Misplaced trust: 30-foot tsunami wall didn't save Japanese village

Kawasaki Takeshi tried to hide his eyes as he breaks down. He is reliving the moment the "great wave" chased him and his wife into the hills.

His shock is even more raw as this wasn't supposed to happen here. Not in the small fishing village of Ryoishi where a 9 meter (30 foot) tsunami wall used to dominate the landscape.

This is not the first tsunami to devastate this area. One hundred years ago a tidal wave wiped the village out and is believed to have killed 90% of its residents.

This time it was supposed to be different but the force of the water bulldozed a path through one part of the wall and simply came over the top of it in other parts destroying everything in its path.

Takeshi used to live in the hills, but moved to the coast after the wall was built -- he says it made him feel safe.

He says, "This isn't a bad place and tsunamis don't happen that often, but after seeing the great wave my wife has decided we shouldn't be here." (read more)