On March 11, 2011 a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, causing unimaginable damage. Many people lost their lives, their homes, and all their precious memories collected over generations. Among the things lost were precious photos and videos — cherished images of family, friends, pets and once-in-a-lifetime events — buried in rubble or washed to sea.

To help people share their photographs and videos that did survive, Google created this site, “Mirai e no kioku”, which means “Memories for the Future” in Japanese. It is our hope that this will help people rediscover lost memories of their homes and towns.

In addition to the images that the people in the region have uploaded, Google is also providing thousands of miles of Street View imagery in the affected areas that were collected before and after the disaster. Using Google Maps on this site, it is possible to see the full extent of the damage by finding an image in Street View and then clicking the “Before” and “After” links at the top to see how the earthquake and tsunami impacted that area.