TIME contract photographer Dominic Nahr is documenting the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Nahr, represented by Magnum Photos, arrived one day after the 8.9-magnitude quake hit on March 11.
From a post updated on April 3, 2011.
For the final days of his assignment in Japan, Nahr camped out at a Daiou temple in Minami Sanriku where survivors were living together and laying the dead to rest.
Most of the town was wiped out by the tsunami. But the temple, which is situated on a hilltop, was spared. “My translator and I had been sleeping in the temple for five nights along with dozens of other survivors,” Nahr said via email. “It was one of the most important experiences I had since I had entered Japan because we finally had the chance to connect closely with people.”
At night in the temple, he spoke to families that fed him and made sure he was safe following aftershocks. He described how the priority was to keep the elderly warm, and he photographed the Buddhist funeral ceremonies that were being done in groups and in an abbreviated form so they could accommodate all the families that lost loved ones, many without a body to mourn.
“The Japanese tradition is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life,” Nahr said. “There is a collective dignity that survives any misery. Tradition is evident in every part of life, whether it’s during the graduation ceremonies where children have their feet together, hands folded in front of them, or in the way they take leave at a grocery store with no groceries, bowing a graceful goodbye.”
“In the end the hardest place to leave wasn’t Japan, the northeast or Minami Sanriku,” he said. “But it was leaving the friends I had made there. They took care of us selflessly within dire situations, not rattled by aftershocks or sickness. I am thankful and will always think of them.”
From a post first published on March 22, 2011
TIME contract photographer Dominic Nahr is documenting the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Nahr, represented by Magnum, arrived one day after the 8.9-magnitude quake hit on March 11, 2011.
Most recently Nahr has been covering the relief efforts taking place around the country traveling between Tokyo and hardest hit areas in the north. On a visit to Sendai he documented the crew of the USS Ronald Reagan as they worked to reach isolated parts of that region.
In a conversation late last night he described huge aftershocks rocking the 20th floor of his hotel in Tokyo when he was transmitting this work.
From a post first published on March 14, 2011
Nahr spent the first night with several other journalists on the floor of a house in Fukushima. “Quite a sight: six guys huddled together like sardines covered in blankets,” he said.
The next morning, the group piled into two tiny cars and started driving. “We were on a small road toward the coast and passed a checkpoint,” he said. “Suddenly we were in a wasteland of cars, debris and houses.” Minutes later, he photographed rescue workers walking through the rubble with two victims covered in a blue tarp, a solemn scene that sadly will be repeated over and over as the rescue effort continues.
Nahr, who also covered the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti last year, said the situation in Japan is vastly different. “Haiti was very unorganized, but within the chaos, it was easy to move around and also easier to get supplies. Here both are difficult because of strict rationing and sections of devastated areas [that are] cordoned off or just unreachable.”
“There are a lot more aftershocks here, some very powerful,” Nahr, reporting from Sendai, said on March 14. “There must have been over 50 since we got to the hotel.”
The fear of a nuclear meltdown continues to loom heavily on everyone in the region. “You never know. The wind changes,” he said, referring to the threat of drifting radioactive clouds. “None of us knows what it means if one of these reactors goes.”
Note: This gallery will be updated regularly with more of Nahr’s photographs from Japan.
A woman waits at the entrance to the Shibuya subway station in Tokyo while the usually vibrant streets are mostly dark due to the power cuts since the earthquake. March 21, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEEvacuee's in Tokyo, many of which come from the Fukushima prefecture, wait in line for food at the Saitama Super Arena where close to 5000 people seek shelter and aid. March 22, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEOn the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan stationed off the coast of Japan's Sendai region. March 21, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA pilot on the USS Ronald Reagan is checked for radioactivity. Each member of the military arriving onboard is inspected for contamination. March 21, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEAn aerial view from a helicopter with the Black Knights Helicopter Squadron delivering aid to the Sendai region. March 21, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEWomen taking refuge at a school in a part of the Sendai region that was badly damaged in the earthquake and tsunami. March 21, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEDebris from the aftermath of the Tsunami is visible in the waters near the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan stationed off the coast of Japan's Sendai region. March 20, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMELocal community leaders meet at a shelter in the Sendai region, organizing much needed aid, with members of the Black Knights Helicopter Squadron. March 21, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEOn the ground, workers protect themselves from dust as a helicopter with the Black Knights Helicopter Squadron delivering aid prepares to land in one of the damaged and isolated communities in the Sendai region. March 21, 2011 Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA woman near the devastated coastline of Misawa, Japan, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA shipwrecked boat near the Misawa coastline, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEFishermen begin the cleanup effort in Misawa, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMETrash is burned in Misawa, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA man surveys the devastated coastline of Misawa, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMELocals collect sea water near the Misawa port, March 19 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMENormal life resumes as residents in Misawa held a graduation ceremony at a local school, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEFamily members of American soldiers in Japan prepare to evacuate, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA woman discovers that one of her relatives died after reading her name on a list posted at the city hall in Natori, March 18, 2011. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEPeople scan the missing persons list at a shelter in Yamagata March 18, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMETwo sisters seek shelter in a school gymnasium after being evacuated from Minamisoma, near the Fukushima nuclear plant, on March 16, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA man from an evacuation zone seeks refuge at a school gymnasium in Yonezawa on March 16, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEYoung evacuees play in the gymnasium in Yonezawa on March 16, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA woman is screened for radiation at the Hokenjo Health Office in Yonezawa on March 16, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA man from Minamisoma is screened for radiation on March 16, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA man uses a public phone booth in Yonezawa on March 16, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEToppled cars in the devastated city of Natori on March 15, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA local man helps rescue workers search for survivors in Natori on March 15, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA tree is surrounded by destruction in Natori on March 15, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA crane removes debris from the road to allow rescue workers to continue their search for survivors in Natori on March 15, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMESoldiers pull a victim into a military truck in Natori on March 15, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA soldier combs through debris looking for survivors in Natori on March 15, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA man listens to a radio on the outskirts of Natori on March 15, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMESoldiers prepare to search for survivors in Kesennuma on March 14, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMELocals tour the devastated coast in Kesennuma on March 14, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA member of Japan's Self-Defense Forces searches for survivors on March 14, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEWomen take a break from looking through rubble for their belongings on March 14, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEMembers of the Self-Defense Forces search for survivors on March 14, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA destroyed home in Natori on March 13, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA man seeks refuge in a school gymnasium in Natori on March 13, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMESurvivors take refuge in a school gymnasium in Natori on March 13, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEA list of survivors hangs in a school gymnasium in Natori on March 13, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMESurvivors in a school gymnasium in Natori on March 13, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMERescue workers carry the bodies of two victims as fires burn in Natori on March 13, 2011
Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEThe aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Natori on March 13, 2011Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME
