Old woman in northeastern Japan hopes to keep singing time-honored song in new environment (2)

Old woman in northeastern Japan hopes to keep singing time-honored song in new environment (2)

The pickup in the number of residents in Toyoma apparently reflects an inflow of young families from outside, and this comes at a time when its living environment has improved following the completion of the anti-disaster green belt on the coast. 

The green belt contributes to creating land for new housing zones, not just at higher inland locations but also in coastal areas, making it possible to provide affordable houses to young families.

<Toyoma community out to attract young families for new town planning>

"We organize various events for recreational and other purposes to attract mainly child-raising families from outside of the town," a Toyoma community leader said. Participating families can obtain certain incentives for relocation through some of these events.

A major challenge in attracting young families is to create new jobs for them, the leader said. The community's campaign to this end has got a follow wind in recent years as a shopping mall was built at a redeveloped major port town within a commutable distance from Toyoma to the south in 2018. 

<New museum expected to revitalize tsunami-damaged areas>

The schoolyard of Toyoma Junior High had been used as a disaster rubble depot after the tsunami. The inundated three-story building was dismantled later, and the school was rebuilt at a higher place inland in 2017. 

On the former school site, a museum was newly opened in May 2020 with disaster-related items on display. 

The killer tsunami hit the junior high school a few hours after the end of a graduation ceremony for the school year. There had been no students left, but a grand piano was found inundated at the hall, while a blackboard with farewell messages written by graduates was recovered from a damaged classroom. 

The so-called "Piano of Miracle" and the blackboard with graduates' messages are displayed at the Iwaki 3.11 Memorial and Revitalization Museum, which stands on a raised land tract at the former school site. 

The new museum commands a nice view of the white Usuiso Beach area, which extends in front of the Suzukame guest house. 

The bathing resort in Usuiso was reopened in 2017 after a hiatus of six years. The beach is open to bathers from mid-July to mid-August, while the guest house operates throughout the year. 

The piano became playable again in time before the opening of the museum. It is sometimes played at the display room, and it is also offered for playing at related events. 

With town rehabilitation efforts in progress at various places in Usuiso and in neighboring Toyoma, the museum is expected to help encourage affected people in the region, attracting tourists instead of sea bathers from now on.