Based on the concepts of "It keeps changing," "It connects with everything," and "It lasts forever," artist Tatsuo Miyajima launched the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" project after the Great East Japan Earthquake. This project aims to commemorate the victims of the disaster, pass on its memory, and build the future of Tohoku in collaboration with the people living in Tohoku and those who care about the region. The concept was initiated in 2015, and the artwork has been created through dialogue with nearly 3,000 people.
An introductory video for the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" project has been released on YouTube. In this article, a staff member living in Tomioka Town shares highlights of the video and insights into its production.
Text by Emiko Nishizuka ("Sea of Time - Tohoku" Project Staff)
Highlights of the video
The introductory video for the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" project was produced by Masamasa Nishino, a contemporary artist and video director. The video encapsulates the journey and various sentiments behind the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" project.
The approximately eight-minute full version includes the content of the short version, while also more carefully conveying Miyajima's words, his interactions with the people of Tomioka Town, and even the local nature and atmosphere. Scenes of visiting the planned museum construction site and the expressions of the winter sky and sea in Tomioka are particularly striking.
Additionally, the video documents behind-the-scenes moments of the production, such as the media bus tour held on February 7th and scenes from the studio.
The short version, released at the press conference held in Roppongi on February 3rd this year, encapsulates the project's overview and Miyajima's aspirations for it.
Filming in the studio
Filming with a model of the Sea of Time - Tohoku Museum (tentative name)
Miyajima's narration scenes were filmed at the office in Tomioka Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
The content of the video allows viewers to grasp the contours of "Sea of Time - Tohoku" and deeply appreciate the sentiments flowing within it—its connection to Tohoku, the coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, and Tomioka Town.
We hope you will come closer to the project's core through this video.
New faces of the planned museum construction site
This video was filmed in mid-December 2024, when winter's cold was setting in.
On that day, standing at the planned museum construction site in Tomioka Town, the sky was clear, and the blue of the sea felt exceptionally deep.
We filmed by repeatedly observing the movement of the clouds and the moments when the sun shone through, letting nature guide us and trusting the light and scenery of the place.
It's almost been a year since the Tomioka Town office, the project's base, opened. The sea of Tomioka Town, which I've been seeing daily since commuting and then moving here, constantly shows different expressions.
Some days are calm and quiet, while others are stirred by the wind, and sometimes I'm surprised by these changes.
Amidst such "ever-changing scenery," I feel that this project is progressing step by step.
The sea was calm that day, and time flowed peacefully.
Searching for filming locations.
The natural scenery around the planned site for the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" Museum (tentative name).
Under Nishino's direction, numerous trials and errors took place at the filming site. In particular, the drone shots around the planned construction site captured the vastness, tranquility, and power of this land. The landscape I had seen countless times from the ground appeared as if it were a new place when viewed from the sky. Through the video, I realized that "this land had aspects I hadn't seen before."
In the video, Miyajima also states:
"I'd been searching the coastal areas of Tohoku for about three years, and finally found a place at 'just the right distance.' That place is Tomioka in Fukushima Prefecture. Everyone thought, 'Ah, this is it.' It was exactly the place we had envisioned, to the point of giving us goosebumps."
As he says, the intuition of "this is it" transforms into conviction through the video—That was the feeling, and the landscape captured by the drone made me strongly feel the significance of this land and the artwork once again.
Drone filming in progress
Through the video
After the video was completed, I realized anew that the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" project is not merely about building a museum, but is the process itself where people and nature, memory and future intersect.
The power of the landscape felt on site, the feelings of those who have walked with us so far, and the connection with Tomioka Town and the Hamadori region of Fukushima Prefecture form the foundation of this project.
Its journey will continue. We hope you will experience the "now" and "future" that "Sea of Time - Tohoku" depicts through the video.
Video Production Credits
Sea of Time - TOHOKU
Supervision
Tatsuo Miyajima
Director, Cinematographer, Editor
Masamasa Nishino
Cinematography
Yuumin Gen, Ryohei Tomita
English Translation
Sam Holden
Planning
Tae Kahara
©︎2025 Sea of Time - TOHOKU. All rights reserved.
