NIHONMATSU, Fukushima Prefecture--A 300-year-old lantern maker is busily churning out paper lanterns here as communities impacted by the March 2011 quake and nuclear disaster are preparing for traditional festivals again in a sign of a return to normalcy.
NIHONMATSU, Fukushima Prefecture--A 300-year-old lantern maker is busily churning out paper lanterns here as communities impacted by the March 2011 quake and nuclear disaster are preparing for traditional festivals again in a sign of a return to normalcy.
Yuji Asakura, 61, his wife and their son were in top gear on a recent day, drawing letters in ink on paper wrapped around lantern frames made of wire and bamboo, and painting spaces around the letters.
The illuminations will be used to adorn floats in the city's festival, known as the Nihonmatsu lantern festival. The event will be held on Oct. 4-6. Lanterns are a fixture in many festivals in the central part of Fukushima Prefecture.
Asakura said he has also received an order from communities outside the city.
“Two and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, people are working to resume traditional festivals that they had suspended in the wake of the disaster,” he said. “We received an order from communities in Iwaki for the first time, including the time before and after the disaster.”
The Asakuras are expected to be busy making lanterns until the end of October.