“You can’t go home again”. Who wrote that? I’m pretty sure it was an American, all cookie-cutter and picket fences. Whoever did, they were right; although I doubt they had nuclear disaster in mind. Today marks my return to Namie for the first time since the tsunami swept our town and lives away. But I am done with mourning. I am returning to Namie today with a single purpose: to find Noboru, my cat.

Until last week I had given up any hope of his survival, irrespective of how many lives he had going spare, but something my neighbour Mrs Nagata said gave me hope. Mrs Nagata and her four sons returned to Namie last week to collect the last of their belongings. Most of the town’s residents, including my family, have made similar journeys home, only to return shattered by the experience. I was there when Mrs Nagata returned to the temporary housing, head held high, clutching a bundle of belongings. ‘Our town is finished’ she said ‘Best leave it to the cats’.   

Inspired (with great respect) by the second anniversary of the 2011 Japanese tsunami.