By Gentaro Yui | Director, Project Leader
Dear supporters,
Thank you for supporting our project. Your support is helping us rebuild community of Ogatsu damaged heavily by tsunami. Creating a sustainable learning center, restoring a 90 year old wooden school, for children will be able to play and learn from the great nature of Ogatsu. People in the community is very excited to take part in this revitalization process of their community.
For the last three month, we have been restoring the roof of the school. There are about thirty thousand slates on the roof, made all from Ogatsu ink stone, that has been keeping the structure for the last since 1923. Same slate material is used on the roof of Tokyo station, traditional Japanese roofing technique. Hundreds of volunteers have gathered to wash the slate, and clean slates were able to be put back on the roof by local craftsman.
Also on a sunny May 18, over 150 alumni gathered and enjoyed the Sports Festival. Many people who had left Ogatsu returned to see the progress of the restoration project and participate in sporting events. Under the fisherman’s banner, three events – the 100-meter relay, piggy-back race, and water-pouring relay – were held. Participants aged 25 to 94 mixed with children and the field was in an uproar of cheers and laughter. One participant said after the event, “Today was one of the happiest days of my life. I am glad to be an alumni and a resident of Ogatsu.” It was a day everyone forgot about the disaster, as if nothing ever happened. The event was featured on one of NHK’s (national public broadcasting) programs hosted by a three-time Olympian Dai Tamesue.
We are planning to go into interior construction before summer. Many programs like fishery, agriculture, and forestry are designed with professional and locals. We still need your support in construction and designing programs. Hiring is on it way to gather team member to run our sustainable learning center.
Please help us by sending word out to your family and friends!
Thank you again for being a part of the exciting recovery project!
Gentaro Yui
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