It was an ordinary day, just like any other in the seemingly sleepy, but otherwise vibrant, fishing towns of Miyako and Kamaishi.

A wall of water, as high as Sliema’s Preluna Hotel in some places, and well over four times the length of Malta- Paul Zammit Cutajar

Time and again we’d visit and they soon became one of our favourite get-away destinations. We would book into a home-stay with one of the fishermen’s families. Undoubtedly, dinner was superb as the freshest of fish was served.

The people are kind and live a simple life. We would sometimes wake up at unearthly hours of the morning to watch the fishing boats come in, their holds teeming with fish.

By dawn, the catch was offloaded, crated, auctioned and on its way to the market stalls and various eateries dotted all over town.

The Iwate coast is renowned for its abundance, variety and delicious seafood.

Taking in the early morning fresh air brought on an insatiable appetite, and we’d head down towards the fish market, which incorporated a variety of small and cosy izakayas (taverns serving drink and food).

This is as fresh as is gets – from sea to stall to restaurant, all within a few of hours.

As fishermen washed down the boats and prepared for their next voyage, the rest of the village stirred to welcome yet another day.

Roller-shutters clattered as stores opened for business. Most headed to the markets to choose from the catch of the day. Factory workers clocked-in and children merrily trotted down the streets for another happy day in playschool.

Life was good in the picturesque fishing towns nestled in the mouths of valleys of the Iwate coast. The children hung their satchels on their designating pegs and soon set off to play with a variety of available toys. Games and sing-alongs were organised and their happy shrieks of joy and laughter could be heard from the neighbouring buildings.

At 2.46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, the ground shuddered for a while as it always does in these parts of Japan.

Tremors are a daily occurrence and no-one thinks otherwise. Although causing some concern due to the increasing intensity, buildings in Japan are built to withstand large earthquakes.

But almost immediately, tsunami sirens screamed out their high-alert warnings. The kindergarten carers anxiously looked at each other and started to muster the children for evacuation. This was no ordinary tsunami. It was a tsunami of epic proportions that not even Hollywood could replicate.

Starting off some 80km from the coast, at a phenomenal speed of a jetliner, the mass of water accumulated as the speed decreased.

On reaching shallow waters, the volume had no place to go but up. By the time it hit the shores at a pace of 60kpm it would have been 40+ metres high, in places.

That would be like a wall of water, as high as Sliema’s Preluna Hotel in some places, and well over four times the length of Malta.

Both Kamaishi and Miyako were one of the first areas to be hit with a warning time of no more than 20 minutes.

Screams of joys turned into chilling shrieks of fear as the black waters easily over-ran the now-useless barriers, engulfing everything and everyone in its wake. Panic ensued. Some ran, and others attempted to drive to higher ground causing traffic jams that trapped passengers in their vehicles.

For most it was too late. Cars, boats and buildings were tossed around, like matchsticks, crashing into each other as wave after wave pounded the coast.

The devastation we saw on our television sets does not show the true extent of the catastrophe.No-one could have documented such a wave and survived.

Many media colleagues have either quit their jobs or are in trauma therapy. Footage of hundreds of bodies that littered the stricken areas was meticulously edited out.

Every year, Japan commemorates ‘The Bon’, which is similar to All Souls Day. Spirits of one’s ancestors are remembered and honoured. The highly emotional Bon of 2011 took on a significant meaning as the whole country honoured, not only their own ancestors, but also, the victims of the catastrophe.

Some four months later we returned to Miyako and Kamaishi to witness the devastation of the area we loved so much. An eerie silence dominated the area, as workers continued to remove the mounds of debris.

The kindergarten we had heard a few months ago, looked to have taken the brunt of the first waves. I optimistically hoped that the children survived.

Vast spaces opened up where a numerous number of houses had been. Mangled cars, stacked by the roadside, wait to be removed. The fish market was decimated beyond recognition.

The seabed, littered with debris, annihilated the once thriving fishing industry.

The fisherman’s family house, where we stayed, was gone, and so was the famous row of eateries, famously known as ‘Heavy Drinkers Alley’. These, at least, have been replaced by temporary stalls.

It will take a long time for life to return to normal, if ever. The scars remain both materialistically and psychologically, not only for the people concerned, but also for the country and the world.

Predictions point to ‘when’, and not ‘if’ the next big tsunami will hit. It could be in the next 1,000 or 100 years or sooner. Japan is resolved to avoid the fatalities and destruction of the past.

They have overcome the threat of earthquakes by constructing buildings that can withstand even the highest magnitude.

However, to protect against a tsunami of such a scale is a more challenging task. I am sure the Japanese will resolve the problem, sooner or later. They have the technical know-how and determination to do so.

Most of our beautiful memories have been washed away- Paul Zammit Cutajar

Most of our beautiful memories have been washed away, but we will return, at every opportunity, to our favourite sea-towns, if only to see the redeveloping over the years.

There have been over 1,000 aftershocks since the earthquake of March 11, 2011, with about 60 registering over 6.0 magnitude, and no less than three over 7.0.

As we retire for the night, the cupboards start to rattle. Yet another aftershock shakes the room.

Prior to March 11, 2011, we wouldn’t have given it half a thought.

Today, it brings a stark reminder of the victims that perished on that fatal day.