KUJI, Iwate Prefecture--Kamekichi, the famed green sea turtle who survived the 2011 tsunami at the Moguranpia underground aquarium here, finally returned to his home tank on March 21.
Kamekichi was one of just 20 creatures of eight species that survived the disaster. The country’s only underground aquarium had about 3,000 creatures of 2,000 species at that time.
After surviving the disaster, he was temporarily relocated to Hachinohe city marine science museum Marient in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan.
While Kamekichi initially refused to move from a corner of his new tank or eat much, he gradually became accustomed to his new life thanks to the efforts of experienced keepers.
He has since become a star at the marine science museum as a symbol of the region’s recovery from the disaster.
After five years of reconstruction works, the Moguranpia aquarium, which was engulfed and completely destroyed by the towering tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, is set to reopen on April 23.