Iwanami – One Last Hug

Nine years after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami devastated East Japan in March 2011, the lives of 2,532 people are still unaccounted for, their fates unknown. Photojournalist Yuki Iwanami follows three fathers whose children were swept away during the tsunami, never to be found again. The book begins with a poignant series of crumpled and dirty children’s clothes, found after the waters receded. Iwanami’s images tell a heartbreaking story about loss, grief, and acceptance, combining pictures from large-scale search efforts with personal mementos (photographs, old toys and clothes, drawings). In addition, the book includes written accounts of each of the lost children.