Miracle Pine

A pine tree that became a symbol of hope after it survived the March 2011 tsunami in north-east Japan was opened to the public in the devastated town of Rikuzentakata on Wednesday.

The 250-year-old "miracle" pine – the only one among 70,000 trees left standing along the town's coastline after the disaster – initially survived, but was removed last September after its roots died from exposure to salt water.

Experts preserved the 27-metre (89ft) tall tree in its near-original state by inserting a metal skeleton into its trunk and adding replica branches and leaves made from a synthetic resin.

In response to online criticism of the projected cost of the restoration project, the town decided to raise money from donations in Japan and overseas, and easily exceeded its target of 150m yen (£1m).

An estimated 1,700 people died in Rikuzentakata after it was engulfed by waves up to 13 metres high on the afternoon of 11 March 2011.

After the water had receded, only a handful of buildings remained standing in the town centre. Thirty of Rikuzentakata's children under 16 were orphaned, while 150 lost one parent.

"For those of us who were left suffering after the disaster, the miracle pine gave us the strength and hope to carry on living," the town's mayor, Futoshi Toba, whose wife died in the tsunami, said at an unveiling ceremony.

The tree, which was returned to its original location last month, will be lit up every night for the next year as a mark of respect for the victims.

With several thousand survivors still living in temporary accommodation, the recovery in Rikuzentakata, as in other affected communities, has been hampered by bureaucracy and a lack of space on higher ground away from the coastline.

The flattened area closest to the sea will be turned into a disaster-prevention and memorial park, with the "miracle" pine as its centrepiece.