From Kuroshima Town in the depths of winter

Here, the sea breeze roars, whitecaps form offshore, and the freezing cold persists. Time flies in the second half of 2025. The last Wajima Newsletter was written at a time when the area was overflowing with life. The journey since then has been like a marathon, rain or shine, as we aim to restore the region and rebuild lives. There is still a long way to go.

With the year coming to an end, I sit at my desk and begin to write, looking back on this unforgettable year. In this letter, I write down the scenes I have seen with my own eyes as a resident of Wajima, using words that flow from my heart.

The progress of each region

As December approaches in central Wajima, publicly funded demolition work appears to have come to a close, with the exception of large facilities such as schools and cultural centers. New homes and temporary structures have been erected on vacant lots, and new urban development plans are gradually progressing, giving the impression that life is slowly returning to normal. One-way traffic remains in many areas of the roads, but repair work is also progressing, and this summer, Nakaya Tunnel (National Route 249), which connects Wajima and Monzen, reopened to regular vehicles for the first time in a year and a half.

Due to the outflow of population, the number and size of shops are shrinking, but it is a great feeling to be able to encounter the familiar flavors of Wajima and local products again. The number of children is also decreasing, elementary and junior high schools are being merged and reorganized, and new indoor sports fields are being built to address the situation where children can no longer play outside as they used to.

Meanwhile, areas scheduled for mass relocation remain untouched. Publicly funded demolition work is still ongoing in some areas, including Kuroshima Town. Following the Tenryo Festival in August, construction work has picked up steam here and there, dramatically changing the townscape. The vibrations of heavy machinery demolishing buildings and the sounds of falling tiles are deafening, and the air is smoky with dust.

A local treasure connected by people's thoughts

The Obon festival in 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, and the Tenryo Festival will resume for the first time in two years on August 17th and 18th. For the people of Kuroshima Town, this was an opportunity to share their thoughts on repose and reconstruction, as well as marking a new phase.

The portable shrine of Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine collapsed in the earthquake on New Year's Day, 2024, and was completely shattered like the pieces of a puzzle. The parts and fragments were rescued by local residents and volunteers, and six months later they were transported to Fukuki Construction's factory via the Kuroshima Support Team, based in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture.

Master carpenters Kiji Fukuda and Sadaru Nishimura inspected each and every component and confirmed that restoration was possible. Despite their years of experience and honed skills gained through their involvement in the creation of numerous floats, including those for the Nada Kenka Festival, the master carpenters decided to take on the task of restoring the mikoshi, with the sole desire to "encourage the people of Kuroshima" and "protect the treasures of the region."

A beacon of hope for recovery

The portable shrine, which is said to have been donated by a wealthy merchant who owned Kitamae ships in 1744 during the Edo period, had no surviving blueprints, so restoration work was carried out using photographs taken before the earthquake as reference material. Small parts were assembled and glued together, and new parts were fitted in for missing parts, making for a series of nerve-wracking tasks that required gastroscopy. The extremely difficult restoration was finally completed in the early spring of 2025.

To commemorate this occasion, the mikoshi was exhibited in the lobby of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History in early summer, before returning to Kuroshima town on July 30th, and the mikoshi restoration festival was held at the community center the following day, July 31st. The people's earnest desire to "preserve the festival culture" was shared, and a positive atmosphere spread throughout the town. The mikoshi's return to Kuroshima brought smiles back to the faces of many people, and it shone like a beacon of hope for the town's recovery.

After the Mikoshi Reconstruction Ceremony, the master carpenter was presented with a letter of appreciation. During his speech, he asked the attendees, "What does it mean to connect Japanese culture to the future?" This touched me deeply. I sensed that this restoration work was the answer to the master carpenter's lifelong commitment, and it moved me deeply. The series of events following the earthquake fostered a bond of mutual respect for the cultures of both Himeji and Kuroshima, led to a renewed appreciation of tangible and intangible historical culture and spirituality, and served as an opportunity to build momentum for passing on traditions in new forms.

Festival, prayer, and dance!

The day of the Tenryo Festival finally arrived. The weather was beautiful, and the residents, people connected to Kuroshima, and volunteers all came together to parade two floats from Kitamachi and Minamimachi, led by a portable shrine. When it got dark, the Yachoi Dance (a Bon dance set to Kuroshima folk songs such as Yachiyosebushi) was performed, and the crowd was so lively that the circle of people joining in spread out in multiple layers.

For these two days, the sounds of Tenryo drums, flutes, and spirited shouts echoed throughout the town. During the day, people wore happi coats called "dako" made from Noto Jofu fabric, and at night, people wore yukata robes dyed with a young wave pattern, bringing life to the usually quiet streets. This year's festival marked a turning point for connecting with the eight million gods and the ancestors of Kuroshima, even though they cannot be seen, and for praying for the restoration of this land.

Sharing and protecting local treasures

Nostalgic lifestyles and customs that have disappeared in urban areas remain in Kuroshima and other parts of Noto. People who are attracted to this simple culture are deepening their ties with Noto in their own ways, and it seems that since the earthquake, there has been an increase in activities and approaches from outside the region.

Perhaps it's the longing that only an immigrant like me can feel, but I feel a universal value in the love and pride of the people who were born and raised here, and in the culture of life that has been nurtured alongside the natural beauty of the satoyama and satoumi. I sometimes experience culture shock, but at the same time, from the perspective of a creator, I feel that the origins of handicrafts are deeply rooted in this climate.

When I surrender myself to the rhythm of nature and immerse myself in the gentle flow of time, I feel like small but important things that I hadn't noticed before become clear to me. There are always new discoveries to be made every day.

“Wajima News ~While looking up at the starry sky~” is…

Yukiko Akiyama, a lacquer artist who lives in Wajima, writes ``Wajima News ~While looking up at the starry sky~''. 30 minutes by car from the center of Wajima City. The Kuroshima area, located in the northwestern part of the Noto Peninsula, flourished as a residence for Kitamae-bune ship owners and sailors, and its beautiful landscape with black-tiled roofs has been designated as a nationally important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings. I did. After 16 years in Wajima, lacquer artist Yukiko Akiyama set up a workshop in an old private house in the Kuroshima district, and was just about to work on her work while restoring it, when she was struck by the earthquake. Like many buildings, Akiyama's workshop collapsed. Although there is no prospect of resuming production in her workshop, she will continue to work with lacquer here, and while working on the town development of Kuroshima, she will aim to rebuild the Noto Peninsula and solidify her resolve to start a new life. I am. The rich lifestyle of Kuroshima in the past, the beautiful nature, the interaction with people, the passion for lacquer, and the current situation of the disaster area... She is a woman who lives her daily life in the disaster-stricken area and strives for reconstruction, but at the same time, she depicts the true image of Noto as depicted by a woman who deals seriously with lacquer.