Images of Home: Photographer Finds Hope Among Ruins on Noto Peninsula

The charred remains of Wajima’s famed morning market on January 22, 2024. The earthquake sparked a fire that destroyed over 200 buildings and incinerated some 50,000 square meters of the city. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

A road rendered impassable by the quake in the Monzen district of Wajima on January 11, 2024. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Collapsed homes spill onto a road in the Shōin district of Suzu on January 23, 2024. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

A blanket of snow falls on collapsed homes in the Shōin district of Suzu on January 24, 2024. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Mitsukejima framed by the remnants of a tsunami-damaged sign on January 17, 2024. Although battered, the island remains a beacon for residents. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

The 1,004 paddies that make up the Shiroyone Senmaida on February 2, 2024. The earthquake cracked the walls and other parts of the terraced fields. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

The Ukai district of Suzu on February 7, 2024. The destruction attests to the force of the earthquake and 3-meter tsunami that struck the area. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Participants parade a kiriko from Jūzō Shrine through the Wai district of Wajima on August 23, 2024, passing through neighborhoods with collapsed homes and other disaster damage. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Defying the disaster, a summer festival gets into full swing on August 23, 2024. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Demolition work in the Noroshi district of Suzu on November 27, 2024. Volunteers and demolitions companies have been a vital part of the reconstruction effort. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Empty lots spread across the Takojima district of Suzu on December 11, 2024. Nearly half of the 7,000 homes scheduled for demolition in the city have been cleared as of the end of November. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Flood damage in the Monzen district of Wajima on September 27, 2024. The deluge from heavy rains resulted in 16 deaths and damaged 1,368 homes. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Cleared lots in the Kawai district of Wajima on December 18, 2024. Demolition work in the city is expected to be completed by the end of March 2025. (© Yoshioka Eiichi)

Noto Peninsula Fatalities and Damaged Homes (as of December 24, 2024)