#fukkou

Photos from the middle of town, the anti-tsunami wall and beach, local preschool festival, view from my apartment, and sakura at my local park.

[Reposted from the KESENNUMA - BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE facebook page] “To us, March 11 is a day of great sadness. At the same time, it is a day to remember all the warmth, support, love, and encouragement you have given us in various ways. Thank you, world! Here’s how Kesennuma is doing nine years after the disaster. First, the bad news. Our biggest issue is the problem of population decline, which many cities share in Japan. The population of Kesennuma, which was about 75,000 before the earthquake, dropped to 62,000 by the end of January this year, a loss of about 13,000 residents. In the fishing industry, which is our key industry, the landing of fish has slowed from about 130,000 tons before the earthquake to 65,000 tons last year, and that has greatly affected the city’s economy. The number of tourists has also decreased, from 2.54 million visits before the disaster to 1.5 million last year. But here’s the good news: In the Land Readjustment Programs to elevate the land by 1.3 to 5.5 meters above sea level, Shishiori District completed this construction work in September of last year. This is the area where the large ship, No. 18 Shotokumaru, was swept inland by the tsunami. The ship was dismantled and removed in 2013, reflecting the residents’ vote against preservation. As for the three remaining Land Readjustment Programs in the areas MInami-Kesennuma, Sakanamachi/Minamimachi, and Matsuzaki-Katahama, the construction work and handing the land over to the owners will be finished by the end of March next year. All house-rebuilding for those who lost their homes to the tsunami will be completed by March 2021 as well. The city is determined to support the house-rebuilding to the very last person. The temporary housing that remains in two locations will then be disassembled and removed. The city will continue to support community building efforts and provide consultation and support services for those trying to adjust to new neighborhoods and ways of life. Our fish market has been renewed, and has operated under top-quality hygiene standards since last May. An innovative shipbuilding facility, created by the merger of four tsunami-stricken shipyards, was also completed last May. We remain the number one port for bonito catches for 23 years in a row—a piece of good news amid the worrisome record-low catches of saury and salmon. On our Oshima Island, the long-awaited Oshima Bridge opened last April to connect the island to the mainland, and a welcome terminal has just been completed on March 8 to serve as a new tourist information center and local specialty store. The adjacent restaurant-and-shop zone has been operating since last July. The access to the top of Mt. Kameyama is still under discussion. Before the disaster, a chair lift took visitors for a ride to the beautiful view from the top. This will not be easy to rebuild, due to funding and maintenance problems. In the meantime, occasional shuttle bus service takes passengers to the stunning panorama at the summit. We celebrated the reopening of Koizumi Beach last summer. Come and join us this July as we celebrate the opening of Oisehama Beach in Hashikami District! All four of these gorgeous beaches had been named among the 100 cleanest beaches in Japan, including Kodanohama Beach on Oshima Island, which reopened one year after the disaster, and Oya Beach, whose restoration is set for completion within the 2021 fiscal year. As for Oya Beach, a drivers' rest area called Michi-no-Eki, like others found throughout Japan, will be relocated in March 2021 on an ocean-view elevated Route 45, welcoming visitors with a local specialty store and eat-ins. The opening of the beach and the Michi-no-Eki will mean so much to us, and especially to the Oya residents who worked so hard in changing the original seawall plan to the present one to preserve the beautiful white-sand beach. The Memorial Park overlooking Kesennuma Bay will be completed this fall with a monument called Sail of Prayers, thanks to support given through crowd funding. For people to understand a tsunami and be prepared for any that may come, we opened a Memorial Museum last March, with a part of former Koyo High School preserved as it was right after the disaster. An impressive and extensive record of tsunamis is also found in our Rias Ark Museum. You have already seen on this Facebook page our entries about the opening of the Sanriku Expressway between Kesennuma Central and Kesennuma Port. The remaining Sanriku Expressway sections in Motoyoshi are planned for completion this December, bringing Sendai to a one-and-a-half-hour drive from us. The Karakuwa section including the Kesennuma Bay Bridge (its temporary name) will be completed by March 2021. The whole 360km between Sendai and Hachinohe in the northern part of Japan (Aomori) will be connected by the completion of the bridge. City Hall is scheduled to move from the inner bay area to the Tanakamae area where the city hospital used to stand. This was just announced in February; the timing has is yet to be determined. A BRT bus station may be built at the present city hall site, to allow easier access to the inner bay area where a new shopping zone opened last year near one already opened in 2017. Beer lovers, we now have a beer brewery in the area! We are participating in 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the Miyagi starting point for the torch relay in June. We are proud to be the host town for our friend, Indonesia. Well, that was pretty long to read, right? Although our struggle continues, we are happy that we have so much to report to you, and so fortunate to have people who care for us to read this all the way through. So let us repeat again loud and clear: THANK YOU, WORLD! This will be the last year of the city’s 10-year reconstruction plan. The city of Kesennuma will move forward so that we can proudly say, "Thanks to you all, we have become again the wonderful town you knew and loved ten years ago—and even better!!" Photo of the Kesennuma Bay bridge under construction by Masao Kumagai”

https://www.namie-flower.jp/

東北には、絶景のスカラインがたくさんあります。復興から立ち直り日常を取り戻した東北の風をバイクで感じてみてください！