Dearkin University researcher Dr Alecia Bellgrove has made an emotional return journey to the Japanese city of Shizugawa which was hit by the tsunami on March 11th.
A researcher in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin, Dr Bellgrove had worked and studied at the Shizugawa Nature Centre.
Mary Alexander from the Warrnambool Standard talked to Dr Bellgrove about what was a "confronting and humbling" experience.