Japan’s Iwate: 400 Participate in Michinoku Coastal Trail Walking Event; Participants Visit Sites including Miracle Pine Tree that Survived 2011 Tsunami

The Yomiuri Shimbun
The “kiseki no ipponmatsu,” or miracle pine tree, is seen behind participants in the Michinoku Coastal Trail in Rikuzantakata, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:27 JST, October 6, 2025

RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate — A walking event was held Sunday on the Michinoku Coastal Trail, which links the four northeastern prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.

A total of 397 participants from across Japan joined the event, dubbed the Michinoku Coastal Trail Walk in Rikuzentakata with Pokémon Local Acts.

The event, sponsored by The Yomiuri Shimbun and others, featured a short (6 kilometer) and a long (9 kilometer) course.

The participants visited sites including the “kiseki no ipponmatsu,” or miracle pine tree, which survived the tsunami caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and is preserved as a symbol of recovery, and a monument inscribed with poems by the Iwate-born poet Takuboku Ishikawa.

　A 54-year-old company employee from Sendai who participated with five colleagues said of seeing the tree: “It reminded me that we must not forget the disaster. When I saw the beautifully maintained park, I also felt the power of recovery.”