Volume 83 - May 1, 2015

Tourist season has begun on the Sanriku coast of Iwate - the cherry blossoms have fallen to the winds, and farm work is booming in the fields of the country.

School entrance ceremony held at Takata High School for the first time in 5 years （Rikuzentakata City）

On April 9, 2015 （Thu）, Takata High School held an entrance ceremony at their new school building, which was rebuilt on elevated ground in Takata-cho in Rikuzentakata City. The school was completely destroyed during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. After the tsunami, classes resumed in the Kayanaka building of neighboring Ofunato City’s Higashi High School, and many of the students commuted by school bus.

It’s been 5 years since the school has held an entrance ceremony on its home campus. Among the incoming class of 164 freshmen, 149 are enrolled in the general course and 15 in the marine system course.

Amika Sasaki, a student in the general course, stepped up as representative for the new freshmen: “I was in 5th grade when the disaster hit us in March, and it was a painful experience for me. But, I’m here today because of all the support I got from so many people. Together with my new classmates, I want to work hard, take on many challenges, and enjoy high school life to the fullest. I believe that the future will hold many things for us, and as a student at Takata High School, which holds so much history and so many traditions, I’ll take pride in my school and work as hard as I can.”

The future of the reconstruction and Rikuzentakata’s development lies in the hands of the next generation. Filled with new resolve, the newly enrolled students have taken their first steps into high school at their newly built school.

Renovating 5,000 temporary housing units

Iwate Prefecture is planning to renovate approximately 5,000 temporary housing units in 2015 in 6 municipalities on the coast in order to repair them after such a long period of use.

The decision to renovate was made to preserve residents comfort and resolve some of their anxiety about structural issues. The renovation involves upgrades to the outer foundation/groundwork of the buildings, the floorboards of the stairs of front entrances （under the awnings）, as well as other areas.

There are additional plans to renovate roughly 9,200-9,500 temporary units that might continue to be inhabited after 2017. Renovation on these units will occur in the 2 years from 2015 to 2016.

Interested in starting up a business in the coastal region?! We support businesses on the coast of Iwate!

If you’re opening up a business based in one of Iwate’s 12 coastal municipalities, you can receive a start-up business grant.

• Amount covered by grant
  Up to 5/6 of certain eligible costs
• Grant Money
  ￥2,000,000 limit
• Grant Period
  Contract signed - February 29, 2016
• Offer Deadline
  First application period　July 3, 2015 （Fri）

For more information：
Sanriku Mirai Suishin Center
Morioka Office：019-601-2468

Reconstruction aid from the Toyota Master Players Wien Concert in Morioka

On April 11, 2015 （Sat）, Toyota Master Players, Wien, which is specially comprised of members mainly from Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna State Opera, performed at Iwate Prefectural Hall. This was a charity concert sponsored by Toyota Motor Corporation, and their 4th concert in Morioka. Ticket sales from each concert have been donated to the Iwate Learning Hope Fund. Just like the last such concert, Toyota Motor East Japan invited 200 high school students within the prefecture to come to the concert.

They were given messages boards of support from the employees of Toyota and models of the Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle and Aqua hybrid vehicle.

The Ninth Recovery Gourmet Grand Prix in Otsuchi

The Ninth Recovery Gourmet Grand Prix in Otsuchi was held on April 12, 2015 （Sun） with restaurants and shops from the three disaster-affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. These shops created and competed with each other using their local ingredients at the Fukko Kirari Shopping Center in Otsuchi, and bustled with an attendance of around 3,000 people.

This event began in 2013 to publicize the current state of the disaster-affected areas through dishes cooked up using local ingredients along the Sanriku Coast. There were 13 shops that participated this year, and they each sold one original dish for 300 yen. U-no! Hanamasu Shoutengai's Kamaishi Burger was voted as the winner this year.

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 Ryusei Numazaki of the Sanriku Railway.

• Ryusei Numazaki of Sanriku Railway

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

• Human casualties/deaths: 4,672; Missing: 1,129
• Buildings destroyed （residences only, total/partial）: 26,163

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

Donations for survivors: Around 18.22276 billion yen （90,908 donations）
Donations for reconstruction projects: Around 19.63144 billion yen （7,249 donations）
Iwate Learning Hope Fund donations: Around 7.31317 billion yen （15,123 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 83. May 1, 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 84 will be published on May 15.

• News from Iwate's Reconstruction