Rugged path for shop owners at temporary malls in tsunami-hit towns

Rugged path for shop owners at temporary malls in tsunami-hit towns

Isami Chiba gazes at an empty lot of a temporary shopping mall where he used to run a convenience store in tsunami-hit Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 14, 2015. At age 76, Chiba found it difficult to secure funds from creditors and was forced to close his shop in January. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Isezaki-cho Dori Avenue

Isezaki-cho Dori Avenue

The area between Isezaki-cho and Nigiwai-cho, which prospered from the second decade of the Meiji Period, had many theatres, teahouses and restaurants. This photograph captures the lively atmosphere of the street before the fire of 1899. The building on the left may be Isami-za in Matsugae-cho (present-day Isezaki-cho 2-chome).==Date:Middle Meiji, Place:Yokohama, Photo:A. Farsari, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number81‐5‐0]

The theatre district in Isezaki-cho

The theatre district in Isezaki-cho

The area between Isezaki-cho and Nigiwai-cho, which prospered from the second decade of the Meiji Period, had many theatres, teahouses and restaurants. This photograph captures the lively atmosphere of the street before the fire of 1899. This is the vicinity of Isami-za in Matsugae-cho (present-day Isezaki-cho 2-chome), taken between 1887 and 1897.==Date:1887-1896, Place:Yokohama, Photo:Kusakabe Kinbei, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number55‐52‐0]

A playhouse Isami-za

A playhouse Isami-za

The playhouse in Matsugae-cho, Yokohama (present-day Isezaki-cho 2-chome). See photos numbered 55-52, 81-5)==Date:Middle Meiji (1883-1897), Place:Yokohama, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number50‐39‐0]