SHIOGAMA, Miyagi Prefecture--Squeals of delight and the happy splashing of feet in the waves were heard on Katsurashima island's bathing beach on July 19, as it opened to public for the first time in four years.
SHIOGAMA, Miyagi Prefecture--Squeals of delight and the happy splashing of feet in the waves were heard on Katsurashima island's bathing beach on July 19, as it opened to public for the first time in four years.
A 100-meter stretch of the 700-meter-long beach was opened after the government of this city and a group of volunteers removed masses of debris washed ashore from the tsunami triggered by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
About 50 people attended a ceremony to mark the reopening of the beach on the morning of July 19, including volunteers from Yamagata University.
“I am hoping that the local community will regain its vitality with the reopening of the beach,” said Kumezo Utsumi, the 73-year-old head of the Katsurashima district.
Katsurashima is one of a group of islands called the Urato chain in the city.
Although additional beaches are scheduled to open in Miyagi Prefecture this summer, more than 20 will remain closed this year due to the rubble still waiting to be cleared.
Meanwhile, Umi no Ichi (fish market), a seaside tourist attraction in Kesennuma in the prefecture, resumed full operations on July 19, with 12 shops and restaurants there reopening following the Shark Museum.
It was the first time the facility has returned to normal operations since the quake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, forced its closure.
Visitors howled with joy as they watched a 90-kilogram tuna landed at Kesennuma port being prepared for sale.
Miyagi Prefecture is among the three prefectures along with Iwate and Fukushima on the northeastern coast most affected by the quake and tsunami.