Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Pref.

Rikuzen Takata was severely damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

New buildings started going up in 2017.

The Abasse Takata mall is one pillar of the reconstruction. Takashi Ito, 65, owns a book and stationery store here.

8 years ago, he lost both of his bookstore locations and the company president -- his younger brother.

Ito reopened 1 month after the tsunami on temporary premises and moved twice.

In 2017, the Abasse mall opened and Ito started helping stores lease space.

Two years later, some building stand in the surrounding area. But...

Takashi Ito
"The first year was of course good. The second year, things went back to normal. Our population is down, the customer base has shrunk."

40 stores have opened near Abasse, but only 20% of land in the downtown area has been designated for development.

Wide-spread damage in Rikuzen Takada means it is recovering more slowly than other locations.