Visiting the disaster-stricken areas in Tohoku Participation in the tree-planting ceremony of “The Great Forest Wall Project” and fact-finding tour to the “Tohoku Sukusuku Project”
2013-2014
In the early morning of May 31st, a tour group of 18 members (15 Rotarians of the Tokyo Rotary Club, including President Mr. Mibu, President-Elect Mr. Kato and Secretary Mr. Kamegai, as well as 3 family members) left Tokyo Station at 7:36 am for Sendai by the “Hayabusa 3,” Shinkansen bullet train.
The tour itinerary was very tight. On the first day, members took part in the tree-planting ceremony of “The Great Forest Wall Project” and planted trees on the tide-protection embankment made of debris from the Great East Japan Earthquake. The Community Service Committee has made donations to this Project. Members then paid a visit to the Salon for Mothers in Ishinomaki. The Salon is run by the “Tohoku Sukusuku Project,” implemented by the Challenge 100 Committee. Members also visited Kesennuma where a child care support facility is planned to be opened, financed by the Global Grant. Members had a gathering with the Rotary Club of Kesennuma.
On the second day, members visited a child care support center Ayukko in Rikuzentakata City donated by the Tokyo Rotary Club and attended a presentation ceremony of equipments purchased for the center by the donations from the Rotary Japan Disaster Recovery Fund Grants as well as the Tokyo Rotary Club during the current Rotary Year.
The tree-planting ceremony of “The Great Forest Wall Project” was held at the tide-protection embankment built near the Sendai Airport that had suffered from devastating damage caused by the tsunami on March 11th, 2011. Members of our Club were drenched in sweat and struggled with soft sandy soil on a steep embankment, among several thousand participants. We managed to plant trees at an allotted spot.
After the tree-planting ceremony, members took the bus and headed for Kesennuma where we stayed overnight. On the way, we stopped over at Ishinomaki to visit the Salon for Mothers.
We stayed at Kesennuma Plaza Hotel that sits on a small hill overlooking the downtown of Kesennuma once washed away by the tsunami. The view from the hotel window reminded us of the magnitude of damage caused by the dreadfultsunami.
In the evening, members had a gathering with the Rotary Club of Kesennuma which has its weekly meetings at the Kesennuma Plaza Hotel. We all enjoyed the cheerful atmosphere, invigorated by the good news that the Global Grant had been approved. We also confirmed to work in collaboration to implement the “Tohoku Sukusuku Project” on a long-term basis.
On the second day, the group left Kesennuma for Rikuzentakataand visited Ayukko to conduct the presentation ceremony of the equipments (worth a total of 900,000 yen using the donations from the Rotary Japan Disaster Recovery Fund Grants as well as the Tokyo Rotary Club).
We had a marvelous time dancing with the children and enjoying delicious refreshments prepared by the mothers.
Members of the Tokyo Rotary Club were blessed with good weather over two days and had an enjoyable and fruitful overnight trip. On the other hand, the view from the bus showed many places far from recovery as they had suffered from damages and sorrow of an excessive magnitude. We reaffirmed that assistance to the disaster-stricken areas must be continued over many years to come.