11 days will be 11 years and 5 months since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
A woman in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, who lost her husband in the tsunami, offered her prayers as she reflected on the past 11-odd years she spent propping up her wedding ring left by her husband.
Yumi Hayashi (47), who lives in the Minami Kesennuma district of Kesennuma City, lost her husband, Gosho (39 at the time), to the tsunami.
On the 11th, 11 years and 5 months after the earthquake, Ms. Hayashi quietly put her hands together in front of the photo after serving her husband's favorite coffee at home.
Ms. Hayashi said, "I feel like I've managed to come this far. I've always been worried about not having anyone to talk to about my children."
Before the earthquake, Mr. Hayashi's family had two children and four of them.
When the earthquake occurred, Mr. Gosei contacted Ms. Hayashi to say, "I'm going back to pick up the luggage I left at her house." After that, she disappeared.
In Mr. Gosho's pocket, which was later discovered, there was a wedding ring that he usually kept at home, "not to lose it."
After the earthquake, Mr. Hayashi always carried the ring with him, and when he was troubled, he talked to Mr. Gosei through the ring, and spent the past 11 years.
This year, the eldest daughter Rion (19) celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony, and her eldest son Shinkoto (14) became a junior high school student preparing to take the high school entrance exam next year.
It is said that the reason why they were able to support the children's growth so far is because they felt Mr. Gosho's presence close to them through the ring.
On the 11th, Ms. Hayashi will continue to watch over her child's growth while working at the beauty salon she runs with her mother.
Mr. Hayashi said, ``I think the children have put up with not having a father.