In some ways 2011 seems like a long time ago, but Japan is still far from full recovery five years after an earthquake and tsunami devastated its shoreline and caused a catastrophic failure at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

But it was only a few weeks ago that one of seven Japanese boats, arriving as flotsam in Hawaii following the disaster, was sent back home. The 20-foot fishing boat Daini Katsu Maru had washed ashore in East Oahu. It’s now finding a new life as part of a commemorative display in Ogatsu.

There are more than these physical reminders. Images of the tragedy afflicting Japan, with which Hawaii maintains strong cultural and historical ties, won’t fade from memory for many, many years.