Orahono Recovery Festival to be held!
The “Orahono Recovery Festival – Ishinomaki/Onogawa/Higashi Matsushima” will be held on Sunday October 16.
Since the massive disaster occurred, countless numbers of volunteers have been providing support by participating in an endless list of volunteer activities including meal preparation, distribution of supplies, providing assistance at evacuation centers, mud clearance and assistance with fishing industry activities. Volunteers are continuing to help with these activities everyday. More than six months have passed since the disaster and as the debris that covered the town is gradually removed, shops are starting to re-open for business. There is, however, still a long way to go until the primary industries make a full recovery. Just as progress towards recovery was being made, the fishing villages that had been cleared of mud were once again troubled by mud and flooding caused by the heavy rain of Typhoon No. 15.
Despite this, local youth associations, fishing and agricultural industry representatives, the chamber of commerce and tourism association have come together to hold a “recovery festival.” The cities of Ishinomaki, Onagawa and Higashi Matsushima will work together to hold a recovery festival in the Ishinomaki region for the first time since the disaster.
This recovery festival will be a place for many people to be reunited with each other. Reunion of people with their neighbors, reunion of local residents with volunteers and reunion of volunteers with other volunteers. We hope for many wonderful moments of reunion during the recovery festival.
If many people participate in this festival it will help cheer up and provide inspiration to local shop owners re-opening their businesses. Please tell your family, friends and co-workers about this festival via email, blogs and other homepages. It may be a small step towards something as large as “recovery” but it is an important step for oraho (“us”) to take.
Orahono Recovery Festival – Ishinomaki/Onagawa/Higashi Matsushima
Date/Time: October 16 (Sunday) from 9am to 3pm
Venue: Ishinomaki City Civic Sports Park
Event details: Sale of locally manufactured products; food and drink stalls; stage events; children’s play area, etc.
Organizer: Orahono Recovery Festival Executive Committee
Sponsors: Ishinomaki city, Onagawa-cho, Higashi Matsushima city
Supported by: Ishinomaki Disaster Recovery Assistance Council Inc. (IDRAC)
Inquiries: 0225-95-1013 (Junior Chamber International Ishinomaki)
*The festival will still be held even if there is light rain.
*A shuttle bus to the festival will operate from in front of Ishinomaki station/Ishinomaki Senshu University parking lot