MATSUDO, Chiba Prefecture--With public transportation in Ofunato, Iwata Prefecture, still a shadow of its former self four years after the city was struck by a massive tsunami on March 2011, the city government here rode to the rescue.
MATSUDO, Chiba Prefecture--With public transportation in Ofunato, Iwata Prefecture, still a shadow of its former self four years after the city was struck by a massive tsunami on March 2011, the city government here rode to the rescue.
Matsudo extended a helping hand in early November by donating 100 previously abandoned bicycles to Ofunato that will be made available to tourists.
A transfer ceremony was held Nov. 7 outside Ofunato’s city government building. The city plans to place custom-made stickers designed after the camellia, Ofunato's floral emblem, on the bicycles, which will be put to use in late November, officials said.
“The convenience of public transport for tourism in the city still leaves much to be desired,” said Hiroshi Suzuki, head of the Ofunato city government commerce and tourism division. “We are really grateful for the donation of the bicycles, which we hope to put to effective use.”
More than four years after the disaster spawned by the Great East Japan Earthquake, means of public transport, such as taxis and fixed-route buses operating in and around the city, remain far from their pre-3/11 state, Ofunato officials said.
Sanriku Railway has since reopened its services, and operations of the JR Ofunato Line have also been restored in a makeshift way by rapid transit bus service. These moves are helping a gradual return of tourists to the city.
Bicycles were previously available for rent at a Sanriku Railway Co. train station and elsewhere in Ofunato, but the rental service has remained shut down since the towering waves swept away the bicycles.
As many as 10,000 bicycles are found abandoned every year in Matsudo. About 4,000 of that number, which end up unclaimed until their storage periods expire, are sold off by the city government. Matsudo has also donated bicycles to other communities ravaged by the 2011 disaster.
The city spent about 100,000 yen ($810) to repair the 100 abandoned bicycles designated for Ofunato, which included rust removal and the replacement of worn-out tires. Stickers carrying an illustration representing both cities shaking hands were placed on the rear fenders of the bikes, which were loaded and shipped out on four trucks on Nov. 6 from Matsudo.
According to Ofunato city officials, the bicycles will be kept at train stations, inns and hotels, where tourists can use them at no charge.