Sanriku Railway – Symbol of Hope

The small, local Sanriku Railway is the main transportation between the communities that line the jagged Sanriku Coast of Iwate. When the great earthquake of 2011 devastated the region, the damage to this essential and much loved railway seemed at first too great to repair. But undaunted they immediately began the attempt, and the sight of their heroic work inspired volunteers to come from all over the country to help. In just three years, the railway was operational again. We look at this charming country railway through the eyes of a young woman who became a train driver after the disaster.