This combination of pictures shows the view of a tsunami hit area of Ofunato, Iwate prefecture on March 14, 2011 (right side) and the same scene as it appears on January 15, 2012 (left side). March 11, 2012 will mark the first anniversary of the massive tsunami that pummeled Japan. #

This before/after pair shows a private plane, cars and debris outside Sendai Airport in Natori, Miyagi prefecture on March 13, 2011, two days after a tsunami hit the region on March 11, 2011 and the same area on January 12, 2012 (click image to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

Damage caused by the March 11, 2011 tsunami seen from a hill overlooking the city of Kesennuma on March 16, 2011, and the same area on January 14, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A pair of photographs shows the same location in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan on two different dates, March 11, 2011, and February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A pair of scenes from Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan on two different dates, March 11, 2011, and February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A fishing boat lies among the tsunami rubble in Otsuchi, Iwate prefecture on March 31, 2011, the same area visible on January 16, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A boat washed on to a street by the March 11 tsunami in Ishonomaki, Miyagi prefecture on March 15, 2011, and the same area on January 13, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A view of a tsunami hit area of Ofunato, Iwate prefecture on March 14, 2011, and as the scene appears on January 15, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

The scene above a fishing port in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan on two different dates, March 11, 2011, and February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A tsunami strikes a fishing port in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, the same scene visible on February 16, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A ship called Asia Sympathy, run aground by the March 11 tsunami in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, on March 18, 2011, and the same area on January 16, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

Tsunami waves overflow a barrier in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, the same scene visible on February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A sightseeing boat washed ashore by the tsunami onto a two-story home in Otsuchi, Iwate prefecture on April 16, 2011, and the same area on January 16, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A massive wave inundates part of Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, 2011, and the same scene, shown on February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

Residents cross a bridge covered with debris in a tsunami hit area of the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture on March 15, 2011, the same area visible on January 13, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

The tsunami breaches flood barriers in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, 2011, the same view seen on February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

The tsunami breaches flood barriers in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, 2011, the same view seen on February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

Floding in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, 2011, and seen later, on February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

A tsunami-hit street in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, on March 14, 2011, and a year later, on January 15, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #

Flooding crests on a bridge in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, 2011, the same scene shown on February 17, 2012 (click to view). [click image to view transition - javascript required] #