Outside the Ishinomaki train station, taxis line up for visitors and commuters as usual. Here, though, like in so many of the coastal towns that found themselves in the 2001 tsunami’s path of destruction, the population is largely elderly and the drivers are often retirees. 70-year-old taxi driver Yuichi Kowata, who knew the town and its inhabitants better than most, bears the weight of the town’s losses in his expression. While the camaraderie of the drivers remains strong, the sense of sadness and grief is all too apparent.