Local Bureau)