Volume 96 - November 15, 2015

The vivid colors of autumn are fading away as Iwate starts preparing for winter.

An On-site Reconstruction Tour for Local Residents （Kuji, Noda）

On October 31, 2015 （Sat）, 28 people from the Kuji and Ninohe areas attended an on-site reconstruction tour that was organized by the Iwate Prefectural Government. Its goal was to keep citizens up-to-date on the reconstruction's progress, and to ensure that the memories and lessons taken from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami don't fade away with time. It was the second tour of the fiscal year.

The participants first travelled to the Jonai elevated housing estate in Noda, where 20 private homes and 54 publichouses （74 in total, within an area of 330 square meters） are being built. They're due to be completed next year. Next, they looked at the progress being made on the provisionally-titled Sanriku Coastal Road, a 1.5km extension of route 45 towards Noda Interchange. Currently, the foundations and embankments are under construction. The road is due to open sometime in 2017.

The participants also went on foot to a construction site in Ube Tunnel （Kuji）, which is between Fudai and Kuji on the route 45 Sanriku Coastal Road. Excavation work on the 12m-wide, 446m-long tunnel has now been completed. It's due to open in March 2016.

The tour finished with a trip to the Kosode Ama Center, which opened on April 26th, 2015 （Sun） in Kuji.
One of the participants gave their thoughts on the experience. "We were able to see places you're normally not allowed to visit, like the tunnel construction site. I felt more than ever like Iwate is slowly but surely returning back to normal."

Otsuchi Gakuen Students Write Messages on their New School Building （Otsuchi）

On October 22 and 23, 2015 （Thu-Fri）, around 730 students from the Otsuchi Gakuen elementary and middle school wrote messages onto building materials for their new school building, which is currently under construction.

Otsuchi Gakuen was created in April 2015 as an integrated elementary and middle school. It combined 4 elementary schools （Otsuchi Elementary, Ando Elementary, Akahama Elementary and North Otsuchi Elementary） with Otsuchi Middle School, all of which were struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

They gave the students a chance to write down their hopes for their new school life, which included such thoughts as "Let's smile for Otsuchi," "I want to make this school the best," and "I'm going to study really hard!" The messages were written on a 1m wide, 7m tall panel.

The students' classes currently take place in a temporary building. Elevation work is underway on the new premises, which are due to open in September 2016. The messages will appear on the underside of the classroom ceilings.

The Return of a Festival, Supporting the Reconstruction

Hirota Bay Fish Festival （Rikuzentakata）

On October 25, 2015 （Sun）, the Hirota Bay Fish Festival was held for the first time in 5 years. Many people came looking to buy fresh hauls of seafood.

At the fish handling facilities located in Hirota-cho in Rikuzentakata, local marine goods such as oysters, scallops, abalone, clams, and wakame seaweed were being sold, as well as a special sale of Pacific saury and mackerel, where you could take as many as you could pack into your bag. The festival was bustling with long lines of people.

Guests experienced all Hirota Bay has to offer with many other events where you could try to fish out salmon with your hands, shuck oyster shells, and eat freshly grilled seafood. The festival, which was last held five years ago, was a successful, fun-filled day. It’s just another sign of the continuing successful efforts of the reconstruction along the coast.

Kumano Shrine Grand Festival （Ofunato）

On October 31, 2015 （Sat）, many people came to celebrate the Kumano Shrine Grand Festival, which is a festival that is held at Kumano Shrine in Ofunato's Massaki-cho once every 4 years. It has been 8 years since it was last held.

The festival was cancelled because of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that occurred 4 years prior, which makes this year the 8-year mark since it was last held. Festival groups from 9 areas within Massaki participated in the festival. There were also displays of the traditional tiger and gongen-mai dances, and within the grounds of the shrine, a dance in which they used a ladder 16.2m in height called the Ladder Tiger Dance was also performed and received great response from the crowd.

After that, a total of over 400 people formed several lines and paraded around the area. It is hoped that the festival, which is both an opportunity to display traditional art folklore while also being a place for the local citizens to come together and socialize, will bring energy to and revitalize the region.

Features

Oyster season is here at last! Yamada, Ofunato Rikuzentakata

Of all wonderful food of the Sanriku Coast, oysters are the most well-known. There are little shops everywhere called "Kakigoya," offering all-you-can-eat unshelled oyster deals. Enjoy them while they're fresh and in season!

Inquiries
Yamada: Yamada Town Tourism Association Phone: 0193-84-3775
Ofunato: Fisherman's Kakigoya （in the Ofunato Fish Center） Phone: 0192-26-4788
Rikuzentakata:Hirota Bay Kakigoya Phone: 090-8784-2114 （reservations required）
*Inquiries in Japanese, please.

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 Eri Ishizaki and her illustrations for Miyako.

• Eri Ishizaki of Art Eriy's

Casualties and Damage in Iwate （as of October 31, 2015）

• Human casualties/deaths: 4,672; Missing: 1,126
• Buildings destroyed （residences only, total/partial）: 26,165

Thank you for all of your support! （as of October 31, 2015）

Donations for survivors: Around 18.41415 billion yen （92,208 donations）
Donations for reconstruction projects: Around 19.71038 billion yen （7,503 donations）
Iwate Learning Hope Fund donations: Around 7.77931 billion yen （16,429 donations）
※ This fund is to assist in the study and daily life of affected
children by encouraging sport and study activities.

• To make a donation to aid in Iwate's reconstruction, click here.

Contact

News from Iwate’s Reconstruction, Volume 96. November 15, 2015.
Published by the General Affairs Division, Bureau of Reconstruction, Iwate Prefecture.
Phone: 019-629-6925
Editing & Printing: SYNAPSE

*News from Iwate's Reconstruction Volume 96 will be published on December 1.