August 6, 2023: Sendai City's 48th Peace Tanabata - Expanding the circle of sympathy to the younger generation

In a corner of Sendai's arcade where various Tanabata decorations are lined up, five streamers made of folded paper cranes are swaying in the midsummer breeze. Each streamer is three meters long and uses 40,000 folded paper cranes. Signs reading "No More Hiroshima" and "No More Anagasaki" are posted on the colorful streamers. This peace Tanabata was started 48 years ago by a Sendai citizen group called "Tanabata Citizens' Gathering for Peace."

It all started when volunteers from the Sendai YMCA put up handmade streamers. After that, the circle of supporters of the movement spread across the country, and origami cranes began to be donated from schools and churches all over the country. Although the number of cranes was slightly reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 600,000 origami cranes were donated this year as well. The cranes are strung on string and then made into streamers and leis to wear around the neck.

At the United Church of Christ in Japan Sendai Kita Church, where I am a member, preparation work has been carried out every Wednesday afternoon since June. I also participated in the work. This year, it was noticeable that the number of high school students who participated in the preparation stage of the streamers had increased.

July 28th, Shokei Gakuin High School. On this day, about 30 high school students, including members from Meiji Gakuin Higashimurayama High School and Aizu Hokuriku High School, worked on attaching flower decorations to the top of the streamers. The "lanterns" that were attached to the top were made by students from Tohoku Seikatsu Bunka University High School in advance.

The lanterns are bright blue. Considering the color scheme, the high school students chose yellow for the flower decorations, the color of the Ukrainian flag. What is moving the hearts of the young people must be Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Blog article: Earthquake diary in Sendai

Blog writer: A journal of the disaster area coverage by Sendai-based journalist Tadaki Matsudate (former NHK social affairs reporter). The journal, covering six months from March 11, 2011 to the end of September, was published as a book by Sasaki Publishing in Sendai.

The blog contains interviews and personal notes from October 2011 onwards.