Volume 106 - June 1, 2016

Iwate is hosting this year's National Sports Festival!
122 days until the National Sports Festival, and 143 days until the National Sports Festival for People with Disabilities!

Opening of the Iwate Inland Survivor Support Center （Morioka）

On May 20th, 2016 （Fri）, the Iwate Inland Survivor Support Center opened its doors in Zaimoku-cho, Morioka. The center was built to support the reconstruction of homes for survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami who have taken refuge inland or to other prefectures.

The center will contact disaster survivors who have evacuated to temporary living arrangements or left the prefecture, both by telephone and in person, in order to ascertain their future plans. By providing consultation services, it aims to further encourage the reconstruction of residential homes.

There are 7 staff members stationed at the center who are certified mental health welfare professionals, social workers, or consumers' affairs consultants. In addition to providing telephone and in-person services, they can also explain the procedures for building a home, or assist people in finding their own property.

Takuya Kimura, the director of the Bureau of Reconstruction, made an address at the opening ceremony. "We are going to look into each survivor's intention regarding what area they want to live in and what type of housing they need, and proceed as quickly as possible with the rebuilding process."

At the end of April 2016, there were a total of 4,728 evacuees, of which 1,409 were living in temporary housing arrangements.

It is hoped that the rebuilding process will go smoothly from here on, and that the victims will be provided with support in their everyday lives.

• Address: Morioka-shi, Zaimoku-cho 3-5
• Hours: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM （Closed on Sundays and holidays）
• Contact: 019-601-7640

What can you get with 100 yen? The 100-yen Market! （Ofunato）

On April 30th, 2016 （Sat）, a 100-yen market event was held at the temporary shopping area "Ofunato and Dreams Shopping Street" in Ofunato. The event was bustling with bargain-shoppers looking to grab a deal.

The 100-yen market is an event where all of the stalls in "Ofunato and Dreams Shopping Street" sell their products to customers for 100 yen. This is the 5th time it has been held.

The stalls were selling many kinds ofthings, from seafood products, snacks, daily necessities, and fresh food... all for 100 yen! At one point, 2-in-1 packs of fresh scallops and strawberries went on sale for a limited time - for 100 yen.

The "Ofunato and Dreams Shopping Street" is scheduled to close down at the end of this fiscal year, but there are still many exciting events in store for the locals, such as a kids' event in August.

Spreading the joy. Giving thanks. The Land of Hope Iwate National Sports Festival and National Sports Festival for People with Disabilities

Event: Ground golf
Dates: September 24th （Sat） – 25th （Sun）
Venue: Sakarigawa Riverside Park
Demonstration sport: Marathon: August 7th （Sun） / Walking: October 2nd （Sun）
Contact Phone: 0192-27-3111 （Ofunato）

OFUNATO INFORMATION

Ofunato is a city located in the southern coast of Iwate Prefecture with a population of approximately 38,000 people. Its main industry is the fishing industry, as it is located right by the Sanriku fishing grounds, one of three of the world's leading fishing areas. In addition to an abundance of freshly caught pacific saury, mackerel, squid, and salmon, this geographically unique, serene bay also cultivates oysters, scallops, wakame seaweed, and sea squirts.

Also in town is the Goishi Coast, a nationally-designated place of scenic beauty. A particularly breathtaking sight is the Anatoshiiso, a unique rock formation that was eroded away by ocean water, leaving three large, gaping holes in its wake.

Senza Festival on Horai Island, and the return of the Hyotan-jima Festival （Otsuchi）

On April 29th, 2016 （Fri）, reconstruction was completed on Oyashiro （on Horai Island in Akahama, Otsuchi）, which it is said that the late Hisashi Inoue modeled his puppet show "Hyokkori Hyotan-jima" after. A ceremony called Senza-shiki was held to celebrate the relocation of the statue of the goddess Benzaiten back into the shrine, and the Hyotan-Jima Festival, which was put on hold just after the disaster, was held for the first time in six years.

The torii gates and main building of Benten Shrine on Horai Island were completely destroyed during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, but thankfully, the statue of Benzaiten, the guardian deity of the ocean, had not been washed away. The local residents created a program called the Hyotan-jima Reconstruction Project to repair the statue and rebuild the shrine.

During the ceremony, the statue was carried from Akahama Yahata Shrine to the Akahama Fishing Harbor area, which served as the venue of the event, where there were performances of traditional dances such as tora-mai, shishi-odori and kagura.

At the simultaneously-held Hyotan-jima Festival, there were oyster-shelling and seaweed packing contests, and prayers for the recovery of Horai Island.

The Scallops and Wakame Seaweed Set reaches its 1,000th sale! （Rikuzentakata）

From March 26th, 2016 （Sat）, four restaurants in Rikuzentakata began offering a fire-roasted and shabu-shabu set for scallops and wakame seaweed （called “Hotawaka Gozen”） as one of Iwate's first "New OMOTENASHI Local Gourmet" dishes. This was developed as part of a campaign to attract visitors to the area with delicious local food.

Four fresh scallops caught in Hirota Bay are prepared in three different ways - raw and wrapped in konbu seaweed, fire-roasted and deep-fried. These are then presented on a three-tiered stand, or Three-story Scallop Tower. Wakame seaweed dipped in boiling broth （shabu-shabu）, a local favorite, and Takata no Yume Rice, a rice brand from Rikuzentakata, are included in the set as well. Each restaurant adds on their unique dessert. The whole meal is brought on a wooden tray made of local Kesen cedar.

The specialties of Rikuzentakata are served all on one tray.

May 10th （Tue） marked the 1,000th sale of the set. It is gaining attention as Rikuzentakata's newest tourism asset, in addition to the city's famous Miracle Pine.

• Learn more about the set （JPN）（外部リンク）

Feature

Many young people are diligently helping the affected area of Sanriku move toward a full reconstruction. The section “People for Sanriku’s Future” introduces these young people and their powerful feelings.

Click the link to read about Seika Utsunomiya and her dream to become a train conductor for the Sanriku Railway.

• Seika Utsunomiya of the Sanriku Railway

Casualties and Damage in Iwate （as of April 30, 2016）

• Deaths: 4,672; Missing: 1,123
• Buildings destroyed （residences only, total/partial）: 26,168

Thank you for all of your support! （as of April 31, 2016）

Donations for survivors: Around 18.49228 billion yen （93,339 donations）
Donations for reconstruction projects: Around 19.77035 billion yen （7,742 donations）
Iwate Learning Hope Fund donations: Around 8.38756 billion yen （17,722 donations）
※ This fund is to assist in the study and daily life of affected children by encouraging sport and study activities.

Contact

News from Iwate’s Reconstruction, Volume 106. June 1, 2016.
Published by the General Affairs Division, Bureau of Reconstruction, Iwate Prefecture.
Phone: 019-629-6925
Editing & Printing: SYNAPSE

*News from Iwate's Reconstruction Volume 107 will be published on June 15th.